Rate your dress shopping experience

3, not the best..
Very depressing unfortunately

I loved it! First place I went in the owner helped us. She was super kind and I found my dream dress! I brought like 11 people with me too which was nice that they were so accommodating with space for us

My overall process was a 8/10. For the most part, everywhere I went was amazing, except one which was well...bad is being generous. I'm going to rate them individually below because there aren't many reviews for bridal shops in Halifax surprisingly. I went to two appointments solo, one with my mom, and one with both my mom and MOH/sister.

David's Bridal - 8/10 - There were a couple posts a read on this thread with bad experiences, but I can definitely say the David's Bridal location in Halifax is a gem. The only negative is that a lot of the styles are mainstream, so, if you are looking for something a bit different, you might not find it. That's expected I think in a chain store though.

Kim did my two appointments there. First one, I was upfront that I had no idea about what I was looking for and it was more trying to figure it out. I went solo too.

Kim, the consultant, was fine with that and in less than 45 minutes she helped me narrow down definite "must haves" and "hell, no's". Super respectful of the budget I told her and asked before only once going slight over because she thought that dress might be 'the one'. She was a ninja with disappearing to pull things and always being back at the right time (or close to) to zip and clip if needed. They didn't have anything style-wise that spoke to me, so we made an appointment for four months later when all the new styles came in.

Second appointment, I went with my mom. It was same good experience, and my mom agreed that Kim was amazing. Still nothing that spoke to me style-wise.

I wound up getting my dress elsewhere, but we came back to get the bridesmaid dresses here and Scott, the consultant for that, was just as good.

Chester and Felecity - 0/10 - Avoid this place like the plague. This was my other appointment. I came for my appointment and the first they asked, rather bluntly and before asking my name, was for the budget. When I told them, the consultant rolled her eyes, immediately took me to there clearance room - which felt more like a storage closet to be honest - and told me to 'let her know if I found something' and left while I was trying to ask her a question. I get they might have been trying to be respectful of the budget, but the level of rude and condescending was unnecessary.

I looked around and didn't find anything, so I went back to the main store. They said I would have to "wait for an appointment as they didn't have anyone free at the moment. They only do one consultant to an appointment". I firmly told them I was in the middle of one. My consultant was in the middle of taking another group through dresses and trying them on. They called her over then she gave me rings to put on the dress I want to try on and went back to her other appointment. About the only thing this consultant did was bring the dresses to the room. It was only when the other bride noticed what was happening and told her to look after me first that I got her to clip one and look at it in the mirror. I loved the dress, and was considering buying despite the disaster of an appointment.

That's when the breaking point happened - body shaming. The consultant immediately said I couldn't wear that silhouette if I was in my right mind with how much weight I had/fat I was or I would look pregnant. She then proceeds to hold the dress in a way that makes it look that way purposely and laughed. (I am in a health weight range and work out regularly....I was a little bloated that day. Still, unnecessary behavior). I was too dumbfounded to respond and the other bride could see the shock. She came to my rescue. She asked to be helped out of the dress because she wasn't going to stand in a shop that body-shamed any women.

They lost two sales that day and I hope that no bride ever darkens their door.

Tashina's Bridal - 9/10 - Disclaimer: This shop was owned by a friend of my mother, but read below for the full review/story.

My mom recommend this place, it's an hour outside of HRM. I was having no luck in the city and figured, why not? My mom forgot to mention how she knew about the shop. I had called to make the appointment.

This was the appointment that I went to with both my mom and sister/MOH, who both wound up arriving late. It was only at that point everyone connected the dots as the owner and operator, Debbie, hadn't asked for my last name for the appointment booking. She had been focused on asking a lot of other questions like types of fabrics, styles, etc I liked to narrow down a few things for the appointment. (As I have learned, she gets very excited about dressing brides vs. any other formal event...lol)

Debbie had a few dresses ready to go and was happy to wait when the rest of the party was running late (again, she had no idea it was my mom/her friend). She explains her policy only takes one bride at a time and leaves a bit of wiggle room between appointments to not rush anyone and.

When one dress was speaking to me, except the width of the shoulders, Debbie whipped out her pins and made it look like a thinner strap. Perfection!

Turns out she is also a trained seamstress and is happy to work with brides on customizing their dresses to anything that is do-able with the pre-existing gown. I understand why a lot of larger salons can't have every consultant be train that way, but it was a nice change from any place in the city that didn't offer customization.

