David's Bridal sucks I guess..

[Seshat]

Seriously consider going to a fabric store and asking the staff there if they know any good dressmakers who do contract work.

The best fabric stores for such a request are the ones who hire staff who themselves sew. Especially look for ones where the staff wear unique clothing that fits perfectly, even if the clothes they wear aren't fashionable in style or colour. Those are the staff who know their product and know their customers - and may have a lot of trouble with new-fangled tills.

[Ree]

I spent my wedding day in an ill-fitting bra and it was pure hell.
The moment I was able to get that thing off and put on my going away clothes, I was so relieved.

I threw the bra away that very night.

Wedding days are stressful enough without having a bra and shoes that don't fit.
That clerk was just too lazy and the poor girl needs to go somewhere else.

I am not familiar with that company, as I think it's an American one, but I have read more than a few horror stories on the internet.

There must be some happy customers though, or they wouldn't stay in business.

[blas]

There are commercials for David's Bridal, and they advertise some really good prices at times. I guess it just depends on which David's Bridal you go to.

[Boudica]

DB is just awful. My sister got married last Dec and my orginial bridesmaid's dress didn't come in time. Being the only bridesmaid, and living out of state she told to just pick a dress. It was the week before the wedding and she didn't care what it looked like as I liked it and it wasn't black. Note that I am a size 12 on a fat day, usually a size 10. The girl at DB REFUSED to show my anything smaller than an 18 or 20. She even brought me a size 22, because anything else would be "too tight", take her word for it. And she actually switched several dress I I had picked up in the right size for larger ones when she set up a fitting room. Of course, the salesperson suggested rush tailoring for almost $150 extra.

Sorry for the long rant, I just don't get how they think they are going to make a sale by pushing larger sizes on women.

[Imogene]

I threw the bra away that very night.

Um... isn't that the point on your wedding night?

I think my sister in law bought her gown through David's, but I'm not sure. I was never privy to that part of the preparations. She's feisty, for lack of a better word, and would've laid right into anyone who told her to buy bigger and then alter it down. She would've been tearing chunks of skin away with every verbal barb, and she hates to spend more than she has to.

[Ree]

Um... isn't that the point on your wedding night?

Too funny!!!

I just got coffee up my nose. (Yeah, I was breaking the first rule of CS, but what the heck.)

[blas]

Wow, they sure must get a lot of unhappy customers by making women feel fat and forcing much larger sizes on women. Do they have to have education in clothing to work there, or can any girl off the street who thinks she can tell a girl's size just by looking at her get a job there?

[digilight]

I second finding a privat seamstress to make the dress. My MIL used to know these ladies who were wizards with a sewing machine. My wife bought her dress at an outlet store and they did all the alterations on it (quite cheaply I may add) and it turned out great. They don't speak great english so luckily she knew enough spanish from managing pizza joints for years (she had several cooks who spook almost only spanish and learned to communicate quite well with them).

If I remember right the dress was about 100 bucks and the alterations where around 75-100 or so.

Ask around at fabric stores, and other such places. Its always word of mouth.