Where did you get your dress and were you happy with the service/dress?

Izzyboo · March 2010

I get to start dress shopping this week! and I have received many mixed opinions on where to go based on quality of service, price and quality of the dress. I think i will definitely be going to the wedding shoppe in St Paul, but I have already made an appointment at Pearls and Lace bridal in Burnsville. Has anyone gone there before and if so did you enjoy it? Any other suggestions on where to or not to go?

Liberty27 · March 2010

I am from Missouri, so this probably won't help, but I need a place to vent. I went to David's.... RUN LIKE A GRIZZLY IS CHASING YOU!!!!
Here is a quick run down of my issues...
1. They lied to me about the dress.
2. The ordered the wrong color/size/length 3 TIMES!
3. The alteration lady yelled at me on the phone about various things.
4. Corporate customer service is rude and don't really offer anyway of helping.
5. When I picked up my dress my "consultant" left me in the dressing room for almost 30 minutes.

Although this all happened in Missouri, I did have a more pleasent time at the Woodbury store.

Izzyboo · March 2010

You're not alone on that one. I have heard complaints from so many people about that company in general, so I wasn't even considering it. I hope you have better luck and everything works out for you!

babybrd182 · March 2010

I bought my dress at a sample sale at Napier Bridal in W. St. Paul. It was the first place I went to, I think I tried on every dress in and around my size (probably around 20 dresses). Eeven though it was a busy day because of the sale, they were very nice to me and my bm and I left there not feeling pressured at all.

heatherwu1998 · March 2010

I bought my dress at Heartstrings Bridal in Hopkins. I liked a lot of their dresses, and I liked the personal attention. I ordered my dress in Novemeber-it's due to arrive on Friday!!!

emilykathleen511 · March 2010

I got my dress at the David's Bridal in Oakdale (by Woodbury) and me experience was pleasant enough. Most of the horror stories I have heard about David's has been about their alterations department, so I definitely wouldn't go to them for alterations, but as far as the service, I think it *really* depends on location. My consultant was nice and very helpful and she found my perfect dress in the budget (even a bit under the budget) I gave her within an hour.

Edit: I just realized that that could sound like I was sitting there waiting for an hour, which is not the case. She was pulling dresses that fit my criteria the whole time, and managed to find the perfect dress within my appt time was what I meant.

blondie424 · March 2010

I bought my dress from Mestad's in St Cloud (they also have a location in Rochester). I live in the Cities but the drive was worth it, you get 15% off if you purchase your dress at your first appointment.

I love my dress and the customer service was great. They found a few loose beads when my dress arrived and promplty sent it back to the designer to be corrected and it was ready for pickup the following week. I think they have a really great selection of dresses too.

Steph0871 · March 2010

I don't think it's fair to blanket an entire company. I, too, had heard horror stories about DB, but knew they had a huge selection. I decided to go "just to see what I'm interested in." I ended up finding a dress I loved for cheap. The customer service was nothing but great all 4 visits. My BMs also purchased dresses through there. My gown came in within a month of ordering it.

Yes, there are going to be some bad experiences out there, because it's such a large company with so many locations. However, I just want potentional brides to know that you CAN get a good experience as well. FWIW, I went to the Roseville/HarMar location.

Clare13 · March 2010

I got my dress from Mestads in Rochester. I live about 45 minutes North of the cities and made 1 trip down there "just to look". I found my perfect dress and have been back many times since. It was well worth it. They carry a large selection of dresses and my consultant Lindsey was wonderful. She found me the perfect dress well within my price range. I have been back many times and she has always been great to work with. They are sending my dress to St. Cloud for my final pick-up the week of the wedding. It is a drive, but well worth it.
FYI: Biggest difference between Rochester and St. Cloud is they carry more Couture dresses in Rochester. St. Cloud has a limited few.

izzyjenni · March 2010

I went to two places in the cities: The Wedding Shoppe and Bella Boutique in Woodbury. Both treated me well enough and I got my dress at Wedding shoppe because I fell in love with one I tried on in Chicago but wanted to order it up here. They had it at Bella but not at the Wedding Shoppe SO they gave me a NO Sample discount of 15% off and so I ordered it there!

Good luck and have fun! The first time is always a little overwhelming but remember it is your dress! Your opinion is that counts!

juliels53 · March 2010

I second Mestads, St. Cloud. I didn't find my dress the first time but stopped back on a whim one week night and a consultant pulled a bunch and immediatly loved mine. I was ready to buy it then. She was nice enough to tell me that in a week they were having a trunk sale with the designer visiting and 15% off! So I made an appointment, met the guy who made my dress (reminded me of Randy from Say Yes to the Dress-though married to a woman) and bought my dress that day.

We did run in to an issue with the color after ordering because the designer said one color and they offically ordered another, but it was figured out quickly and they handled the situation very well (even asking me to come in and see it again to verify before changing anything).

Cliff notes: Mestad's is great in St. Cloud and I'm sure they're just as great in Rochester!)

