By Susan Breitkopf
Special to washingtonpost.com
Tuesday, July 27, 1999
 Dress on left from Valentino's of Georgetown; two on right, courtesy of David's Bridal. (Montage by Troy Witcher/washingtonpost.com) |
Some women look for a wedding gown long before they look for a husband, deciding at an early age on the perfect style and fabric. But for most women, the quest begins while they are also trying to cope with invitation lists, caterers, future in-laws and everything else. Brides can use all the help they can get – which is why a good sales associate is an important element of the search.
Other important factors are the size of a store's selection, its price range and the alterations it is willing to make. But perhaps the key requirement is knowing what you want and can afford and where it's available. Following, then, is a survey of Washington-area bridal shops, written by a bride-to-be and organized by what might fit your budget as well as your tastes. There are several other area bridal shops that you can visit, so ask friends or colleagues whose opinions you respect for their suggestions.
DAVID'S BRIDAL
With four area locations, David's is a good option for those looking for an attractive dress at a reasonable price. The staff is helpful and congenial and the selection fairly good. The dresses are mostly off the rack, however, and alterations are priced according to task – $25 for a bustle, $5 for each additional loop to hold the bustle in place. You should be prepared to be happy with a dress largely as it is, because alterations are limited mostly to hemming and bustling.
Price Range:
$199-$999. Appointments: Walk-ins welcome. Major Designers:
Private label, Gloria Vanderbilt, Oleg Cassini. Number of Dresses:
Sizes 4-16, 40-50 styles; sizes 18-26, 25-30 styles. Alterations:
$30-$80, priced per task. Accessories/Bridal Party Needs: Bridesmaid
dresses, mother-of-the-bride dresses, shoes, accessories. Discounts:
None.
Addresses : 11550-A Rockville Pike, Rockville 20852 (301/881-1112);
6320 Ritchie Hwy., Glen Burnie 21061 (410/789-7308); 7273 Commerce St.,
Springfield 22150 (703/912-7701); Potomac Festival I, 14403 Potomac Mills
Rd., Woodbridge 22192 (703/490-8940).
DEEDEE'S BRIDAL
DeeDee's has a small
selection, but prices are reasonable and the staff fairly helpful, if
not entirely attentive. I picked through the selection, chose a few gowns
and dressed myself; whereas in the other stores the associate helped me
through these steps. The nice thing about DeeDee's is that it's willing
to change the basic style of a dress – such as a neckline or sleeves
– to your liking. This is not an option at other lower-end shops
that I visited.
Price Range:
$400-$700. Appointments: Walk-ins welcome. Major Designers:
Alfred Angelo, Mon Cheri, Moonlight. Number of Dresses: 100. Alterations:
$30-$50, $100 for major changes. Accessories/Bridal Party Needs:
Bridesmaid dresses, mother-of-the-bride dresses, shoes, accessories, tuxedo
(rental). Discounts: 10 percent on five or more bridesmaid dresses.
Address: 124 Maple Ave. West, Vienna 22180 (703/255-6123).
 Courtesy of David's Bridal. |
LADY HAMILTON
Located in a shopping center in Arlington, Lady Hamilton has a good selection of moderately priced dresses. My sales associate escorted me into a room full of dresses, pointing out some that she liked and encouraging me to try gowns that appealed to me. While Lady Hamilton is generally a low-key place, and the sales associate I worked with was helpful, at times she pushed her own opinion; but I stood my ground and was shown the dress types I wanted.
Price Range:
$800-$2,000. Appointments: Recommended on weekends. Major Designers:
Paloma Blanca, Marisa, Madison, Lady Hamilton originals. Number of
Dresses: 200 Alterations: $100-$200, more for major changes
Accessories/Bridal Party Needs: Bridesmaid dresses, mother-of-the-bride
dresses, shoes, accessories, tuxedo (sale/rental). Discounts: 20
percent discount on bridesmaid dresses if bridal gown purchased there;
10 percent off some sample dresses.
Address: 2405 Columbia Pike, Arlington 22204 (703/521-0990).
VALENTINO OF GEORGETOWN
This small, intimate
store, not far from the Key Bridge in Georgetown, has high-quality gowns
at surprisingly reasonable prices. This is partially because the owner
designs many of the dresses herself. While the selection is not huge,
the staff is flexible, and you can essentially redesign many of the gowns.
