David's Bridal Snark

gingerbride82 · July 2014

Just a brief (maybe) vent about David's Bridal Customer service/business practices. When I tried my dress on, there was the PERFECT pair of shoes at DB, in silver..but I needed nude. The shoe is available in Nude, online only. At the time, every website I scoured didn't have my size (Thanks, Fred Flintstone feet

) So I settled a few weeks ago and bought some shoes at my fitting from DB. While, searching the shoe inventory online last night with my MOH (she's in love with the Betsey Johnson bow flats) I noticed my original shoes were restocked and my size is available. However, it states online only. I called DB, and sales mgr informed me that I can "EXCHANGE" the shoes I currently have, and receive store credit, but they can't order the online shoes for me because the website and stores are actually "separate entities"

Ugh. I don't need, nor want store credit as there is NOTHING left in the store I want. WHY can't they just refund my purchase since I have receipt, and CLEARLY not worn?! I can't get over the "separate entities" remark.. I swear, if they weren't the ONLY bridal salon in my town I wouldn't have dealt with them in the first place.

Did I mention when I went for a fitting, they "lost" my dress... yeah, took 30 minutes for them to locate it.. Oy

southernbelle0915 · July 2014

Reading things like this made me not step foot in DB while planning my wedding. In addition to stories like this, I always hear about how shitty the BM dresses are - needing major alterations, two size 6 dresses are completely different sizes, etc.

Sorry this happened to you.. So annoying.

smalfrie19 · July 2014

gingerbride82 said:

Just a brief (maybe) vent about David's Bridal Customer service/business practices. When I tried my dress on, there was the PERFECT pair of shoes at DB, in silver..but I needed nude. The shoe is available in Nude, online only. At the time, every website I scoured didn't have my size (Thanks, Fred Flintstone feet ) So I settled a few weeks ago and bought some shoes at my fitting from DB. While, searching the shoe inventory online last night with my MOH (she's in love with the Betsey Johnson bow flats) I noticed my original shoes were restocked and my size is available. However, it states online only. I called DB, and sales mgr informed me that I can "EXCHANGE" the shoes I currently have, and receive store credit, but they can't order the online shoes for me because the website and stores are actually "separate entities"

Ugh. I don't need, nor want store credit as there is NOTHING left in the store I want. WHY can't they just refund my purchase since I have receipt, and CLEARLY not worn?! I can't get over the "separate entities" remark.. I swear, if they weren't the ONLY bridal salon in my town I wouldn't have dealt with them in the first place.

Did I mention when I went for a fitting, they "lost" my dress... yeah, took 30 minutes for them to locate it.. Oy

they gave me this remark too when I went to buy my dress. It has an organza split on the hip and the store only carried pink..and I wanted blue...and blue was only online. So to had to order my dress online

jenijoyk · July 2014

I got the separate entities thing too! I found a dress I loved there, but they only had one in my size and it had a tiny pull in it. She called a bunch of stores in the area trying to find me another one that could be brought over. No luck. So I'm agonizing over whether I want to just buy the one with a pull. I'm going back and forth and we're sitting there for like 30 minutes. When she finally mentions that it's online in my size. Which she follows with, "But it won't count that you're buying it from us, because online is a separate entity." What? I really don't care about your commission, lady. I just want my dress. Thanks for making me sit here forever thinking I had no options!

But whatever. I love my dress. Say what you want about the dress quality. I think it's lovely, and no way was I going to blow multiple thousands of dollars of my wedding budget on a dress I liked the same amount. And that I will wear for about 8 hours of my life. I'd rather be a snob over the food served at my wedding than my dress.

StitelME · July 2014

When I went with my bridesmaids to try on dresses, they tucked us into this tiny corner with only two dressing rooms for my FOUR ladies to try on dresses. The woman supposedlyhelping us only came around about twice an hour, MAX, because she had also been assigned about ten other groups in the overly crowded store. It took AGES to get enough dresses tried on to make a decision. The whole process should've only taken an hour, hour and a half tops and took almost the entire afternoon!

loveislouder · July 2014

Ugh David's Bridal. I bought my dress there, all excited but it needs to be let out. So I told them, instead of letting it out, just add another layer of toole and I'll be happy with that. They can't apparently because that changes the design of the dress and that contradicts a contract they have with the designers. Oh puh-lease. If SYTTD can literally cut 2 dresses in half and sew them together, you can add a layer of bloody toole.

[Deleted User] · July 2014

StitelME said:

When I went with my bridesmaids to try on dresses, they tucked us into this tiny corner with only two dressing rooms for my FOUR ladies to try on dresses. The woman supposedlyhelping us only came around about twice an hour, MAX, because she had also been assigned about ten other groups in the overly crowded store. It took AGES to get enough dresses tried on to make a decision. The whole process should've only taken an hour, hour and a half tops and took almost the entire afternoon!