HTH!

Liberty27 · March 2010

I am not trying to "blanket" the entire company. My first visit was pleasent, and my consultant was awesome. I just had a rough time after that. I have to call corporate back after work today, and I will let you all know how it works out.

CheerKate · March 2010

I bought mine at Mestads in Rochester. I can not say enough wonderful things about them! The service was fabulous, the consultants are amazing, the dress selection was great, and I found my dress the first time there! It happened to be a Pronovias dress and it also happen to be a trunk show that weekend, so I got 15% off. It was a wonderful experience!

Bimbi284 · March 2010

Ditto Mestad's in Rochester!! They are absolutely amazing and I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE my dress that I ultimately purchased there (also at a trunk show)....its currently my fave thing about my wedding (aside from my future hubby, of course). I also found it my first time there. They have one of the biggest selection of dresses in the U.S., second only to Kleinfeld's in NYC (store featured on Say Yes to the Dress).

I didn't even have to go anywhere else!

shudak1 · March 2010

Brides of France was awesome. I bought my dress there, and they were definitely the nicest of all the places I tried dresses on.

polichik · March 2010

I had a spectacular experience with Priscilla of Boston. I originally went to the flagship salons in Chicago (where I live) and San Francisco (when visiting my MOH), but I bought my dress from the salon in Edina. The service is spectacular (supportive but not pushy, very classy), and their gown selection is wonderful.

Their prices start arond $1000 for simpler dresses in the Vineyard collection or their short dresses (super cute) and go wayyyy up. Many of the more popular dresses can be found online as a sample or pre-worn dress, which is what I had planned to do until I fell in love with a more rare dress! I'd recommend checking it out.

polichik · March 2010

I should also say that in my ridiculous dress journey, I also went to:

Bridal Salon at Macy's: nice service, slightly awkward when I mentioned my lower price point. Good selection of top-of-the-line designer dresses.

David's Bridal in Maple Grove: staff was slightly pushy but had a good selection of dresses. Were able to squeeze me in between appointments.

Rush's Bridal: really sweet staff, much lower pressure environment. Felt a bit cramped and chaotic but they have a great selection of dresses at a variety of price points, including off-the-rack dresses you can take home the same day.

If it's relevant, I also went to Ultimate Bride in Chicago (crazy expensive, very couture) and White Chicago (designer sample/resale gowns).

MN_Jen · March 2010

I went to the Wedding Shoppe (during the week) and had a very nice, very "bridal" experience. But I didn't find a dress I loved - I felt like most of their styles were pretty similar. But my consultant was wonderful and I never felt rushed or pushed in any way.

A couple days later I went to Dena Marie in Roseville, and I liked their selection more - bigger variety of styles. Dena Marie is much more laid back than the Wedding Shoppe - they let you take as many pictures as you want of as many dresses as you want. I bought my dress there.

I'm really glad that I went to both places. I loved Wedding Shoppe for the experience and Dena Marie for the selection.

debbieupper · March 2010

I went to:

The Wedding Shoppe: great experience for bridal stuff, but bridemaids area was chaos all around.
Bella Bridal Boutique in Woodbury: It took them a while to give us any attention, even though it was a weekday and there was no one else there and we had an appointment ... but overall I liked their selection and they let us roam around and pick out whatever. It was a pretty good system, I think.
Wedding Warehouse: OMG, had an awful time at this place. There were two middle-aged women working there when I went. One was super sweet and the other was a complete nightmare. Just so rude, and only had me try on dresses she thought were pretty ... none of which I liked at all. Ugh, really bad taste in my mouth from that woman.
David's Bridal in Woodbury: It was fine, except that I had to stand out on the pedestal in the store in my undergarments. Awesome! I also thought the dresses were generally not as great in quality. Some were great, but it depended on the fabric, I think.
Brides of France (Edina AND Mpls): Small shops but great quality and beautiful dresses, quirky ladies, super fun! This is where I found my dress (after a LOT of looking ... went a little overboard). They also sell consignment if you're interested in that.
... Also went to Dena Marie, Rushs, Raffine and Napier ... PM me if you want details on those! I'm a bit picky, can you tell? It just took me a long time to know what my style was, and I'm SO excited for the dress I finally did find!

Good luck!

loopy82 · March 2010

I went to Pearls and Lace in Burnsville when my friend was looking for a dress. They don't have a very big selection, so I would definitely set up a few more appointments at some other places. The girl there was nice though. If you are in the Burnsville area you may be interested in checking out Tess's bridal in Apple Valley or Bridal Accents Couture in Burnsville.

Izzygrim · March 2010

I bought my dress at Mestads in Rochester and had a fantastic experience. They have a great selection and great customer service. They are knowledgable and very helpful. I highly recommend them.

Went to Wedding Shoppe on a weekday and had a good experience, found some dresses I like there but not 'the one'. It's worth going just for the selection and experience.

Dena Marie - I liked that it was laid back, but I had a hard time finding any dresses even near my size to try on. I think most dresses were 10 or 12, which I know is typical, but I found more of a range of sizes everywhere else.