I'm rating mine a 7.5/10 - It went really well but I didn't cry when I found the one and there was tie between 2 very different but very pretty dresses.

I thought I'd have more emotions when I found the one (which I love btw) but the fact that I was stuck between two dresses probably didn't help (i.e. if my dress blew the others out of the water - then I probably would've cried lol).

Also I went with just my mom since none of my bridal party lived in town. My MOH lives in the same town as me for school but goes home to Southern Ontario in the summer and when we went, it was exam season and she needed to study/fly home soon.

The boutique (Unveiled Bridal in Thunder Bay) was amazing and the consultant really listened to me and pulled dresses that she figured would fit my vision. I kind of wished that I went back in the fall with my MOH and mom to try on the tied dresses, but looking back, I'm glad I went with my dress. I get it tomorrow to take to alterations and I can't wait to see it again!!

Like 5/10 maybe - bought a dress I can't sit in- its something in laws like. seamstress can't fix it and im stuck wearing it as can't afford anything else. What I love and still wish bought was told it would look horrible and don't want the comments.

4/10. I'm not going to go into details, but I was VERY stressed out during the time when I just said "yes" to my dress, despite not being in love with it. I wish I had more time to look, looked at more stores, and increased my budget tbh.

Mine was probably 7/10.

my first appointment at Kleinfeld was phenomenal - loved my stylist and I actually found my dress there but I had 2 other appointments booked and wanted to honour those.

my second appointment was awful at Mona Richie. the stylist didn’t listen to my vision at all, didn’t even tell me they don’t carry the designer I wanted until the appointment was over. The stylist was rude because she wasn’t getting a commission from me.

third appointment was Amanda Lina’s and it was a dream! I told my stylist ahead of time I had loved a dress at Kleinfeld but wanted to try on others as well to be sure. In the end she pulled me so many dresses, I ultimately decided on the dress I saw at Kleinfeld but they didn’t have it for me to try in store. I tried it on at Kleinfeld so I was ok with “buying it blind” so to speak. Amanda Linas was far cheaper than Kleinfeld so I bought the dress there!

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I hated my experience at David's Bridal! It was very similar... she didn't listen at all, pulled dresses that had features that were the exact opposite to what I wanted. After 3-4 dresses she finally said, 'I don't think we have what you're looking for here.' NO kidding, I just wish she had've been honest and upfront and said that at the beginning instead of wasting all our time hoping she might get a sale!
Glad your second experience was much different though and ended on a high note!

Overall, I'd say a 5/10.

My bridal party and mom flew into town for a long weekend to shop with me, which was wonderful. Our first appointment was all fun and excitement.

The next day we had 3 appointments booked, and 1 for my bridesmaids. I started to become increasingly overwhelmed, anxious, and feeling pressured (NOT by them, but by my own sense of impending failure and time running out). The more dresses I tried on, the further I felt from finding what I wanted. We took a lunch break which was meant to be a bit of relaxation and a breather... instead the food made me sick to my stomach. I felt exhausted by the end and didn't even want to complete my final appointment, but I did. In the meantime, one of the consultants from an earlier appointment that day gave us a list of shops that would carry what it was I seemed to be looking for. My one very persistent bridesmaid begged a shop to squeeze us in last minute... they all had to convince me as well to agree.

But! I'm SO glad they did. This shop was FULL of dresses in the style I liked. I became more and more encouraged and happy as time went on. Such a relief. I ended up finding my dress there and am completely in love with it. I'm grateful my party pushed me to go and that we were all together to find my dress... but it was not a fully joyous experience, sadly to say!

8/10. The first appointment not all my bridesmaids could make it due to weather. The girls went a little wild picking out dresses for me so it was a bit overwhelming. Second appointment no one could make it. So I invited a friend from school. This turned out to be super helpful and she was actually the one who pointed out my dress to me in the store. Third and fourth appointment at a different store was amazing. All my party and my mom were able to see that same dress and the store was sooo cute. They let you celebrate with a champagne flute that says She Said Yes! Written on it and some sparkling juice. And they also provide you with a free silk robe with Bride embroidered on it in your selected colours. I’m so happy I went with the shop I did. Only downside to all this is not all the dresses came in my size so sometimes I felt like a stuffed sausage making it hard to envision if I’d like the dress in my size ...

