Review: Dena Marie Bridal

I visited Dena Marie Bridal on a whim yesterday- Sunday. Maybe it wasn't such a whim as it was the fiance was watching the football game and I could go try on gowns without worrying about having junior in tow. (I can't imagine that would be easy- especially alone!) I took our son with once before to try on gowns- but I had help with me- he was still crawling all over the place and being a baby- which is what he is.



Since I visited on a Sunday- I called before I arrived to make sure I could get an appointment to try on wedding dresses. Getting in wasn't a problem- the fall is notorious for being the start of the slow season in the wedding world. Since Dena Marie is one of the few stores open on Sundays- that was also helpful. I think that since the majority of bridal salons are not open on Sundays- it is probably an overlooked day for brides to consider visiting. I basically had the run of the store.



The ladies working at the shop were all very nice and welcoming- and best of all- not pushy. Since it was slow I didn't have to compete for a mirror or a fitting room. The number and variety of dresses was great. This shop will tell you who the designers are- they don't cut out the tags and they let you see the catalogs for the dresses. So for example, when I wanted to see what the back of a dress looked like when it fit properly, the lady helping me found the picture in the catalog/magazine.



I have to admit- going alone to try on dresses was a bit.... intimidating? strange? different? I think I was concerned about being the bride without an entourage. I found that the staff was completely willing to help me regardless of how many people were in my party. I had imagined myself the sad, lonely bride with no one to be there with her. Ultimately, I found it was easier to go it alone.

I tried on nearly 20 gowns I'm sure. Dena Marie also had some different looks that I hadn't seen so far in my gown search. The dresses are not kept in plastic bags so it is easy to see what exactly you're trying on before you commit to taking a dress to the fitting room. (This happens to be the way my previous store displayed their gowns as well- on hangers but sans the plastic bags. Yes, plastic bags have the advantage of maintaining a clean dress, however- the chemicals from the bags can deteriorate the quality of the fabric- so there is a down side to them.)

The woman who was assisting me was affirming of my own opinions without being over the top. This meaning, I never felt like she was saying things or telling me things because it was what I wanted to hear. She contributed her opinion in a fair and just way. While working with her- I should just say her name is Barb- she made suggestions based on the things I had tried and liked and in a few instances provided affirmation before I made it to the mirror. We were very in line with our thinking- which was great. It made the shopping experience fun- even alone. I forgot about being alone- and it also made me think about what my genuine opinion of the dresses were without other voices in my head.

In the end, I thanked Barb for being so nice to me- even though I was there alone- saying that she thinks it's easier. I would have to agree. ]

I look forward to returning to Dena Marie Bridal for a second look at what I've picked out so far.

After my visit- I received an e-mail the very same afternoon from Barb. It was a nice short note thanking me for visiting and offering to answer any questions about anything or vendor information and feedback if I need. I'm very grateful for this because there are SO MANY vendors out there to choose from! And as I mentioned in my initial posting- I'm fairly skeptical about the online opinions out there- how do you know if it's a legitimate client versus a competing store/ vendor?