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are you planning to buy a sample or order a gown. I got a sample vera wang for about 60% off sticker (current season) in santa barbara. There are a bunch of salons that cater to sample gowns.
if you plan to order, then you are in the right city! all the heavies have flagship stores here. Plus Saks!
Whats your budget? there is a website that caters to wedding planning in so cal...i need my old binder... more later
I would go to Karoza Bridal in Glendale (I think you're in the Pasadena area, right? So not too far :)... they have a HUGE selection, although it's not the easiest to sort through, and really good prices.
Liked Alfred Angelo - they were in Beverly Hills...not sure where they are now.
LOVED La Soie Bridal in Torrance (this is where I bought my dress)!! Angela is a GODSEND!
Really liked L'Ezu in Beverly Hills - it's a place that designs & custom makes your dress for you. WAY out of my price range (I wanted a dress under $1000 - they design & create for $2000+), but FANTASTIC service & the gowns are exquisite.
Hope you find your perfect match!
I loved The Dresser in Fullerton where I ended up getting my dress. My salesperson was so attentive, wasnt in the room with me while I dressed and very helpful. I went one place where the lady stayed in the room with me while I dressed, even though I could step into every dress and pull it up. It made me very uncomfortable. At The Dresser (and other places) they let me step into the dress while they waited outside and then opened the curtain to lace or zip me up.
I too dreaded the whole wedding gown shopping experience. I live in Los Angeles, but ended up at Mariposa in Anaheim. It was a positive experience. The shop isn't too big and the girl that worked with me had great taste and was super helpful.
I had done a lot of research on salons - avoiding any that had bad ratings - and was happy with my experienc at Mariposa.
I had the fear too! LOL. Actually it was more laziness than anything else. I can't stand shopping.
Two of my friends loved Pebbles in Woodland Hills:
I ended up going to Uniquie Vintage in Burbank and found my dress the first day so I never made it to Pebbles but I would have gone there next if needed.
http://www.unique-vintage.com/wedding-dresses-c-102.html
Good luck! :)
I think it depends on your price range. I know alot of different salons, but they are consist of different budgets.
Oooh! And definitely cross check any places you're interested in on Yelp!...they have very up to date reviews (not just for bridal salons, either - includes hair salons, mani/pedi/spas, restaurants, etc.). Yelp! definitely helped me narrow down my search.
Ditto on La Soie. I didn't end up getting my dress from there, but it was a great experience. I would also suggest Karoza in Glendale. Great selection & some of the dresses I liked at La Soie were there for less. Not greatest service though, but I'll pick up my own dresses if that will save me $200!
I loved Alfred Angelo in Beverly Hills. No pressure, fun sales attendant, and beautiful gowns for great prices. Plus - free parking (always a perk!). Good luck!
I think I've been to all of them! Here's my rankings:
Good selection, good service: Mariposa, Karoza's, Mary Me Bridal, Pebbles, The Wedding Day
So-so selection, good service: La Soie, Jobyna's, Lili's Bridal, The Image, Glamour Closet (they sell discounted samples only)
Average on all counts: The White Dress, House of Bride & Tux, Brides of CA, Marylinn's (Beverly Hills)
Only good if you have an unlimited budget: Saks
Good selection, poor service: Marylinn's (Pasadena), Mon Amie (but that's where I bought my dress anyway)
Poor selection, ok service: Montclair, Alfred Angelo, David's Bridal
Only the ones in bold allow photos.
...And I can't believe I've been to 20 stores in 3 months! 
I thought it was more like a dozen...
Some of these places mentioned are more in the Orange County area but still worth checking out. I am getting my dress from Mary Me, I think they have great service.
