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Portland Dress Shops

TeamAMPMTeamAMPM
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in Oregon
I'll be traveling to Portland from Alaska to shop for a wedding dress. I'll be specifically looking in Portland and unable to look elsewhere due to time constraints and since it's the most central location for my family to meet (they are all over Oregon). Any suggestions? I read a couple of other posts that had some choices but a lot of them were non-Portland shops.

I appreciate any input!!
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Re: Portland Dress Shops

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    DramaGeekDramaGeek member
    5 Love Its First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Well....Portland is a big place.  Where in Portland do you want to look.  Downtown?  West side only?  East side only?  Will you have a car?

    For instance, I always rec Bridal Exclusives.  It's technically in Clackamas, but it's 5 minutes from the Portland city line.  
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    nbcarlsonnbcarlson member
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    edited December 2011
    Ania collection is right downtown, we got our bridesmaids dresses there. They have a lot of beautiful dresses and the consultants are really helpful. What price range are you looking for though? Because Alot of Portland shops have the more high end designers so your budget will make a difference in where you are going.

    Where are you at in Alaska? My moms whole family lives in Alaska!
    TTC since April 2012
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    TeamAMPMTeamAMPM
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    edited December 2011
    Dramageek: Thanks for the suggestion! If this dress shop is worth it, we can swing five minutes from Portland. I have family coming from Longview, WA; Clatskanie; Molalla; and Portland and so we'll all have cars but only two days together so we're trying to places things close together.

    Nbcarlson: I appreciate the tip! My budget is $2000 and I'm looking for a simple but elegant dress that will work for the beach and for Alaska in fall/winter. Anything else come to mind that might suit that? Also, I'm in Anchorage; where's your mom's family?
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    nbcarlsonnbcarlson member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Try Tower Bridal fashions, Charlottes wedding, and like dramageek said Bridal exclusives but it is in Clackmas.

    My moms family lives in Sitka, Ketchikan, Juneau, and Metlaketla. Mostly SItka and Ketchikan though haha.

    My Fiance and I went to Alaska last summer and had a terrible flight experience on our way home and got stuck in Anchorage for like 3 hours at midnight haha. We only got to see the airport, its the only time I've been there though haha. My parents used to live there!
    TTC since April 2012
    BFP #1 9/26/12 EDD 6/7/13 MC at 5w2d on 10/6/12
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    DramaGeekDramaGeek member
    5 Love Its First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Well, again, Portland's a big place, so BE is close to Portland, but depending on where you're coming from it'll take more than 5 minutes to get there!

    If it were me, I'd do start at Lena Medoyeff on 23rd (710 Northwest 23rd Avenue, Portland, OR) then swing through downtown and hit Ania (419 Southwest 4th Avenue, Portland, OR) and Silver Lining (315 Southwest 4th Avenue, Portland, OR).  Those are a block apart and only 5 or so minutes from Lena Medoyeff.  Then I'd go to Tower Bridal (5331 SW Macadam Ave # 290, Portland, OR), which is another 5-10 minutes from downtown, maybe a little more if traffic is bad.  Warning:  Their customer service isn't always great but they have a large selection of dresses.  After Tower I would hit Bridal Exclusives (8950 Southeast Sunnyside Road, Clackamas, OR), which is a little longer drive, maybe 20 minutes from Tower.  If you're a glutton for punishment and want to drive even further, Dee's Studion (20 Northwest 3rd Street, Gresham, OR) is another good shop, but it's another 20-30 minutes from Bridal Exclusives so you may not want to go that far.

    You could either split those up over two days or do a second day in the west side burbs - Rosewood Bridal (11545 SW Durham Rd # B1, Tigard, OR), and Charlotte's Weddings and More (8925 SW Beaverton Hillsdale, Portland, OR) are the two that immediately come to mind.

    Where will you be staying?  That might help us determine the best route to maximize your time and not send you driving all over the place.
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    Shelby1111Shelby1111
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    edited December 2011
    I HIGHLY recommend Charlotte's Weddings and more. I had a couple bad experiences at Bridal Exclusive and would not make the trip. The staff at Charlotte's is incredible and they have a great selection of designer gowns (many designers choose Charlotte's as the only bridal boutique in Oregon to carry their line). Also, in my experience their prices are far better than other Portland boutiques that offer the same dresses. You and your family will be treated like royalty with your own private room and attendant.  Good Luck!!

    Shelby
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    Becca0517Becca0517 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I bought my dress at Bridal Exclusives.  They're really helpful there, especially if you have not tried on dresses.  Their consultants ask you to pick a dress from each style; mermaid, fit-n-flair, ballgown, etc; and then work with you to find the dress you love in the styles that look best on you.

    Also, just as an add to a PP, I don't know if Dee's is still in business.  The last time I ate at Sunny Hans it had a 'for rent' sign in the window and no beautiful dresses in the downstairs.  Plus, my girlfriend had a HORRIBLE experience there, they held her dress from her until 3 weeks before her wedding, wouldn't return her calls, they were NEVER open, wouldn't be there when the promised they would, had their answering machine turned off. 

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    cblakincblakin
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    edited December 2011
    I would add on Magnifique Boutique in the Sellwood area of portland.  It is a super cute, very Portland boutique with lots of dresses in that price range.  Plus, if you make an appointment you will have the whole store to yourself.  The owner is also really helpful and actually really spends all her time trying to help you find the right dress.  It's different than all those bigger downtown dress warehouses, but that's what I liked!
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    TeamAMPMTeamAMPM
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    DramaGeek- Wow!! Can I hire you to be my guide?! :) Your guide is going to be so helpful, I can't thank you enough.

    I would still love to read everyone's input and appreciate everyone who has taken the time to comment thus far; thank you!!!
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    DramaGeekDramaGeek member
    5 Love Its First Comment
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_oregon_portland-dress-shops?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:119Discussion:fa8a8f20-7318-4a46-ac88-106e0d96ff36Post:99b84cfd-49e0-4afc-b1a5-1e1ceb3bf04e">Re: Portland Dress Shops</a>:
    [QUOTE]DramaGeek- Wow!! Can I hire you to be my guide?! :) Your guide is going to be so helpful, I can't thank you enough. I would still love to read everyone's input and appreciate everyone who has taken the time to comment thus far; thank you!!!
    Posted by TeamAMPM[/QUOTE]

    Of course you can!  As long as you're here after Dec 12 but before mid April.  I have a show closing Dec 11 and another one opening Apr 21.  And I'm cheap.  Like any good stage maanger, I work for chocolate and coffee <img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-tongue-out.gif" border="0" alt="Tongue out" title="Tongue out" />
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    boltman86boltman86 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I bought my dress at Charlotte's Weddings, and had a lot of fun there.  Before that I'd visited Bridal Exclusive's in Clackamas and Anna's Bridal in Lake Oswego.  Both were good, I just found my dress at Charlotte's.
    Charlotte's is nice because you have an entire room to yourself, and don't have to leave to walk around the store for any reason (if you don't want to).  My consultant was great.
    I just recently returned to pick-up the dress that I bought, and the experience with another consultant was not good.  But it was the last time I'd be there so oh well!
    Have fun dress shopping :)  Try on EVERY type of dress, even if you think it won't look good.  You'd be surprised what looks good, and if it doesn't then now you know!
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