I visited Say Yes for Less recently with my mom to shop for a wedding gown. The store is tucked away in an office building and a little difficult to find, but the interior of the store itself was well-designed and maintained. We were greeted by an associate shortly after arriving, who was friendly and unassuming. Dresses were displayed on racks in bags, so they were often difficult to get a good idea of prior to taking out and trying on. After going through some of the dresses, the owner, Pamela, stepped out and introduced herself. She was friendly and got right down to what I was looking for. She knew I had an incredibly ambitious budget and offered to cut her prices to somewhere in the middle of our price points if we found something we loved. Off to a great start!
At the time, I was still looking to figure out what kind of cut, etc. I wanted, but knew that I wanted a more traditional white or ivory, nothing form-fitting, and minimal bling. I pulled a few gowns I was interested in and Pamela also pulled some she thought would work. We had probably 5-6 total and started trying them on in the spacious dressing room, with both the associate and Pamela helping me into the dresses. We tried a few and nothing was really hitting me.
Pamela made quite a few comments on my figure (I've been overweight my whole life and lost 50 lbs in the not-too-distant past; I'm still very self-conscious of my body and still learning how it's changed and so on) and how I should want to show it off and how cute it was (genuine or an attempt to make me feel good in a gown and buy it? Who knows.). One gown was quite fitted and while it looked nice, it just wasn't me. Pamela insisted it was a great look for me and seemed reluctant to move onto something else, having me look in different lighting (in front of a group of other women at a table -- I'm not sure what they were doing and while it was flattering that they seemed to have a positive opinion of the dress, it was also a little violating to have these strangers involved in the process), with a veil, and with a few other adjustments.
When we finally moved onto something else, Pamela's enthusiasm had dropped significantly and she let her frustration with me show, albeit in a sugarcoated way. Ultimately she suggested I go to Fairytale Brides on a Shoestring nearby (she emphasized "on a Shoestring," seemingly with a bit of judgment though I'd acknowledged my budget was incredibly ambitious and I was flexible for the right dress).
The final few dresses still didn't feel quite right to me and, by the end, Pamela had disappeared abruptly. We were not offered a chance to look through other gowns and were essentially showed the door. The associate seemed a little embarrassed/chastised or something and we left. It took a bit for the whole experience to sink in, but by the time we got to lunch, I was in tears.
Overall, we got the sense that Pamela had a specific vision in mind and acted as if her vision was superior to what I knew I wanted and didn't want. While I was willing to try different things because I don't consider myself to be very knowledgeable about styling (let alone wedding gown styling), it was humiliating to have my feelings and opinions dismissed when I felt certain whatever wasn't working for me or I felt uncomfortable. I'm amazed I got out without being pressured into something I didn't want.
And frankly, while the gowns are discounted, I wouldn't necessarily agree that they are discounted to the extent the marketing suggests. Gowns at Say Yes for Less's price points are available (particularly as samples) at many other locations, including David's Bridal (which Pamela bashed via asking about my experience there, noting that she understood them to be "outdated" -- irrelevant, in my opinion, as we all have our own styles and some of us don't necessarily want the latest but a classic).
Two stars is generous. read more