David’s Bridal

If you’re looking for a bridal dress experience with a consultant who will treat you like her best friend, GO SEE CARLA! now! She made sure to keep me calm and grounded. I made two back to back appointments with her and never once did she seem annoyed or seem more worried about the sale.
I found the dress of my dreams on the clearance rack all thanks to Carla! It was a steal and it’s the most beautiful dress I have ever seen. It was sentimental ringing the bell and she made it a special moment for my mom and I!

I visited the Woodbridge location to get a dress for my August 2016 wedding. I was pretty skeptical walking into David’s since I had heard many not-​so-​great things about them.
I made an appointment online and was impressed that the appointment I made was quickly acknowledged and I received a reminder email. I arrived 15 minutes before my appointment time, figuring I would just walk around and browse until my assistant was ready. I checked in, was briefed and helped immediately, by Gwen. Pleasant surprise, considering being early usually means you wait.
Gwen had the patience of a god. I’m extremely picky and she worked very hard to help me find the perfect dress. I had no intentions or even thought I would find a dress just by visiting one store, but I did. Once Gwen worked her magic with accessories and sashes I was sold.
I definitely didn’t feel like just a number. Thank you for your awesome service, Gwen!

I stopped by to see their selection of sale/​clearance bridesmaid dresses for the upcoming USMC Birthday Ball. I’ve gotten great prices on dresses at other locations over the years so I always check.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be today. There was only one dress in my size and, while it fit, it wasn’t exactly my style. I might have made do if it was $ 50 or so, but the sale price was $ 99 and that was too much. (In the past, I’ve gotten great dresses for $ 50 or less.) I know I can’t expect a huge selection of awesome clearance stuff, but I always cross my fingers.
The ladies seemed nice and weren’t overly attentive which is exactly what I wanted.

This David’s Bridal had a nice selection of dresses, and the bride ended up finding her dress in the first visit! In that sense, we were very happy. Unfortunately, a dress buying experience involves more than just trying it on and liking it; it also involves the associates that work there.
Yesterday, the bride received a phone call saying specifically that her dress had arrived. Today we went back to pick up the dress, and they brought out the undergarments claiming that was all that actually arrived. After some discussion, the associate revealed that there were some boxes that came in but she didn’t look in them for the dress. We told her we wanted her to check, and she did end up finding the dress. So that is one debacle that could have been avoided had she looked in the first place.
Then, our next issue arises when discussing the corset. During our first visit, the bride was specific about not wanting a push-​up version of the corset. During today’s visit, they brought out the corset she «ordered» and it was padded. Again, a pain that could have been avoided.
Up until this point, we were all a little peeved but understanding for the most part. It was when we got to the register that it finally classified as a negative experience. The associate we worked with was extremely rude. She was grouchy and unhelpful, even though we were the ones who had dealt with some bumps. She was reluctant to acknowledge us, and spoke to other associates about our situation as though we weren’t there. It just did not feel welcoming or like the positive experience that buying a dress should be.
At this point, I was sick of dealing with her so I looked down the counter and saw a bridesmaid from another wedding party talking to another associate. She was explaining that during a previous experience at David’s Bridal, she had been given a credit for a dress that was good for 5 years. The associate at first kept arguing that they did not do that, and eventually the manager confirmed that yes, they did. The bridesmaid then asked if they could look it up or if she could call in with the confirmation number, as she did not live in the area and would not be able to go get her receipt today. That was a no. She asked if she could bring it on August 24^th or even on Monday (two days from today), and they would not do that. They told her that she had to have the receipt today in order for her to get it by September 12^th, otherwise it was her own risk to not get the dress on that date.
All in all, I’m sure there was absolute validity on the business side in what the David’s Bridal associates were saying and doing. However, the manner in which all the associates behaved and presented themselves was deplorable. Before today, I recommended this store to another friend for her own buying experience, but I plan on calling her and telling her to go anywhere else now.
I hope others have more positive experiences than we did, but also be prepared for what you may be dealing with. Save all receipts and record any special requests you make. Had we known how negative the associates would be, we would have chosen somewhere else.

I had bought a dress in the spring that I realized was not going to work for my venue. It also didn’t fit my body style (I gained some weight going on new medication). I went into Davids Bridal and explained the situation and they were very understanding. I was paired with Alisha who was amazing at helping me figure out the perfect dress, one that fit all my criteria. I had it narrowed down to 3 dresses and she found a jacket that simply made one of the dresses and helped me make my decision. I never cry and I was crying when I rang the bell. The people at David’s were so patient and knowledgable and good at reading me and what I wanted, even when I didn’t know what I wanted! Make sure to request Alisha when you go in, she is fun and sweet and knows how to give you just enough privacy but still there to help whenever you need her. She really knows the products in the store and you won’t be disappointed.

