David’s Bridal

I personally have had many mixed experiences with David’s Bridal, but this shop in Chicago was my best.
I brought 4 of my 5 bridesmaids to Chicago and we looked at dresses in Chicago.
The attendant let us try on tons of dresses and explained all of the different colors and fabrics.
In the end, we came out with beautiful and affordable dresses!

This is for my stylist: Alex was brilliant – friendly, knowledgeable, accommodating, and totally committed to helping me realize my vision. Very positive experience, request her if you can.

I’m kind of confused why so many users are upset that they had to wait or could not be seen without an appointment. It takes 30 seconds to schedule one online. Both times I made appointments there was no wait and I had a stylist working only with me and no other customers.
Eduardo is amazing. Simply the best. He pulled things for me I never would have considered but loved. He was so patient and honest throughout the whole process. He made it such a fun experience for my party.

This place gets quite the bad rep. I walked in one weekday afternoon, hopeful that someone could see me without an appointment. I was told I would get paired with a stylist who’s first name starts with an S. She was really quiet, pulled gowns that were on my favorites list on their website, and helped me try them on. She did not put much effort into giving me feedback, and kind of just stood there staring at my mom and I awkwardly. She did not offer to put veils on me (until I asked) or provided shapewear or accessories. At the end of our painfully awkward appointment (mama was PISSED!), she gave me her card and we walked out with low energy and hopes. I told myself this store was awful, and I would never be back.
Well I did go back. But I made an appointment this time and requested another stylist. I got paired up with Brad. Brad is the most amazing stylist sent from the heavens above. He is an angel, for real. I cannot rave about him enough. In fact, this review would be 5 stars if it wasn’t for my awful first experience. Brad listened to my needs, wants, and ideas. He pulled gowns that were not only my favorites but that he loved for me. He took time to understand what my vision was, and he was so nice to my mom despite the language barrier. Brad provided me with heels, veils, accessories and the proper shapewear so this time around the dresses looked AMAZING! He was patient, and gave great and funny feedback. He was also not pushy and very honest. Honestly, I wish I would have picked my gown from David’s because Brad gave me the total bridal experience.

PLEASE NOTE: This review is solely focused on the bridesmaid dress experience.
My best friend of 15 years is getting married this month and I was honored to be chosen as a bridesmaid for her upcoming wedding. As she was going through her list of dress shops, David’s Bridal (DB) came to mind. Per her request, I visited the Elston store back in January of 2016.
I’ve visited this DB at least 5 times (both weekdays and weekends) and it always appears to be busy regardless of the time of day. Parking is difficult. It’s located within an already crowded strip mall that sees a lot of customer traffic. I would exercise patience when fishing for a parking space.
They carry a huge array of designer wedding and bridesmaid dresses like Vera Wang, Oleg Cassini, and Zac Posen. They also stock newer lines like Melissa Sweet and their in house «Jewel» collection. They have everything you could possibly need from head to toe. It truly is a one stop shop for all your bridal apparel and accessories.
Customer service was great as long as you make an appointment. They will not take walk-​ins. I had Valerie as my consultant. She was cheery and professional. Most of all, she was upfront and honest about the ordering process. I learned from Valerie that there was a 17 week lead time for my dress to arrive in the shop. This didn’t include the extra time I would need to schedule in an alterations appointment. Looking ahead, I knew it would be cutting close to the wedding date (⁶⁄₁₁), but I went ahead and placed an order.
I received my dress in late May and it fit okay; not perfect. The top near the chest was perfectly snug but it was very loose on the sides around my waistline. I needed the dress to be taken in at least another inch and a half at the waist. This was unfortunate. I needed it to fit exact to my frame as everyone’s bodies are built differently. I looked into alterations but the alterations lady turned me down because there was simply not enough time to have the dress ready in under two weeks. Aargh! Valerie was quick to notice this inconvenience and suggested I go to my local tailor shop to have alterations work done.
The long lead time for dresses to arrive and the lack of a courtesy call was what brought this review down. While my dress may have had a longer wait time than normal because of the «special request color», I’m sure this kind of thing happens frequently. I didn’t get a follow up call from the shop to let me know that my dress arrived nor did they even offer one. I had to call the shop the week of the «estimated» (if anyone has ordered clothes for an event you know why that is in quotes) date of arrival to know if my order came in. (It had.) One can easily forget to call within 4 – 5 months. It would’ve been nice if DB offered a courtesy call at the very least.
I suggest you order your bridesmaid dress 6 – 7 months in advance if you decide to buy here. This should give you enough allowance to get your dress and have alterations done in house if necessary. If you plan on buying your wedding dress at DB, purchase at least 8 – 10 months in advance.
With regards shopping solely for bridesmaid dresses, affordability can be a hit or miss here. They have several discounted dresses (under $ 75.00) online to choose from. Of course, the problem with shopping for clothes online is the inability to try the garment on. What if you ordered the wrong size? What if it doesn’t fit right? What if there is not enough time to return the dress and reorder the correct size? You have no way of gauging fit, fabric, or cut from a photo so I opted to shop in store.
In the end, I found a bridesmaid dress in the color, fabric and cut the bride and I agreed on. The final cost, after taxes and discount, set me back $ 176.00 not including the alterations. Merp.

