Wedding dress shopping: in store or online?

That’s why it’s a good idea to go to shops and try them on. David’s is known for cheaper-priced gowns: sometimes quality isn’t great. You can try boutique shops which are in most cities.

I think there are a few reputable online shops. I am lucky enough that I am close enough to Cocomelody's LA location so I was able to go and try their dresses on in person. I will say they are surprisingly good quality for the prices. Additionally, I did the Azazie try-at-home program and was impressed with their quality as well. I'll echo Pirate & 60s Bride though and recommend you go into a boutique to at least figure out what shape you like best on your body/get accurately measured if you'll be purchasing online.

I found a lot of the David's Bridal gowns were hit or miss. The quality on the designer gowns is incredible, but the David's Bridal line felt...a bit off. That being said, they have flexible timelines and can help you in a pinch. Plus they're reasonably priced with a major chain backing them. The customer service itself can be good if you go at the right time and to the right store, and they have plus size options for all body types. You can also return up to two weeks after, and exchanges up to your event date.


Online is hit or miss. I would go to a few salons, and don't rule out David's Bridal without going in. For me, I wanted to see the sample on me before I ordered. Other brides have had success with online though, so it's personal preference!

I got mine at David’s bridal. I agree with pp don’t rule out David’s until you actually go in. They do have many really pretty dresses. Here is mine. Online can be really risky if you do not actually try the dress on yourself. I would recommend going into shops to at least get an idea of style before going The online route.

View Quoted Comment I agree with this! I got my dress from DB and initially thought they weren’t going to have anything until I went looking around and realized they had better looking options than other Places in town while also being cheaper and having better payment plans. Dresses can look one way online , and even another way on the rack then look completely different on your body. It’s always best to just go inside and have an open mind! Hope this helps

View Quoted Comment This is a beautiful dress!! I also love the headband , and bouquet! My colors are also red & gold with navy as well.

View Quoted Comment I also found that dresses I wasn't so sure about online look way different in person. They looked so much more gorgeous and vibrant in person, mostly because the camera can't catch all of the stunning details in a few modeled shots. My dress I didn't really like from the pictures because it seemed too yellow, but seeing it in person I could see how gorgeous the color actually was.

Mine came from David's Bridal and I love. Many ladies got theirs online but I wanted to be sure how it fits. Plus I loved the fun of trying on dresses. You should at least try on to see which style is best for you.

I decided to have my wedding dress made exactly the way I wanted. My idea and my vision. It was a little expensive but this is what I wanted for me. Plus I was looking at the wedding dresses online and David's bridal they all were other people vision and I wanted my particular wedding dress for my wedding day. Best of luck💞

There are some good online sites, but don’t base your in store opinion strictly on David’s Bridal. Their dresses are subpar at best. Go to a real bridal boutique and try on some of their dresses before choosing to order online. There are a lot of really great wedding dress designers out there that you may love!

Just make sure you read the return policies before you order. I love the dresses from BHLDN and they have an easy return policy.

I looked everywhere including DB, bridal boutiques, reputable online stores, disreputable online stores and everywhere in between.


In the end, I had a literal checklist of features I wanted on my dress, and the only dress that ticked every box was from Etsy. The quality was great, but there were several differences (all fixable) between the actual dress and the stock photos, which is the main problem when you can't try before you buy. Still 100% worth it for the $$$.
Definitely the best shopping experience I had was with Azazie. I tried several of their sample gowns (they mail them to you) and was impressed with the quality, prices, and variety of styles.

In store. I've seen too many online purchases go way wrong

Both can be hit or miss. Quality and cost vary widely, no matter where you shop. I shopped both in person at a local bridal boutique as well as online and ended up purchasing my dress off of StillWhite (pre-owned dress buy/sell website where you buy dresses direct from other brides).

I live in a more rural area (about 2 hours from the nearest major city or airport) and there is only one bridal shop within an hour. I had been browsing online a lot, but made an appointment at the shop because I figured trying on dresses in person would give me a better idea of styles, colors, fabrics, etc. I'm so glad I went because it helped me narrow down my preferences a lot. For example, I loved long lace illusion sleeves when they were modeled by beautiful young skinny boho brides in online photos but on me they all looked really matronly, and one dress I tried on had a train and subtle beading all over and I could not stand the sound of the beads of the train scratching as I walked, so that made me more conscious of the materials I was considering.

The experience was also a lot of fun, and I'm really glad I didn't miss out on getting to prance around in pretty dresses and stand on a pedestal and feel all glam. Most of us everyday ladies probably have never had the experience of being "styled" or getting to try on so many expensive, beautiful designer dresses. I think the experience itself is worth it, even if you aren't thinking you'll walk away with a dress that day. Plus at a bridal store you'll get to try on veils which can really change the way a dress looks and how you feel, so I think going to a store just to figure out if you like veils or not can be worth it in itself.

I ended up getting my dress online (via StillWhite) and am so happy I did, but I really think trying on dresses in person made me more confident buying online. Buying online is a gamble, especially if you are custom ordering a dress, buying overseas, or buying from an individual and not a reputable, established business. I did a TON of research before buying a dress (the dress I bought was from a manufacturer that had a "real brides" section on their website, so I was able to see dozens of photos of the dress on women of different shapes, sizes, and colors to get a better idea of how it would look on me), asked many questions of the seller, and I got my dress at a good enough price that I was pretty sure I would have been able to resell it for the same price if I ended up not liking it. Even so, my dress ended up being not exactly as described (I could have probably filed a dispute and gotten my money back), but I was able to make it work and I'm super happy with my dress, especially at the price I paid. I know I wouldn't have been so sure of this dress if I hadn't tried on others first, so I'm definitely glad I didn't only shop online, because I think I'd still be second guessing myself (of note, I've currently purchased 3 pairs of bridal shoes online and am still searching for the right pair).

In the end, I feel like I got the bridal dress shopping experience but ended up with a dress I love that I never would have been able to get if I hadn't bought online - no stores within several hours of where I live carry that brand and new it would have been more than double my budget, but I ended up getting it at a fraction of the price.