Wow where do I start. I’m not one of those people that give negative reviews to businesses unless you really gave me horrible service and I publicly have to vent. We went there yesterday for my bride to look at dresses and as well the bridal party. When we went to check in the lady was like hi what’s your name and what are you hear for my bride told her to look at dress and dresses for the bridal party and in a smart tone says «did you make two appointments» my bride said «no I made one I didn’t know you had to make two» so long story short she decided to just look for her dress being that I took a look at the bridesmaids dresses and I didn’t see any good ones. We waited around for 10 – 15 min and still didn’t have anyone tell us out of courtesy «we are running behind but your consulted will be right with you «. Finally one of the other bridesmaid went and find out what’s going on. They rushed over and got someone over to us. The consultants name was Jackie or something. The most that lady did was help us get the dresses from the rack and have the dressing room open for us. She did not help the bride with the dress at all didn’t give information wasn’t even selling us on any dress. Then when we saw the winner on our bride and she wanted to ring the bell she whispers to the bride are you paying for the dress today? My bride was caught off guard she said «ah yes no I don’t know» the consultant says «you can only ring the bell if your buying it today» and walks off. So we all talk for a little we go and take the dress off and than her mom tells her if that’s the dress she wants she buy it today. Because she wanted to get a video and picture with the dress we made her go put it back on so she can ring the bell. That’s when the consultant tried to be attentive. Long story short there wasn’t even an apology from the manager after I address our disappointment with various staff. And even tho we still purchased her gown from there I would never give them not one penny in the future. There customer service is horrific. I would never recommend this David’s bridal to ANYONE. If I could give negative stars I would.

My experience with David’s Bridal was good and bad. I went there twice to try on dresses for my upcoming wedding. The customer service I experienced was very good. I was assisted by a two different associates, who were both very nice and helpful. My issue is with the David’s Bridal (non) return/​exchange/​upgrade policy and online store. I ultimately had to choose between two dresses, one I liked was within my budget and one I absolutely loved was not. I purchased the dress that was within my budget because the sales lady said the other dress would not be on sale for nearly the same price. The next day I was showing my friend the dresses online and we noticed the one that was way over my price limit in the store was only $ 50 more online than the dress I purchased. I called the store immediately and was told that the reason was because the online dress was a «SAMPLE», which means it is damaged/​defective in some way. However, the online return policy states you can return a dress purchased online within 14 days of receipt. All dresses purchased in the store are non-​returnable unless you want to trade up to a more expensive dress. Had I known this from the start, I would have ordered the sample dress, checked it out and if it worked, great. If not, I would have returned it and purchased the original dress I bought. I asked the sales person if I could exchange the dress I purchased for the sample dress and she said «no, the online store is a completely separate entity from the stores» so you can only up-​exchange for items in the store.
As a result, I’m wearing a dress that I like rather than the one that I love because of their ultra-​terrible return/​exchange/​in-​store vs online crap polices. Folks, always, always be weary of anywhere that does not allow you at least 10 – 14 days to change your mind and return. Even car dealerships allow 30 days…

From the reviews it seems like most people did not have a good experience. I however, did. I had ordered a wedding dress back in August 2014 for my wedding at the end of May 2015 from a small shop in Alexandria. Loved the shop and the dress. Had my first fitting in April, then 3 weeks before the wedding the shop filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy. I tried to pick up my dress, but was told it wasn’t at the shop and the owner had just grabbed someone else’s dress for my fitting. And none of my bridesmaid dresses were their either. In a panic, I contacted David’s Bridal since they can get some dresses with quick delivery. Gwen helped me out and she was awesome! Not only was I able to find a dress that I liked, but since the sample I tried fit me very well and was new, I was able to purchase that dress and get alterations done that day as well. Highly recommend, especially if you are in a bind.

Was just contacted by David’s to guess what schedule buying my wedding dress? I already in fact purchased my dress and I am so upset that I am just a number to this store. It’s in my purchase history that I bought my dress. WHY do this???
This is so unprofessional. They didn’t even apologize when I said I already bought my dress. They said ok and hung up the phone.
…
Kidding right?

