David's Bridal...it's everywhere, but is it good?

effiek91 · January 2014

So I have an appt. next month at my local David's Bridal to look at dresses, I haven't picked my dress yet or my BM's dresses, so this is more of a cursory shopping event rather than a fitting. I've looked at a few reviews and some people are saying its good for BM dresses, but rather cheap for wedding gowns, i.e. cheap fabric, poorer quality for the price. Does anyone else share this opinion, should I keep an eye out for BM dresses at my appt. but be wary of the wedding gowns? I will be on a budget for the gown, but I would feel comfortable spending around $1000 total for the whole thing (alterations included) so I'm assuming the gown itself should be $700-$800, I feel like I can still get a nice gown for this price without having to resort to David's Bridal if I don't want to.

CLI242009 · January 2014

I would say it's one of those hit or miss situations. The David's Bridal in my home town in CA was awesome. I didn't feel pressured or that the associate was pushing for me to buy the most expensive. I loved my experience with her

The David's bridal though here in the town I live in NY is another story. I do not like going to them just because there have been so many stupid mistakes on their part that it's given me a complete headache. Also I've encountered 2 associates at this location that DO feel like their pushing or don't have any idea what they're talking about.

As for "cheap" dresses....I don't think mine is at all. Beautiful lace with beading detail on top and bottom and I love it. I've had to put it on quite a few times for fittings and making sure shoes, jewelry, etc go with it and nothing has come undone or ripped or torn.

For a bride on a budget DB was perfect for me. I ended up getting my dress, veil and preservation kit for $1,088 (that includes tax and having the dress shipped to me from CA to NY). I take into consideration reviews of each location vs the entire company all together.

effiek91 · January 2014

v\Very good point, I'll have to go through again and put more weight on the the reviews of my local DB.

vt&dt · January 2014

I had my first shopping appointment at DB, and did not like it.

Before even walking in, they asked me if I wanted to apply for their credit card - which I found odd and pushy because I had never tried a single dress on. They also tried to talk me through my whole wedding planning timeline - and tell me when I should have certain things done, etc. which also was strange. I know how I should be planning our wedding, and found the unsolicited advice almost offensive.

When I finally got to try on a few dresses, though some were very pretty, I found most of the fabric seemed cheap and the construction was not great.

grumbledore · January 2014

I had a good experience at DB. The girl who helped me was nice, not pushy, and made herself scarce when I was trying to make up my mind, which I really appreciated.

JoanE2012 · January 2014

My experience at DB's was good......I just didn't like any of the dresses! They did nothing for me. A friend of mine got her dress there though and it looked beautiful.

misscoffeeplease · January 2014

I went to David's Bridal today and booked one of the first appointment. Well, so did everyone else. It was chaotic at first because a lot of people were lining up at the door. They were just a bit unorganized. My consultant was here or there. She was attentive to me towards the end of my fittings. I get they were busy and ovewhelming but whatever. I mean, I did find the dress I wanted and it was in my budget. I ordered and after that, it was pleasant. I think it's just a hit or miss.

You will probably have a better service during the middle of the week instead of the weekend.

rayna32 · January 2014

My first experience in Dallas, TX was terrible. The consultant had no idea which way was up. My second time in Columbus, OH was great. The consultant was patient and listened to what I wanted. I did end up buying a dress, but I did so knowing that I wanted some major alterations. I found a great lady in Dallas who is making it into my perfect dress. Don't slack on alterations, they make the dress!

fre3doms · January 2014

Mine has overall been pretty good. I've gotten two bridesmaid dresses and my own wedding gown there.

The first dress I tried on there ended up being "the one." Other than coming home with the wrong dress and having to swap a couple months later it's been good. I felt like the alterations were a little expensive but my fiance was willing to pay for them to make it my dream dress. I wanted a corset put it which basically doubled the alteration cost.

My dress with alterations and accessories bought there ended up being about $730 or so I believe.

Dignity100 · January 2014

I've been to 1 DB's 2 different times. The first consultant was a 'stick to the store rules' kind of gal. She only let me try on 5 dresses because that's 'store policy'. But when I was done looking at dresses - I asked to see what color blue the shoe's I liked would come in and she showed me and answered a few other questions. She was working with another customer was was shopping for Bridesmaid/Jr. Bridesmaid/Flowergirl dresses - so she'd throw me in a dress, let me admire myself for a few minutes and then come back to me, help me into my next dress and again let me admire myself. This was my first time trying on dresses.

My second time I had the manager helping me because the original consultant called off. She was GREAT - she let me try on like 7 dresses - some my picks others her picks on what she thought would look nice on me and to give me a feel for a few other styles.

My downfall: I got home and started looking at pictures of the dresses I liked (I really like 2 of them) and found hundreds of girls wearing them and for each dress I liked I found 2+ people on the knot who posted within the past 1-2 months wearing the dresses. I decided I want something a little more unique then that, but DB's will be in the back of my head if I don't find anything else.

As far as budget goes - most of the bridal shops in my area will sell sample gowns and do have a clearance section where some gowns can be 50%+ discounted (some of those dresses are there because they need to be, but some are still beautiful dresses).