The dresses at this location look dirty on the rack not to mention the soles of the shoes look worn. I once had someone who worked here tell me that the employees let their friends borrow and return items here.

A very long story short, these girls go above and beyond. They have went out of their way repeatedly to make me happy. Susan & Cindy are the two managers I worked with the most. They are super sweet & worked with me until everything was just perfect. However everyone here is super nice, they know me by name when I walk in the door & it was a very warm atmosphere.
Thank you ladies for everything you have done. It’s appreciated!

I was hesitant to come to David’s Bridal after a less than great experience at the Austin, TX location (I’ll be writing that review next), but I liked a dress there and my bridal party primarily lives in Chicago.
Here is my tip to you: ask for Alexa. She is AMAZING. I swear, I want her to be my friend for real. She was so nice and went above and beyond.
The dress I had found in Austin didn’t even come close to how perfect and beautiful the dresses Alexa picked out for me were. She is the dress whisperer. I ended up with a lovely dress that I cannot wait to wear on my wedding day!
Alexa and everyone at David’s bridal went the extra mile to me get my dress shipped to Austin AND at an amazing price.
Another tip: make your appointment during the week if you can. It was nice and quiet during my appointment… until my bridal party and I showed up, that is. No, but for real, you will get all of the attention if you show up on non-​peak hours.

I had a great shopping experience with Brad! He was very patient and gave great, witty feedback. I didn’t feel pressured to buy but I managed to find «the dress» that day :)
My advice would be to find an early appointment time when the store is a bit more quiet.

All I can say is that Brad is a life saver, he heard me out on my horrible experience at the Schaumburg location.(Review below)
Brad and the assistant manager Susan helped me and apologized on behalf of the Schaumburg location. My experience was smooth and I happy with the customer service and quality of service that was given to me. If I recommend a David’s Bridal and location, it would be Elston location.
Thank you so much Brad and Susan, I forward so see you again soon when my dress arrives.

After inquiring several places around Chicago to find that this city’s idea of «budget» wedding dresses usually start around $ 2-​$ 3k, David’s Bridal was a no-​brainer. They’re a chain because it works for people. After reading other reviews, I decided to schedule an appointment online for a weekday morning that I had off from work, to try to ensure 1 on 1 stylist time and minimal crowds. One important note: there are no flower girl dresses at this location, you have to go to the suburbs. Some bridesmaid dresses, not a vast selection.
Shelley was available to work with me right away, and though I had saved several dresses I liked online ahead of time, it didn’t seem to have been reviewed before my appointment or make any difference to what was in stock at this location anyhow, so I went over my likes and dislikes with her quickly, as fortunately I had some solid ideas on what I was and wasn’t looking for, and had come alone this time to also eliminate well-​meaning friends and/​or family from being butthurt that I don’t care for the style they picked out. We discussed budget briefly, and went to the racks to choose several dresses to try on.
I ended up with six dresses to try, and eliminated two off the bat once I tried them on. Shelley was great in prepping and swapping out dresses, adjusting zips and clips, and taking photos for me to send to my MOH cross-​country. She even wrote down the styles of the dresses I liked so I can send the link online as well. Everything she showed me was within the budget I gave her, and we efficiently whipped through this whole process in about 45 minutes. I plan to make another appointment to return with my girls and help me narrow down my final choice, and will probably end up purchasing my wedding gown here. Brides on a budget can’t go wrong.

