dilemma......Dress

thumper10

hey there,

hope you can help...going to the wedding fair in the RDS on the 28th jan, so was hoping to go dress shopping the day before:eek: not really looking forward to it, but sister is going to come, staying overnight in dublin, but can anyone recommend dress shops that "I have to go and see" :rolleyes: not my favourite part of getting married, but something i'd like to get started....

thanks

Moonbeam

Ciara bridal in the powerscourt centre is good and where I bought my dress.
The town bride in there is good too, so much choice.
There is a place called de courcy bridal on wickow st,I didn't like the shop or any of their dresses but you might.
I can't think of any more at the moment.

krankykitty

A few suggestions...

City Centre:
Alexanders Bridal Parnell St - Very very helpful
Berketex Bride Jervis Centre - have a big selection but very pushy sales
Kathy De Stafford - Wicklow St - didn't try here myself but friends have got lovely dresses here
Ivory Room Capel St - small but a few nice ones



Outside the city centre

Baldoyle Bridal Outlet - Well worth a visit, helpful staff and a huge selection
Butterfly Bride - Blackrock - got my own dress here, some lovely ones and the owner is very laid back, no fuss (which was a big plus for me)
Moreland Bridal - off Malahide Road - nice dresses in here

Once you get in and try on a few, it will not seem as bad

krankykitty

Another thing to bear in mind - I was looking for dresses around the same time of the year as you will be, for places like Town Bride, you needed to book the appointment three weeks in advance for weekend appointments. So to make the most of your time it might be advisable to book the appts a good bit in advance.

thumper10

wow will keep that in mind, thanks for all your help, its defo a starting point, fingers crossed

thumper10

krankykitty wrote: »

A few suggestions...

City Centre:
Alexanders Bridal Parnell St - Very very helpful
Berketex Bride Jervis Centre - have a big selection but very pushy sales
Kathy De Stafford - Wicklow St - didn't try here myself but friends have got lovely dresses here
Ivory Room Capel St - small but a few nice ones



Outside the city centre

Baldoyle Bridal Outlet - Well worth a visit, helpful staff and a huge selection
Butterfly Bride - Blackrock - got my own dress here, some lovely ones and the owner is very laid back, no fuss (which was a big plus for me)
Moreland Bridal - off Malahide Road - nice dresses in here

Once you get in and try on a few, it will not seem as bad

thanks for this, i really aprreciate your honest opinion after each option,

Shivers26

I got my dress in Alexanders (or will be when it comes in!) - They stock a good selection of Maggie Sottero and Ronald Joyce dresses which are really popular

Also can I recommend Belleza Bridal - branches in Palmerstown & in City Centre over Lantz I think. My sister got her dress here and they were so so lovely and couldn't do enough for her.

random10

Just got my dress in berketex bridal in jervis centre, they were so nice, I know some people said they were pushy but I didn't find them pushy at all. So happy can't wait for it to come in

thumper10

so booked in to 3 places for the end of january, Baldoyle Outlet, Kathy de Stafford and ill take a look in Barnardos, enough for one day i think.....fingers crossed

tatli_lokma

oxfam have a bridal store also, and they have some amazing dresses in there. Worth a look - they get donations from stores directly of ex-display and sample dresses, so you can get a designer dress for a lot less money and give to a worthwhile charity at the same time.
You also need to make an appointment with them, and there can be quite a waiting list, so worth contacting them sooner rather than later

good luck!

tinkerbell

I went to deStafford myself to look for my wedding dress and hated every minute in there. They do not make you feel like it is a special occasion - I just felt like I was on a conveyor belt, there's no privacy - they have 3 other brides in the shop at the same time, it is totally squashed and it's ridiculous. Even if I had seen a dress that I liked (I did not like anything there), I would not have bought there because they did not deserve my money. Maybe OP you'll have a nice experience there but I had a horrible experience and wouldn't recommend anyone go there.

lazygal

I would recommend the Bridal Outlet. I liked that there were other brides there while i tried dresses and i found the selection and prices the best by far. Also liked Town Bride but had a really negative experience in Ciara Bridal.

