Wedding gowns in greater DC area

[VAbride]

Hi, well, i hit about 10 shops in a span of one week and have a couple of observations for brides in this area:

1) i was almost disappointed that i couldn't catch any tag-rippers. so many shops here ARE reputable!
2) the cost for alterations in this area is unbelievably out of this world...up to $400 for simple stuff!
3) after the initial sticker-shock of what dresses cost, i sucked it up and dropped some cash...but:

i went to a place called "i do, i do" in rockville...a consignment shop! ...it had wonderful dresses, DESIGNER dresses, big selection, considering...and all had either never been worn, or worn just once. the service was so personal and sweet (i'd gone alone so appreciated these nice ladies)...i got a once-worn prisilla of boston gown for $800....it originally retailed for $1600, i believe. and the seamstress they recommend is very reasonable. i shouldn't have to pay more than $100 for alterations.

my wedding isn't until april, but it is a great feeling to have the dress hanging in my closet now!!

good luck, brides!

[dcbride]

I too went to "I Do I Do" and saw some nice gowns at decent prices. Some of them were in really good condition, while others definitely needed to be cleaned, though.

If you can fit into a sample dress size (or don't mind paying to have it altered), Bridal Images in Rockville has tons of designer names (Diamond, Pronovias, Manale were among some of the ones that I saw) and every so often, they have sample sales for 50% off the original price. A friend and I both bought our dresses there. The samples were in excellent condition (better than any other store I saw), and there were many, many samples to choose from (unlike other stores who mark down maybe a dozen ripped and soiled dresses). I got a silk dress in perfect condition for under $1000, as did my friend. My friend's dress had a barely noticeable mark near the armpit and they even cleaned it for her for free.

Regarding tag ripping, I found that some of the dresses at Rosalin's in Falls Church were missing tags (although others did have them on). When asked, our salesperson seemed hesitant to tell us who the designers were. A definite turn-off. We never went back.

[JenLofquist]

I found the nicest place...in Springfield Mall. Prices were wonderful and the greatest salesperson (ask for Sylvia). She was honest and helpful. She saw what I was looking for and pulled out the perfect dress. I might have skipped it over other wise.

Davids Village Shop (as far as I know NOT affiliated with David's Bridal) I went to David's Bridal the same day and gosh I was disappointed. I made an appointment yet hardly saw my sales girl. As for their "roomy" dressing rooms, roomy compared to what???? I've been in portajohns that were bigger. Then I had to hang my dresses there and there was hardly room for me. They don't sort the dresses by style so I probably missed something.

Oh, and by the by one of the salesgirls told me this. If you have a copy of the brochure, there's a white satin strapless with beading streaming down in a supposed flower pattern. One bride who bought the dress brought it back the next day. Seems if you look at the beading you can see faces and once you see them, you will always see them. The entire dress looks like it's covered in fraggles.

[dcbride]

I too had a terrible time at David's Bridal. My salesperson was actually helping 5 other women, so I never saw her. When I needed help, she had to be paged over the store intercom, and it took 5 minutes for her to respond. Plus, I found that many of the dresses had tears, lipstick stains, etc.

[Rene]

I went to alot of shops in this area (I live in Gaithersburg, Maryland), including I Do I Do and because I'm a plus-size bride, there was just nothing available to even try on....EXCEPT....at David's Bridal in Rockville. I bought my gown there and am v-e-r-y satisified with everything...price, customer service and the gown itself.

I have and would again recommend David's Bridal for both plus size brides and others. :-)

[cmd1]

I also have had a great experience with a bridal shop, but you have to drive a few minutes to get there. It's called the Bridal Shoppe, and it's in Manassas, VA. (Right off I-66).
You don't need an appointment, and they give you their undivided attention immediately. They are even open until 9pm on weeknights!

I ordered a dress through them, and the next day had serious misgivings. I called them up and they were very accomodating and canceled the order for me even though I had signed a contract!

So that night I went in to try a few more dresses and ordered a different one. I realized I had forgotten my camera so I asked if they knew if my dress had been in any bridal magazines recently, so I could have a picture of it. They immediately sat down and looked through their magazines for me. They found my dress, but in a magazine that was no longer on the newsstands. Without a second's hesitation, they ripped the page out of the magazine and gave it to me!

