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I don't know how common it is, but some places just don't let you take pictures. Two of the bridal salons I went to forbade pictures unless you've already bought the dress, but the three other places I went to were just fine with pictures, and in one place the saleslady even offered to take the pictures herself.
I think some places do it so that you don't take a picture of a dress and then go to a seamstress and have it custom-made from a picture. Dunno, it's the best explanation I can come up with.
One suggestion to help you remember what dresses you try on even in places that don't allow pictures is to take a notebook with you and write down some details about each dress you try on. Dress name/designer, shape (mermaid, A-line, etc), color, does it have beading or lace or sparkles, what fabric is it, how it feels (heavy, light, itchy, etc), if you like it or hate it or just feel meh about it, etc etc etc.
Yes that makes sense, that is the thought my Mom had, but my sister brought up a good point in that you can see these dresses in magazines, online, etc. Weird! I guess that would be a good question to ask ahead of time for future dress shopping, so I can pick a more accomodating salon :)
more commercial salons like Davids Bridal will allow pics. I felt like this when I found out Jareds wouldn't let me take pictures of the rings I was trying on! ugh. I would definately inquire about picure taking before deciding to purchase. Fittings are a part of every brides wedding.
I've had the same experience, some places don't mind the pictures, others forbid it. One shop forbid it but the sales lady looked away while we took the pictures. One place forbid the pictures, and when we asked who the designers were of the dresses - wouldnt tell us!! They had even ripped the tags out, saying that they didnt want the designer to cloud our judgement! HA!
its fairly common. when i was dress shopping i ran into this issue also. almost half of the bridal salons i went into didnt allow pics. was kind of bummed about it but i ended up not finding anything in those salons that really stuck out to me anyway.
My bridal salon did not let you take pictures of the dresses. After I decided what dress I liked my mom did sneak a pic. :)
It was hit or miss for me... Some did, some didn't. Some eventually broke.
Like you though, I needed the pictures. Some that I didn't like I would up thinking were better in the pictures... and some I REALLY liked, in pictures were frightening! lol
I chose my dress from a salon that was happy to allow pictures.
In my experience, only David's Bridal allowed me to take photos. Sometimes I would sneak some pics when I was alone in the dressing room. ;)
I went to one place where you could take pictures and one where you couldn't. I think they don't let you take pictures because if you fall in love with a dress, they want you to go home with the image of you falling in love with the dress in your mind. If you don't have a picture to examine and pick at and critique, then that one perfect moment or realizing it's the one will be all you know of that dress. And, you'll most likely come back and buy it.
At least that's what I convinced myself that the purpose of them not letting you do photos is :)
The first salon I went to didn't allow photos. They also cut the tags out of some dresses and the consultant who helped me was super snooty about everything. Not a pleasant experience at all! My mom still took pics with her phone anyway. As soon as the consultant would leave to get another dress, I'd say "hurry, take a picture!" :)
I went to three other salons after that and they were all much nicer than at the first place. The last place (where I ended up purchasing my dress) did allow photos to be taken. They were so much more easygoing and friendly there!
I think it's so silly when places don't allow you to take photos. For me, the dress shopping experience was a very memorable experience that I had waited a LONG time for and shared with several members of my family. AND I'm buying the most expensive article of clothing I'll ever own. I want photos of that, darn it! :)
At the shop where I brought my dress, the owner told me that she had to sign a waiver that she would not allow pics. Idk why designers would have an issue with people taking pics, but that is what she said.
All three salons I've been to thus far (Kleinfeld, Vera Wang flagship NYC, Priscilla of Boston NYC) didn't allow you to take pics until you'd put in a downpayment on a dress there.
blissfulcici--I am not a fan of the latent judgment in your post. A lot of us who are spending a significant amount of money on our dresses are doing so because 1) we respect the intellectual property of clothing designers, 2) we recognize the differences in quality of fabric and construction between dresses that cost massively different amounts to produce.
VERY common, mine let me after I bought it. At first we were really confused but it does make sense and it didn't bother me because I had already done research online and in magazines about must gowns that I had to see and after we left and went back the next day to make the final decision, I had the pics from online to look at.
I had heard from other brides that salons frequently don't allow pictures. Luckily of the 3 I went to, all of them encouraged pictures. I think this is super important. Like KLP said, some dresses look lovely in person and horrific in the pictures. It was really helpful for me to review the pics once we left. And of course since the wedding is one day and pictures are forever, you want to make sure it looks good in pictures! I would definitely try to look for a salon that allows them! Good luck!
Five of the seven I went to allowed pictures. I definetly let the salons know that allowed pictures that I really appreciated it. I bought from a salon that allowed pictures.
@veganglam - I went to both Vera Wang and POB NYC (where I bought my dress!) and both places allowed me to take pictures without a deposit or anything, anywhere in the store. Kleinfeld didn't, they are total sticklers about that.
They say it's to protect the designers, but I don't 100% believe it b/c the second you make a deposit you can snap away. I think they don't allow it to make it harder for you to find the dress somewhere else and not allow you to have a 'second opinion' from friends and family and/or yourself by looking at yourself in a photo, which is totally different than in person.
