bridal factory in allentown, pa

[mssplash]

Has anyone been to the bridal factory in Allentown, pa? i'm thinking of going in a couple of weeks. do they really have designer gowns? is the quality good? are they all discontinued styles or more recent ones, too? i'm more concerned with the quality and selection of dresses than the customer service, since i can buy off the rack.
Thanks for any help

[Elisabeth]

I went around Thanksgiving. It wasn't my cup of tea. I grew up around there and have had friends who've gotten their dresses there, but I wasn't very impressed with either the selection or the prices. They have a pretty limited group of dresses and they try to shoehorn you into them. I wanted an informal dress and they kept telling me that I could just buy a dress with a long train and have it removed. I also wanted short sleeves and was told that my mother could probably whip them up for me, and tack them on to a sleeveless dress. I left feeling like I was asking for the moon.

The dresses I tried on were mostly $400-$900, and they all needed major alterations and reworking. Fabrics and construction of the dresses seemed shoddy -- I think they were made for the discount market, maybe. The staff was very nice in a determined-to-sell-you kind of way. I think you could get lucky there but I'm not sure you couldn't do better elsewhere.

If you're in the Allentown area and are really looking for a bargain, I suggest checking out Twice As Nice consignment (in Emmaus?). They have a room of wedding dresses. Some have never been worn and still have tags attached. Bring somebody to help -- there's no customer servcie really -- but I saw dresses there that were much nicer than those at the warehouse, and a lot cheaper.

[mssplash]

thanks for the info. i think i will stick with jessica mcclintock.