Clare Bear

I got my dress in Ciara Bridal but I don't think I'd recommend them either. The only reason I went with it is because it was the only bridal shop in Dublin that stocked my particular dream dress. Didn't find them the nicest to deal with. So much so that I'm collecting my dress earlier than planned and getting the final alterations done by someone else at an extra cost, I just want to be done with them.

My friend got her dress in the Bridal Outlet in Baldoyle and said they were lovely. She also got a dress for a brilliant price, definitely worth a look! Happy shopping!

saa

A little off topic but as you mentioned it why are you going to the RDS wedding show instead of the one in Citywest this weekend is it better? May go ton that one instead.

clint_silver

friend of mine opened a shop in blanchardstown last year. aim is to keep costs down. by appointment I believe so call first.

http://www.careybridal.com/

thumper10

saa wrote: »

A little off topic but as you mentioned it why are you going to the RDS wedding show instead of the one in Citywest this weekend is it better? May go ton that one instead.

just going to look into this, wasnt aware it was on till lately...thanks has anyone been there is it any good?? worth a trip??

Moonbeam

I got mine on Ciara bridal and found them lovely.
You need to go to the town bride even just for the experience.

Miss Fluff

I'm getting married in May and haven't even started looking :eek::) I think it will be fine though. How easy is it to buy a dress off the peg? Any recommendations as to where?

tinkerbell

Miss Fluff wrote: »

I'm getting married in May and haven't even started looking :eek::) I think it will be fine though. How easy is it to buy a dress off the peg? Any recommendations as to where?

Eh ..... Are you serious? You need to start looking NOW. Leaving it this late is a little crazy! You may not find anything you like off the peg!

Penny Dreadful

Miss Fluff wrote: »

I'm getting married in May and haven't even started looking :eek::) I think it will be fine though. How easy is it to buy a dress off the peg? Any recommendations as to where?

I got engaged in November and booked the wedding for June of this year. I was told by lots of places that I'd left it too late and that maybe, for a rush fee of an additional €250 they'd be able to sort me out.
I got really annoyed at this "Ryanair" approach and have decided to get my dress made instead. I met with the dress maker in the middle of December and she listend to what I didn't want and to what I "kinda" liked and came up with the most fantastic sketch and as soon as I looked at it I knew that that was my dress.
I met with her again on Tuesday evening of this week and she'll have the dress ready for me by April.
No hassles, no traipsing around the shops, getting scared and frustrated. Just a nice simple easy enjoyable experience.

Miss Fluff

Thanks Penny, we got engaged in November too. Congratulations! I actually spoke with a fashion designer about an hour ago. Have an idea of what I'd like so sending her on some pics and will take it from there. If you could PM me the name of yours too that would be wonderful! Thanks

Penny Dreadful

Miss Fluff wrote: »

Thanks Penny, we got engaged in November too. Congratulations! I actually spoke with a fashion designer about an hour ago. Have an idea of what I'd like so sending her on some pics and will take it from there. If you could PM me the name of yours too that would be wonderful! Thanks

Congratulations to you too. PM on its way

tatli_lokma

Miss Fluff wrote: »

I'm getting married in May and haven't even started looking :eek::) I think it will be fine though. How easy is it to buy a dress off the peg? Any recommendations as to where?

you are leaving it a bit tight, but its not impossible to get something. Most places don't hold stock of each dress in several sizes, they just have their sample. It can take 12-16 weeks for most places to get a standard dress (by this I mean, your well know labels, nothing out of the ordinary).
So you might just make it, provided you find something you like fairly quickly.

HOWEVER! there are some advantages to having a tight timeframe.

I too got married in May, and only got engaged in the previousDecember, so in Jan I started looking for a dress. By having a short time frame, I was more focused and decisive. Also, at this time of the year there are some great sales. I actually bought my dress on sale. It was originally €1800, but I bought the sample. The shop had it cleaned and tidied up (it was good as new already, but one or two little beads were loose so they sorted that, it was a bit unusual, so it hadn't been tried on a million times!), I got alterations inc in the price and it was €650.

