David’s Bridal

This is a cautionary tale. If you still plan on going after this review, keep in mind some of the notes I mention at the end.
I was a walk-​in at David’s Bridal back in September of 2015, nine months out from my wedding, giving myself plenty of time to shop and look around for a dress. I went on a Saturday and this was my first dress shopping experience, and so I suppose I wasn’t too familiar with dress-​shopping etiquette. It is paramount to them that you SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT to look/​shop around. Because I had not scheduled an appointment to look around, the young woman looked at me as if she were a deer in the headlights when I said I hadn’t scheduled one. I felt kind of bad, but at the same time a little put off at the thought that walk-​ins might not be welcomed.
I started looking around and I didn’t mind waiting for someone to assist me, because after all, I was in no hurry to find something. I just wanted to look. When someone was assigned to me, she was extremely helpful and attentive, even while she was helping another guest with her dresses.
It didn’t take long for me to realize that I was going to have a tough time finding a dress in my size, in a style that I liked. I am around a 14W, and all the sizes and styles are mixed together. It was discouraging to find a style, but not the size I wanted, or vice versa. Eventually, I did find a dress– the last dress I tried on, and one I just happened to catch out of the corner of my eye before giving up.
There was only one issue with it. I had found it in a 16W. But I was assured it would be no problem, and that they could order a 14W from online. But, as it turned out, online it was only available in 16W– but it could be altered down up to two sizes. After asking how much alterations would cost at David’s Bridal, «starting around $ 60,» it didn’t sound too bad.
What they do not mention is how high the costs go up from there. Especially if you need more than just a hemming, which of course, this particular dress would need more since it was going to be too large on me to begin with.
So, recently I went in to have alterations. The seamstress, Natasha, was wonderful to talk to and tried to find the same dress again out on the shelf or online. She informed me that 16W was absolutely the smallest it came in. Ever. And so, alterations ensued. The total went from under $ 100 to $ 355.
$ 355. In alterations alone. Over half the price of the dress itself.
I had plenty of time to find a different dress at the time I first walked in, and now I don’t. I was not looking to pay nearly $ 1000 on a dress that I will wear one day, for five hours. Some brides can afford this, and some cannot. And yes, I’m aware there are always unforeseen costs when planning for a wedding. However, since this is a specialty shop, specializing in one thing, the unforeseen should be pretty… seen. The overall feeling was a lack of regard for costs, a lack of knowledge for the products, and a lack of communication and openness. From the moment they quoted a wedding veil costing $ 200, I could tell what kind of company it was. I just regret not going with my gut about it.
TLDR:
— Make sure to schedule an appointment.
— Selection of sizes is extremely limited if you are over a size 12. Dresses are not organized by size. Anything over size 12 and you may as well be hunting for a unicorn.
— If you find a dress that’s too big on you, ask if it comes in smaller sizes or if one can be ordered. If not, find a different dress. Even if you have to go to a different store.
— OR get that oversized dress you like, and find a place that will NOT charge you an exorbitant amount to alter it. It can be done, I’m positive. And your dress will still look beautiful and amazing.
Good luck, and have fun!

This was the worse experience! The blonde who was at the front desk checking us in was extremely rude! (We had an appointment and arrived on time).
We were set up with a guy who also had another bridal party he was working with.
He was not very good at his job, not attentive at all. We had 1 hour and believe me they let us know it, and said several times they were on a tight time crunch!!! No dresses ordered through you!
Thanks for all your help… NOT!!!

Its generally tacky to loudly complain about walk ins looking around and how you are working long days (it’s wedding season!) to a newer employee… So you won’t take anymore unless you want to work 12 hours.
Don’t worry. With how you guys talk in front of customers, you won’t be for long. Clearly with the reviews on here, words getting out.
I’ll take my money and time elsewhere.

No one usually picks up the phone unless it rings and rings off the hook. The dresses are not cheap to buy but are cheaply made. Unless you work with a manager the knowledge level is very low with several staff members. I don’t think it’s an excuse to offer a poor experience for customers just because you are a chain store.

Wish I could give a half star! Worst service I’ve ever had from a place hoping to sell $ 100+ special occasion apparel. Went in for bridesmaid dresses and was paired with an inattentive attendant who not only tried to redirect us from ordering a discontinued and discounted dress from
, but left me and my bridesmaid to «rummage» around the rack, not helping us at all. Her attitude was poor and full of malaise. The dress we really wanted was available online only and after an hour of being ignored/​high pressured to order from the store, we left. I ordered the dresses I wanted from
and saved so much money– $ 60 each times 4, minus the horrible attitude, plus free shipping versus $ 130+each times 4, + horrible attitude and service. The math speaks for itself.

