dresses

jpickering8 · March 2010

Where is everyone getting their dresses? I've only been engaged about a month and am very excited to go try on dresses but the only places I really know of are Andrea's Bridal & David's Bridal (I'm in Portland). I wouldn't mind having other options.. and am willing to travel!! yay love wedding planning

DBNC2011 · March 2010

The prices at davids and andreas are the about the same, but i think you get higher quality at Andreas.

mainemommy · March 2010

I got mine at Davids.

MiniMin20 · March 2010

I got mine at David's Bridal, since it was in my price range. I'm pretty sure Andrea's is very high-end, so I can't imagine their prices would be at all similar to David's Bridal.

There's also Spoil Me in Falmouth -- http://www.shopspoilme.com/

Madeleine's Daughter in Portsmouth, NH, is supposed to be good too -- http://www.madeleinesdaughter.com/home.html

If you're willing to suspend your disbelief and are interested in Alfred Angelo, I'd check out Hussey's General Store in Windsor (Augusta area). It's that store famous for its "Guns, cold beer, wedding dresses" sign. They have some ugly dresses there, but also some really nice Alfred Angelos. It's not the fanciest place (okay not fancy at all!) but you could snag a deal. http://www.husseysgeneralstore.com/bridal.asp

I would highly recommend Eco Elegance in Portland. It's a consignment shop, but they sell a ton of really beautiful dresses, and some are new (never worn). Plus, the owner is super fabulous and helpful. It's on Middle Street. Highly recommend it, especilaly if you want designer but don't want to spend as much. an them on Facebook and you can see pics of all the current inventory; the owner updates it as new stuff comes in! http://ecoeleganceconsignment.com/

My mom went to Patricia Buck in Augusta to look for a MOB dress and said it was really run down and she would never go back. I don't know if other girls have experiences there or not.

And congrats on the recent engagement! Welcome to the board! Feel free to ask us anything -- we love to help!

kateinater · March 2010

Lets see...

In Bangor there is House of Brides, and Henry's Bridal Boutique and formal wear. I liked both of those stores.

Berlin, NH has Betty Dee Fashions. They are very friendly here

If you do travel to Portsmouth to go to Madelin'es daughter make sure you stop by: Occasions Bridal http://www.occasionsbridalandtuxedos.com/
a smaller shop but I liked the dresses and people better. I wasn't a fan of Mad's daughter(A lot of the dresses there are super expensive and there is no dressing room)

There is Vestalo Bridal in Waterville, ME.
http://www.vestalobridal.com/dresses.html
have yet to go there.

I agree about Patricia Buck in Augusta...not a great place. They have lots of dresses..but have awful customer service.

DBNC2011 · March 2010

andreas dresses are any where from $600- i think they told me when i got mine they dont go over 1300. but most are in the $800 range

kay0003 · March 2010

I got mine at Andrea's and it was less than $600! They do carry high end gowns as well, I tried on a Ramona Cevasa (SP?) that was in the $4k range.

We got my BM's dresses at Occassions in Portsmouth NH. I agree with Kateinater , the staff at Occassions is much better than Madelines (although they do have some beautiful dresses).

Runnersmf · March 2010

I think I went shopping everywhere. David's Bridal had the best prices, and if you get your dress there the your bridesmaid get a discount off of their dresses. Which is a nice little bonus. Andrea's had better quality dresses then David's but the prices went up too. They have a nice selection and Julia is awesome!! However, be sure to tell your price point up front. I fell in love with a $1600 dress, that I knew I couldn't afford. She did work the price down close to my budget, but I couldn't justify the cost. At Madelines(where I did get my dress), I loved their selection and variety. They seem to be able to work with any price range. I worked with Mackenzie and she was AMAZING!! My mom and I both loved her. You also get you own private room at Madelines which is really nice, but make sure you have an appointment. I hope this was helpful.

michelly73 · March 2010

I went to Spoil Me in Falmouth and had the best experience! Small, intimate, and bright bridal shop with beautiful dresses. The owners are a mother-daughter team who were just amazing to work with. Prices start around $1200 and up and the quality is incredible.

kcole5244 · March 2010

Hi Jen!! :]
I got mine at Madelines Daughter in Portsmouth. I love it, and I loved the ladies there. Sooo many options! It's less than an hour away and a fun drive for you and your ladies/mom.

I also went to spoil me. I fell in love with one dress, but i didn't like the experience. The lady was too pushy.