I went to three salons during my own dress shopping in LA: L'Ezu, Saks, and Monique Lhuillier. L'Ezu was by far the best service (Carly was awesome!), Saks has an AMAZING selection of beautiful gowns, and ML was kind of a let down for me, I'd skip it. I've gone to Carolina Herrera with my friend to get hers; their selection is pretty weak for a flagship store (I saw more of her dresses at other salons), but the service was excellent. We also went to Jenny Lee Bridal and it was hands down the worst service I have ever experienced at a bridal salon ever, and R-mine in Studio City, which was OK - the selection was primarily big poofy dresses with rhinestones all over, and the service was average. I also had a co-worker shop at Alfred Angelo just this past Saturday and she did not have a good experience; I've ordered a bridesmaids dress from there before and it's been fine. Have fun!!
You guys are my absolute ANGELS!! Thank you SO much for all the recommendations and comments. Hopefully, once I start the dress hunt, it will assuage my fear. I think it's mostly because I think I'll shop forever and not find it!
RE: budget - I'd love to keep it around 1-2K, including alternations, tax, etc. If I can get away with less, I'm game. But, never been shopping, I don't know if I'm crazy for thinking I can get "the" dress for that price. I guess I'll start there and see what happens.
RE: sample/order, I doubt I'd be able to fit into a sample gown (street size 14 right now) so, I'm sure I'll need to order.
And, yes - I'm in Pasadena but don't mind driving within a 2 hour radius :) So, from SB to SD, it's all good!
I loved Mariposa Boutique but ended up buying from House of Brides in Torrance because I got a great deal from them.
I've heard good things about Karoza but I called ahead and they didn't have a single dress in stock of the dozen I was interested in trying.
A friend bought hers from Glamour Closet recently and said it was a great experience. If you're close to a sample size I would definitely check them out given your budget.
God, I remembered it's actually 21...Went to Demetrios in San Diego as well. Probably blocked it out of memory because that was my least satisfactory experience out of all them.
For a budget <$2K, cross out Saks, Mon Amie and White Dress from my prior list. The last two have outlets that may be a worthwhile but most sample dresses are size 10.
I kinda went thru what you're afraid of, searched high and low and didn't find out exactly what I wanted. The dress I picked is very pretty, but if I could do it all over again I'd find a good seamstress and have the dress of my dreams custom made. Maybe it's a more fun experience if you go with friends, I did most of it alone. Also I found it very difficult to make a decision when trying on gowns that are 4 sizes too big for me. And the "no photo" thing is a real bummer. I would've never bought my dress if I didn't sneak some photos in the dressing room while the saleslady wasn't around, and later was able to look at it and reaffirm that it did indeed look good. Some of the dresses that I thought I liked in the store, became an absolute no once I saw my photos. I highly recommend taking pics wherever you can.
I found a lot of dresses I liked at The White Dress (OC). I ended up getting my dress there (sample!) know a lot of people who did as well.
I also really liked La Soie. The Glamour Closet didn't have much in line w/ what I was looking for (simple, no beads, no poof), but otherwise has great deals.
I got mine at Sak's in Beverly Hills - they had the LARGEST selection of any stores, but if you are looking for a dress under the $5,000 threshold, you probably will not find much there.
I also had a great experience at Renee Strauss in Beverly Hills. We got all of our bridesmaid dresses from there, but they have a whole bridal shop downstairs. Their service was wonderful.
I have heard great things about Mon Amie in Orange County - two of my cousins got their dresses there. I didn't go there so I can't speak from experience.
@oracle: I live in Pasadena too! :)
I've been all over the place, but I'll list some shops that haven't yet been mentioned:
-- Jaclyn's Bridal in Santa Ana: Very complete service, smaller store but you get a lot of attention from the consultants. Nice selection, mostly Watters, Pronovias and Casablanca dresses.
--Lili Bridal in Tarzana: I really liked this store. They carried a wide variety of designers and styles and are willing to work with your budget. Sometimes they have a sample sale so I would check in advance.
--R Mine Bridal in Studio City: Higher end dresses, but attentive consultants who are very stylish and help with creating your "vision."
--Yelena Bridal in Monrovia: Smaller store, more budget-friendly (I think their prices ranged from about $800-$1500). Nice sales people.
