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I've been a bridesmaid three times, and I've had DB bridesmaid dresses all three times. Some of them are great, and some of them are awful. Most of them will look in person (in a fresh, newly ordered version) pretty much the same as they do on the spread, except the cotton sateen is a little shinier than it looks in the catalog (but it's totally comfy). They're decent dresses, although they won't bowl you over with their construction or anything.
I should add... I hated two of the dresses (both chiffon) and I have no idea if that is because they were actually awful or if it's because I just thought they were awful.
Yeah, I'm not so much a chiffon person myself. The strapless cotton sateen dress in black is very cute.
But then part of me thinks, "Well, you could buy an amazing black dress from Banana Republic for that price." Is it even silly of me to have "bridesmaids" dresses if I did black ones? I don't know if "regular store" stuff is better. :p
I think it really depends on the dress you buy. If you go in asking for the specific dresses you see in the catalog, I'm sure they're great - I've seen some of them in store and I love them! I've never worn one in a wedding or anything, though.
I am not only a bride, but also work in the wedding industry. I will not refer anyone to DB. I have never heard anything nice about them. If you are looking for quality, you will most likely not find it there. Their dresses a knockoffs, and their customer service is lacking; from what I have been told and from what I have experienced.
You would be better off going to a bridal boutique in your area that doesn't sell knockoffs and has better customer service. Some of the girls on here swear by JCrew, Nordstrom, JC Penny, and a couple others that I can't think of right now for their girls dresses. Personally, I couldn't find anything that I liked for less than 4 or 5 hundred dollars, so I am going to be making my girls dresses and saving over half of that.
If you have expensive taste, you more than likely will not be happy with DB; JMHO.
@nori- I really do like J.Crews dresses, and would have gone with that but they don't work well with all of my maids' body-types. I'd rather them all feel comfortable and not nervous about finding a dress that fits. :)
My tastes tend to run the gamut, but I guess in all honesty I have expensive taste. Couture wedding dress + those bmaid dresses would be silly?
I dunno, I'll wear Chanel and Old Navy all at the same time, so I'm not sure what to call myself. lol
I went in and my thought was that they weren't horrible but that I could find MUCH better ones for the price. (Which we did and then some.) DB seems to work for some situations but it didn't work for mine. I also dislike that I can glance at the majority of their dresses and know they're from DB.
lol, you sound a lot like me. That is why I am going to make the gowns for my girls. I only have two, but they are both at opposite ends of the size scale. I am making Jessica McClintock gowns; both will be the same, but I will be altering one of them to have straps.
You still have time and if you are odering off the rack, you should be okay. I know I couldn't rest until I had the gowns worked out though. It seemed like I couldn't move forward without knowing that I had that part down.
There is a site that I just thought of. Here is the link http://www.cocomyles.com/?gclid=CKbViMT9tp4CFRhfagodEQhWlQ&fp_keyword=Coco+Miles&fp_source=Google
It is Coco Miles. You can design your own dress and they seem reasonable for what they offer. I am having a Victorian themed wedding, so they didn't quite go with what I wanted. If you decide to call them, make sure you leave a message and they will call you back. I read through every single review and blog of theirs and all seemed really good.
The Coco Miles gowns were featured on My Fair Wedding with David Tutera. I saw the episode, and the girls varied considerable in size, but everyone looked geat.
Hm... the J. Crew bm dresses are more expensive than the DB dresses, right? And they don't come in as many sizes. I actually really like the dress you're talking about. Although it's definitely not as nice as your wedding dress... but I don't see why it should be. ;) As far as customer service, in all the times I've had to buy a dress there, they've always been okay. Not great (I'm not usually thrilled to go back), but it's not the worst in the world. They get things on time, which is better than the place I ordered my wedding dress and bm dresses from. :-/
i've been following this post too, so who do you guys recommend??
i've been looking at bari jay, mori lee, but i can't decide! when i go to stores they only carry a few dresses by each designer...
Oh goodness, Mori Lee is not my friend. I'm MOH for my friend's wedding, and they told me that the only way they could have a dress for me is to cut down a long one into a new short dress. And then the seamstress measured my waist 9 inches larger than it is... I think that's a store problem rather than a Mori Lee ish though. :p
Yeah, I know they shouldn't be as nice as my dress. :p Plus, that'd be so hard since my dress is so fab. (I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I promise I'm not that snotty).
I really like the Amsale dresses, and some of them sort of "go" with my dress, since Amsale and Christos are like bffs or something. (I'm still not clear on who owns whom. Bad bride).
@50: The one you're talking about is REALLY cute, both in person and on a person! In fact, I wanted to add it to my "choices" but the cotton sateen looks a lot different than the satin/flat taffeta/whatever I'm working with.
I'm going through David's Bridal and it's good for what it is. I haven't had too much trouble with customer service and the multiple locations are really helpful for my ladies scattered across the tri-state area. Different dresses match really well, especially if you pick the same/similar length and fabric.