We had one room for three bridesmaids and only appeared at the end when she pressured them to buy that day...even though we were missing two bridesmaids who didn't' have a clue what the dress looked like and we let her know that at the very beginning. Yeesh.

StitelME · July 2014

TexasBride2014 said:

StitelME said:

When I went with my bridesmaids to try on dresses, they tucked us into this tiny corner with only two dressing rooms for my FOUR ladies to try on dresses. The woman supposedlyhelping us only came around about twice an hour, MAX, because she had also been assigned about ten other groups in the overly crowded store. It took AGES to get enough dresses tried on to make a decision. The whole process should've only taken an hour, hour and a half tops and took almost the entire afternoon!

We had one room for three bridesmaids and only appeared at the end when she pressured them to buy that day...even though we were missing two bridesmaids who didn't' have a clue what the dress looked like and we let her know that at the very beginning. Yeesh.

It was a nightmare. Even when all the bridesmaids decided on a dress and we went up to pay for them (and shoes too), things got messed up. Three of my bridesmaids are my sisters and my maid of honor is one of my longest friends and she was paying for her dress herself and my father's credit card was paying for all three of my sisters (one just finished college and the other two are just starting college this fall so they couldn't really pay for themselves). When we got up there and explained how to divide everything, they made it complicated and kept changing prices and quantities and mixing things up. They almost charged my Maid of Honor for two extra pair of shoes and the wrong dress!

annathy03 · July 2014

DB lost my bridesmaid dress for a wedding a few years back. Thankfully the bride just wanted us in the same color/material so I bought a different dress as a backup online that I ended up wearing. And @jenijoyk, I hope your experience with them is fantastic, but not shopping at DB doesn't mean dropping thousands. My Mori Lee gown I ordered from a bridal shop was $750, loads of dresses at David's sell for more.

Marzipan13 · July 2014

Yikes, did DB take a turn for the worse after we got our BM dresses there?! All 4 of my BMs and our flower girl got their dresses there, and everything went smoothly. My only problem with the store was the salespeople - they were... less than knowledgeable... ETA: I should mention, I didn't get my dress there (mine is from Alf Ang), so I'm speaking from a BM-dress-only standpoint.

flyingfoxes · July 2014

Jeez I'm glad I only have had good experiences with them both online when I bought my dress and in-store when we have gone for bridesmaids' dresses!

wrigleyville · July 2014

I cannot stand that place. Every time I stand up in a wedding and the bride wants us to buy one of DB's dresses, which is often, I die a little inside.

I don't get the separation either. Every other department store and clothing store I visit can order an item online if they're out of stock and then have it available for store pick-up. Most of them go one step further and offer free shipping to my home.

Wegl13 · July 2014

We went there for bridesmaid dresses. After about ten minutes, my MOH goes "these dresses are shitty and aren't that cheap, can we go now?" I love her. And I second the person that said that you can shop elsewhere and not go over budget. I went to a wonderful hometown shop that carried dresses between 200-2000 and bought a beautiful gown and veil that were under $1000 together and were made in the USA of silk. The owners were very proud of their gown quality and did not have anything in stock that was made of polyester. But they didn't carry big name designers which makes the difference I think.

falsara · July 2014

I've found that it depends on which DB you go to. I went to two different DB's in one day when I started dress shopping. In Phoenix AZ they have two different branches, one of them is the Collections store though. I went to regular DB first. The lady kept pressuring me to buy when I found one that I rated like an 8. It looked great but it wasn't a ten. And I said, I'll think on it, and she did not like that. Yuck.

I went to the Collections store that same day (Unfortunately there's only two DB Collections stores in the whole US on in AZ and One in Atlanta Georgia). My god it made all the difference. Not only was the store far more pleasant to walk into, but my consultant was there for just me. And we clicked right off, if I didn't feel like a bombshell in the dress she was like "lets get you out of it then, and move on." That was how I needed it to be for me. Also when we went to the Collections store to find BM dresses for a wedding I was in, it was a lot easier also. And they didn't pressure us to buy right that minute, or make us share dressing rooms.

Wegl13 · July 2014

I went to the collections in Atl! It was definitely not high pressure, that is true. The consultants were all very nice and professional but that didn't make up for the fact that their BM dresses were either crappy and/or made for stick figures (MOH is a very fit woman but the VW dresses wouldn't fit her butt!- did anyone else have this problem?)

Ndelible · July 2014

I was thinking they have some weird kind of franchise thing going. The store here said that they don't ship store to store. That was weird to me.