Hmm... mine was a little different of an experience. We weren't telling family about the wedding plans right away and were going to surprise them with the invitations. So I was pretty much solo, but completely ok with that. I don't have a mom so am use to doing things on my own like that.

I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a dress because we were paying for the wedding ourselves with our savings so I looked on Kijiji and tried on a few sales dresses at a local bridal shop. Found a great dress and a friend who I was going to ask to be in my wedding party came with me.

It was so stress free and although the lady I bought the dress from was a little rude, I am trying not to hold onto that as part of the memories lol. I found the perfect dress and it is so different from anyone else's in the family who already went down the isle, which was what I wanted.

My wedding dress shopping experience definitely got better as my day went on.
I went with my mom and MOH.
We started at David's Bridal, I told her the style I was looking for and she said that she would pull a bunch of different styles for me to try because often brides walk out with something completely different than what they had in mind. I thought it was a good idea and was totally open minded to trying anything and everything.. I was really just excited to put on some beautiful gowns! So I tried on a couple different styles and openly discussed in detaiI what I liked or didn't like about each dress or style so that that I could give her information for what dress to pull next. I decided I wanted a fit and flare dress and explicitly told her that I find it the most flattering for my body type. She then continued to pull ball gowns and fluffy dresses and wasn't listening to anything I was asking for. All she talked about was Meghan Markle's wedding gown and the royal wedding. Which, I understand it was very exciting for many people, I personally am not interested in the royal family but respect those who do. So I kept trying to come back to the dresses I was trying on and she would not stop talking about Meghan Markle and then her sister's wedding. Which again, is fine.. but I'm here to buy probably the most expensive single item of clothing I will ever purchase and she was choosing not to really pay attention to anything I was saying or asking for. My mom and MOH also started getting annoyed, so we cut the appointment after 45 minutes and went for lunch. I swear I'm not a selfish person, but if I'm there to spend $1500+, I expect that they would at least listen to what I'm asking for and make the Royal wedding secondary.

Next we went to Best for Bride and wow, did I ever have an amazing experience there! The consultant was very attentive and kind. She listened to everything I said and within 15 dresses narrowed it down to exactly what I didn't know I was looking for. My mom cried, I cried, my MOH cried, the consultant cried... I had found my dress in 45 minutes because she actually took the time to listen to the things I liked and didn't like about each of the previous dresses I had tried on. I tried on another dress after the one I that made everyone cry, just to make sure I was making the right choice and then put the first dress back on, everyone cried all over again and I walked out having found my perfect dress!

My first, and only, dress appointment was rather lackluster despite finding the dress.

I arrived at David's Bridal with my entourage; my mom, my MOH and my FMIL, I signed in at the front desk and was told to browse around the dresses while I waited for my consultant. I was so worried that 90 minutes would not be enough time for me to really try on some dresses and narrow down what I wanted so I ahead of time researched online and found some dresses I liked and wanted to make sure I tried on because I thought they would be real contenders. Browsing around before the appointment we found 2 more (1 of them being my wedding dress).

My consultant comes and greets us and I tell her this will be my first time trying on dresses. She immediately says "Okay, I'll pull dresses in a bunch of styles and you can try them all on to narrow down what you like". I told her that I was fine with that, but that I had about 4 dresses that I had picked out that I wanted to ensure I got to try on so I wanted to start with them. I am such a paranoid person so I was so scared that in 90 minutes I wouldn't have time to try on these select dresses and "get them out of my head as contenders" if I didn't start with them. She sighs audibly, seems to be annoyed and says "fine, show me the dresses you've chosen" . I think me taking control of my appointment and being upfront really set her off.

Throughout the appointment she kept disappearing. I'd come out holding a dress up, needing to be zipped/buttoned/laced in the back and she was nowhere to be found. Good thing I had my entourage to do that task. My entourage also had to be the ones to go around pulling accessories to help me see what I wanted and to get a full look because she was either absent or uninterested.

She also pulled one lace dress for me and I tried it on and just said "no" and shook my head as I walked out of the dressing room. She cattily responds back "Well you SAID you wanted lace." That was uncalled for.

What salvaged the appointment was her manager stepping in and helping us out, now she was lovely! She provided constructive input, she helped guide me to choosing my dress and she was invested.

So overall I guess I'd give the experience a 4/10.

I would have to say 10/10 for mine. I actually have 0 complaints about the whole process. It was me, my sister, my step mom, grandma and FMIL. Everyone showed up on time (helped that I picked up 2 of them), my appointment was only supposed to be 1.5 hours, we ended up being there for 3 hours!

