Alternatives to DB and MW for scattered BP?

Ven&Radio · October 2012

There are alot of posts on this board warning people off from using David's Bridal and Men's Warehouse. The people my fiancee and I are inviting to be in our wedding party live all over (mostly RI and VA). What are our best options for bridal party attire while avoiding the major chains? I'm pretty sure men can get measured for a tux locally and send us the measurements and we can reserve their attire locally on their behalf. What about the ladies though? I have on bride's man, a local bridesmaid, and a distant bridesmaid. I'd really love to hear some advice on how other people are handling similar situations. Thanks!

calliopeia2013 · October 2012

Avoiding all major chains? Because I've actually had a pretty good experience with Alfred Angelo, and my BMs aren't having a problem finding and trying on AA dresses at their local bridal stores where they live in Europe. And then I just buy them for them here and they pay me back.

itzMS · October 2012

For the men, you can always just ask them to wear a black (or gray) suit of their choosing versus going through the rental process.

My bridesmaids wore J.Crew dresses. I ordered them online (I paid) and if there were any sizing issues, we could return in store and order a new one!

cwaggoner07 · October 2012

We did Banana Republic for our bridesmaid dresses, and it was all done online.
For men's, you can have the guys just send measurements. H did that before when he was in a wedding out of state.

Maggie0829 · October 2012

Each store is different. And each experience in the same store is different. You could have issues anywhere but you need to use a place that works best for you and your wedding party.

As for me, I used AA for my BM dresses and my two ladies who went to two separate stores in different states did not have an issue. I also had to buy a BM dress for myself through DB. I didn't have an issue, but I didn't use their alterations department because my sister had a bad situation with her wedding dress the year before.

As for the guys, we used MW and no one had an issue. Again the guys came from all over so they just called in their measurements or went to a local MW and had them add their measurements to our party.

kd.joseph · October 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_alternatives-to-db-and-mw-for-scattered-bp?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:15Discussion:c795e1e1-76ad-4417-a4ba-975bd666f62bPost:61d806b3-5023-48c3-95b5-00cec9f78afc">Re: Alternatives to DB and MW for scattered BP?</a>:
[QUOTE]Each store is different. And each experience in the same store is different. You could have issues anywhere but you need to use a place that works best for you and your wedding party. As for me, I used AA for my BM dresses and my two ladies who went to two separate stores in different states did not have an issue. I also had to buy a BM dress for myself through DB. I didn't have an issue, but I didn't use their alterations department because my sister had a bad situation with her wedding dress the year before. <strong>As for the guys, we used MW and no one had an issue. Again the guys came from all over so they just called in their measurements or went to a local MW and had them add their measurements to our party.
</strong>Posted by Maggie0829[/QUOTE]

This, we had no issues with MW and it was so handy since they got measured somewhere else, but picked up their tuxes at the location.

And my MOH used DB for her dress and had no complaints. Do what you need to do, but dont rule them out altogether.

bridalmarch · October 2012

I'm in MD and I brought 4 BM with me to pick their dresses. We went to a small local boutique. There are 3 other girls - one in TX, one n PA, and one in the DC area. They just got measured in their town and called into the store with their sizing and payment info. The store is either shipping to them directly or receiving in store and I'll pick up the dress for them.

gundy21 · October 2012

We just told the guys to wear a black suit and the girls bought black dresses (guidelines were not strapless, no long sleeves, not floor length or super short). Worked great for everyone.

gailpete · October 2012

For DD's wedding, we did the same as bridalmarch for the ladies. Picked out a dress and the out of town BMs tried it on locally and called in their measurements and payment info to our local bridal salon and they handled everything. The BMs just need to make sure they are measured at a salon or by a seamstress to make sure they get the correct measurements.

For the guys we used a local tux shop that is a member of Savvi (group of independent tux shops) and the guys were able to be measured locally and call our tux shop with their measurements and payment.

We didn't have any issues.

Giaspo · October 2012

I had two local BMs and one in Nebraska and the other in California. My local BMs and I went dress shopping and narrowed it down to 2 different gowns. I found dress shops near the other BMs that carried both styles, and they went on their own to try them on (they both went during the week so as not to take away from Saturday business).

It was fun - they both sent photos along with their thoughts/preferences. Once we selected the winner, they called in to my local store with their measurements (to ensure all gowns came from the same dyelot). The store shipped the gowns to them.

QueerFemme · October 2012

Alfred Angelo would be a good choice. You can also just pick a designer that you like, and find local stores that carry a large selection of that designer's gowns. (like, Mori Lee, or Dessy).

I had no problems with MW for tuxes. They came in on time, and even did some slight alterations for us a day before the wedding.

Alternatives to DB and MW for scattered BP?

Re: Alternatives to DB and MW for scattered BP?

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