XOXO

first what is ur price point?

wedding salon of manhasset
and Bridal Reflections of Carle Place

tend to have more expensive dresses like 3k and up

BR @ Carle Place claims to have 1500 dresses but not much

I looooved wedding salon

loved village bridal

and i think all brides should have the kleinfeld experience

then def do not go to BR in Carle Place or Wedding Salon of Manhasset

I really liked village bridal, you could take pics and they had a really nice selection with all price ranges- not pushy at all, they don't make commission
I bought my dress there-bought a sample
they were amazing, they let me go in whenever i want to try it on, their seamstress called me to help me with veil colors

bridal suite of centereach was nice but selection was small

bridal suite of bayshore was nice too, went there twice- they also let you take pics and they weren't pushy

Paradise was nice, tons of dresses, awesome lighting...but I didn't like that they pull the tags out of the dresses, so you don't know who makes them

RK was ok, all the dresses are smushed into bags on the racks, it's pretty much self service, only allowed to try on 5 and it's kind of hard to get a feel for the dresses... they are supposedly very cheap and will beat any prices so they are good to go to after you know what you want and if you are interested in buying from them

hope my mini review helped lol

I wouldnt rule out Wedding Salon of Manhasset. The great part is they can pull stuff from Vera Wang which is right next door to try on. Better yet, you can also make an appointment for Prscilla of Boston which is right next door and the Macys of Manhasset Bridal Salon which is all right there. Bang 4 places out in one day! Thats what I did!

I did Kleinfelds and while it was an 'experience' I didnt enjoy it. I felt like once I wasnt ready to commit the dress was unzipped and the veil was off my head in a flash. Suddenly it got very cold in the room and I dont mean the temperature! You cannot take pictures here unless you buy.

Wedding Salon of Manhasset was amazing. The manager is a doll, knew her brides well! They didnt rush me and I was able to take as much time as I wanted. They even bought a sample of a dress so I could try it on and it wasnt even the one! Not a penny charged to me.

Lillettes I did not like. They do have great dresses with many under 1500, but I just wasnt feeling it. Gerrie was a doll as well, but again wasnt getting what I wanted. Wasnt for me.

I would check out Bridal Reflections in Massaepqua. They tend to carry dresses under 3k and a little above which is a great place to start!

I would also do a quick google search (weddingwire.com and here on liweddings) about some of the bridal suites you mentioned. Some people have had pretty bad reviews of dresses not coming in or alterations being wrong for a few of the places you wrote about!

I went to a TON of places. More than I care to list so if I can be of any help let me know!

Just as a reminder, think about what you mean when you say 3k for your budget. I know what I am willing to spend on my dress (not including any accessories or alterations). Alterations can be alarming after the fact, but in my heart I know I am okay spending my budgeted amount for my dress, period, along. Just keep that in mind. And ... I would give a range. $2500-$3000. If after a few dresses youre not feeling it consider going a little higher. There is always room for negotiation!

Sorry to go on and on! HTH

I am in the search for my dress as well but my budget in 2k or under. Should i even bother with manhasset.

I already went to Paradise, Lilliettes, bridal elegance and village bridal

Lillette's: Decent selection, I believe the did let me take pics? I can't remember now!
Helen's: Small selection, they only had a few dresses I actually liked. It was also kinda out of the way for me. We took pics in the dressing room, don't know if we were supposed to!
Bridal Suite of Centereach: Good selection, the let me take pics. I went there twice and they were very nice.
Village Bridal: Large selection, they have some higher priced and lower priced gowns, so you can really try a variety. They let you take pics.
Paradise: Liked this place the least. They don't let you take pics, and they won't tell you who made the gown.

I got my dress from Macy's, they were having a trunk show and I just found a dress that I felt fabulous in. I could barely tell but my mom was like you smile so much more when you put on that one. I was glowing. I had gotten really overwhelmed with the whole dress thing, I think I tried on about 30 or 40? I don't even know! Good luck trying so many places at once, I think I would have cried if I tried to do that! Make sure to go places that let you take pics, because let me tell you, you will not remember all those dresses, especially when you go to so many in one day. Also keep in mind, there will be new dresses come June! A lot of dresses also get discontinued! Maybe just take this time to figure out a style you like, then narrow the choices down come June? My dress was from a trunk show, so it's a spring '11, I found it a few months ago and they said they wouldn't be getting a floor sample for the store until Feb.

bought my dress at macys bridal after looking at many of the places mentioned in this thread. had a great experience and didnt feel a lot of the pressure i felt in other places.

I agree with what one of you said about alterations...nearlly blew a gasket when i heard the cost!!! Well worth it, dress was gorgeous and I didnt have to compromise my values and price range to get it.

I went to the Bridal Suite in Centereach and loved it! The place is very small, but I found they had a great selection. The women that helped me was named Mary and she was the best! She was so helpful and really listened to what I wanted. I went there thinking that I was def going to be a Maggie bride and only wanted Maggie dresses, but she convienced me to try on two that weren't Maggie's. The dress I bought was actually one of the non Maggie designers. The prices were good there and the alternations didn't seem like a lot, Mary told me they cap at $250.

Good luck! I hope you find something when your up in NY,

Village Bridal: They were okay, didn't pay attention to my budget AT ALL (had me put in a dress that I loved, then I looked at the tag and it was 8k ) I also felt they charged more for dresses that other places had for less.

Helen's: The place itself could use a makeover. I felt their variety of dresses is VERY limited. However, Ashley the consultant there is amazing and one of the sweetest consultants I worked with. She really listens to you and I had a good experience with her.

Paradise Bridals: Despite what other people have said, they had no problem telling me who the designers were for each dress, and the price, etc. They let me take pictures. I had a wonderful experience. They had just about every dress I ever imagined trying on. I worked with Cherise, who I would HIGHLY recommend. I ended up buying my dress from Paradise.

Bridal Reflections (Carle Place): I went here to try on bridesmaids dresses with my girls. Loved how beautiful and upscale the place seemed. I wish I would have gone here to look at dresses for myself as well.

Hope that helps!!!!

I got my dress at the bridal suite of Huntington...I worked with aida (shes amazing) and the seamstress is wonderful. my sisters went there for thier weddings as well as my sister in law (i'm the 4th bride in my family that went there). they also have motb dresses! the owner im not too fond of, though. they have a pretty decent selection and i dont think the prices are too high.

the others i didnt go to..but good luck

I got my dress from Mark Ingram and I HIGHLY rec checking it out! They carry a TON of designers and the service is OUT OF THIS WORLD!

I think they told us they start at 3500...not sure of your budget. HTH!