Then, I went back last week to order bridesmaid dresses. The saleslady who sold me my wedding dress had told me I would get a 15% discount on my bridesmaid dresses, but she wasn't there that day. Even though my original saleslady was mistaken about the size of the discount (it should have been 10%), they honored her verbal agreement with me - without even checking with her first, and with no hesitation!

[dcbride]

I also went to the Bridal Shoppe and the people there were really nice. The store was a little cramped (a lot of dresses for the space they had), but it's also nice to have more of a selection. The only problem I had with the store is that they do not carry higher end designers. While I had a generous budget for my wedding, I bought Bridal Bargains because I wanted to get the biggest bang for my buck. I wanted a high end designer gown, but not at high end designer prices. While their prices were good for the brands that they did carry, they just didn't have what I was looking for.

I also visited the Jeannette's Bridal & Tux Shop in Manassas. Although I did not buy my gown there (bought a fabulous designer sample gown at Bridal Images in Rockville), my bridesmaids ordered their dresses there and we got good service. My consultant, Kathy, was really nice and always helpful, even when I changed my mind about the b-maid dress three times. However, your service at Jeannette's may depend on who you get. My friend, who is also a bride, got a different bridal consultant and she was really turned off.

Even though I bought my dress at Bridal Images, I did like the service that Kathy gave me and wish that I could have gotten the deal I got at Bridal Images at her salon. I felt a little rushed at Bridal Images, although they were never rude or anything. I simply felt as though I had the exact amount of time allotted for my appointment and no more. Kathy at Jeannette's, on the other hand, was always willing to spend extra time with me, whenever she could.

[rraznick]

I just bought my wedding dress last night. Bridal Visions in Falls Church was wonderful. I was able to get an amazing and very formal dress for 468!! The people were wonderful. You would have thought I was buying a $3000 dress by the way the were helping. They were wonderful to my parents and even got my dad a paper to read while he was waiting. They also have very nice Masters Tux's on sale for $259, that includes everything but the shoes!! At that price my fiance is just going to buy his own. That way it will fit him well.

I also wanted to warn people away from Elies in Old Town. They are only intrested in a sale. They quoted me $250 to hem a wedding dress!!!

They were not honest and they don't have the brides best intrest in mind!

[HereinDC]

Hi,

I just wanted everyone to know about my experiences at a couple of shops in the Washington, DC area.

I first went to Hannelores' which is located in Old Town Alexandria. As for bridal dresses, tuxes, etc. they had everyting under one roof. The only thing that I really did not like was the main attitude of the place. They were nice enough, however they were really "stuck on themselves." They also showed me dresses that were way to high for the price range that I was looking for. I did want the book suggested and went about 10% below what I really wanted to pay. But they just kept bringing me gowns that were $1500.00 and even some were in the $3500.00 range. My price range was $1000.00. On top of that, they quoted about $300-$400 dollars on alterations (even if I just needed the hem, and bustle done) which I thought was way to expensive.

So, I took some advise from friends that have gone through this game before and went to Towson, Maryland to a shop called GAMBERDELLA. It was a bit of a drive, but the service was excellent. I told them I only wanted to spend about $800-$900 dollars. The dresses that they bought out were within the price range. They asked me if I wanted to try on dresses that were a bit out (only about $300.00) of my range and I agreed. I ended up having three different people giving me advise and helping me choose.

Then when I decided on my dress they asked if I wanted to take my measurements, for their files so that when I call back to order the dress, I would not have to come in again. Then the service rep. asked me if I would mind buying the sample gown (the one that I was trying on) at a discount. I said yes and saved about $300.00 on the originial price. The alterations would only cost me about $60.00.

I cannot say enough about this place and everything that my friends have told me about this place it true. It was definitely worth the extra mile.

Just thought I share it with you.

Good Luck Everyone.

Ciao
Cindy

[mddaisy]

I found a wonderful shop in Suburban Maryland that I would highly reccommend. The name of the shop is Distinctive Designs in Gaithersburg. They are fairly small but have a wide and diverse selection of dresses. They salespeople were young and friendly with out being pushy. Their prices range from $500_$2000.