Went to look at Bridesmaid’s dresses with my girls today. I don’t know what these reviews are talking about. Meghan was great! Super attentive and clearly loves her job! Some good dresses and some not-​so-​good dresses, but great service!
She went out of her way to get an extra room for my mom to try some things on. She gave us free reign in the racks, but also gave some good suggestions.
We had a great experience!

Staff is non attentive (in a bridal shop? Wow.), and rude while moving around in the store. Was walked & pushed past three times without an ‘Excuse me’ or a ‘Hello’.
We did get some help magically from around the corner when I said «I’m going to Unilocal this place», and help appeared
One star for that.

Trust me: I had low, low, low expectations of this place. I’d read all of these reviews and talked to people who had been there, and my ONLY plan was to try on different shapes to get a feel for what I’d like. This was my first dress shopping experience, and I had no idea what I liked.
I read enough about David’s Bridal to know I didn’t want to be there when it was crowded. My appointment was the first of the day: 11:00am on a weekday. I would HIGHLY recommend getting the first appointment on a weekday if you can. Friends came with me, and we got there before the doors were unlocked. I knew NOTHING about what I wanted. Sure, I had a Pinterest board, but I had no idea what would look good on me versus good in a picture. So when I walked in and they said «pick which dresses you want to try on,» I was overwhelmed. There was a consultation, but the associate didn’t actually point me in the direction of any of the dresses. She just let us loose in the store.
Oh, and she REALLY didn’t want to be there. She talked a lot about how she was tired of her job and wanted to be a wedding photographer instead. This was unprompted.
I don’t know what I expected when I tried on my first wedding dress. I was nervous but also super excited. I generally don’t like shopping and trying things on, but I felt like this might be different. I liked putting on the dresses and feeling the fabric and looking like I was, you know, about to get married. I didn’t get emotional at all – this seemed more like a business transaction than an important life event – but I had fun taking pictures and trying on things I never would have picked out myself.
The dresses themselves were okay. They looked nice on the hangars, but when you put them on, you can see that the fabric quality isn’t amazing and the seams are loud (if seams can be loud), and the beading is falling apart a bit. The lace isn’t fine, and the silhouettes aren’t very interesting. The simple dresses were boring rather than elegant. They have a great selection, but for the prices you pay, the material and crafting really isn’t quality. In other words, the price to quality ratio is bad.
All that said, it was a good first experience. I learned about what I don’t like, and this made my next dress shopping adventure awesome.

I made an appointment for a Saturday at 1 pm for my first round of trying on bridal gowns. When I arrived, I was promptly greeted and asked a few questions before being introduced to my sales consultant/​stylist Jacob. I have to admit, at first I was hesitant to have a young man as my consultant, but Jacob quickly set my mind at ease. He started out with a few simple inquiries as to my size and what I was looking for, and quickly began pulling dresses. I was a little nervous about these fittings. I’m a very curvy 14/​16, and large chested, but Jacob had me pinned into and looking great in size 12 samples. He had a great eye for what would flatter my figure and was totally on point with suggestions. He was also very patient with my family pulling samples and offering input. One of the dresses he pulled for me drew tears from my family and even though I didn’t buy it that day, is a very strong contender for my perfect day. One drawback is that about halfway through my appointment they assigned him another bride to dress. The rest of the appointment resulted in him running back and forth trying to dress us both. He was very apologetic and did a good job keeping up, but when you make an appointment for bridal fittings, it’s nice to feel relaxed and not be rushed. I was also disappointed to find that none of the Vera Wang dresses were available in store to try on. Those were primarily the dresses I was interested in. All in all, I tried some nice dresses and would recommend Jacob to anyone who has a fitting at this store.

I would highly, highly advise to go elsewhere. I bought a dress from Davids Bridal back in October after I got engaged. My wedding was to be 9÷20÷13… unfortunately a horrible medical issue happened to me in December and I almost lost my life. Because of it, I am left with disabilities and money issues from medical bills and therefore I had to cancel my entire wedding. Every other vendor, EXCEPT Davids Bridal, has been more than understanding and helpful with the situation. I NEVER asked for a refund… I simply wanted to exchange my dress that I picked out (it still has tags on, is in the bag, and has not been altered) for a different style. I had an extravagant wedding planned and therefore picked an extravagant dress. We now are forced to have a small dinner at a restaurant with around 20 people. It will look ridiculous for me to wear such a lavish dress, and it will be difficult for me to move around with my new disabilities. The dress is now discounted so they will not let me exchange it. I even offered to spend way more on a new dress so they wouldn’t lose ANY money– they would end up making money… but no. Andrea at the Portage location had me call corporate and I spoke to Heidi who would not budge because of «policy». I work in customer service and this has left me bewildered and outraged let alone very, very sad. Having such a horrible medical situation happen– that I have to deal with for the rest of my life– is bad enough… but to have to cancel my entire wedding and then Davids Bridal isn’t even willing to work with me… AND they would not lose money in the end because they would get me paying even more for a different dress and have my returned dress to sell at a sale price. Shame on you guys. This is supposed to be the happiest time of my life and you have managed to make it even worse…

