PROS:
1. Dragon Seed is quite possibly the most affordable store for wedding gowns in San Francisco.
2. Alterations are included with price of dresses!
3. Conveniently located.
4. Some veils are free for rent with purchase of dress. However, you can buy some really beautiful brand new ones on ebay for less than $5-$10. Just make sure they come with a comb and order them 1-2 months before your wedding because they often come from China and take a longer time to arrive.
5. Henriette, Angel and the other sales ladies are very nice.
6. There always seems to be a sale on the wedding gowns. It's never the price on the tag.
7. They also have a beautiful selection of ball gowns and Chinese dresses (cheongsams I think?) I won't be getting those but based on the reviews here, it seems that they are overpriced
CONS:
1. Thomas, Henriette's husband, although he means well, is a very loud and aggressive salesman. Be prepared for that.
2. My sister gave them a bridal dress to be altered a month ago. Since it wasn't from their store, they charge $100 for alterations, which isn't bad compared to other places in SF. They told her it would be ready the first week of July. But when she went to pick it up, they told her they forgot to give it to the seamstress and that it won't be ready until the end of July. Furthermore, they called her yesterday wanting to take her measurements because they are having trouble with the dress. This is the main reason I knocked off a star because that is a big deal. If the wedding was any sooner, it would have been a major problem.
3. I'm not big at all but I'm really curvy. They only have bras for A or B cup sizes because most of their clients are Asian.
4. Wedding shoes are expensive and they do not have a big selection of shoes in the store. They would have to order them.
5. The dressing rooms are very small.
6. Some of the dresses and wedding gowns especially are very old fashioned and dated.
7. You have to go back and forth a few times before they get the sizing right because it's not going to fit after the 1st or 2nd alteration. It's a good thing my wedding is still 4 months away and that I live so close to this place.
All in all I probably would give it 3.5 stars - for wedding dresses only. I'm not buying any other type of dress there so I can't base my review on that. It may go up or down half a star after I see how my dress looks and feels after the alterations are finally done. I know some people complained about the way the salespeople pressure you here. It doesn't really bother me that much because I'm used to Chinatown I guess. I grew up with it. It's just how their selling style is. I'm sure they have good intentions. They have been in business for a long time. The ladies are actually nice and soft spoken. I know most of the clients are Asian so I was surprised that they said they can alter my dress to be bigger in the bust and hips area. My dress was originally priced at $480. The sale was 30% off so it was $336 plus tax. The total was $364, including alterations and I can rent a veil for free a couple days before the wedding. You really can't beat that. I just have to wait and see how my dress will look and fit when it's ready. If you're getting married or have a special occasion in which you want a beautiful dress at a reasonable price, I highly recommend Dragon Seed. BUT you will definitely need to start a few months in advance so you won't stress out before the wedding. You can't take a risk and wait to buy the dress a month before the wedding. That being said they really do have a beautiful selection and the best prices for wedding dresses including free alterations. I'm the type of bride who wants to look GORGEOUS on my big day but for my budget I can't justify spending any more than $500-$600 including all alterations for a wedding dress. Dragon Seed is the only store that has met this expectation for me.