This place is awful. I had to purchase a bridesmaid dress for my sister’s wedding so I booked an appointment here. The consultant I had the first day barely gave me any feedback. I kept asking her for opinions but she had zero input and I left the first day without finding a dress. Regarding the company itself, the selection of dresses isn’t so great, especially for the price.
Because they told me it takes up 3 months to order a dress, I had to go back the second day and order it because my sister’s wedding is in June. I came on time for my consultant and waited about 10 minutes for her while she was ringing up another customer. I decided to pull the dresses that I liked with zero help from anyone. After she finished ringing up the customer she finally came over to help me. Literally 5 minutes into my appointment she was called to front and disappeared. She came back 5 minutes later and told me she had to help a bride. So basically the entire appointment I was on my own helping myself. I don’t blame the consultant, she was asked to assist a bride. It was extremely frustrating trying to zip up myself, figure out the size I needed and so on.
Unfortunately I had to purchase a dress I didn’t really like because this is the place my sister chose. I will definitely not be coming here for my own wedding and hopefully my friends will not choose this place to purchase a bridesmaid dress.

One of the worst bridal experiences I’ve had. I made an appt and arrived the same time as a another bride who didn’t have an appt. Well, the consultant started with me since I had an appt. things quickly went down hill after looking at and trying on the first two dresses because my consultant disappeared. She was assigned to help the other customer «without the appt» so I had to wait every time I needed help clipping the gown and taking it off. The experience was not personable at all.
Just know they assign one consultant to two brides. I only found this out after I got fed up, got dressed and expressed my disappointment on the way out the door.

They aren’t bad… They are just to busy… They need more locations… It’s hard to keep up with…

OK, so here’s what you get: D I S A P P O I N T M E N T.
A poor experience for a very special day and the only redeeming quality they have is that you get a very affordable wedding dress (compared to higher-​end bridal salons).
Here’s what you DON’T get: everything else you would come to expect from an established bridal salon. I got poor, non-​existent customer service, unfriendly, not helpful, not at all knowledgeable, barely-​there staff that you have to ask repeatedly for assistance. And… it was the worst experience for me since I went alone.
Alterations: very expensive and if I had to do it over again, I would take my dress elsewhere. I did not want a train on my dress and they would not cut it off. That’s correct, the alterations lady said no can do – can’t cut the material!!! I own the dress! Some sort of stupid «policy» is what I was told. So, if my idiot (dead-​eyed) salesperson had even told me I could have ordered the dress WITHOUT the train, that would have saved me alot of $$$ and stress. They must just hire anyone off the street for minimum wages, cuz they don’t seem to care about your overall experience.
UPDATE: I’m taking my dress to another outside tailor for alterations SO I CAN GET THE DAMN TRAIN REMOVED FROM MY DRESS.
David’s Bridal is ONLY GOOD if you order something online yourself from them and then take it elsewhere for alterations.
(October 2014 Wedding)

Don’t go here if you want to feel like a special bride instead of just a number in line.
I made an appointment to check out David’s bridal because I have a limited bridal budget. When I got there I was greeted by a friendly receptionist who have me a lot if great information.
My consultant, Gwen, on the other hand, was horrible. She was pretty rude from the get go. After I told we what kind of dresses I was looking for, she brought me down the aisles to show me some but none were what I had explained to her. I wasn’t especially thrilled about the selection of dresses in the store either.
When I went to try on the gowns, she disappeared. I thought it was odd since it was a Thursday and there was only one other customer there. My mom and I struggled to get the dresses on me and clip them ourselves.
She didn’t bring me undergarments or shoes either. Finally after I finished trying on dresses, she reappeared. I wasn’t satisfied with her choices for me and I didn’t feel like waiting around for we again so I decided to leave. On my way out, she couldn’t care less. She ignored us while we left. She never offered any assistance.
I decided to up the budget on my dress and go to a boutique instead. I got a beautiful dress and one on one service.
I do not recommend this David’s Bridal to anyone.

This David’s Bridal is awful! If you go here make sure you have looked online and in magazines at wedding dresses and know what you are looking for or you will be lost.
My wedding consultant did not look, act, or talk in a professional manner. I was more dressed up than her. Her hair wasn’t done, she looked like she had just rolled out of bed, and had a hangover or something. I would have been able to ignore these minor details if she would have done her job, but she didn’t.
She kept disappearing and going over to another bride that she wasn’t even consulting to watch her try on wedding dresses. She even told me and my friend to start looking at and pulling dresses from the rack ourselves. What?! I thought most places liked to do this for the bride, so that she doesn’t get overwhelmed.
Since I knew I wanted a fit and flare or mermaid dress, me and my friend started pulling gowns. My friend helped me try them on instead of the consultant helping me. I actually found my perfect dress with the help of my friend.
Again, go having ideas of what you want. Go on the David’s Bridal website and have gown numbers ready when you walk in. If you need someone to help you find that perfect gown and to give you ideas then don’t go here, because you will not get helped.
Update:
I noticed yet another mistake by this store, which ended up costing me $ 300 in alterations. When I went to try on dresses I tried on size 2’s. All the 2’s almost fit me perfectly, and only would have needed to be taken in slightly. I ordered my dress in a size 2. When I went to pick up my dress I didn’t try it on, because I wasn’t going to have it altered at the store. I just had them take it out the bag so I could make sure it was my dress. When I took the dress to get altered it had to be taken in several dress sizes. I had lost some weight recently, so I thought that was the reason.
I went to donate my dress today and during the donation process I happened to glance at the inside tag, and it said size 4. Thanks David’s Bridal for making my alterations cost more than needed, because you ordered the wrong size dress.
So another tip if you go here is to try on the dress when you pick it up, and check the dress size to make sure they ordered the correct size.

