Chicago Wedding and Bridal Blog

The racks of dresses at another Macy's Bridal Salon

I had to start my search for a wedding gown at Macy’s Bridal Salon in downtown Chicago on State Street. I grew up going to Marshall Fields in Oak Brook but they don’t have a bridal salon in that store. I have gotten more familiar with the State Street flagship Macy’s (Marshall Fields) since I began working downtown 3 years ago and it made sense to make an appointment for after work and try on some bridal gowns since it is only about 6 blocks away from work. So, on Friday I went to the appointment at the bridal salon on the 4th floor and here is how things went trying on wedding dresses at Macy’s in Chicago. 

First off the wedding dresses at Macy’s start at $1,500.00. They say they start at between $1,500 and 3,500 but why put 2 starting prices out there? The thing that I did not know is that Macy’s has the very high end dresses that are around $10,000 too. She asked me to point out the dresses that I thought I liked from the circular waiting area and of coursethe first one I liked was $5,000. Yikes! I guess my tastes are a little bigger than my savings account. My intention was to stay under $3K. (although there are other places where you can get a wedding dress for less than 1K that is very nice) Most of the other sample wedding dresses on the dress forms were examples of strapless, off the shoulder and halter top gowns. Most had some beading, lace or ornamentation on them but none were over the top gaudy. I also had some pictures of wedding dresses from the internet of Watters and Watters, Lazzaro and Anne Barge that I brought with me. She had some ideas and we went to work.

This is a good example of a trumpet style gown although a fancier one than I tried on at Macy's.

The dressing rooms at all bridal salons seem to be similar. Macy’s had a large 3 way mirrorwith large lights on each side and a pedistal in front of it for the bride to stand on to get an idea of what the wedding gown looks like with the skirt spread out a bit. This platform you stand on is also used for alterations and fittings later on. Most wedding gowns require a massive amount of alteration to fit properly. First the make them really long so even the tallest girls can wear them and then they also standardize all the sizing so they are easy to manufacture with the least amount possible of customization at the factory. Then when the wedding dress arrives at Macy’s (or whatever store you go to) the alteration ladies make magic happen so it fits you like a glove.

The wedding gowns that are popular at Macy’s and in all the magazines are all meant to be form fitting and pretty much skin tight. The social pressure to be thin also makes brides consious of any extra material making them look fat in all those wedding pictures. When you buy your dress, check the listed fees for hemming the skirt, creating the bustle for the train, taking in the seams or adding sleeves or making a small shrug jacket. These costs all get built into the total you have to pay, so whatever dress you pick will most likley need another $500.00 in alterations unless your mom or someone you know is willing to alter it for free. But beware, most bridal salons will notallow you to bring adress back to the store for alterations. So, if you want someone to do it for you elsewhere, be sure they have the ability to follow through before you take it from Macy’s.

I was lucky that the bridal consultant at Macy’s had several of the dresses that I brought pictures of from the intrnet. That is the benefit of shopping at a large department store like Macy’s, they carry a ton of great designers so you don’t have to limit your search to just one. I also found that the bridal consultant at Macy’s knew more about what was currently available in wedding gown styles and what she had at the bridal salon than I did. She ended up bringing out several  wedding dresses that I didn’t think I would like but they looked better on me than the ones I had picked out on the internet. She also was nice to stay in the price range that I specified and all the dresses were beautiful even though they were on the low end price range for what Macy’s has available. I liked the trumpet style skirt even though when I saw those dresses online I did not think I would look good in them. I like that the skirt doesn’t flare out until lower around your knees so it isn’t as poufy as some a-line dresses and it makes you look thinner. (and it is lighter to wear without all that toulle petticoat underneath) And considering I am currently a size 12 and want to be a size 8 by the time of my wedding, any little bit making me look thinner helps. Plus I am very heavy busted so finding a dress with enough support will be tricky anyway.