I'll say for sure there is NO way I would have bought a dress that day without sleeping on it and looking at pictures of myself in it. It's too expensive a purchase and waaay too big a deal for me to be pressured or 'tricked' into buying a dress from a salon who wouldn't let me leave with a picture of me in it. So the salons (kleinfeld) who wouldn't let me snap a photo missed out, and if I had the same experience as veganglam in POB I wouldn't have bought my dress.
@moderndaisy: What! That's so weird! Maybe they thought I was a suspicious character or something, because I flat-out asked at both places and was told no, not until I paid up. A darn shame too because I tried on some pretty things. 
Well, glad you had the opportunity to take pictures so that you ended up with the right dress!
When I started dress shopping in February of this year I went into it with the thought that I wouldn't be able to take pictures at all, I got this idea from watching hours upon hours upon hours of Say Yes to The Dress which we all know features Kleinfelds in NYC. But I took a camera anyway...just in case. DB let me, and both local boutiques allowed it as well. The Boutique I bought mine at, The Gilded Gown, in Knoxville, TN actually TOOK the pictures for me, with their camera and then burned them to a CD and gave it to me in their "bridal bag" which was full of other goodies...I have to say that was the BEST experience I've ever had!
I went shopping in 4 stores: 2 were chains, and 2 were little boutiques.
All but one let me take pictures. The store that didn't allow me to take pictures is actually where I ended up buying my dress. Because of the no pictures rule though, I'm slightly nervous about how I look in the dress. When I would get home from the other places where I took pictures, I would upload them to my computer and really look at myself in them. Some looked a lot worse on me than I thought they did in the store. So, I'm afriad that I think I look good in my dress, when in reality it might not be the most flattering dress for me.
It came in a few weeks ago and I have an appointment on Saturday to try it on for fittings. I'll be allowed to take pictures then. Needless to say, I'm very nervous.
@veganglam - we probably had different consultants (some might bend the rules if they think it could help get them a sale) and I went a while ago to both, almost a year ago now! So they could have changed their policies.
The thing that bothers me most is when 1) you can't take pictures of the dress AND 2) there aren't any mirrors in the dressing rooms. So you have to come outside in the dress to see it, even if you might have been embarrased about how it looks. One salon I went to was the total opposite, the consultant almost forced me to take pictures and she said "How can you even remember what you tried on if you don't have a picture?" Amen!
I wasn't allowed to take pictures at either of the salons I was in either. Once I decided I was buying the dress, then I was allowed to take pictures of it. Definitely frustrating!
The salon that I went dress shopping at and bought my dress from did not let me take pictures of any of the dresses I tried on. I was only able to take a picture once I had paid for the dress. It wasn't a problem for me though because I bought the 5th one I tried on. THe only thing was that I had to wait to show my friends the picture of me until the next time I went to the salon.
1 of the 2 salons I went to didn't allow pictures. The one that didn't, sold other designer dresses and the one that allowed pics, sold their own designs. At the salon that didn't allow pictures, I noticed the dress I was trying on, a Maggie Sottero, was a lot cheaper than I thought it should've been. When I asked my lady, she said they get a better deal with the designers by not allowing pictures. She still gave me a sheet though with all the dress information.
Wow, it is so interesting to see how everyone's experiences have varied so much! Thanks everyone for sharing!
@KLP... I had not thought of that reasoning but that is so true! It really is important to see how photogenic the dress is, since the pictures will last longer than a super descriptive memory. Just another reason for me to stick to places that only allow pics!
@Kay... ripping out the tags seems a bit over the top! I can't believe that, I've never heard of anything like that!
@Anchors... sounds like you had a great experience. Wish I was closer to TN to take you up on your reccomendation!
For me, pictures are essential because my family and friends live on opposite coasts. There is simply no way to have my best friends and mother be there, and I really want them to be part of the experience. Not to mention I am crazy analytical and have to weigh all my options before making a decision, and I *KNOW* I will be the same way about my dress.
The bridal salon that I went to would not allow pictures until you purchase the dress. In that case, just make as many appointments as you need to until you get the dress you want. It would be easier for the stores just to let you take pictures. My bridal salon told me the names of the dresses. I could have easily looked them up and had one reproduced so I dont get what the point was.
2 out of 3 wouldn't allow it here in LA. I've been to 22 stores total.
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This past week while I was home visting my family, I went dress shopping for the first time. My wedding is about a year and a half out, so I wasn't planning on buying, I just wanted to get an idea of the kinds of styles I like/don't like.
One thing that shocked me was the fact that both salons did not allow picture taking. This was kind of hard for me because a) I don't have a photographic memory b) I wanted to share the prospects with friends who couldn't be there and c) the store only had a handful of the dresses I was interested in, so I thought photos were necessary for comparison to other dresses that other salons carried.
Is this a common rule at all bridal salons? My sister did manage to sneak a few pictures with her phone (I know, tsk tsk), but they weren't from the best angles or focus and we didn't get even get pictures of the two dresses I liked the most. Does anyone know why this rule is on place anywyay?