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View Full Version : experiences with "Brides International" chain (California)?



junebie
01-09-2001, 01:41 PM
has anyone had good, bad or ugly experiences with this store? their quality and prices seem pretty fair but i am most concerned with customer service, ie. do they get things done on time; are they good about accomodating your needs; etc. any brides who have dealt with them, please share! thanks!

iriebride
02-11-2001, 12:54 PM
My very first experience was at the Brides Int'l in Beverly Hills. I was a little nervous b/c of all the horror stories, but this site/book helped me be prepared! I went on a weekday so it wouldn't be busy. The salesperson, Natalie, was a little pushy at first, but nice. She tried to push me into styles that she liked until I was firm about a particular style I was looking for. She actually let me browse on my own and directed me to the correct size racks. She helped me into each gown in the dressing room. I narrowed my choices down to two dresses. The prices are very reasonable and the quality was good. Since this was my first time, I didn't want to make a decision that day and she understood that. To hold a gown, they needed a $150 non-refundable deposit. If I decided not to put a hold deposit, I risked the chance of one of the gowns that I chose (my 1st choice) to be sold (she said it was "one of a kind"--hmm?) the other they can order if it was sold and takes 6-8 weeks (of course, this one was my 2nd choice gown). I took a chance and just left. As far as finding out the designer, I didn't even ask. I wasn't concerned about that at the moment, esp. in a chain store. I'm sure I would be if there was a particular designer gown I want and if I were shopping in a privately-owned shop.

On the same day, I went to David's Bridal in Northridge. I had a fabulous experience there! The salesperson, Amanda, was not pushy and very helpful! She was busy for a Monday afternoon, but tended to me at every possible moment. First, she directed me to my size, told me to browse and hang all of my choices on a rack. Then she put the dresses in a room, gave me a bra and helped me choose some shoes that may be similar to what I'll actually wear with my gown. This time I had to dress myself. Everytime I came out, she was there to help me with the dress and gave me her honest opinion. After the first dress, she already had an idea of what style I wanted. She went to another rack and pulled a couple of dresses that I might like. Sure enough I fell in love with one of them. Again, I didn't want to make a final decision yet. She gave me her card and said that if the dress wasn't there if I came back or if I wanted a new one, she can order it and it would take 8 weeks. The dresses were all reasonable prices. The dress I loved was made of satin with chiffon overlay for only $399! I like the fact that you can just buy it off the rack or order a brand new one. I definitely would go back!

I think I had an overall pleasant experience for my first day of my bridal gown hunt. Good luck to you!

PRINCESS_KIM
02-16-2001, 12:14 AM
My experience was with the store in San Diego, CA. I was assisting a girlfriend of mine who was getting married a year away. When we went into the store, we were greeted and it was pleasant. The sales associate wanted to know her wedding date. My friend told the sales rep October 2001. In addition, she was not sure on the style and fabric of what she had wanted but had hoped that the visit would help her find the right dress.

#1. The sales associate told my friend that a year was too far in advance and to come back 3-6 months before her wedding date. The reason was that my friend could gain or loose weight, new styles, etc.

#2. The sales associate told us that we should not expect her to allow us to try on ten different dresses. She would only allow us to try on one or two but that was it because the store sells the samples and did not want us to dirty another bride's dress.

At this point, I just had enough and literally dragged my friend out of there and said out loud "We are going over to ... store." The associate's response: "Yes, go there. They have dresses for you to try."

We did not plan to try on any dresses. We were looking for styles and both my friend and I hate trying on clothes, especially wedding dresses that are hard to get in and out of!

junebie
02-16-2001, 01:36 PM
thanks for sharing your experience. i can't believe they were so snippy! they weren't that rude to me but did try to pressure me to put down a deposit when i liked one of the dresses. ultimately, i went to deborah's bridal in beverly hills (on robertson near pico). they were helpful without breathing down my neck and i found a nice alfred angelo in stock, prettier and cheaper than the one at b.i., which is now awaiting alterations. i bought the actual dress that was in the store because of time constraints but they could have ordered it for me. so far so good, if you are still looking i recommend checking them out. they carry a lot of designers and every dress is at least 15% off suggested retail.

junebie
02-16-2001, 01:40 PM
oops, too many stores on the brain! i got my dress at "tamara's bridal" in bev hills, not deborah's (though my friend had a great experience at deborah's in upland).

maryjoy
02-16-2001, 04:08 PM
I went to BI last Saturday without an appointment just to browse the BM & FG dresses. The one person who I asked a question was snippy in just directing me to the right areas of the store. WHATEVER! She won't be getting any of my business in her lifetime.

Tamara's attendants are nice and not pushy at all.

Bridal Images folks are a little snooty but helpful.

Renee Strauss workers can kiss my ass (except for one person - Melissa). One of the workers literally looked me up & down before helping me. Their prices go through the roof as well. Don't waste your time going there. I bought my gown at a boutique in Northern Cal so I wanted to know how much they would charge for alterations. The owner, Renee, told me "For $250 I could tell you how much I would charge." My jaw dropped. She wanted a $250 consultation fee just to let me know how much they'd charge for alterations. The nerve! Estimates are supposed to be FREE! And she wouldn't even look at the picture of the dress that I had on hand...it's not even like my dress is a cheapo (retails for over $3K).

angelstardust
03-05-2001, 05:52 PM
Hi.

Would you mind telling me where in NOrthern CA you bought your dress? I live near Sacramento and I'm just beginning to look for my wedding dress.
Thanks for any help.
Cindy

maryjoy
03-05-2001, 06:33 PM
I went to the Unique Bride in Burlingame.

Sarahahusa
06-14-2001, 10:03 PM
I went to the Bride's International in Upland, CA, and I was impressed when I first started looking. But-this is kind of strange- when I went to try on dresses, I noticed that the dress I was wearing smelled kinda funny. I wan't sure what to think. The bridal consultant had to leave me three times to answer the phone, and finally, after the thrid dress, she completely left me in a dress that I told her I did not like for almost 10 minutes. I finally asked my mom to help me get out of the dress, and she too noticed the smell in the small dressing room. She has Ph.D in Biology, and she said,"This is the smell of mildew... I am positive!" That was it, I left. As we were walking out, the bridal consultant told me to schedule another appointment..... yeah, okay.... "Here comes the bride, smelling like MILDEW!!" I am sure it could be cleaned, but that's not a risk that I am willing to take for my wedding day.

myoshida
03-26-2002, 07:41 PM
I just recently purchased a $600 gown at Bride's International in Huntington Beach. I had a pleasant, no pressure experience shopping for a gown at the store. I love my gown and am very satisfied with my experience there despite the fact of being leary of purchasing a gown at a discounted chain store.
However, because it is a chain store I would think that each store, and even each salesperson you deal with will be different. I think I got pretty lucky. Be careful to look over your dress completely before purchasing.. since it is an off-the-rack store and others have tried on the dress, making it suseptible to stains. The customer service was good (they spot cleaned my dress for free and was ready for pick up on time).
I thought that they rip tags out of their dresses but found out that they have their own in house designer (like David's). So all the dresses you find there are knock-offs of designer dresses. Which didn't really matter to me. My dress is a knock-off of a Maggie Sottero gown. I actually tried the designer dress on at another store, and liked the Bride's International dress way better.