some wedding dress shops just get it so wrong.....

Couldn't agree more Sophie. The only reason i ordered my dress from america was because i did not want to go into another bridal shop ever again. I got married first time round 12 years ago and the shop i went into said "oh for somebody as big as you we only have those ones to choose from" and there was about 6 (out of hundreds of dresses in the shop). This time around i vowed i was not going near a shop as i am still a size 18/20 and im not getting made to feel bad about it.

My dress is lovely and when i walk down the aisle in 20 days ! my dress has came all the way from U S of A!

Sx

My first shop - had to get in and out of my dresses myself, bit of a nightmare.

Second shop - really knew their stuff big time, even to the point where I wouldnt be able to wear this dress or that dress and I can dream on about that dress as I didnt have the right build..... still something lacked and they too couldnt give me any details to take away home. Leave in the shop only.

Third shop was very helpful and considerate but I couldnt get a list of the names etc and I was fortunate to have my artist CBM with me who not only did drawings of each dress with my comments next to them but also took info off the labels for me!

Fourth shop was a dream. V helpful. v nice. Didnt interfere in any ways. Didnt speak out of term.... and allowed us to take pics and take notes. They are getting the cash

It pays to shop around and everyone will expereince something different which appeals to them only..... I guess.

I agree. Went with my MoH when she was needing to buy her dress and I was just browsing.

In one shop, advertised on this site, we told them our budget and the snooty lady said, you'll never find anything in here for that price unless you're after a BM dress to wear!

Hadn't considered that but we left the shop rather red-faced because she looked down her nose at us.

After trying high street stores and being completley disheartened, I went to a sale. I got my dress, veil, shoes and 3 tiaras for the price that I couldn't possibly get anything for from that evil lady in the evil shop!!!!

I am so glad to hear I am not the only one!! I totally agree with the comments, its the biggest dress purchase of your life, you want to get it right.

I was so put off by dress shopping, I am getting mine made by a local dressmaker, I was actually told by one shop, the style I wanted a) Was'ent in fashion?, and you cant get at that style at the mo, and b) It would'ent suit my figure.

However, its a fishtail skirt and corset top I want, they are everywhere at the mo!! Also the dressmaker and my mum (who is brutally honest) Said this is the perfect style for me, I'm a curvy girl.

Anyhow moral of the story, shops have missed out, local dressmaker cashes in, who is lovely by the way!?

Wow I've never heard of a bridal shop not telling you the designer or name of the style - how odd and soooo not good customer service.

I went to a few over 2 days and did have fairly good service at all of them but most of the appointments were on a Friday which was definitely quieter than the weekend.

Sounds like you had a nightmare of a time, I do agree with you. You are shopping for the perfect dress and you really look forward to shopping for it, you want to be made to feel special and some shops dont seem to understand that. I went to 3 shops, the 1st one just helped me on with the dresses and stood there whilst I asked my mum and bridesmaids opinion. Was very inpersonnal. The 2nd shop, was pretty much the same, but the 3rd was fantastic. When I went in she asked me what sort of dress i was going for, I told her an A line dress and she chose 2 dresses, at first i didnt like it, i wanted to pick my own dress, but it was brilliant, she knew her stuff and before I even put the 1st dress on properly she said, 'no that doesnt work' and i agreed, it looked awful. Then she bought me in another one, I wasnt sure about it at first but when i put it on it was amazing and she told me how it looked and gave me alot of info, very helpful

Bridal shops need to wise up to the bride wanting to feel special, you dont want to feel like another number.

zoe

Yes I agree shops need to give you that personal touch. I've had mixed experiences, some good and others just so. The thing that really bugs me is that you have to pay to try on most dresses over here in New Zealand!! ? Can't try on too many as it starts adding up, so defintely expect a decent service when I'm paying for it.

Cx

You`re not in cheshire by any chance are you??!!!!

This is exactly why I didn't want to go to a "proper" wedding dress shop. I can't bear shopping at the best of times. And hearing your horror stories have just confirmed this for me!

(also - and don't shoot me down in flames for this. It seems to me that most wedding dresses look the same these days - strapless a-line or fishtail and I know I can't wear strapless as I've nothing to hold it up!!!)

OMG! I went to three shops and the ladies were all lovely (one lady smelt strongly of fags which made me retch but thats it!) and I was armed with a list of designers in each shop when I left.

Ali Lindsey - not all shops are bad really! You should look for recommendations in your area on hitched! But then again everyone has different experiences. The shop where I bought my dress got completely slagged off on here a few months back but I have had nothing but lovely experiences with them all.

I was really lucky when i went dress shopping. I only went to 2 shops and they were both fab. I was stuck between 2 dresses one in each shop and both were very understanding while I chose. I managed to avoid the bad shops as people warned me in time. One shop had to be avoided because the people in their are known to be nasty to brides with a smaller budget and mine was a small budget (still is lol).

The 2 that I went to told me what dress would suit my body type and age which i found really helpful. I guess its luck of the draw but it shouldnt be

I must have been really lucky with the shop I used then, they were lovely.

