I knew David's Bridal was one of those ""affordable chain store"" type places, and that they had a big selection, so I wanted to give it a try. I had a great experience at the Clackamas store. The staff were superstars... so helpful and patient. I walked in thinking I had a clear picture of THE dress for me... but then changed my mind to a different style midway through as I saw the dresses actually on me instead of on the hanger. (I didn't get any flak for changing my mind and they agreed that sometimes you have to see the dress ON to know if the style 'works' for you!) The salesgirl (Lauren) gave me honest opinions of which dresses looked good on me and which were not as flattering. She didn't seem to be trying to 'sell sell sell!' which actually sells better than a pushy salesperson. Another salesperson, Sharon, who rang up my items was equally nice and helpful. (I had made an appointment- which is I think required at least on busy days.) To have a positive experience- you need to go in with the right mindset: This is not an exclusive high-end salon that sells couture gowns, so you can't expect 100% individualized attention and being catered to exclusively... they are selling way more dresses to way more people than an expensive couture salon to have time to offer one-on-one service... but then again, you are not paying upwards of $1500 to $4000 or more for a gown here, and the dresses are not custom made to order- they are mass produced. That is the tradeoff. The most you can expect is to be treated nicely and courteously, and to have them bring you some dresses to try on, and I totally think you will get that if you are polite, not demanding, and not high-maintenance. The gowns I saw and tried on ranged from $399 to $1100. If a dress had a lace-up back, the salesgirl helped me, but if it had a simple zip back, I got into it myself. I got an awesome beautiful dress for $599, which was an excellent price for a bridal gown, and helpful friendly service. What a deal.
Pros: Friendly helpful sales staff, lots of dresses, affordable
Cons: Alterations expensive - find someone else or do it yourself
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