Goodluck!

kwillia101 · March 2010

I got my dress at david's bridal. I worked with Andrea. She was amazing!! I went on a Saturday and seemed like every other bride in the state on Maine was there too but Andrea was great even though she was helping 2 other brides. My BM also got $20 off their dresses bc I bought mine gown there besides a 20% discount off of their shoes. Good luck with your search and congrats!

chayer227 · March 2010

I bought my dress at David's. I went to one in Western Mass, where my MOH hives, but had a great experience. My plan was to do some trying on to determine my size and the style I wanted, then to find someone selling that online (used, even). However, I fell in LOVE with the very first dress I tried on (this was also my first store), and it was being discontinued AND was on sale - I got it for $350!
The "quality" may not be as good as other stores, but I wore it for ONE DAY... and, 5 months later, I'm still getting compliments on it.

annjam73 · March 2010

I know its a travel from the Portland area but for me it was well worth it. I went to Pure Bliss in Newburyport MA. I dealt with the owner Jeanine. She went above and beyond. www.purebliss.us Good Luck!

fickrj5 · March 2010

I got my dress at the Bridal Gallery in Bangor. Tara and her assistant were wonderful, and I loved that they weren't pushy, instead they gave my girls and I the space we needed and were there to help when we needed them. My dress is an Alfred Angelo and I paid $700 with a 30% discount as I purchased it on one of her show weekends. I would recommend them to anyone.
http://www.thebridalgallery-me.com/

As for Henry's, I had such a terrible experience there for my senior prom dress, I ordered it in the middle of January and they said I would have it late march early april for alterations, when mid april rolled around and my dress hadn't arrived my mother and I spent a week fighting with them, only to find out that they had forgetton to order my dress! I got my dress 2 days before my prom luckily! I am sure that they are more on top of things when it comes to wedding gowns, but in my personal experience the overall service wasn't very good.

There is also a bridal shop in Pittsfield, ME. My cousin said it looks a litle sketchy and the woman is really old, by the prices are great and she has a lot of inventory. She has Alfred Angelo, Da Vinci, Mary's and other. I personally have never been.

Also, from what I have gathered paricia buck loses track of thier orders, I imagine it is probably because it is so big they can't keep everything in check.

Good Luck on your dress search and Congrats on the engagement!!!

schadbourne · March 2010

hahaha my home town is pittsfield---i dont know of a dress shop but i dont live there anymore so there may be i will have to ask my mother. There is one in Palmyra which is very close to pittsfield called Millenium--- I have no idea how it rates with price and service i just know there is one there.

My Mom is going to make my dress, i am very excited because no one will have a dress like mine, and i can customize it with out the expensive cost.

fickrj5 · March 2010

That's funny. The owner of Millenium transformed her bridal shop into and pub and salon, but still has the convention center.

schadbourne · March 2010

like i said i dont live in the middle of nowhere anymore so i wouldnt know--i never shopped at millenium the prom dresses where too expensive--even to rent

but i would love to know where the bridal shop in pittsfield is just for giggles

dunlaps · April 2010

I live in the Madison so the shopping is limited to say the least...haha. I think i literally went to every place in Maine. Then I found Madelines Daughter in Portsmouth New Hampshire. By far the nicest place with the best selection. It was a real "say yes to the dress" experience.

dunlaps · April 2010

They have huge dressing rooms. I got a pronovias for my wedding gown but also went back and purchased another smaller/lighter one to change into at the end of the reception for dancing! I worked with Mackenzie both times and she was great!

ksalvo · April 2010

My dress is from Bridal's by Sandy in Alfred. Great shop, very helpful staff and we had a great experience! Still working on bridesmaid dresses, but as I've been looking, I also had good experiences at Andrea's Bridal in Portland and at the bridal shop in Sanford (can't remember the name right now).

fickrj5 · April 2010

the bridal shop in Pittsfield.

Lawrence Bridal Shop
120 Aiboi Ter

Pittsfield, ME 04967

angegary · April 2010

I got mine at Madeleine's daughter in Portsmouth.....the people there are great. My cousin and my mom both bought their dresses there too.

mikell22 · May 2010

I live in DC so I got mine here, but if I lived in Maine I would go to Andrea's. The new owner is great and they have wonedrful customer service and a huge selection of gowns at every price point. I can say that because when I did live in Maine, 5 years ago, I worked at Andrea's and the new owner was actually one of my brides:) She is truly spectacular!! And their gowns are high quality. I can also say from my experience from working in bridal sales for 5plus years that I heard many complaints about David's and I can also say from my experience in working in bridal that the dresses at Andrea's are very good quality for the price, especially Maggie Sottero dresses. Good luck in the dress hunt!!!

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