Tagged along with a friend to her fitting. This location is fairly new, but inside feels like a Kmart. We had to stand around and wait for someone to help us, so we looked at dresses. All of them – bridal gowns and bridesmaids dresses alike – looked cheaply made and tacky.
We were finally led back to the fitting area, which is… ugh. The ugly carpets have holes worn through them. There are three «stalls» with curtains for doors, and I could see my friend over the top (and she’s only 5’4″)! There’s only one chair back there, and it sits at the end of the TINY walkway and partially in front of one of the stalls. Friend got up in front of the mirror so they could bustle her dress, and the lady was so incredibly rude the whole time. When she was done, she shoved a clipboard full of paperwork at my friend and walked away. The paperwork said that the bustling was $ 150 – my friend had been told previously that it would be about half that, and she had to go track the woman down and discuss it with her. The lady continued to be rude, insinuating that my friend was lying, and suggested that she take out some of the pickups, but that she didn’t want to because it would «look bad,» and told my friend that she should just spend the money because «it wasn’t a big deal.»
We also had to wait before someone could ring her up for her alterations, and had to deal with a rather large group of young – high school-​aged – girls who were trying on dresses and accessories. This is a bridal salon, albeit a low-​end one, not a mall store.

I don’t know how anyone finds a dress here. This place is like a flea market, it is constantly a mess and the clientele and employees leave much to be desired. Since I have purchased several bridesmaid dresses here I knew what kind of experience to expect, not a lot of help but cheaper prices. I thought once I knew what type of dress I wanted, found at higher end stores, I would go here to find something similar in lower price range. I made my first appointment for Friday night at 7 pm thinking that it would be less busy and I would actually have a better experience. They told me the entire appointment would last 60 minutes. It did, but not the way I would have liked. When my sister and I entered we waited for 5 minutes for someone to actually say something to us and then it was 25 more minutes before I even got a dress on. They advertise the $ 99 dress sale in the window but then only let me pick dresses to try on out of their catalog, which were far from $ 99. They didn’t even let me look at the sale rack! That whole sale is a ploy to get you in the door. I didn’t honestly think I would have found something for $ 99 even if I had looked because I have pretty high standards when it comes to quality of fabric and its manufacturing but it would have been nice to have the chance to even look. So much for a lower price range as the dresses I tried on ranged in price from $ 850-​$ 1050. We were already 30 minutes into the appointment when I got the first dress on and I pretty much tried 7 dresses on within the next 25 minutes because I walked out the door exactly 60 minutes after I walked in. I did find two dresses that I thought were worth a second try-​on session when my mom was in town. However, that appointment was on a Saturday at noon. I brought my mom, bridesmaids (2) and future sister-​in-​law. I honestly believe I brought the smallest party with me because it seemed like everyone else had at least 15 people with them. I was shoved into a dressing room in a row that was already full and when I came out my mom had to look over other people’s heads to actually be able to see me. It was ridiculous. Needless to say I tried those two dresses on and I don’t think they stood a chance because the environment was so horrible. Everyone just wanted to get out of there. The employee that was working with me pretty much left me as soon as I told her that I was going to pass on the two dresses and she moved on to the other 5 clients she was helping. I don’t how any bride can feel special in that store. It’s like a sweatshop for bridal gown purchasing.

This David’s was much better than the one in Schaumburg, Il where I bought my bridesmaids dresses. I got my gown here and everyone was nice. The manager came over to ask how we were doing and Ann, my sales girl, was nice and helpful letting me try on as many dresses as I wanted. I was able to take the dress that day because they had it in my size.
BUT I would give them 2.5 stars for alterations. There was no hook on my dress when they pinned it and they didn’t compensate for it, so when they took in the bust it was too tight and gave me an armpit roll. So I had to come back for another appointment when I should have only had one.
I also would not recommend their veils. I bought one and am really disappointed in it. It was a $ 200 cathedral veil which is actually too big and overwhelming for my petite frame and isn’t constructed well. The crystals are falling off and the edging is uneven and in some spots not even at the end of the tulle.