--Songi Bridal in Pasadena: Not the best service, small store with little selection. I don't think it's worth your time.
-- La Soie in PASADENA! I just drove by this brand new store (on corner of Colorado and El Molino)! Apparently they had their grand opening this past weekend... I'm tempted to stop by and check them out.
Good luck!! :)
I second Betagirl. Mariposa in Anaheim had great service and the prices on the dresses were phenomenal! They are small but they let you take pictures and the employees were awesome! I am plus sized and they were able to find a bunch of dresses for me to try on as well. i wasn't made to feel like I wouldn't find anything because of my size.. Now the Alfred Angelo I went to was awful! That's a whole other story but I won't start. Also, the Dresser in Fullerton was nice too but the service for me wasn't as great as Mariposa!
OK, here's my personal experience (as I did the Tour-De-Salons as well). My dress was around $1400 (to give you a basis of comparison)
Mon Amie: Great for the bridal "experience." Lots of rooms, pretty lighting, lots of selection. But also, lots of brides: Like a West Coast Kleinfields. Don't attempt to try on gowns without an appt. Prob. not gonna happen. The prices seemed higher there. They do have a great back room (Outlet) though with major discounts. You might stumble onto a winner. It's worth a look!
The White Dress: Again, another bridal "experience." Lots of designers. Prices were higher, but lots of attention...which is a nice feeling when you're the bride. Good for trying different options.
Rose Petals in Toluca Lake: Great as well, but the store and selection was smaller. You'll get more personal attention here (with an appt). They seem to have a lot of trunk shows.
Yelena's in Monrovia was AWESOME. Those ladies are just wonderful and really know their stuff. (Which is good since they do most of the fetching of dresses for you.) SUPER personal service. They also have great Mother of the Bride dresses (though those can sometimes be a tad pricey). My mom loved hers!
The Image, LA: Hours are really strange and the rooms were TINY. Also, kept trying to talk me into gowns I didn't want (though I was early into my dress search at that point, so maybe I wasn't assertive enough/clear enough on my vision). I did get the feeling that if you go in with a dress in mind, she can probably get it for you at a decent price.
Jobyana's in Glendale. Prices seemed marked up, but could be negotiated. They did call me forever after I left there though! (just my experience though)
Karouza: Hard to navigate through the gowns. They are PACKED in there, so you are really relying on your sales associate to understand your vision. Prices were good though.
Glamour Closet: Great prices on higher-end sample gowns. Just be a sample size. :)
Lili's in Tarzana: They were not very friendly with me when they learned I had an under 2k budget, but again, perhaps that was just MY experience. They do have a "famous" back room full of deeply discounted dresses though. (I think the Mon Amie back room was better though)
Pebbles in Woodland Hills. This is where I finally got my dress. Lots of selection, but more of a warehouse feel. (At that point, I didn't really need the whole "experience" anymore. I needed a dress I loved at a great price.) I'd be wary of most of the samples here since they were pretty dirty/damaged. That being said, my new dress came in perfectly and WELL under the price quotes from other salons. The alterations were quality (though a little pricey) and they have a big selection of bridesmaid's dresses. Oh, and Chantal was beyond accommodating. Ask for her!
GOOD LUCK!!
Check out http://www.encorebridal.com/. Julie carries pre-owned dresses, but some are brand new, never worn. I found mine there and she is great to work with!
I got mine at Alfred Angelo in West Covina. Kim was my consultant and she was great. I have had nothing but good things to say--they also have an amazing seamstress as well there.
--I went to MaryLinn's in Pasadena. They were so so rude. Their dresses are extremely over priced as well. Do not recommend.
These were my experiences:
R-Mine: They didn't have a very cast selection. They were helpful but kind of snooty and I didn't like the fact they pressured me a lot into trying to buy a sample gown I liked. They gave me the story of "there is a customer who is coming later today for this exact gown and it's first come first serve unless you put a deposit." They called me 2 weeks later, the gown was still up for grabs! So no thank you.
