David's Bridal Syracuse NY — Attraction in Town of De Witt

I took my 3 bridesmaids to the Erie Blvd location on May 25th, for my wedding in September. Sonia (sp),the store manager, was our stylist. The girls, quite quickly, found dresses they liked, all flattering their body types, and all for around $120 a piece; bonus! Each ordered, based on Sonia's size recommendations. We set their alterations appointment before leaving.

All the dresses came in, ahead of schedule. Day of fitting came around on June 29th. First girl needed only a steam, as the dress fit perfectly. Second needed a slight hem and shoulders taken up. Cost for the needed adjustments was reasonable. Third dress is where it all fell apart. It was recommended she upsize 2 sizes; it was huge, everywhere. From the length, to the straps, to the width, to the arm holes! And the cost for all that? Over $200! In the hustle and bustle of them needing us to be done so they could tend to their next appointment(s), each girl paid and we went on our way.

I called the next day, spoke to Sonia again, expressing how that just didn't seem right. Alterations cost more than the dress, because the wrong size was ordered. She looked over the measurements, called me back, called my bridesmaid, and she immediately went in for a reorder of the correct size. Assuring her that once the new dress arrived, she'd only have to pay for (most likely) the hem and would be refunded the difference. The reorder was set to arrive the week before the wedding, and they'd make sure the alterations were done in time.

The dress actually arrived 3 weeks early, and they got her in for an appointment right away. As predicted, this dress only needed a hem! Projected completion date was the day before the wedding. Absolutely not, that's too close for anyone's comfort. They then said it'd be $30 extra to do it sooner. Mind you, she'd already paid $213, and they conveniently had forgotten they'd be owing HER money.

During the back and forth, Sonia told the associates in back that she "wasn't dealing with it today" (while on speaker, in front of my bridesmaid), and they were honoring the balance due back to her (even though it'll have to come from corporate since she paid cash).

While everything is working out, all the dresses will be ready in time, and 2 out of 3 dresses were nearly perfect, the debacle with the third and how my girl had to endure Sonia's attitude, is giving my whole experience with them a negative vibe.

I wanted the best for all my girls. I want the best for every bride or bridesmaid that steps foot in there. Those that work there, that's literally your job. Having a store manager say "they're not dealing with it" in ear shot of any customer, is not okay. You made it right, but I'd not recommend this...

A very disappointing experience and the two stars are for solely the bridal consultant we worked with. I've been to a different David's Bridal in a different state and had an excellent experience. Unfortunately this location is the exact opposite. The woman at the front desk was short, rude, and had a major attitude from the moment we came in. She was angry with me for not knowing my bridal dress size off the top of my head and it was obvious they weren't listening to much of what I was saying. I had to repeat myself like three times that I had ONE bridesmaid with me and that I already knew the dresses and colors I wanted to see her in. (They still managed to change the color of the dress on me and the woman was grumbling to herself about how I had changed the color. If you had listened to me the multiple times I said the color and shown pictures you would have had it right from the start, but that was clearly asking too much.) I came in to try on wedding dresses followed by a bridesmaid appointment. The consultant working with us was the only friendly employee, but she wouldn't pull any dresses that were smaller than our dress sizes. This was a bizarre choice that I haven't experienced anywhere else when dress shopping. It led to trying on some dresses that were comically too big (like 4 sizes too big) with no clue of what they would actually look like in the right size. I ended up finding the dress my bridesmaid went with because I was willing to pull a dress that was a size too small. This is the only critique I have for the consultant though. Otherwise she was pleasant to talk to and the only person who seemed like she enjoyed her job at all. I kinda hope she can refine her skills and find a better bridal store to work for. The rest of the staff were terrible to speak to. When we came in the woman who greeted us was throwing a fit about how busy they are so we need to be in and out. There was only one other customer in the building the whole hour we were there and they had like 4 or 5 employees already there. In no way were they busy. Their rushing and terrible attitude led to some of the worst customer service I've experienced. If they would simply calm down and take a couple seconds to listen the amount of miscommunication that happened would have been avoided. I'm so glad I didn't end up going with this company for a wedding dress. Very disappointing experience and I left wishing I had gone with the Albany...

I managed to snag one of the first appointments of the store being open following the pandemic. Here is what stood out:

Visits are currently by appointment only.

You're not allowed to "wander around touching all the dresses" (yes, this is exactly what I was told), so you should have an idea of what you would like to look at or try on.

Utilize your favorites list in your online profile. You're allowed to try on 5 gowns during your appointment. The assistant will email you a list of the ones you liked.

Be on-time. It's important to be prompt, but also consider that this is a business and employees need to take their required breaks. My assistant was 20 minutes late due to her lunch break, but she was very good about extending our time to accommodate the difference.

You get one hour. Make the most of it. Bring a list of questions, have a good idea of features you are looking for, and bring a camera.

Take a picture of all the tags to items you like. Look online for deals on the website once you're finished. In-store prices differ, and the stores do not have to honor the prices listed online. The online prices are usually discounted. Sometimes they're even half the price of those in the store.

Be prepared to sweat. The store is climate controlled, but the gowns are heavy and the material doesn't breathe. You're trying on five gowns rapidly and you're going to sweat.

The gowns are beautiful! They're also dirty. Some are very dirty. They've been tried on by many people, be aware of that when you're putting it on your body. If you find one you love, they will order a brand new one for you, so don't worry about imperfections in the sample ones you're trying on.

You can bring two people with you. Make sure one of them is someone you're comfortable with assisting you in the changing room. The associate working with you is not allowed to go in with you at this time.

The gowns you're trying on will be steam cleaned once you leave, or so I'm told.

Try to enjoy yourself. This is an adventure, and it is exciting! Don't let any setbacks or detours stand in your way of making beautiful memories. Congratulations on...