I never pictured that I’d by my wedding dress at David’s bridal. I had appointments set up at three small boutiques in the city and even thought I found «The Dress» why sipping champagne at a gold coast bridal salon. However the final stop of the day canceled– and my mom suggested David’s Bridal. Low and behold– I found my Dress. It had the layers of tulle in an non-​white shade (blush) that I was looking for– at a significantly easier on the wallet price point.
What really made David’s great was Todd the manager and the alterations department. Todd made us feel so welcome every time we came in– that I forgot my initial apprehensions. The customer service we received at David’s Bridal was far better than the higher end salons we visited.
Cindy in alterations was amazing! She made the fittings seem like they were flying by even when standing in heals in a warm (it was august) alterations department. When I bought my dress it fit perfectly– only a hem needed, but I ended up losing weight and needed to make the size 10 dress more of a 4 – 6. Taking the dress in was no challenge for Cindy and her team. The final product fit perfectly and no one could tell the dress needed such major alterations.
My experience was so positive I ended up selecting bridesmaid dresses from Davids that arrived faster than anyone expected.

Honestly, I thought I was going to hate the experience. First time I stepped in was a few years ago to pick up a bridesmaids dress. I wanted in and out.
Later, I decided that I was going to go in to just find out what shape dress would fit me, and then I was going to get my dress later at a different place (Etsy, ModCloth). I got paired with Eduardo, who was absolutely amazing. I gave him the lowdown of what I was looking for, and the type of person that I was, and he brought out a bunch of dresses. He was very calm, and after I tried on a dress and got the comments from my bridesmaids, Eduardo would help me back out of the dress in the changing room and just quietly ask me how I felt in it. When I thought about my wedding, what did I see myself walking down the aisle? What feelings came up when I thought about that day? He was really great, kept things calm, honest and very helpful suggestions.
So today, I went for my second appointment, and tried on a few more dresses and finally decided on one. Now, when you find your dress, you ring a bell. Last time I was there, I heard it and I kind of rolled my eyes. I’m not really the tear up type of gal. I approached this with a very businesslike fashion. Did I like this? Yes. If not, forget it– next dress.
So when I finally said yes to the dress, Eduardo went to get the bell. He put it in my hand, told me to think of my fiancé, make a wish, then ring the bell as hard as I could. I was ready to just ring the bell and have it done. So I closed my eyes, thought of my fiancé, and started crying. It honestly, was a pretty magical moment.
Thank you, Eduardo, helping in this experience, and helping a relatively laid-​back tomboy feel kind of princess-​y.

The whole experience over all was not great. I called before I came in and asked, since I knew the exact dress and had only one person with me, if I needed an appointment. I was told no and it would be no problem whatsoever because I would not need a stylist. Perfect. We didn’t know when exactly we could be there since there were two hair appointments we also had that day.
We got to David’s bridal and were asked to sign in and if we had an appointment. I told her no and she immediately got defensive saying we would need to leave. I told her what I had been told, that we could try on one dress and she said we could look but not touch anything until she asked her boss. WE COULD LOOK BUT NOT TOUCH. As if I’m a 5 year old in a museum. Shocked I said okay and went to find the dress. She sent another, equally pompous «stylist» to me who huffed and puffed about us not having an appointment. I pointed out the dress and she unlocked the door to a room and we didn’t see her again until we had it back on the hanger. She took it from my sister’s hand and up to the counter, as we were heading out she said «did you guys want to pay for this or what?»
No actually we don’t. If for some reason we decide on that dress I will gladly order online rather than step foot into that horrible store front one more time.

