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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Wedding Dress Shopping- Recommend Stores
One of my college roomates is engaged (YAY!). She has found 4 dresses that she likes in her home town @ Demitrios. However, she wants to come to Chicago to do some dress shopping, part serious and part tourist dress shopping.
What are your recommendations for bridal salons? I think she wants to do Macy's and House of Brides since those were places that we walked by when she was last in town. Thanks!
Re: Wedding Dress Shopping- Recommend Stores
I had a lousy experience at HOB and wouldn't recommend them to anyone. A good friend recently purchsaed her gown at Macy's bridal salon, and I also really like Weddings 826 on Armitage in Lincoln Park.
Have fun!
Wedding Date: January 16th, 2010
Cycle #5: BFP on June 14, 2011 -- Due Date: February 23, 2012 -- Born: February 26, 2012
Thanks! I was intrigued by Weddings 826 on Armitage and wanted to go to Macy's. So it is good to hear about those.
What did HOB do? Was it pricing? Customer service? Etc?
I went there to shop Watters BM gowns with a couple of my girls last fall. The service was decent until we expressed interest in a particular gown, then it became relentlessly high pressure. Both of my girls were upmeasured by what amounted to 2 dress sizes to force needless alterations, 100% of payment was required to place the order (usually a percentage deposit is the norm), HOB charged shipping to have the gowns shipped to their store (not to my BM's homes, which I would have undertood), and all of these numerous upcharges were tacked on at the register-- not discussed during the measurement and selection process.
The last straw was when one of my frineds, who wears a plus size, was told loudly and publicly at the counter that her dress would cost $20 more than the others. When she asked why the amount was different than what she'd been told when she was measured in the dressing room, she was told very loudly, at a counter stacked with customers, that it would take more fabric to cover her body. After I stopped the sale in disgust and my girls walked back to the car, I stayed behind to suggest to the salesperson we worked with that this sort of information should and could have been conveyed privately in the dressing room, not in front of a crowd of people at the register when my BM had her checkbook in her hand and felt shamed into paying more just to escape the embarassing situation. Naturally, she wasn't told this privately because that would have given her/us the time to make an informed deicsion, further question the measurements, etc. In the estimation of the saleperson, it was better to reveal this information when we had progressed past what she thought was the point of no return, thereby sureing up a sale.
I certainly understand the necesity of highger pricing on larger gowns (different pattern, more fabric, etc.), but the way HOB operated (keeping extra fees hidden until reaching the register, ordering sizes larger than necessary, charging for delivery to the store from the manufacturer, general tactlessness) was a huge turnoff. We ended up ordering the same Watters gowns online from Netbrides for almost $100 less each. The gowns were sent to my girls' homes with no shipping and no tax (because the site we ordered from has no presence in IL).
I believe that some or all of the brick and mortar HOB are independently owned, and all are separate from the onlline store. One HOB makes a regular habit of sending out anonymous emails to shop visitors who have entered their information in the computer log-in system when they arrived in the store. These letters claim that HOB's chief suburban competitors are in various states of financial disarray, bankruptcy is pending, and that their doors are all but closed. None of these claims are true, and I find the anonymous libel pretty shameful.
In general, I just prefer a smaller salon experience. That's what 826 and Macy's feel like to me; more personal service an still a good amount of stock. White Chicago is also pretty cool (a blend of new, sample, and consignment gowns).
Wedding Date: January 16th, 2010
Cycle #5: BFP on June 14, 2011 -- Due Date: February 23, 2012 -- Born: February 26, 2012
EEK!! I have heard of various stores that do the plus size dress thing to the point of actually refusing.
The whole email thing turns me off so much. I know wedding business is cut throat but that is just overly aggressive and preying on fears.
Thanks for the heads up. I think I will try to steer my friend away from there.
I?m sorry but I don?t know of any bridal stores in the city but I would stay clear of Eva?s Bridal. I was shopping at the Oak Lawn Location where I found my dress. My mom and aunt where in from out of town and I went into the shop to try on the dress and show them. I wanted reassurance that it was in fact the dress. The sales lady came back into the dressing room and asked if I was going to purchase the dress. I think I told her that I may be ordering it from a different location because of the price. The next thing I know she ripped the dress off of me and I was left standing in the dressing room in my bra and panties with the door wide open with a shop full of people to see me. In the end, I did end up ordering that dress by Maggie Soroto in Wisconsin where it was $300.00 cheaper than what it would have been closer to the city.
Good luck finding a dress with your friend and remember to have fun.
J born 4/11/2011
I was going to recommend Demetrios in the Streets of Woodfield since that's where I got my dress!
Stay away from HOB. I received absolutely horrid service there on 2 separate occasions (once as a BM for my bf's wedding and another as a bride with my mother looking for MoB gowns).
My bf got her amazing gown at Saran, which is now in downtown Park Ridge. We also got our BM dresses from them.
Another one of my bf's just recently got engaged and had nice things to say about VIP Occasions in Elmhurst.
One of my other friend's got her gown at Unique Bridal Boutique in Aurora.