It's working out really well for me as I'm letting everyone pick their own dresses out of a selection of 8 or 9. I do agree with the above posters that the look/quality of the dresses depends on the dress. I like everything I picked, but I've seen dresses on girls at the store and thought nooooooo.
If you're going for black dresses, I really like White House Black Market. Although, I'm biased because that's where I had my BMs get their dresses from ;)
I think DB dresses are a great way to dress your girls in the same color cheap. I'd assume they are the type of dresses that won't be worn again, b/c they're very bridesmaid and not amazing material. I think as long as you like the color and the price, go for it if that's what you want. I would personally rather wear a DB dress for under $100 than the awful $280 pink JLM dress my sister picked out for us :)
For the last wedding I was in, we went to Davids to look at dresses and found the style we wanted. Then we were able to find the Aflred Angelo version that was much prettier, better quality and had a nice corset back at a bridal shop for the same price (~$200).
I think for my BM's we are going to look at Davids. But, if a dress at DB is over $100 then I think I am going to look elsewhere. I really would prefer not to pay much over that for a dress and if we do, I would rather the girls be able to wear a better quality dress.
I think the pros of shopping at DB is that if you want an odd color that is not necessarily in season, they will carry it. If your girls are varying in size and location around the US, everyone can just go into their local DB and try on the dress. Also, if you want varying dress styles it is very easy to use the same color and have many options of cut.
I had a BM shopping day and we went to David's first. We wanted to see what style/type of dress looked best on everyone. I think the consultant that greeted us was a little overwhelmed, so she just pretty much left us alone. She answered questions and checked on us, but that was it.
I'll say this about the dresses - there are some great ones and there are some awful ones. The positive thing about the trip to the store was the variety and the dresses on-hand in several sizes.
I think its all about finding the right dress - you may find a dress in there that looks like a million bucks on your girls - case closed. If not, you can def leave with a more defined vision.
My girls and I have decided to look other places - if we do go with Davids, we will have our own measurements done and will order the dresses. Alterations are planned to be taken elsewhere.
My MOH's dress came from DB, and we loved it. The good thing about DB is that they can fit a LOT more sizes than most stores.
I am always odd man out when these conversations come up. I love David's Bridal...my dress is from there and I love it!! My moh's dress is from there and not only does she love it, but I think the quality is great. I also just bought my Rehearsal party dress there. I know everyone's experiences are hit or miss but I love them. Here's my Moh's dress:
I bought my dress from DB but didn't even look there for BM dresses. If your BMs are of standard size and you want them in black, I think you can get a much nicer dress cheaper off the rack.
I've worn a DB dress as a BM and it was fine, the bride was looking to keep the price down for us (3 of the 5 were students at the time). The good thing was we could each go to our local DB, try on the dress and have them phone the store she placed the order at so they would be all order together from the same fabric. The only issue we had was with sizing. Because the samples had been tried on many times, two of us felt they were stretched out because our dresses were tighter than the ones in the store. I think the samle BM dresses take a lot of abuse at DB.
As far as service, I went to two DB locations and the service was night and day.
@slicey: Good point about the dresses being stretched out. That is true and is what I heard from the people that work at David's Bridal. If the sample fits perfectly, you're supposed to go a size up.
I would be careful with the BM dresses. If you have any BM's who are tall, they don't have many that come in extra length. I wish we would have known that, before we spent 2 hours trying dresses on with my tallest BM there! The clerk kept saying we would just get it in extra length, when we FINALLY decided on a dress, not only did it NOT come in extra length, only like 3 dresses they had DID! I thought my mom was going to explode! We couldn't believe it, even though I got my wedding dress there, I was sooo mad and disappointed. It really sucks, because other that that minor (really MAJOR) slip up, I really enjoyed my experience there.
While the experiences of shopping at a Davids Bridal is often not ideal, they really do have some great dresses (some are not great but you can easily sort the good from the bad), can fit many body shapes, are convient for many people because they have so many stores, and are a good price.
I wore one as a bridesmaid in my friends wedding this past summer and although being there was mostly annoying (screaming kids, worn looking bridesmaid dress samples, tired staff) - it was a great dress when my new gown came in, the pictures were great, it flattered ALL of the girls wonderfully, and i LOVED wearing it!
I found them to have good customer serive - I ordered the dress in October and got it in December but then lost weight by March and needed a smaller size! They ordered me a new one in a smaller size and took the one I bought back (unaltered still in the bag) - I had it in more then enough time to get it altered for a June wedding.
I loved it so much that i chose the same dress (in a much different color) for my bridesmaids (@fifty - I am wearing a couture gown too) - I know everyone will look great and they are excited about how convient it is to try them on and order them.
I wore a DB dress in my best friend's wedding a few years back. We wore the separates in the silk taffeta material. In my opinion, the dresses photograph a lot better than they look in person. They're not particularly well made and I thought the material was thin. Also, it's extremely important that if you do order there, you order all the dresses at the exact same time. There really is a difference between dye lots and the colors come out completely different. Half the BM had a color that looked like periwinkle, the other half looked lavendar. I also have horror stories abot dealing with the DB customer service folks. While I agree that DB is less expensive than a lot of other places (Amsale, etc), personally, I don't think they look that great in person.
