I will be waiting until after the wedding to put up reviews for vendors I have contracts with. For now, here are some reviews from my dress shopping experience.
David's Bridal
Paramus, NJ location on Route 4 West, near the Kohl's Plaza
For starters, our Consultant, Danielle, was AMAZING – so if you make an appointment there, ask for her. She was fantastic.
Overall though I wasn’t very impressed with David’s Bridal. The environment was that of a cattle call and I didn't feel like I was getting that special dress shopping experience I always wanted. They did supply a corset style undergarment to wear with the dresses which I thought was nice.
I tried on either four or five gowns and there was one I liked and one my mom liked. I didn't LOVE any of them, but did leave the appointment feeling as though I found some decent contenders.
The beading on some of the dresses didn't seem like the best quality. This could also have been from the fact that these were sample gowns that get put on and taken off a lot. It did however make me question the quality of the gowns compared with the prices.
I also learned that David's Bridal contracts out their alterations department, so it is a different company that works with David's Bridal. They are VERY overpriced. I've heard from many people that it's best to take your gown to another alterations place. My mom purchased her dress for my brother's wedding at this David's Bridal location and they estimated the alterations to DOUBLE the cost of the dress. She took the dress elsewhere and had the alterations done (and done extremely well) for less then half of what the David's Bridal alterations department quoted for her.
For starters, our Consultant, Danielle, was AMAZING – so if you make an appointment there, ask for her. She was fantastic.
Overall though I wasn’t very impressed with David’s Bridal. The environment was that of a cattle call and I didn't feel like I was getting that special dress shopping experience I always wanted. They did supply a corset style undergarment to wear with the dresses which I thought was nice.
I tried on either four or five gowns and there was one I liked and one my mom liked. I didn't LOVE any of them, but did leave the appointment feeling as though I found some decent contenders.
The beading on some of the dresses didn't seem like the best quality. This could also have been from the fact that these were sample gowns that get put on and taken off a lot. It did however make me question the quality of the gowns compared with the prices.
I also learned that David's Bridal contracts out their alterations department, so it is a different company that works with David's Bridal. They are VERY overpriced. I've heard from many people that it's best to take your gown to another alterations place. My mom purchased her dress for my brother's wedding at this David's Bridal location and they estimated the alterations to DOUBLE the cost of the dress. She took the dress elsewhere and had the alterations done (and done extremely well) for less then half of what the David's Bridal alterations department quoted for her.
Jaehee Bridal
Englewood, NJ . website
What a great experience. My consultant, Sarah, was wonderful. The store itself is very welcoming (once you get to the second floor) and is everything you expect of a bridal salon.
We had free reign of the "closet" so one of my bridesmaids and myself dove right in and picked ones we liked. Sarah really took the time to listen to me, my parents and my bridesmaid. Even though I was dead set on lace gowns, she ended up pulling some chiffon ones for me that were amazing. I would have never thought a chiffon dress, but one she pulled I really loved and it looked fantastic.
We weren't rushed at all and it seemed like they only allow a few appointments at a time since the store wasn't very crowded at all. I was the only one trying on bridal gowns at the time.
Jaehee also had a great selection of gowns and in lots of different price ranges.
What a great experience. My consultant, Sarah, was wonderful. The store itself is very welcoming (once you get to the second floor) and is everything you expect of a bridal salon.
We had free reign of the "closet" so one of my bridesmaids and myself dove right in and picked ones we liked. Sarah really took the time to listen to me, my parents and my bridesmaid. Even though I was dead set on lace gowns, she ended up pulling some chiffon ones for me that were amazing. I would have never thought a chiffon dress, but one she pulled I really loved and it looked fantastic.
We weren't rushed at all and it seemed like they only allow a few appointments at a time since the store wasn't very crowded at all. I was the only one trying on bridal gowns at the time.
Jaehee also had a great selection of gowns and in lots of different price ranges.
Rana Bridal
Englewood Cliffs, NJ . website
Ehhh. Rana didn’t help us at all. Once we got there, she sent us to the closet and told us we could pick out eight gowns. She didn't show us where anything was. We had to dig and look for price tags on our own.
Once I selected my dresses she just helped me into them. She didn’t even ask my price-point until I had already tried on about 5 dresses.
The only positive thing I can say about my experience there is that Rana does have some very beautiful and unique dresses that I wasn’t able to find elsewhere. I was originally very interested in the Aire Barcelona line and she is one of the few shops that carry those in my area.
Overall, Rana Bridal wasn’t a memorable experience.
Ehhh. Rana didn’t help us at all. Once we got there, she sent us to the closet and told us we could pick out eight gowns. She didn't show us where anything was. We had to dig and look for price tags on our own.
Once I selected my dresses she just helped me into them. She didn’t even ask my price-point until I had already tried on about 5 dresses.
The only positive thing I can say about my experience there is that Rana does have some very beautiful and unique dresses that I wasn’t able to find elsewhere. I was originally very interested in the Aire Barcelona line and she is one of the few shops that carry those in my area.
Overall, Rana Bridal wasn’t a memorable experience.
Nordstrom Bridal Boutique
Paramus, NJ, Garden State Plaza
I originally found my dress on the Nordstrom wedding site. There was no way I would order a dress without trying it on first and seeing how I liked it. I called up Nordstrom in the Garden State Plaza to ask if they had the dress I was interested in and if I needed an appointment to just look at that one dress. I was told that if I was just coming to look at a specific dress I did not need an appointment, but if I was interested in meeting with a consultant and trying on several dresses then I would have to make an appointment.
They had the dress in the store that I wanted to see. So we went and tried it on. They only had one that was several sizes to large, so the consultant had to hold me in it while I showed it off to my mom and bridesmaid.
Overall, it was a very comfortable experience. Nordstrom has some really cute dresses and some at very reasonable prices. I ended up ordering the dress on-line since the store didn't have it in my size at the time.
I would recommend checking out Nordstrom and other department stores for wedding gowns. They have nice selections and very varying price-points.
I originally found my dress on the Nordstrom wedding site. There was no way I would order a dress without trying it on first and seeing how I liked it. I called up Nordstrom in the Garden State Plaza to ask if they had the dress I was interested in and if I needed an appointment to just look at that one dress. I was told that if I was just coming to look at a specific dress I did not need an appointment, but if I was interested in meeting with a consultant and trying on several dresses then I would have to make an appointment.
They had the dress in the store that I wanted to see. So we went and tried it on. They only had one that was several sizes to large, so the consultant had to hold me in it while I showed it off to my mom and bridesmaid.
Overall, it was a very comfortable experience. Nordstrom has some really cute dresses and some at very reasonable prices. I ended up ordering the dress on-line since the store didn't have it in my size at the time.
I would recommend checking out Nordstrom and other department stores for wedding gowns. They have nice selections and very varying price-points.