Alikat9614 · July 2014

My MOH had a fabulous DB experience, I guess it really does depend where you go. We went to a DB in NE Ohio on a Tuesday (p.s., go on a weekday if you can!) and there was only one other person 'shopping.' MOH picked a few styles she liked and the consultant brought two more that she thought she might like. MOH ended up picking one of the consultant's suggestions and it looked amazing on her. She stayed with us the whole time from entering the store to checkout. She suggested we get it shipped directly to her home address (in virginia) and it arrived a couple weeks later... No alterations necessary. It would be really nice if there was some consistency!

scrunchythief · July 2014

I bought my dress at a DB, and got lucky with a good consultant. But I'd found the dress online first, which may have helped. However, from what I've read, I'm sooo glad I took it somewhere else for alterations. I found a lady who had been a wedding tailor for 30 years and she was amazing and so easy to work with. We also went to department stores for for the BM dresses. We all wanted something simpler that they could wear again (for real). We ended up with something from a business line of dresses that was still fun.

christinethebean88 · July 2014

I went to DB for my first dress shopping trip and I hated it! They squished us all into tiny little dressing rooms like sardines, I could hardly move around at all in it. I tried on 6 dresses and found one that I liked decently well, but was not ready to commit to it. When I asked the consultant if they had anymore I could try on, she said no, they didn't have anymore in store in my size. Um, really?? I wear a size 14 dress, I realize that's not "ideal wedding dress size" but you only have 6 dresses in the entire store that I could squeeze myself in?? Then she suggested that they could order a dress from their catalog for me in my size. Yeah, okay, let me commit to this dress I've never tried on before. I ended up buying my dress from a small local store and I had a fantastic experience, and the price was pretty on par with DB. I definitely didn't bring my BM's there for thier dresses.

ElcaB · July 2014

I really, really hate DB.

birdybride2014 · July 2014

I cannot stand david's bridal. I've had plenty of friends find beautiful dresses there and they all looked wonderful, but I want a little more help than they provide. Plus, I think they are bogus and no one ends up saving as much money in the end as they think after they have to pay to get alterations, slips, special skirts, bras..whatever else.

I went in and tried on dresses with different silhouettes just to see what looked the best. I put on a mermaid, knowing full well that those look horrendous on me because I have high hips, and the consultant literally goes "How do you feel, you look wonderful"...no...I do not...and I would really appreciate that you act like a professional and don't let me walk out of here looking like a complete train-wreck...thanks.

FiancB · July 2014

Hate them. My sister freaked out and bought the wrong color because they told her the right one would take 12 weeks to come in. It really took 2. It all worked out because I had a friend end up buying the wrong color elsewhere as well, so it looked like it was done on purpose, but they still suck. And yeah, as far as wedding dresses go I had a couple contenders at DB that ended up being more expensive than an Allure I bought from a small private shop.

short+sassy · July 2014

I had a good experience at my local DB, though I didn't buy my dress there. It was a VERY busy Sat. afternoon, but my consultant was expertly managing all the brides she was helping.

One weird thing I discovered, though, is it can take 2-3 months for an ordered dress to arrive in their store, but only 2-3 weeks to arrive at my home if I order from online DB.

What I did like about them is I am a plus-sized gal and they have a much wider array of styles available. The other "boutique" stores I visited only had 1-2 styles available (or none at all) in a size 14-16.

ashleyep · July 2014

I got a bridesmaid dress there last summer for a friend's wedding. They don't carry my size, so I had to get the whole dress taken in a size - $100 in alterations. For a shitty bridesmaid dress.

Then I went to pick it up and it didn't zip. The woman tried to make it out like I gained weight. It wouldn't zip at the top - my rib cage did not expand. You just did some crappy alterations.

I went their with my mom to look at MOB dresses - and all of them were a cheap jersey material. How many middle aged women are going to look good in this flimsy material? It clings to everything.

CMGragain · July 2014

Not everyone has the budget for an expensive wedding dress. David's Bridal sells to about 35% of brides in the USA. They fill a need.
They manufacture ALL their dresses in their factories in China. They don't wait for orders to make the dresses like most other wedding dress manufacturers. They work more like ready-to-wear clothing stores. Because of this, it can be more difficult to predict when their orders will arrive, but they usually come in sooner than expected. You can also order directly on line. Their styles change more frequently than other designers, and they mark down dresses frequently.
Their target customer is the budget bride. The have prices for everyone, and their clearances are a wonderful option for many. Service does vary from location to location. We were pleased with the store in Bowie, MD, but bought another dress elsewhere.
DB sells their wedding gowns at a very low profit margin compared to other manufacturers, so they need to up-sell customers with accessories like veils, undergarments, shoes, etc. that have a much higher markup. If you know this, you won't fall for it. Their alterations quality varies, depending on the seamstress they are using. I would take the dress to an independent seamstress.
Several other manufacturers have taken the DB idea and set up their own chain stores, namely Alfred Angelo and Demetrios (Macy's).
There was nothing like DB when I was a bride. If there had been, I would have been a customer.