While I was there, a bride, who had transformed a simple tank-top style
gown into a much more ornate piece with red silk roses and tulle around
the neckline, beamed as she modeled her dress. Most aspects of the dresses
can be altered, and the staff is helpful in letting you know your options.
Price Range:
$1,000-$3,500. Appointments: Required. Major Designers:
Robert Legere, Ines Disanto, Nancy Issler, Wearkstatt, Valentino originals.
Number of Dresses: 50. Alterations: Prices vary by dress.
Accessories/Bridal Party Needs: Bridesmaid dresses, mother-of-the-bride
dresses, shoes, accessories, tuxedo (rental). Discounts: 10 percent
if seven or more bridesmaid dresses purchased there or on five or more
bridesmaid dresses if bride purchases dress there.
Address: 3338 M St. NW, Washington 20007 (202/337-3600).
CLAIRE DRATCH
While salespeople at this boutique's expensive women's clothing section can at times be stand-offish, the bridal staff was more pleasant. Nonetheless, the associate helping me needed better listening skills: She kept bringing me different dresses from those I described. If you want a simple gown with a slim silhouette, Claire Dratch's is probably not the place to go; it seems to focus on dresses with lots of beading and big skirts. The small bridal salon was also a more chaotic place than others I visited, with difficulty finding a dressing room and dresses and brides-to-be everywhere.
Price Range:
$900-$10,000. Appointments: Required weekends. Major Designers:
Badgley Mischka, Jim Hjelm, Janell Berté, Richard Glasgow. Number of
Dresses: 200. Alterations: $200 and up. Accessories/Bridal
Party Needs: Bridesmaid dresses, mother-of-the-bride dresses, shoes,
accessories. Discounts: None.
Address: 7615 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda 20814 (301/656-8000).
HANNELORE'S
I have to admit I
was initially put off by Hannelore, the near-mythic Old Town Alexandria
bridal salon. The receptionist was less than welcoming, making me wait
while another woman who had missed her appointment was helped. I was also
not initially thrilled with my associate, who showed me rack after rack
of dresses I wasn't interested in. But Hannelore has a large selection
of dresses and styles to suit most tastes as well as an entire bridesmaid
department that has its own staff. There is also a tuxedo department.
Price Range:
$1,000-$9,000. Appointments: Required weekends. Major Designers:
Richard Glasgow, Amsale, Christos, Yumi Katsura. Number of Dresses:
400. Alterations: $200-$250 (basic alterations). Accessories/Bridal
Party Needs: Bridesmaid dresses, shoes, accessories, tuxedos (rental/sale).
Discounts: None.
Address: 423 King St., Alexandria 22314 (703/549-0387).
RIZIK BROS. INC.
Rizik Bros. was one
of my more pleasant experiences. As soon as I arrived, my sales associate
asked me what I was looking for and quickly disappeared while I changed,
reappearing with a wonderful selection of dresses. The first gown I tried
on was stunning. She urged me to try a dress that was not what I had described
to get a better sense of what I wanted. She was right. After slipping
in and out of half a dozen dresses, I was even more confident that the
first one was the right one.
Price Range:
$1,500-$5,000. Appointments: Required. Major Designers:
Carolina Herrera, Christos, Peter Lagner, Amsale. Number of Dresses:
75-150. Alterations: $250-$300 for bustle, train and standard alterations.
Accessories/Bridal Party Needs: Bridesmaid dresses, mother-of-the-bride
dresses, accessories. Discounts: 10 percent off for six or more
bridesmaid dresses or 10 percent off bridesmaid dresses if bridal gown
purchased there.
Address: 1100 Connecticut Ave., Washington 20036 (202/223-4050).
VERA WANG BRIDAL BOUTIQUE
You might expect the
staff at Vera Wang, one of the biggest names in bridal gown design, to
be snooty, but they were considerate, focused and efficient, if somewhat
hurried. And while the shop will make certain alterations to the dresses,
like widening spaghetti straps, it is unwilling to make changes that significantly
alter the style of less-expensive dresses; with the pricier couture collection,
though, brides can change many aspects of the gown.
Price Range:
$1,975-$2,400; $6,400 and up for couture collection. Appointments:
Required. Major Designer: Vera Wang. Number of Dresses:
25-50. Alterations: Approximately $350. Accessories/Bridal Party
Needs: Bridesmaid dresses, mother-of-the-bride dresses, accessories,
shoes. Discounts: None.
Address: 2522 Virginia Ave. NW, Washington 20037 (202/337-4201).
Back to the top