It was really nice that everyone came together and knew that it was about me to find a dress and there was no other drama!

The woman who worked with us was amazing, and she really took the time to help me find what I was looking for, and it was no where close to what I pictured myself in, but I LOVE my dress!

‘1’ - which is how I ended up making mine. I don’t think the consultants were listening to what I wanted. And were shoving several that looked very unflattering on me. Honestly I just preferred working with a seamstress who was actually listening. But that’s just my experience.

It was ok but had a some rough patches. I wouldn't want to do it again either because of those and just because I don't enjoy being the centre of attention and found it awkward too. First of all, I found out the night before that my FMIL had taken it upon herself to invite my FSIL (who is one of my bridesmaids but we're not really close) because, "she's a bridesmaid - she HAS to be there!" So I was kinda cheesed about that but whatever. At the first appointment, it was suuuper hot inside so I couldn't wait to leave as soon as I put on the first dress. Then FSIL, who is a skilled seamstress, kinda started bickering with the consultant, which made it somewhat uncomfortable. The first two stores also put more pressure on me to say yes then and there even though I was clearly overwhelmed and wanted some time.

The last store was much better. They were totally understanding about needing time to think and even said they'd still give me their current promotion if I came back the next week and it was over. I left, couldn't stop thinking about one dress from there, and went back alone 2 days later to try it on one more time and order it. The only damper on the last one was FMIL was pushing hard for a veil and I had to shut it down quite firmly.

So all in all - maybe a 7/10. But if I hadn't found the dress that I loved that day or had some delicious perogies for lunch, I'm sure it would've been closer to a 4/10.

I enjoyed it, but i would never want to do it again. i was so nervous and anxious for some reason, and those feelings didn’t go away until i was in my dress. i just found dress shopping to be so awkward... i didn’t know what to do with my hands, and everyone just stares at you and they’re all such pretty dresses, but it has to be more than just a pretty dress.

two out of three of my appointments were great, and the group i had with me was amazing! there was nothing i loved that everyone hated - we were pretty much exactly on the same page!

View quoted message The thing is I would totally have understood if she was really busy with other people and stuff. Like I know you work on commission. But if you're just standing around waiting for someone to come in. Don't turn them away.

9/10! It was great! The only reason it wasn't a 10/10 is because

a) the FMIL was late to the appointment and missed me trying on a couple dresses

b) it gets really hot in the change rooms!!! Like, I was sweating!!! To be fair - I was looking for a fall/winter dress so at least I know it will keep me warm outside!

View quoted message Ugh this makes me sick! People need to be more accepting of one another. And if you want to try on some dresses, they should allow that! What the heck!

I think this can depend on who you bring with you and the wedding store. I, personally had a great experience my first time. The very first dress I put on was the one I ended up with. All the ladies at the shop were very lovely and made me feel good in anything I put on.
I ended up going to 2 other bridal shops just to try other dresses. The second one was meh. The consultant was not the most friendly. She came off a bit harsh which made the experience uncomfortable. All in all though, I had a good time.

So I had one really good experience and one really bad one. Not in that order. Bad one was I went into Antoinette's in Peterborough and at this point we didn't have a date yet but it was planning for some time in the next three years. But I had lost 150lbs and wanted to see what dresses suited my body type so I could go from there. I went in and she told me I couldn't try on dresses because styles change in 3 years and that I shouldn't buy a dress now. First off I wasn't going to buy a dress before setting a date. I just really wanted a jumping off point. I felt like she was very rude and she really upset me. A few weeks late we had out date for October 5th 2019. Keep in mind this happened in like september so it went from in the next 3 years sometime to in 1 year and in the wedding world 1 year is no time at all. So she really missed out on a sale I would have gone back had she been kind and understanding.
Flash forward to I believe November and we went into Second Story also in Peterborough. And I told her the story and my situation and she welcomed me with open arms. She was so helpful and lovely. She put me in I believe 5 dresses. And I ended up picking my dress. But it had stains and the day wasn't planned so my mom wasn't there. She said come back tomorrow. We did with my mom and all the stains were out it looked brand new. And my mom absolutely loved it. Just for some context second story is a second hand bridal shop and so that's why stains. But she is a wizard at getting them out holy moly. Just such a drastic difference in the two people.