[Deleted User] · January 2014

It's really hit or miss based on who you get to help me. The rep that helped me with finding me my wedding dress was wonderful & so was my experience with the alterations department. However, my experience with the rep that was suppose to help us when we went shopping for BM dresses, she was not any help what so ever. We had appointments both times. Their selection & prices range but they offer a nice variety. Especially if you have some hard to fit BM or if you want to give your BM the freedom to pick out whatever dress they like just in a specific color. Also they are one of the few shops that carry plus size brides dresses in stock to try on. I was happy with the quality of my dress and the BM dresses too. The good/bad rep experience I think you can have in any bridal shop, you just hear more about people's experiences at David's Bridal since it's a chain store. If someone complains about the same type of experience at their local mom/pop bridal shop you don't remember it because it's not a store near you.

chkmeowt · January 2014

I've been to several DB's and I've never had a good experience (this was as a bridesmaid or shopping with a bride). So I refused to go there for myself.

jessi3617 · January 2014

I agree with debmonn. The one here in Michigan was not outstanding. We went twice to look at bridesmaids dresses. They put us in one of the rooms in the very back. And we only saw our lady maybe 3 times the whole time we were there. I don't even think they realized we left when we did. And it wasnt busy at all. Then one of my bm convinced me to go again. Same experience. Expect we found a dress we liked. And the lady was very pushy and rude. The dress we chose was being discounted in the color we wanted. One of my BMS needed a bigger size which they didn't have. They consultant told us well I think she could lose the weight in a couple months. WHAT!!! Did that really just happen?? We went somewhere else and were all treated very well.

hyechica81 · January 2014

i walked in one day after seeing what i thought was my dream dress i had no apointment but it was during the week and they allowed me to try on some dresses . i had 4 dresses i loved and only one of them was carried in the store the others were special order ( no thanks) i need to try on the gown to know its the one.. so i tried on the lonely dress that was my dream dress it was supper heavy on me i asked if they could take off crinoline because it was going to be a summer wedding and they said sure. next thing i know shes coming back with a pettie coat ( i just told you i want crinoline taken off not more puff added. fabric felt funny and the dress fit weird on me.

they asked me if i wanted a credit card i declined and walked out..

i ended up going went to a few local salons that were not chains i had such a better experience at those places than what i had at davids bridal. the local places had tons of unique plus size gowns for me to try on one place was sample only gowns starting at 200 with most being in the 500 range couture being a little higher found nothing there.

i ended up getting my mori lee at the second salon i went to. 825 and with alterations just a little over a thousand.

i would check out other salons mori lee, jasmine, venus, bonny and allure have affordable gowns

MandyMost · January 2014

They were busy when I went, so while we were waiting on our consultant, they gave us this book of dresses and said to pick out the ones I was interested in. I picked out 2 that I really liked. They didn't have them. They couldn't answer if it was just their store, or if the dresses were from a new collection not available yet. I ended up trying on like 5 dresses, even though I knew buy looking at them that none of them were the one. Some of their dresses really do feel cheap. Other's don't though. Overall, they are a very "inside the box" type of store, in my experience. If you don't want to look like a princess, or aren't having bridesmaids, or aren't into strapless, etc., then they're going to look at you like you're a freak and try to talk you into it.

hyechica81 · January 2014

if you want a great bridal experience go to a local mom and pop shop look at different designers online first to see what kinds of styles you like

allure
bonny
mori lee
jasmine
venus are all affordable lines

other designers that are out there are stella york
lazaro
maggie sottoro
calista
pronovias

there are way more designers out there but this is just a list of the more popular designers

if you are in the new england area as well as ny nj and pa i can give you a listing of salons

AddieCake · January 2014

I love my DB dress and had a great experience there.

CMGragain · January 2014

David's Bridal is a franchise. Each store is run locally. Some are better than others.
David's Bridal can offer you a lot of bang for your buck because they only sell gowns that are made exclusively for them in their factories in China. You cannot buy a new dress that they carry anywhere but from David's Bridal. No middle man.
They target the budget bride. That is great news for brides that are in your price range. They have a very good website. You can check out their gowns online before you go. Unlike independent bridal shops, they will carry most of their gowns in your size so you can try them on. Daughter's #2 favorite was one of their dresses.
You do have to keep on top of them. Keep checking on your order to see what the status is. When your gown comes in, examine it very carefully for flaws, or signs that it was a sample that was tried on by other brides, before you leave the store with it..
Most of the criticism is about their after-market services. I would go to an independent seamstress for reasonable alterations. Don't buy accessories there! This is where they make a huge profit. Buy your veil on line from a reliable place such as http://www.whitedovebridal.com. You can find better underwear in a shop that specializes in pretty underwear. Shoes,too.
We were delighted with the kind treatment we received at DB in Bowie, MD. I hope you have a great experience. You might want to try another bridal shop to compare before you decide, but DB's prices are hard to beat

J9lawrence · January 2014

I did not have a good experience at David's Bridal and I would never go back. They had me double booked with another bride so the saleslady was going back and forth between the change rooms and opening the door to the change room and everybody could see me in my underwear. She made a really rude comment about my bra size, was pushy and kept pressuring me to buy a dress. I also felt like their accesories are way overpriced and you can find much better quality items at other shops for a better price point.