So it does not have to be a total panic, but don't delay. Start making appointments soon, try on some stuff. Even if you end up getting a dress made, still try on dresses, because often the type of dress you think you want doesn't look good on, or you might try something you hadn't considered and love it. So its good to physically try some on so you can get a good idea of what really suits you.

Baldoyle are very good for 'off the peg' so to speak - its huge so they do have a stock of some dresses and because they buy in larger quantities they seem to get orders in in about 6-8 weeks most times, rather than 12-16 mths. They also do a great sale. My friend bought hers there, off the peg, again a sample, good as new and half the original price.

good luck!

Miss Fluff

Thank you Little Ted! What is the name of the place in Baldoyle?

tatli_lokma

very unromantically its called Baldoyle Bridal Outlet! but it is a good place to look - large stock, they will have some dresses in stock in several sizes and staff quite helpful.
As my mam always said, the price you pay often reflects the quality of the carpet you walk on not the quality of the goods! by this she meant if you go to grafton street or other expensive stores often you pay for their location and decor, not for what you buy. Baldoyle carry most of the big labels, so you often find they have the same dresses as a lot of other more upmarket places but cheaper.

Good luck and enjoy!

loveisdivine

Geez - Im not getting married till September NEXT year, and I have my first appointment to look at dresses next month!

Ha

Nasty_Girl

Miss Fluff wrote: »

I'm getting married in May and haven't even started looking :eek::) I think it will be fine though. How easy is it to buy a dress off the peg? Any recommendations as to where?

You can try Barnardos or Oxfam.

I bought my dress in Barnardos for 300 quid in 2008. I saw it on eBay for 1200 sterling but tbh I don't know how much it would've cost in reality.

It was worn in a fashion show or tried on in a shop so it had a bit of fake tan on it - it was never married though - but I did have to get it dry cleaned.
There's various pros and cons to doing it this way- I won't hijack the thread with it.

Admittedly it's not for everyone but you could take a look and if you didn't see anything for you you've lost nothing
You do need an appointment though.

McCloskey_A

I went to drogheda town this week, did 3 shops and have a dress picked, must say they were all lovely and very helpful, went to Edel Tuite designs, Ophelia Bridal and Frilly Frocks,
Bit nervous after picking a dress so quick - but think I could look for ever and still go back to this one!
Weddings in September and apparently I'm just in time to order. Crazy

deskgirl

Oh I have my appointments booked for Drogheda in a few weeks - can't wait Have heard good reports so glad you had a good experience and picked your dress!!

thumper10

only 2 weeks to wait now till i go shopping, was at the wedding fair yesterday in citywest, dreading shopping, fingers crossed it'll go well, baldoyle first port of call

Penny Dreadful

I went to the wedding fair in Citywest too and all I can say is bloody hell, it was such a cattle mart and the heavy sell was irritating beyond belief.
I only went to it because I thought I'd give one very "weddingy" thing a go and I was so so so glad that I had made decisions and booked so many things before hand.
The people at the stands (who have to make a living and pay for the stand and all that jazz, I know) are so full on that it would put me right off every buying anything from them.

thumper10

Penny Dreadful wrote: »

I went to the wedding fair in Citywest too and all I can say is bloody hell, it was such a cattle mart and the heavy sell was irritating beyond belief.
I only went to it because I thought I'd give one very "weddingy" thing a go and I was so so so glad that I had made decisions and booked so many things before hand.
The people at the stands (who have to make a living and pay for the stand and all that jazz, I know) are so full on that it would put me right off every buying anything from them.

TOTALLY AGREE, same as have a good few of the big things booked, was hard work there

Penny Dreadful

thumper10 wrote: »

TOTALLY AGREE, same as have a good few of the big things booked, was hard work there

Did get to try some nice cake though so wasn't all bad I suppose:D

clint_silver

The citywest one is VERY expensive for vendors so people who arent necessarily good sales people really feel they have to work hard to get their moneys worth and interested couples going round really get the brunt of it. I mean, everyone's nice, but they're hard selling at the same time when theyre not trained for it.

The RDS one is even pricier then the citywest one so expect the same.

BUYMEBUYMEBUYME