We went with JCrew dresses, which at full price are more than DB. However, we got them on sale and no one paid more than $75! They don't come in every size, so I guess that's an issue, but I find that they have a good variety of styles that are flattering.
I think for a little black dress you could find better than DB, but I'm quite biased. I think the stores are all quite different and the store I went to was HORRIBLE, like made me want to get married but without having a wedding.
Price wise I don't think they're by any means the most affordable and for quality they're definatley not the most affordable. What they have going for is convenience and a decent product for a one time occasion with people of diff body types (if you find the right store). But if you just want a LBD I think you could find much better price and quality and less headache elsewhere.
If I had to find a dress that was less than $100, I would try to find a dress at a department store that came in multiple sizes rather than DB. The dresses are around a $100, but are not made like a $100 dress you would buy at a normal store. I thought the fabrics were cheap and the dresses were very poorly made. Alfred Angelo is may be $40 more and the dresses are much better quality. Nordstroms.com has a section for bridesmaids and the dresse are made better and the same price ranges as DB
DB is inexpensive but I don't think their dresses are worth the prices they charge. I am just someone that would rather pay a little more and get my money's worth.
We used Davids Bridal for our bridesmaid dresses and they turned out great. here's a pic
7717_538754250593_59202919_31943324_32.jpg (39.8 KB, 80 downloads) 2 years old
I've never worn anything from DB, but did pop in with my sister and was less than pleased with the quality of the dresses. We didn't like the construction, and the only fabric that seemed nice was a cotton they had, compared to other dresses we had been looking at. And I can only speak for the one we went to, but the customer service was awful. It was staffed by crazies.
Not sure if it's what you're looking for but we ended up going with Coren Moore for the dresses - the fabrics are gorgeous, and they are very helpful. But if you're doing basic black, you might be able to find awesome stuff retail, like you said.
Love em, my bridesmaids needed bigger sizes than most stores carry and they are so flattering. ill post pics after the wedding
Well, what are you looking for in a bridesmaids dress? If you want a disposable bridesmaids dress, then DB is perfect. If you are wanting something that your bridesmaids might actually want to wear after, I would steer clear. But that is me. I rather pay $200 for a cashmere sweater that lasts me years than an acylic one for $20 that lats 2 seasons. Ya know? I call it French shopping. ;) My maids are wearing everything from Jim Hjelm Occasions to Bari Jay. Both I would recommend highly. If it just a cocktail dress then do a BCBG or something.
Sorry if I"m repeating I didn't read all the posts, getting a little sleepy ;)
I went with DB and the reason was they had the most dress choices and I let the girls choose their own dress but in the same color and length. Also if you have someone who lives out of town and can't join in the dress hunt it is easier to go to a chain such as DB that has all the bridal party infomation.
The saleslady at our store was wonderful to work with. The dresses also came in quicker then they had told us which was nice to get them picked-up and out of the way.
2/4 of my girls have their DB dresses, and I think they look great on them! I wish I had pictures from when we tried them on!
I bought my dress from DB and my BM's got their dresses there as well. I was in my MOH's wedding in August and am in another BMs wedding next May. I have dresses from DB for both of those. I like my DB BM dress from august bc it is black, strapless, and comfortable. I actually plan on taking it with me on my honeymoon cruise to wear to the captains dinner.
I've been a bridesmaid 4 times. 3 of the 4 dresses are from DB. I guess they're ok quality wise. I just haven't found anything that really stirkes my fancy for my bm dress.
I've worn a couple DB dresses. They can be cute, but the construction and material is just okay. Honestly, you're right - for $150, you can get a much better made and more re-wearable black cocktail dress from Banana Republic or the like.
We're doing dress from DB. I was actually pretty against them when we first started the whole process, but the DB we went to was fantastic. I was still on the fence until they came out with their Fall 2009 line and SURPRISE - they had the color I wanted and couldn't find ANYWHERE else! I was shocked. They came out with some cute new styles too that were universally flattering, so extra bonus. My girls are pretty spread out too, so it was good for them to be able from the 'same' store be confident that what they got was the right thing. Certainly made my life a good bit easier!
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Beekeeper
I was just looking through the Brides magazine, and I saw the David's Bridal add for Bridesmaids dresses. The dresses always look SO adorable in the spreads and online.
Here's my confusion. A few months ago, I went into a David's Bridal and all the dresses looked terrible! Just in total shambles, and half of them looked like hooker-prom dresses. NOT the adorable stuff I thought I saw in the magazines.
So are these dresses just a case of great styling and photoshop, or did I just go to the worst David's Bridal on the face of the planet? Also, I just thought that maybe it was because samples get trashed?
I'd like y'alls insight into this. Who has done/worn/etc DB bridesmaids dresses? I want honest honest opinions. :)