Lili's Bridals: Very friendly, they were helpful with my budget and they let us look through the dresses. Needless to say, I ordered my dress there.
Chantilly Bridals: Very friendly and helpful, but not too big of a selection for me.
Good luck! And happy shopping!
If you want to spend the time in Downtown I think its worth the DIY
Dresses in Downtown: Between Olympic and Maple. On Santee. 948 Santee Upstairs is Cocktail dress, prom dresses, etc. Downstairs is wedding gowns.
Maple & Wall by 7th street: Flower District
Maple between 8th and Santee: wedding stuff
I got an awesome deal at Alfred Angelo but the service there was awful. My BFFS got their dresses at David's Bridals and they said the same thing. Sometimes I would have to say when you find a smaller store they are more likely to give you the attention and customer service you need.
I went to David's Bridal in Burbank and the girl who checked everyone in was soooo obnoxiously rude but the girl who actually helped me out was really nice.
Pebbles in Woodland Hills was AWESOME! I made sure to go first thing when they opened and no one was there but by the time I left they were packed. I will say this the older of the two younger sales girls (I think they're sisters) had major attitude. The younger one was helping me out. The older one was throwing out attitude because i knew the names of the maggie sottero dresses and she didn't (sorry I'd think if you were working in a bridal salon you'd know that stuff) but other than that the service I got from everyone else was excellent!
I went to MaryLinn's in Pasadena made an appointment and after being told someone would be right with me and waiting for 40 minutes I walked out the door. No one ever said a word to me again after I walked in the door, very rude and unprofessional. The dress selection seemed big but they only had a few dresses of a ton of designers. I think I'd rather have seen more dresses of less designers but maybe that's just me.
I have yet to get a dress as nothing spoke to me, I'm getting ready to just order something cheap from china and be done with it. I don't want to spend a fortune and since nothing has felt right yet I just don't know what to do.
It can be daunting, but never compromise what you want. Store clerks will lie about how long it takes for a dress to be ordered. I bought a dress under pressure, "you'll have to order today for it to arrive in time!" and ended up on a search for a replacement dress. And the first dress arrive in half the time they said it would.
AMAZING:
Monique Lhoullier - attentive service, beautiful dresses, and they have sample sales.
OK BUT NOT PERFECT:
Glamour Closet - small selection, you can only try 8 dresses.
Wilshire Bridal - great selection, some sale pieces on their web site, you can only try on 8-10 dresses, salespeople can occasionally be brusque.
The Dresser - nice sales clerk, but I was late for my appointment and they kicked me out after trying on 2 dresses. They have a sample sale.
Ibex Bridal - You look through their catalogues to pick dresses, rather than come in with a picture or name of a dress. Tiny changing room, but attentive service. They tried to put the pressure on to buy that day.
Isis Bridal - small to medium selection, nice sales clerk. I bought my second dress off the mannequin here. They have some dresses designed for them, and the one I bought was one of them.
AWFUL!
David's Bridal - the sales clerks wouldn't even close the door while I was changing, wouldn't help me into any of the dresses, wouldn't bring me all the dresses I was interested in trying. I complained and the manager convinced me to come back. Big mistake! He put the hard sell on me.
Uniquely Yours - Carmela tried to sell me a poorly made designer knock off. I bought my dress elsewhere and asked her for an alterations quote, but she walked all over the dress with her dirty sneakers throughout the appointment, chopped off the bottom of the dress without my permission, and charged _me_ for the damage to my dress by calling it her "work."
I haven't been to Alfred Angelo, but I've heard the same reviews as for David's Bridal, and I can see why. They're both chain stores with mass produced dresses. I'd stick with smaller stores that have more of a personal interest than chain stores, where they're just about the quantity of customers they can stick in a dress and shove out the door.
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I need to get over my fear of dress shopping.... Not entirely sure why, but I am dreading the experience. That said - would love to know what great experiences you've had and/or if there were certain store personnel you'd recommend.
Conversely, where should I avoid?
TIA!