Ndelible · July 2014

Someone told me that DB and Alfred Angelo are owned by the same entity.

Simply Fated · July 2014

I had a terrible experience at that store when my friend was getting married. The sales person was just... bored. So bored. Every time we tried on a new dress, she told us we looked good, in that bored look with a vacant stare. We tried on some pretty hideous dresses and she would wander over to us, "You look good." And then walk away. We could never figure out if she was trying to help us pick a dress, make a sales commission for herself or if she thought we were going to steal the pair of heels we had borrowed.
I don't expect (or even want) Little Miss Perky, but I did not like Little Miss Please Leave So I can Go On My Dinner Break Now. Maybe Little Miss Help Me Zipper A Dress Up Like It's Your Job would have been nice.

StitelME · July 2014

@CMGragain, I don't think any of us are necessarily bashing on the idea of David's Bridal and a plae for budget dresses, etc. Personally, I completely appreciate the idea behind it. I think what a lot of us are taking offense with is the lack of professonalism by the employees and the occasionally poor dress quality overall. I think we can all agree that budget doesn't have to mean crappy. Additionally, I know when I went to try on my wedding dress, I appreciated the supportive atmosphere in the boutique and the feeling that, while I may not have been the only bride in the store or even the only bride being helped by the clerk, I was still important. David's Bridal has lost that feeling for the most part, at least in our experiences.

But I don't think anyone is suggesting that the idea behind a great shop for budget brides is bad.

gingerbride82 · July 2014

My sales consultant was super nice, however the sales mgr, less than. I went with mom, MOH, sister and another bridesmaid. We had an appointment, the first appt of the day actually. Sales manager told us "lets get her in a couple dresses, see what size and style she is liking, and then you all can look around and pull a couple for her" Okay, great. Makes sense. So, we narrowed down my size, and I had decided I wanted strapless and trumpet. My MOH and Mom began looking around, MOH found a dress she thought I would love, and asked sales mgr if we could try it.. Sales mgr snipped that they need to just sit down and let me decide.. umm excuse me?! What dress did I end up getting, the one MOH had pulled.. Maybe I have higher customer service expectations coming from a history of working in retail, but I just expected to be treated with basic courtesy and not make my party feel like they were children and being put in time out.

tammym1001 · July 2014

I had a wonderful experience at DB with my dress and my BM's dresses. Actually, my only complaint had to do with another customer who brought about 15 people with her and was hogging up the whole changing room area and all the chairs. That isn't really the store's fault though.

I was actually more comfortable in DB because I didn't have someone fawning all over me the entire I was there like I did in a little bridal shop. I don't need help getting dressed except maybe getting the zipper up once I'm in it and I certainly didn't want someone standing there staring at me while I was trying to talk to my MOH about what I did and didn't like about the dress I had on.

I think I received very good customer service at our local DB, but I do know that there are some that just don't have the greatest employees, but that can be said for any chain store. I was extremely happy with the alterations department as well. When I came to pick up my dress the seamstress didn't like the way my bustle was falling so she actually asked me to come back in an hour so that she could fix it because she wasn't going to let me leave the store without it sitting perfect once it was bustled.

They were super helpful with my BM's as well. One of my BM's was breast feeding her newborn and brought him with her. They gave us an extra dressing room in case she wanted some privacy. They pulled a bunch of different dresses and found us all the sizes we needed. The only alterations any of my girls needed was a hem.

FutureMrsToal · July 2014

Aw I'm sorry you had such a bad experience with DB. After reading so many comments I feel weird saying that I actually had a wonderful experience buying my dress there. The appointment started out rough though, the lady checking in appointments was rude even when I tried to make a funny comment to lighten the mood. My bridal attendant was nice, but was also assigned another bride for veil shopping, so she was back and fourth. That initially annoyed me - I wanted undivided attention ( what bride doesn't when dress shopping). However, because of our slow start she let my appointment go beyond it's scheduled time. After I chose my dress and paid, my MOH and I were just looking at bridesmaid dresses to get ideas and she let my MOH try on a few and even pulled suggestions and looked up colors for us. After we did all that she wrote down my possible bridesmaid dresses options and gave me her cell phone number so I can connect her directly if I have any problems or for when I come back with all my girls for their dress. I loved her, she made the experience!

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