Wedding Dress Shopping: Part 2 in NYC

BM Erica and I headed to NYC for the weekend to do a little wedding dress shopping. On Saturday, I went to Kleinfelds and Saks, and, on Sunday afternoon, I went to Bridal Reflections. Here is my rating guide:

Salesperson
1st -- Kleinfelds: Rene was so patient and super-sweet. She patiently held my hand as I walked through hundreds of racks. Since this was my first appointment, I didn't have as clear of an idea of what I wanted, but by the end, I had a distinct style that I gravitated toward. Rene also let me know prices (and those out of my range) before I tried on any of them.

2nd -- Bridal Reflections: Christina was very nice, but I felt a wee bit pressured by her. She was, however, extremely helpful and very accommodating to my changes and suggestions. However, Christina picked out gowns that were way out of my price range (even though I had explicitly written down that range on my profile sheet). How terrible it would have been to find THE dress, only to discover that it was $12,000!

3rd -- Saks: Josette seemed very rushed and basically flat out told me they didn't have what I was looking for. Fortunately, Reem Acra was having a trunk show, and I found my perfect gown on my own. And, I am the one who talked with the Reem Acra rep, David, about ordering it in a particular color and style.

Dress Selection
1st (Tie) -- Kleinfelds & Bridal Reflections: Although Kleinfelds probably has more dresses overall, Bridal Reflections' gowns are all out and easily looked through (unlike Kleinfelds which has most of them in a back room and in plastic). Additionally, many of the sample gowns at Kleinfelds had seen MUCH better days (the Monique Lhuillier "Scarlett" gown was practically falling apart). Those at Bridal Reflections were much cleaner and in better condition overall.

3rd -- Saks: As mentioned above, Saks had a very poor selection. In fact, the only gowns that were actually out were those associated with Reem Acra's trunk show. All other gowns were in the back, to be selected by the salesperson based on your descriptions.

Overall Experience
1st -- Bridal Reflections: Free champagne, big dressing rooms, and instead of those horrible clips, they actually pin the gown for you, giving you a much better fit. I loved the set-up of the gowns and the ability to easily walk through and find gowns that I liked.

2nd -- Kleinfelds: This is the quintessential bridal salon, but I did think that maybe it was a bit too large and too crowded. There were so many girls running around and trying on things that space was limited.

3rd -- Saks: Not only were the dressing rooms small, but the entire bridal salon was very cramped. We were not offered water or robes, and the salespeople were borderline rude.

I had a great, if exhausting, experience, but in the future, I think I'll stick to only one or two places per trip. By my third appointment, I was definitely getting tired, cranky and confused. In the end, I found two dresses that I really liked and are potentially THE ONE, but I wanted to give myself more time to think about it. Stay tuned as I participate in the Running of the Brides on Friday!