Are Brides Still Using Wedding Dress Shops??

zameese32

Hi,
I am getting married and am starting to look around bridal shops in Dublin, most are in the city centre, i think this is a little inconvenient as i have to get a bus or pay mad money for parking. Are there any local ones outside the city centre in Dublin west.
What are they like? Are they friendly people to deal with etc, as am not sure at all what dress i want or what even suits me, don't want to be in a shop being pressured to buy something i don't want or like later on.
Do they offer payment in installments, or deposit and final payment kind of deal?
Is the bridal shops a dying trade, am i better to go online? I personally think the personal touch is best and i would like to be able to go into one bridal shop and get everything, my dress, shoes, accessories, and my bridemaids dresses etc. Is there such a type of 'one stop shop' if you like to call it that?

Thank you for everyone's input....

January

There's dress shops in the suburbs too. There's one in Huntstown D15.

zameese32

Hi
Do you know what its like, do you have to make an appointment, are staff friendly etc?

Gatica

I don't think bridal shops will be dying out anytime soon. Most women like to go into a shop, get the royal treatment and try on heaps of beautiful dresses and even try styles you'd never think would work. This is something you can't get online. Most shops I've been to have been professional about it and know that you're not there to make an immediate decision. Don't feel pressured to buy right away. I paid off my dress in instalments over more than a year.
Don't know of shops your part of the country though.

Cerulean Chicken

The Bridal Outlet in Baldoyle has plenty of free parking and is a great shop.

lollpop

Most shops are friendly, they are trying to sell you stuff after all.
You don't have to make a decision there and then so don't feel like you have to, just say you want some time to think about it if that's the case.
You do have to make an appointment in most shops as they only have limited numbers of fitting rooms. Usually they allocate you an hour for your appointment.

Personally I prefer buying in a shop than online because I found that the dresses that I loved online actually didn't suit me when I tried them on.

Penny Dreadful

I got my dress made.

I went to one wedding dress shop and although the people who worked there were very nice I just didn't like the type of dresses and although they kept telling me each one was different they all seemed the same to me i.e. stapless and I wanted something different.

I met with my dressmaker and we clicked straight away and I absolutley adore the dress she made for me.
Only sad that the wedding is over now and I can't wear it again.

homemadecider

Hi Penny,

Any chance you could PM me with details of who made your dress for you? Did it cost a bomb or was it good value?

Thanks!

Monife

+1 on The Bridal Outlet in Baldoyle.

Huge range to choose from. Majority of dresses are much cheaper than city centre shops because they don't have the overheads of a fancy store, they are based in an industrial estate but the inside of the shop is nice and has everything you need.

They sell shoes, although I didn't like any of the shoes (didn't really want your run of the mill wedding shoe). They sell jewellery and tiaras etc but they are quite expensive, those things would be better bought online.

Not entirely sure if they do bridesmaids dresses although when I was at one of my fittings I do remember bridesmaids in their dresses getting measurements and alterations etc done, although they might have brought their own to get altered.

You don't need to make an appointment but you can if you want to.

January

Quick question for anyone that has visited Baldoyle, did anyone notice any wedding dresses that were not white/ivory/champagne... Like purple/green/pink/red wedding dresses?

Monife

January wrote: »

Quick question for anyone that has visited Baldoyle, did anyone notice any wedding dresses that were not white/ivory/champagne... Like purple/green/pink/red wedding dresses?

It's over a year since I got married but I cannot recollect seeing any dresses in colours other than the traditional. I remember seeing a white dress with red in it.

Just had a quick look on their website and I saw a baby blue dress and a baby pink dress so they might have a few alternative dresses.

Cerulean Chicken

Most places won't have many wedding dresses in different colours to try on in store as there just wouldn't be the demand for them. If you ask a few different shops they would give you any advice/help they can. Bridal Outlet had no coloured wedding dresses when I was there, out of about 8 shops I went to I only saw one red dress, you'd probably be better off trying on the white ones for style/fit/etc and then possibly getting one made in the colour you want.

Vojera

If I remember right, when I picked my wedding dress all the samples were some variation of white, but a few of them could be made in different colours. If you're not into a white dress then mention it at the start so they can give you the best options. There are some bridesmaids dresses out there that would pass for a wedding dress too, so don't restrict yourself.

ABajaninCork

Hollywood Dreams do coloured wedding dresses as do Alfred Angelo.

TAPA2012

Penny Dreadful wrote: »

I got my dress made.

I went to one wedding dress shop and although the people who worked there were very nice I just didn't like the type of dresses and although they kept telling me each one was different they all seemed the same to me i.e. stapless and I wanted something different.

I met with my dressmaker and we clicked straight away and I absolutley adore the dress she made for me.
Only sad that the wedding is over now and I can't wear it again.

Hi Penny,

Could you PM on the details of your dressmaker please? I am looking for a dress and it seems impossible to get a nice winter dress with straps or sleeves!

beltzar

Hi TAPA2012

I used the below website. My dress was by far the "tamest" dress she has ever made.

The dress designer - Claire Garvey - is a regular in the features section of the Sunday Indo, The Guardian, the Metro etc.

Take a look at the website just to give you some ideas outside of the norm.

http://www.clairegarvey.com/#!__weddings

You'll have to paste in the link as it doesnt seem to link directly.

Good luck! And enjoy.