David's worth a special trip?

kitty8403 · October 2013

The closest David's Bridal for me is a 4+ hour one-way trip over a mountain pass, and I need to find my dress within the next month. Are they THAT good, or am I likely to do just as well with small boutiques that are closer to home (within 30 mins/hour)?

msuprincess04 · October 2013

Why do you have a month to find one? Is your wedding in a month? Because David's Bridal is a big chain, they tend to have a large selection of sample dresses you can take home immediately. They are also reasonably priced, so as a sample they are even cheaper. Call around and check out local shops and see if anyone has sample dresses in your size. I'd go local before making the drive.

kitty8403 · October 2013

The standard rule is 8-9 mos to place an order for bridal gowns, or they may not come in on time. And honestly, if I'm going to drive a couple hundred miles to try something on, I prefer to do it before the winter storms hit.

Considering gas and general hassle, unless the dresses are really gorgeous or significantly cheaper, it may not be worth going. :-)

[Deleted User] · October 2013

The advantage to David's over a local bridal shop is that you try dresses on in your size & if you find the dress you love, you can walk out the door with it that day. If you need alterations you can always find a seamstress closer to home. Not all local shops carry all sizes and depending on the dress manufacturer, you may not be able to get a dress in the time frame you have. So depending on your size, David's may be a good option. But before making the trip, check out their website to see if they even have dresses that appeal to you in your price range.

msuprincess04 · October 2013

It depends on the dress manufacturer. I got my Maggie Sottero dress in 3 months, they said the average is 6 months.

If you want a David's Bridal dress, then go check them out. They have some great stuff.

manateehugger · October 2013

Honestly, for me, there's no way I would drive 4+ hours for a David's if I had small boutique options near me carrying designers I liked.

I'd at least look at the local stores before you make your decision.

kitty8403 · October 2013

Yeah. I guess I'm worried about getting ripped off. I have an old dress that I bought online many years ago (I know, I know), but it wont work and I'm new to this whole salon thing. Did go to a show the other day where a couple local places showcased a few pieces. I loved the bridesmaid stuff but not the wedding gowns (I don't get the sudden obsession with wedding dresses that hug your butt).

manateehugger · October 2013

If you're going to a salon who is an authorized retailer of the designers they claim to carry, you should be fine for the most part. Look up reviews of salons in your area. Ordering online and ordering from a real authorized store is not remotely the same.

Just make a couple appointments and try some stuff on - it's seriously fun to play around in these huge elaborate gowns. You wont know what you like until you see it on you.

ETA: Contrary to what SYTTD would have you believe, you can find gorgeous, well-made gowns for less than $3000.

However, buying accessories like veils and sashes from salons ARE a total rip off, so don't be pressured into buying those.

kitty8403 · October 2013

Lol I hope so! My mom's was more like $300. Those people are nuts.

katieg520 · October 2013

NOOOO!!! Don't do it!!!!!! I hated my experience at David's!!!!

I went to a shop closer to my house and found a dress that I love for $1200...

southernbelle0915 · October 2013

I looked a David's online for ideas, but ended up going to a "local" shop and getting an allure gown. They had a WAY better selection anyway. Why not make an appointment at a local shop for this weekend. Also make another appointment at David's for next weekend. If you find what you want this weekend, cancel the David's appt. If not, go there next weekend.

Iloveshanej · October 2013

I would find a local shop with excellent reviews. David's Bridal is overrated. I got my dress there because there are no reputable local shops in my area. My experience with them was a nightmare. They rushed me in and out. I had a list of my favorites from their site and asked to try those on first. The consultant brought me several samples in white when I was looking for an ivory dress. She assured me that she checked all the samples she was bringing out and they were readily available ivory. Well, the dress I fell in love with just happened to be a white sample. I was so elated to find the dress of my dreams until she came back to tell me she was mistaken and it only came in white then she rushed me out of the store. It was so disheartening.

JMalettas · October 2013

I bought my dress, and loved my experience with David's Bridal! Not to mention, I also travelled 4 hours, one direction, to get there. I found the dress of my dreams on that trip, and I'm *so* glad I went! The day before I was planning to go, I visited one of the bridal boutiques here, (there's not many), and didn't find anything I liked. I wanted to 'see' if I could find something, rather than making the 8 hour, round-trip drive, but nothing! I would recommend going for sure, from my experience!

Good luck!!

*J

mlg78 · October 2013

What's your budget? If it's on the lower end, I'd absolutely go. Is there anything on their site that has caught your eye? I liked DB...

Majelin86 · October 2013

I wouldn't go to David's Bridal. I went there with my bridesmaids to get their dresses and the person who was working with us only came back to check on us twice and we felt rushed. We did find bridesmaids dresses we loved so we ended up buying them, but there was problems with all 4 of the dress zippers, and one of them ripped all the way down the back while doing pictures (luckily another one of my bridesmaids had a sewing kit with her). I would not recommend buying from them, the dresses seem very poorly made.

katieg520 · October 2013

I made an appointment for both my daughter's dress fitting and with my bridesmaid's dresses. It was awful. It was a mad house in there and they told me that an appointment does not guarantee that a consultant will be available to work with you. Ummmm wtf! LOL

hyechica81 · October 2013

do not go to davids they mass produce bridal gowns and will ship them all over to stores when someone places an order the gowns are average fabrics can be a little cheep went in to try on what i thought was my dream dress and it was not.

go to local places and call ahead if you need to try on samples over a 14 i am plus and i made sure there were plenty of samples in sizes 20-24 for me to slip into

some designers that are on the lower end of pricing

jasmine

venus

mori lee

maggie soltero

and allure have some great priced gowns

stay away from lazaro, jim helm, those gowns are going to cost you $$$$$$

you said you did not like any of the styles at the bridal show. those places only bring a select number of dresses but carry way more.

make a day of trying on dresses hit up 3 salons one day and then the next weekend hit up another 3 that gives you an idea of what you are looking for but make sure you have list of what designers they have you want to make apointments at places with different designers so your not going to 2 places on the same day with the same dresses

if you have no clue what you want tell them what you dont like give them words to describe your personality or what type of wedding you are having..

i purchased a morli lee gown in her julietta line for plus. 925 was the price added another strap and with tax brought the dress to 1060 was what i wanted to spend

mlg78 · October 2013

I just have to point out that sometimes a bride's budget dictates where they can go. And yes, DB is quite busy on Saturdays and Sundays but other than my initial appointment I went in on weekday evenings and it was dead every time.

jacsquared · October 2013

I'm very happy with my David's bridal gown. It was only $200 (clearance sale), fits me wonderfully, and I got to take it home the same day. The service at David's bridal isn't good though- my sales lady decided to take her lunch break in the middle of my appointment, kept taking away gowns that I picked out that I hadn't tried on yet, and helped other customers during my appointment. I never wanted her undivided attention during my appointment, but I barely saw her after she helped me into the first dress, and then at the end of the appointment, she was upset that my sister had been helping me try on other gowns besides the first one she helped me get into (huh? How did she expect me to try on gowns when she wasn't around to help me).

I'm wondering how much you'll spend on gas just to get there and back. For me, that would be at least $50 worth of gas. Plus 8+ hours of driving. I don't think it would be worth it for you unless you have another reason to make the drive or the bridal shops around you are much more expensive than DB.

David's worth a special trip?

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