Bridal shops in Derbyshire & Nottingham, good/bad? Places to Avoid?

jo132000

Dear all,

A friend of mine is getting married next year and is looking for places to shop in Derbyshire/Nottinghamshire I thought I would ask you all for advice as guidence is always greatfully recieved so I can pass it along!

Have you been treatly badly by any shops? Any places to avoid? Any outstanding service from an assistant or a shop?

Thanks for any help!!
:A

rlm_3

We live in Burton-on-Trent, techinally in Staffordshire but not far from the Derbyshire border. When I first got engaged (in December) I went to Me & Mrs Jones in Burton first of all. I went on my own because we don't live near friends and family and I was too exited to wait until someone could come with me (plus that way I got to suss out what I liked before eveyone else got involved). We hadn't set a date by that point either.

They had some lovely dresses but I didn't find them to be massively friendly or helpful. This may be because I was on my own and hadn't set a date but, still, it didn't make me want to go back.

I then went to Alison Evans Bridalwear in Swadlincote. The shop wasn't as posh but the women there were really friendly. Again I was on my own and hadn't set a date but they were very accommodating. They showed me the samples that were on sale first. I wasn't sure whether this was because I looked like I wouldn't be spending much on a dress or just because they wanted to help me save money where possible. I took it to mean the latter My appointment was at 4 p.m. but they didn't rush me just so they could close on time. In fact the lady who was looking after me was supposed to be going to see her MIL but was happy to stay and help (saying it was the perfect excuse not to have to go and see her!).

I ended up ordering my dress from Alison Evans and it came in £240 under the £1000 budget my mum and dad set me (I know, I know, not very money saving). The price range for their dresses seemed more reasonable than some of the other shops I went to (visited some back home in Cheshire too). I also liked the fact that they stocked dresses from some companies that I hadn't seen in other shops. E.g., my dress is by 'White One' from the Pronovias group and was one of only two dresses I tried on that didn't have any crystals, beads or other embellishments on - I'm not a sparkly person.

Whew! That ended up longer that intended. Hope it it useful anyway.

Edited to say: Alsion Evans were also happy to write down the names/number of the dresses I liked to take away with me, whereas Me & Mrs Jones just made a note of it in their book, making it more difficult for me to go and find the same dress cheaper elsewhere.

kettlefish

Hello
I know the feeling of not being able to wait! After trekking round pretty much every bridal shop I would highly recommend the service at The Wedding House in Alvaston, Derby. They were really helpful and kept a good range of dresses. Even managed to be nice to me too (I have struggled a bit with shops not taking me seriously as I'm only 20 and probably look even younger... hey ho!!) Alison Evans was also lovely and took plenty of time to find out my likes/dislikes - nice warm changing room too! Both are out of town so ok for parking the car. That said, I ended up getting my dress from Pearl Boutique in the Westfield Center in Derby... although it was much cheaper than most, it is classed as a white ballgown - I do look unmistakably bridal in it though! So give those three a go and good luck xxx

freebiequennie

If you are prepared to travel as far down as j21a of the m1 to leicestershire then bradgate brides in anstey is fab they have new dresses but also a dress agency there as well.

i got my dress from them 3yrs ago when they were in newtown linford (nr j22) and the shop was no bigger than most peoples lounge.

they are not expensive either with new dresses from £500.

mine was an ex-sample and was only tried on twice (once by me) and was £900 new in sale at about £500 and she let me have it for £350!!

kettlefish

Forgot to mention St Giles' Hospice Shop on Midland Road in Swadlincote - only a couple of minutes from Alison Evans and most of the dresses are sample stock from local bridal shops at a fraction of the price!