Weddingbee boards

I must have odd luck or something.  I've been to three David's Bridal (NJ and MD) and have had wonderful times at all of them.  The one near where I live right now is particularly helpful - going above and beyond to help me let out/reorder bridesmaid dresses (after a few too many snacks).  When I bought my wedding dress, I had a Saturday afternoon appointment and had no trouble.  I had to wait about 20 mins for service, but that doesn't bother me (I had fun talking with my mom and sis and looking at bridesmaid and mom dresses).  When I had my consultant, she went out of her way to make sure I tried on every dress as many times as I wanted and I was not rushed in any way, shape, or form.  I went to another DB with a friend who needed to "register" her bridesmaid dresses (in MD).  We didn't have an appointment, it was a Saturday, and they were as lovely and sweet as pie.  We had a great time, laughed a lot, and got everything done.

So I'd say judge for yourself.  I went to four or five independent boutiques before David's and none of them impressed me.  I will add, though, that if I had Alfred Angelo dedicated stores near me, I'd have given them a try.

i tried david's bridal in the very beginning of my dress search, and needless to say, i was unimpressed. the salesgirl was not very helpful in giving me any suggestions, but i guess, like all stores, it depends on who you get. i would say if you don't have a really solid idea of what you want, then david's bridal is a good place to start, at least so you know what it's like and so you can start narrowing down what looks good on you. let's face it, david's bridal is so big that they actually do have a lot of sizes and the stuff you try on might actually be closer to your real size, unlike other stores where they only have 1 gown in a way too big sample size and they have to lobster claw you with clips from a hardware store to keep the dress in place.

i bought my dress from 'Bridal Elegance' in torrance, and the ladies there were very helpful in pulling dresses off the rack and finding dresses that fit my budget and style.  the lady who owns it is very nice, and they have a pretty large selection, even though it is not as gigantic a space as david's. i've been to at least a dozen stores in the los angeles/orange county area, and that one by far was the best experience.   

also, if you're still trying to look at various styles, there's a place called 'Pebbles Bridal' in woodland hills, and they have racks and racks of dresses. that place is more of a 'help yourself' kind of place, where they give you some help when you're ready to try on, but for the most part leave you alone to browse the racks. i don't know what kind of shopper you are, but i kind of prefer that myself because i don't like people breathing down my back or pressuring me (unless i ask them!). 

I just came back from Davids Bridal in East Brunswick, NJ and was turned away.  We went 1 hr before closing but was turned away b/c the "racks" were closed.  It's seemed fishy because a friend of mine went an hour before a few weeks ago and was able to try on dresses.  I personally called the Manager and she basically apologized but explained that the dresses were too heavy to bring down and they didn't want to show any when it was an hour before closing.  They also didn't even try to ask me to make an appointment or to come back in.  Customer Service lacks in all retail but it's particularly bad at Davids Bridal.  So beware in going to the one in East Brunswick.  It's unfortunate b/c I was willing to spend money on a dress but was turned away.