Where to "Say Yes To the Dress!" (Bridal Boutiques in Dallas, Houston and Orange County)
Photo by Alex Blair (taken in Summer 2020)
I’ve been watching “Say Yes To The Dress” ever since I was little so naturally I thought I would find my dream wedding dress almost instantly…and boy was I wrong. In addition to being indecisive and going through numerous black holes looking at dress pics and videos on Instagram, I spent SO much time trying to find the perfect bridal look. When trying to find places to go dress shopping, I spent a majority of time Googling different boutiques and hoping for the best, so I wanted to put together a guide of where I went to hopefully save some other brides time from the endless Google search!
DALLAS, TX
Bridal Boutique of Lewisville (Lewisville, TX)
This was the first shop we went to and they had great price points and a variety of gowns. They are one of the locations in Texas that carries Berta dresses, so they had everything from simple to super glam. Danielle helped me and did such a great job! I would recommend trying on every kind of silhouette during your first appointment to see what you look and feel your best in.
Stanley Korshak (Uptown)
If you’re looking for Galia Lahav or other well-known designers, Stanley Korshak Bridal Salon is the place for you. They had a few trunk shows going on too, but overall the dresses were pretty pricey, which is to be expected because they were all fabulous! They had a main showroom with separate dressing areas so definitely make your appointment ahead of time.
Lulu’s Bridal (Design District)
This is great for brides on a budget because all of their gowns are $3,000 and under. They had a really awesome variety of dresses for all price points, body types, heights, etc. They’re located in the Dallas Design District so they had a huge warehouse that was organized by designer.
Neiman Marcus (Downtown Dallas)
I wanted to go to Neimans because, well…it’s ICONIC! It was definitely a VIP experience with champagne and fabulous robes. They had about two rooms full of dresses and more in the back that the stylist pulled from. The dresses scaled to be a little more on the classic and minimal side.
Patsy’s Bridal Boutique (Knox Henderson)
First off, the location right off of 75 was amazing! Haley was SO helpful and they had a variety of dresses and wedding accessories. This location was referred to me by several people and I know why! The customer service was great and they also had a wide range of price points. I would highly recommend getting Happy Hour at Smithy next door before or after your appointment!
Lovely Bride (Oak Lawn)
This store was definitely the most trendy and modern when it came to both decor and their dress selections. The store isn’t huge, but they have the most ADORABLE pink fitting rooms and the vibe was overall my favorite with how it was set up. If you’re looking for a trendy dress / jumpsuit / two piece set, etc. this is the place for you. I’ve had several friends get their dresses here that were super happy with them!
Mockingbird Bridal Boutique (Mockingbird and 75)
I’ve driven by this store so many times and finally got to go in! They also had a variety of dresses from designers I had seen at other stores with price points all over the board, most of them in the middle of what I’ve seen with a few on the lower side as well. I would consider it a hidden gem and the racks were full of dresses!
Stardust Celebrations (Plano, TX)
Stardust Celebrations is the sister store of Lulu’s mentioned above. Their price points range from $1,700 to $10,000 with the average prices being between $3,000 and $5,000 per gown. This was definitely the largest store I had visited as they also have tuxedos, mother of the bride and bridesmaids dresses as well. They had a huge variety of gowns and have been in business for awhile, so the bridal consultants were seasoned veterans and passionate about what they do.
The Blushing Bride Boutique (Frisco, TX)
This was a bit of a drive from Dallas, but it was so worth it! Although we had a bit of a wait after our appointment time, we heard bells ringing left and right that several brides found what they were looking for. They had off the rack dresses available, a plus size section, plus several rooms of neatly organized sections by designer so you could get a full scope of what they have. They had every kind of style imaginable - from classic and simple, to colorful wedding gowns to boho and everything in between. I would definitely recommend checking it out since they had one of the best varieties of dress and price points I’ve seen throughout my wedding dress shopping journey!
ORANGE COUNTY, CA
Ferndale’s (Santa Ana)
This was a store my mom and her friends used to go back in the day! Although they have downsized a bit, they have a normal sized store with racks full of dresses. Their inventory was more on the traditional and classic side but had several designers I had tried on before. Their bridal consultant was very helpful and even made calls to the designer when we had a few specific questions.
Mon Amie Bridal Salon (Tustin)
This is definitely one of the most popular bridal salons for my OC brides! Bells were ringing all morning long during my appointment which means they were doing something right. Their dresses were more on the moderate / higher price points, but they carried higher end brands from around the world like Berta, Randy Fenoli, Demetrios, and more. Their owner was very involved with all of the stylists and you could tell they genuinely love what they do. I was very impressed, plus they give you champagne!
HOUSTON, TX
Vivienne Atelier (The Heights)
I actually visited the Houston location before the Dallas one so I already knew I would be a fan. They have their dresses organized by silhouette and give you clothes pins to put on the ones you’d like to try so they can easily pull them for you. It was great!
Casa de Novia
This store came highly recommended from numerous of my TX brides. Their inventory wasn’t huge, but they had such beautiful and classic gowns! Their price points were definitely some of the highest that I’ve seen, but the bridal consultant was so kind and helpful. This place will always have a special place in my heart since it was the first time Pierce’s mom saw me in a wedding dress!
Impressions (Galleria)
In the three stores I went to in Houston, Impressions had the best variety of gowns and price points. I tried on probably 10 dresses when I was there and absolutely loved my consultant! She really took my vision of what I was looking for to heart and was so helpful with bringing fun ideas and visions to the table.
Here’s what I would recommend bringing and doing before your bridal appointment(s):
Wear nude undergarments
Have ideas of what you like, but also try on every kind of silhouette possible to see what you feel your best in…you might be surprised at what you’re drawn towards! I know I was
Don’t bring more than 3 people, once there are too many opinions you’ll get confused
Eat before you shop! There were a few times I got hangry and not every place supplied snacks and beverages so be mindful of that :)
Look at the bridal salons you’re going to and search their designers online ahead of time to see what you gravitate towards - it’s also a great way to see the overall inventory and vibe for each store to see if it suits what you’re looking for
Make appointments ahead of time, you can mainly book online but due to Covid restrictions, some stores don’t allow walk-ins
To all of my brides reading this, congrats! Enjoy your appointments, pop the champagne and have fun playing dress up for the best day of your life!