Brides of France Uptown - Great service, some neat dresses, I just needed a bigger selection.

Napier - Just wasn't a fan of the place. Had a decent amount of dresses, but at the same time not a huge range of styles I thought.

David's Oakdale - I had good customer service, but made the mistake of going on a weekend. The woman who helped me was just too busy to be able to bring me many dresses to try, so I think in 1 1/2 hrs I tried on 5 or 6 dresses. Again, the saleswoman was super nice, it was just way too busy on a weekend.

Lenore2010 · March 2010

I bought mine at David's Bridal in Har Mar/Roseville.

Really nice saleswoman, found my dress ASAP (it is the exact same one as on my profile). I am having a small bustle put on the dress and I am picking it up a week from Friday. The alterations woman was nice. However, when I went back for my final fitting they nearly gave my a heart attack at the store by looking for my dress for 20 minutes. I seriously thought they had lost it, and the look of panic on their faces was telling me they thought they had lost it. Good experience thus far, except for that.

Other stores I went to:

David's Bridal on Lyndale:

Just avoid it. Rude, arrogant staff. If I had not been determined to try on a particular style that they did not have in stock, I never would have ended up at the Har Mar store after that experience.

Rush's Bridal:

Nice staff, not a great selection. If you want a strapless full skirted dress, go for it.

Macy's:

Great dresses, smallish selection, high prices, great staff.

drdifabio · March 2010

I bought my dress at the Wedding Shoppe in Saint Paul but FOUND it at Bellas Bridal Boutique. I think sometime girls forget that multiple stores carry the same designer so just because you found a dress somewhere doesn't mean you have to buy it there. Once I found my dress I got the designer and style number/name and started calling around. I ended up buying the sample from the Wedding Shoppe and it was in great shape so I ended up saving hundreds of dollars by just calling around and not buying right away.

lindseybrouwer · March 2010

If you okay with going to a store that isn't the most updated, try Wedding Chapel in Crystal. They had a huge selection (tons of dresses under $1k and lots in the $500-600 range).

If you want a specific experience with being at a fancy store, this is not your place. But if you can get over the appearance, they have a great selection.

Also, if you pay in full when you buy your dress you get a discount. I think 10%.

I didn't do alterations there but a friend did and they were reasonable.

The only thing to be careful is the size they try to get you to order. They tend to want to go big (which isn't completely unusual) but they will let you make the final decision if you sign off on it.

MoriaMN · March 2010

I went to:

Mestad's 299 Sale: Which was well organized, but didn't have a lot of selection in my size. It's a potential jackpot for gals who wear a 10/12.

Posh Bridal: Very upscale service (champagne, private room, etc.), small but unique selection. Found one of my "maybes" here.

Dena Marie: I went on a crowded Saturday. They have lots of dresses around or under $1000, but not a whole lot that suited my style. I was told the consultants don't rely heavily on commission and it showed. The ladies working that day went back and forth where ever they were needed clipping and hanging dresses, so I wasn't really working with the same consultant throughout the appointment.

Che Bella: Small selection-honestly just a dozen dresses or so, but each are exceptionally beautiful and rare. It's obvious the owner has extraordinary taste, but also a sense for value. Accessory selection was AMAZING. Found another "maybe" here.

Rush's: I fell in love with the first dress I tried on at the first store I went to. With some pushing, I might have walked out with it the first day. My consultant, Faith, never pressured me. She gave what seems like heartfelt advice. Followed up with a card after my visit, and remembered me the second I came back in to see the dress again. The atmosphere is certainly outdated, but the selection ranges from $99 to $3000+ and I felt comfortable-and not pushed in one direction or the other-- as I tried on the whole gammut.

cswaldon · March 2010

I went to the Monique Lhuillier salon in Edina and had an AMAZING experience. The service was outstanding - we had crackers and cheese, strawberries, champagne - delicious! I never felt rushed or pressured to buy. They had all different types of undergarments to use, lots of veils and accessories, real flower bouquets, the whole shebang.

The best part was that I received a 10% discount for placing my order that day (which was no problem for me because I knew the dress I wanted before I even stepped in the store). Also, their dresses start at around $1800, which is comparable to a number of other stores around town.

I also went shopping with my SIL when she was picking out a dress. She went to Raffine and the service was OK, but it was the little stuff that bothered me - there was no one helping us pick out or try on dresses, they didn't provide a garment bag for her dress when she picked it up.

She did receive GREAT service at Bridal Accents Couture in Savage. I loved that place!

Finally, I went BM dress shopping for my own wedding at the Priscilla of Boston store in Edina. Initially, our service was great...UNTIL I called to order the dresses and was told that they the particular style was being discontinued. They said there was NO WAY I could get those dresses. Fast forward one week - I found 2 places in the cities that were able to order the dresses, so I gave my business to Flutter Boutique.

Good luck!

Where did you get your dress and were you happy with the service/dress?

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