CLI242009 · January 2014

Also OP, to add on to what I said, each bride's situation can be different in some kind of way but majority from what I've seen on here has or will have at least one person in their bridal party that is not local.

That is another reason why I chose DB because of the convenience. Myself and a BM in NY. My MoH in CA and another BM in GA. So that also helped using a franchise vs a local mom and pop place.

I agree with what hyechica81 said. Mom and pop shops are the best from my experience, especially here on the east coast but I wanted to make it easy and less stressful by going someplace that all of my girls could go to. Just something to think about as well.

Sars06 · January 2014

Be aware that DB will sell your contact information to EVERYONE. While I didn't have a terrible experience at my local DB, I have since been inundated with with spam, junk mail, and marketing calls. It is SO annoying.

They also insisted that I give them my fiance's name (I should have refused), and now he gets tons of junk mail too!

If I could do it again, I would give them a fake name and contact info. The dresses are ok - I think they are extremely overpriced for the quality, but I think that about wedding dresses at every price point. You can get a good deal when they have sales.

hyechica81 · January 2014

@sars06 i ran into davids one weekeday supper fast i was with my fi and i told him can i just stop and look they put me in the system bad idea and then somehow months later got me confused with a bride in nj and called to remind me of my appointment i called nj and they were like your not in the system i wrote to db i am are you kidding me i live in connecticut not nj i have made no appointment's nor will i ever make one with you they claim my name was similar to another bride

MandyMost · January 2014

CLI242009 said:

Also OP, to add on to what I said, each bride's situation can be different in some kind of way but majority from what I've seen on here has or will have at least one person in their bridal party that is not local.

That is another reason why I chose DB because of the convenience. Myself and a BM in NY. My MoH in CA and another BM in GA. So that also helped using a franchise vs a local mom and pop place.

I agree with what hyechica81 said. Mom and pop shops are the best from my experience, especially here on the east coast but I wanted to make it easy and less stressful by going someplace that all of my girls could go to. Just something to think about as well.

There are other ways to make it convenient for non-local bridesmaids. My friend had bridesmaids all over the country. She picked a bridesmaids dress line that was pretty popular, and made sure it was carried in stores near all of us. She allowed us each to pick our own dress from the line (in the same color, fabric, and length)...so we could just go to a local store and figure out the style we liked. Then we just sent her the style number and our measurements, and she ordered them all (because she got a discount because she got her dress there) and shipped them to us, to have them altered where ever we liked.

majesty318 · January 2014

I got my dress at DB. There are several in my area, and I really didn't like the first one I went to. I felt rushed and didn't get to try on a lot of dresses. So I purposely scheduled my 2nd appointment at a different one, and I had a great experience. I also went on a weeknight the 2nd time instead of a Saturday afternoon - less crowded, no rushing. I got a $1250 dress on sale for $500. I am super cheap and I refused to spend more than $600 so it was perfect for me. Also, we did end up going with the same dress for all my BM's (which wasn't my original thought) so I did find it convenient in that respect.

IMHO - it is always worth a shot.

effiek91 · January 2014

Wow thank you for all the comments, lots of feedback! As of right now all my bridesmaids are local (all in NE Ohio), so thankfully I don't have the out-of-state issue. So far I've spent hours on pinterest and other various websites looking at styles and dress fashions, but I haven't actually gone to any retailers to inspect dresses in person and try on, so I am looking forward to DB as an intro with lots of choices at least. I purposely made my appt. for a Wednesday evening instead of weekend to try and stay away from the mad rush experience too, glad I did!

CMGragain · January 2014

Best of luck to you! Go with a positive attitude, and you might just find your dream dress at a bargain price!

CLI242009 · January 2014

CLI242009 said:

Also OP, to add on to what I said, each bride's situation can be different in some kind of way but majority from what I've seen on here has or will have at least one person in their bridal party that is not local.

That is another reason why I chose DB because of the convenience. Myself and a BM in NY. My MoH in CA and another BM in GA. So that also helped using a franchise vs a local mom and pop place.

I agree with what hyechica81 said. Mom and pop shops are the best from my experience, especially here on the east coast but I wanted to make it easy and less stressful by going someplace that all of my girls could go to. Just something to think about as well.

There are other ways to make it convenient for non-local bridesmaids. My friend had bridesmaids all over the country. She picked a bridesmaids dress line that was pretty popular, and made sure it was carried in stores near all of us. She allowed us each to pick our own dress from the line (in the same color, fabric, and length)...so we could just go to a local store and figure out the style we liked. Then we just sent her the style number and our measurements, and she ordered them all (because she got a discount because she got her dress there) and shipped them to us, to have them altered where ever we liked.

*stuck in the box!!*

That is completely true, there are other local boutique stores near my area in NY. Not so much for my girls in GA and CA. We wanted the easiest for all of us and DB was it for us. Not saying your idea is not a great one because it is, just it wouldn't of worked for my girls and I.

David's Bridal...it's everywhere, but is it good?

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