They even managed to sort out a crisis for me when my (high street) bought bridesmaid dresses no longer fitted 6 weeks before the wedding.

I would imagine that the reason many dress shops are reluctant to give out the design name/number of dresses is to minimise

brides taking up appointment times, trying on dresses they have no intention of buying (looking to buy off the internet/getting it made instead)

Stick between 2 dresses - at least you didn't get stuck in a dress like I did in Pronuptia! ?

Hmmmm I wonder how I will get on when I start looking then......

It will be my second time round, I will be old (40) and I have got a huuuuge pair of knockers !!!!

I will be every bridal shops nightmare [:'(]

?

oh hell lol. I did get stuck in my dress at my first fitting, Id put on two stone ?

One high street bridal shop i went in was rude to me the second I walked in. the woman looked me up and down, clocked my baby in his pram and said "we don't have anything in your budget" without even asking what my budget was. The same shop assitant looked at me in disgust when we were looking for bridesmaid dresses and i told her i wanted them in black because they looked better with my red dress.

The shop I actually ordered my dress from where fabulous when i went in. made sure i felt really special while choosing and made a real fuss over making sure everything was right. the only let down with them was that the dsigners sent out the dress with the wrong fastening and then with the wrong building as they'd read the order wrong. Nothing to do with the shop but a let down that reflects on them a bit.

I went to one shop where they would not tell us the designers names (and actually refused when asked - similar comment about giving us a refernce number if we wanted to come back) . That really put me off. The sales assitant there also put me off - a man in his fifties who was too touchy feely and said really patronising and corny things. eugh.

The first shop I went to was lovely - let us write down names and prices for all the dresses we liked, as well as taking pictures! I would have LOVED to buy a dress from them - they just didn't have one I loved!

The shop I have eventually ordered from were inb between the other two. They had 'renamed' their dresses - the designers names were in them, but the actual dresses had been given different names. That naffed me off a little bit (that feeling of being kept 'hostage' through secracy not won over with customer service and fair prices) - they said they changed the names as it was easier for them because so many different desingers use the same names - and to be honest, that is clearly a massive porker that offends me somewhat as it suggests they think I am dim enough to believe it! The manner of staff was however polite and helpful, and I knew what the 'real' name of my favourite dress was as I had previously seen it online and recognised it - when I asked them to confirm this they did so without being cagey. They also let me take some pics of me in it (and another I was wavering over) when they could see that I was serious about how much I liked it and they had a good chance of a sale. I doubt they'd have agreed if I'd asked earlier and wanted pics of every dress though.

I felt a little 'deceived' by the fact all of the dress names were changed, but they were not rude, were honest when questioned about the 'identity' of the dress, and the customer service was otherwise excellent. I also felt the price was fair, and knew that this was by far the nearest shop to me stocking that designer, so was not inclined to hunt the same dress down elsewhere.

OMG sounds like something from pretty woman !

Im not even going to look in wedding shops they way over priced and most are poor service, im going to be 37 when i marry Mark and im a 18 / 20 so i know what suite me and what doesnt,

I want a simple yet elegant dress i can try on with out people fussing and cooing over me ( have seen and like marbury from monsoon, not bridal at all but very me i think lol )

Right....Just hold on a sec.....OK now I have got my body armour on (lol) so I am ready to reply.

I do not condone ill or disrespectful behaviour on any level BUT ladies I do think it is about time that brides faced up to the fact that bridal shops are shops where bridal dresses get bought. They are commercial entities where there raison d'etre is to sell wedding dresses. For them to remain in business they have to service so many brides that it impossible to get every interaction right 100% of the time - like any business. Unfortunately however in our line of work the customers expectations can, how can I put this without upsetting everybody....hmm...a little unrealistic. My shops are in areas where there is plenty of competition and I can not think of many of my competitors who have not at some stage not been given the kind of feedback that has been raised in the above posts. I am sure that they would say they had on occasion heard the same thing of us.

That said I would say that most of them have a reputation of being professional and efficient. Isnt that a reasonable expectation from the shops you buy from? I know that if we get something wrong at any stage of the process that brides tell us we have ruined their perfect day...even if our error happens 9 months before the big event?? You ladies have a huge emotional hold over us all but we are only human. Can any of you hand on heart say that you have never, ever, ever failed to live up to expectations in your own roles. If so well then maybe it is time for you to consider opening your own bridal shops. Only today I have heard of a bridal shop in my area that has closed. It was open less than two years ago by a lady who had said she decided to open one because she was not made to feel special enough when she was a bride. Well I figure the brides she has let down now aren't feeling particularly special. Nonethelesss what the owner has learnt is that it is hard to strike the balance between being a fairygodmother and a commercially viable operation.

Alternatively, I am prepared to extend an offer to any of you (and I make this offer every single year - to date it has never been accepted, for some strange reason) why dont you come and do three months on my shops floor and let me assess your perfect performaces.

I am so sorry if this offends and yes we all love to see happy, radiant brides in our lovely gowns but you can not reasonable expect us to be as swept along by the magic of it all to the same degree as you are. I truly am sorry if this upsets you and I have now gathered together riot shield and earplugs so am ready for the onslaught lol