I went to David’s Bridal last night looking for a gown for a ball. I had a clear idea of what I was looking for and even had images from the David’s Bridal site. This should have been as easy process. I did not have an appointment and I kept this in mind. I was willing to schedule as an appointment for a later date if needed. That however would have required being greeted by staff. Didn’t happen. I wandered over to a rack of dresses to see if the ones that I were interested in were in store. After 20 minutes or so a lady named Gwen asked if I needed assistance. I told her what I was looking for and showed an image of the gown I was interested in. I asked if they had it in store. She advised that the website would indicate if it was. I told her the website said it was in store, she took a look, said she didn’t recognize it, but I was welcome to look at the rack in the front of the store. She then walked off!!! Thanks for nothing lady! After another 10 minutes or so, she tried to push me off an another assoicate. By that point, I was no longer intererested in patronizing David’s. I just wanted to get the name right. What I failed to mention to Gwen was, in addition to needing a ball gown, I am the Maid of Honor for an upcoming wedding. Guess what, I will sooner leave the bridal party than purchase a dress from David’s. I will suggest that the bride and her party consider Alfred Angelo’s, Macy’s, White Swan Bridal, or even the Salvation frickin’ Army! Anywhere but here! I will make EVERYONE I know, avoids David’s. EVERYONE. That includes everyone attending the same ball as me. That includes every bride I know (and there are quite a few, my close friend is an event designer). That includes everyone attending a 100 year gala that I going to next year. I don’t want anyone else having to experience the frustration I felt, and waste the time that I did.
I wish zero or negative stars were an option. One was too kind.

Tagged along with a friend that needed to try on a brides maids dress. Was greeted at the door by someone that did not seem happy at all. But she was helpful. She set us up with Rachel. Rachel got the dress we needed and set us up in a room. My friend tried on the dress and Rachel told us that the dress is fine once we ordered it. After that, she disappeared. Didn’t tell us if we had to meet her in the front, didn’t tell us to wait there while she helps someone else, nothing. just left. We sat there for a while and saw Rachel walk towards us then turned around. We decided to just walk up to her and ask her what was next. She said, with an attitude, that we had to wait for her to get an iPad to order the dress to the store, which was an extra $ 15. We did not want to be charged an extra $ 15 to get the dress shipped to a store that was 30 minutes away from our city (Alexandria). We definitely didn’t wanna wait another 10 minutes either, after waiting for so long earlier. We decided to just go home and order it ourselves.
I would never come back here.

The staff here was nice and welcoming I enjoy trying on dresses here and they have a great selection of different designers and prices. It was worth the trip!

I was so skeptical & a bit worried going here after the reviews I read, especially with family/​friends coming from out of town for this special day. Michelle was great! She was so accommodating & made me feel comfortable & didn’t overwhelm me, just listened. I’m so glad I got her to help me on this day :) The quality of the David’s bridal dresses weren’t so great, but you get what you pay for … I went with a dress made by (oh gosh I don’t know who it’s made by lol) but I LOVEEEEE IT!!! I’m so excited! & so thankful everything went perfectly :) thank you Michelle!

Do not go to this store. I had an appointment and it still took 90 minutes to get an attendant. I would have left but I had a friend come from out of state to share the experience with me. The attendant I had (who no longer works there) was pushy, uneducated in bridal wear and she kept telling me she normally works with bridesmaids and how she hated her job. I spoke to a lady who looked like she was in charge and she was stoic and unhelpful as well. She came over a few times to chime in on a dress that I had on but did not address obvious issues. The attendant did not get dresses that I liked and kept telling me that there were no dresses in my size and in my price range.
Thankful I had friends with me and they took charged. I bought a dress against my better judgment and was told it only came in white and not ivory. I knew I saw the dress on-​line in both colors so I called the Springfield store and THEY had the dress in my size in ivory. I contacted the corporate office to get a refund. I was so through with the whole experience. I returned the dress and just used the credit towards accessories. Made my first experience buying my wedding gown frustrating and difficult. I’ll never get that memory back.
I am writing this in May but I went in December-​way before prom/​wedding season.