This was my sister’s 1^st wedding dress shopping experience and «I thank God» we had the experience of having Valerie work with us.
Valerie, was so accommodating towards all of my sister’s special needs. She was very warm and welcoming. By, the second dress my sister was in love.
Valerie pulled a dress that she knew would look good on my sister. She used her expertise in finding the perfect dress.
After consulting my sister on budget and my sister telling her she had a little wiggle room with the budget she used her instincts in pulling a dress that she almost didn’t, because of budget, but we were so grateful that she did. After my sister knew this was the dress of her dreams. Valerie went to tally the final cost and came back with great news.
«The dress turned out to be right under my sister’s budget price afterall!» Omg… I cried, my sister cried, and Valerie was ecstatic to deliver the news! Valerie, went over and above for us, and we appreciate it.
She was very warm, welcoming and she catered to every one of my sister’s needs. She helped my sister feel like a beautiful princess.
«I am truly grateful for her following her instincts.»
«Valerie is an asset to this company.»
It wasn’t my turn this time. But, I surely hope that when it is, Valerie is here to help me find my perfect dress too…

worst shopping experience! I went here twice with appointments each time and was made waiting without having help. Each time I had to wait and just started shopping on my own after 15 min waiting. I thought once I was holding all these dresses I picked on my own that I would get some help but I tried on and got my own dressing room.
Honestly I would just go here just to try on the dresses and get it online. I went each time when it was not busy and associates were just talking to each other on the side. never again, I learned my lesson twice.

My friend is getting married in May and she found the dress! The dress is beautiful and the price was right. The two star rating is due to the customer service. Here we go…
Our appointment was right at store opening (11:00am) on a Sunday. First of all even at opening there are a herd of women all pushing to get in the door. My first complaint was how disorganized it is. The front desk people did nothing to try to help form an orderly line. It was just a free for all shoving your way to the front… not good.
So we were finally assigned to our specialist. My friend had already did her research online and provided him with the selections she wanted to see. His attitude was great as long as what she wanted to see was at the store. I get it you work on commission, but this is my girls day and I could care less about your commission.
There was a dress we wanted to see and we had to practically beg him to check to see if it was at the Schaumburg location. It wasn’t like we were asking him to check a completely different store like Macy’s. We were just asking him to check a different location. I was disappointed we had to do most of the leg work and Google and make an appointment at the Schaumburg location.
In the end my friend ended up going with a dress at this location. Which made him happy abc he ran off rather quickly to help someone else.
Next we were passed off to alterations. She had a big talk with the bride about the ways they would alter the dress. Great! But then at the end she told the bride when the time comes to «remind» her of what they discussed cause she will have forgotten by then. Girl please should of been writing this down then. It’s your job!
I’m glad my friend ended up with a beautiful dress, but the service left a bad taste in my mouth. I would suggest future brides have selections in mind before coming and go with a good support team.

I had another great experience here with Brad – this time bridesmaid dress shopping. I brought my colors, we had a discussion on style and I showed him pictures of my favorites from the website. He brought a variety of lovely dresses near my bridesmaid’s sizes and clipped them to fit. We picked the style and color and he ordered them for us. Then he recorded the information of my missing bridesmaid so she could order hers. Easy and fun.

This was my first experience trying on dresses and it was amazing! They were friendly and the store was very clean and organized.
My consultant was Lori. She was so nice and extremely helpful and attentive. She was a great listener and not only pulled things I had picked but also some things similar and a few different things to try. Even though she was multitasking and had a few other customers, I never felt neglected. She really made me feel special and like a bride. THANK YOU LORI!!!

Long overdue review.
This store is super awkward, I was there in November trying on a bridesmaid dress and literally the woman showed me the dressing room and left me. I had to open the door and have my boyfriend help zip me up. Once this happened, we found a store associate (not the original woman who was «helping me») and she of course helped me by telling me to order up a size (she was right). Now, let’s talk about our original store associate for a moment. I come out of the dressing room and this woman has her coat on ready to clock out! Not only did we lose her for a good 20 minutes, but we learned it was time for her shift to end.
I returned to the store in February 2015 to get dress that I ordered, a man at the counter literally thought I was about to pay $ 180 for a dress that I hadn’t even tried on. He seemed shocked when I asked for a dressing room, I tried the dress on and it fit (woo!). I once again had to get assistance from someone who was not being paid to help me, my brother’s girlfriend. Because once again, store associates just disappear.
The dress was a little big so I called the store for alterations, when I tell you all, they NEVER answered. The phone just rang forever so I took my dress to Maria’s Alterations on Adams & Wabash.
2 stars because the dress fit and the store was clean.