Wisconsin

Milwaukee dress shopping

I am just starting on all of the planning (been engaged 2 weeks).  Looks like an April wedding, and the venue is a go.  My mom will be coming into town in Early October for dress shopping and I am looking for suggestions on a few places to go to in order focus the search.  Key things - I am looking for simple, clean lines (no sparkly princess ballgowns for me) and I need to find a place that carries larger sample sizes (I am a busty, tall, size 18-20 - and the girls just ain't going to fit into an 8!).  ;)   Thoughts?
Image and video hosting by TinyPic Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker Anniversary

Re: Milwaukee dress shopping

  • edited December 2011
    Kay's Bridal in Tosa.  They were very sweet.  I got my dress at Amelishan in Richfield.  Bit of a hike, but they have larger sample sizes and all kinds of styles. :)

    Good luck!

    142 Ready To Celebrate! image

    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • edited December 2011
    Savvy Bride in Brookfield is awesome.  I visited almost every bridal shop in town and they were my favorite.  Lots of dresses, and great service.
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
  • edited December 2011
    I purchased my dress from Eva's Bridal in Oak Creek, I felt  they had a very nice selection and their priced wern't over the top. Overall a very plesant experience.

    Also if you are looking for a photographer in the area I just hired Katie Toman. She had a fantastic portfolio and her prices were super reasonable. I just booked her last week and she actually threw in a free engagement session.

    www.katietomanphotography.com

    Good Luck!
  • SweetCharadeSweetCharade member
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I had an awful experience at Savvy and honestly would not send any of my friends there, but I'm definitely in the minority.  Everyone else on here has great experiences there.

    I had a great experience at Stone Manor Bridal, but it's a bit of a hike.  I also really liked Beratti Bridal, and would have gotten my dress there in a heartbeat if I hadn't got such a good deal by ordering it online.
  • edited December 2011
    Amelishan and Eva's are known for tag ripping, which is a shady business practice.  I never trusted either of them, plus they don't get very good reviews all that often.

    Saavy in Brookfield and Stone Manor in Cedarburg usually get good reviews.

    I got mine at the Bridal Event in Appleton.  The consultants know their stock, they don't pressure you, and they give you as much time as you want.  You can take pictures as well as know the designer's name BEFORE you purchase.  They have a huge selection that covers ALL shapes and sizes (I didn't so much find that at Saavy).
    image


    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
  • edited December 2011
    I checked out three bridal shops - Edith's in Fond du Lac, Amelishan in Hubertus and Beratti's in Germantown.  Edith's has a HUGE selection - they separate their gowns by sample size, which is kind of nice, but that being said there weren't a whole lot of them that I fit very well into (I'm a street size 12-14).  I found several dresses there that I liked and found some good "runners-up."  The sample sizes at Amelishan were more "normal," which was a relief, although it was a smaller store and many of the dresses had a lot of beading or other frills that I (and possibly you!) was not looking for.  Also, the dresses appeared to be a bit more expensive here.  I ended up finding the gown I loved and bought at Beratti's.  They have a moderately-sized inventory and, in truth, only had a few styles that I really looked at with any intention of buying them, but out of those few I found the winner!  =]

    Overall, the service was great at all three of these shops, at least when I went there.  Edith's and Amelishan do pull tags out of dresses (and won't tell you the designer until you put down some kind of money on a dress) and also do not let you take any pictures before putting money down.  While at Edith's, we were able to sneak some pictures as the saleslady was finding some more dresses for me to try on (oops...!), however the people at Amelishan didn't even give you a chance to do this!  =P  At Beratti, we were able to take pictures of the dress and all of the tags were intact.
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • gundy21gundy21 member
    1000 Comments Third Anniversary
    edited December 2011
    Thanks for all the suggestions and info!
    Image and video hosting by TinyPic Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker Anniversary
  • HPollenHPollen member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    There is also a new place in Brookfield called Bliss Bridal, it is either off of Bluemound or Capitol, sorry I don't remember which but they were great!  Very helpful and nice :)  Kay's Bridal in Tosa is also great.  Good luck with your dress shopping, have fun!!!
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • edited December 2011
    I got my dress from Kay's and the service is great. They are very helpful. Bliss bridal is off of capital.
  • msteph82msteph82 member
    2500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I got my dress from Eva's and they were FANTASTIC!  Awesome service, ask for Beth.  And they do tag rip, but who cares!  If you like the dress and can afford it, it doesn't matter who makes it. Good luck! 
    ~ Missie

    Welcome Baby Grace to the world! (via emergency c-section @ 38w2d)
    2/24/12 12:03pm 5lbs, 9oz Birth Story
    imageimageimage
    image image image
    Linky--> EP FB Group - March '12 FB Group <---Linky </b>
  • edited December 2011
    Just FYI, if you need a plus size gown, Kay's Bridal in 'Tosa doesn't carry plus sizes, I found out today.  Just wanted to pass that along!
  • edited December 2011
    Ok maybe this is a dumb question, but why would places rip the tags off dresses? I don't understand.
    Nicky Love one another and you will be happy. It's as simple and as difficult as that. Wedding Countdown Ticker
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards