David's Bridal Should Not Sell Wedding Dresses to Minors

Hey if she's old enough to actaully have her own monies and to say
YES, maybe you should teach her the law, and if her bro is an
attorney, he should teach her too, not try to get her out of it. If
they BY LAW can't ask her age, then they really didn't do anything
wrong.

I think you should teach your daughter not to enter into stores
without you or take her money away when she leaves the house. A store
is not to be responsible for what a teenager enters into. I promise
you that your daughter knew very well what she was doing when they
went to the cash registar and asked her to go ahead and pay money.
Next time keep her on a leash.

Ever hear of a quinceneara? How about a cotillion? Both are events
in which teenagers wear a wedding gown as a coming out. I know quite
a bit about DB and their layaways policies. Yes, the layaway can be
cancelled. There is a forfeiture fee, but that can be used to
purchase other merchandise.

This whole situation is not about DB and their "shady business
practices," it is about an obviously disfunctional relationship
between mother and daughter. DB is not a licensed therapist, thus it
is not their place to step in and say who can and who can't buy a
dress.

I am underage and getting married. Why are you so uptight? Love is
love. Thank you for insulting all us young people in love. As far as I
am concerned, this is the most ridiculous thing I have EVER heard.

Your problem should be with your daughter not with the store. Do you
really expect a store to really sit there and question the intentions
of every person who wants to buy a dress?

this has got to be one of the most absurd posts in recent times.

First and foremost, formal wear, wedding gowns etc are NOT contraband
or regulated items such as tobacco, alcohol, or other controlled
substances. I guess my 14 year old niece cannot purchase a prom dress
with her own money and learn the value of earning her own way
according to the OP's pretzel logic.

Second, layaway is not a legal contract as you may think. If you
daughter did not enter into a WRITTEN contract in which she stated she
was under 18, than there is no case despite whatever the jailhouse
lawyers may lay claim to.

I am taken back that you are so upset that your kid is buying a dress
with her own money. I wonder what you would really do if you caught
her buying meth, crack or other illicit drugs.

NOT ONLY HAVE I VISITED DAVID'S BRIDAL MANY TIMES AND PURCHASED MANY
DRESSES, MY WEDDING GOWN, MY BRIDESMAIDS DRESSES, PROM DRESSES AND
EVEN DRESSES FOR MY DAUGHTER WHO HAS BEEN IN NUMEROUS WEDDINGS. I
LIVE IN LOUISVILLE, KY AND WILL ONLY PURCHASE FROM THE CLARKSVILLE, IN
STORE. THE STAFF THERE IS VERY PROFESSIONAL AND HELPFUL. THE STORE
MANAGER CINDY IS EXTREMELY HELPFUL AND ALWAYS GREETS YOU WITH A SMILE.
I HAVE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH DAVID'S BRIDAL AND WILL CONTINUE TO
SHOP THERE FOR MY SPECIAL OCCASSION NEEDS. LET YOUR DAUGHTER LIVE AND
LEARN FROM HER OWN MISTAKES. SHE WILL NEVER GROW UP IF YOU KEEP
BABYING HER AND TRYING TO FIX HER MISTAKES.


LIVE AND LEARN.....

A wedding dress is JUST A DRESS, unless you wear it to your wedding,
of course. She's obviously not getting married, and I can tell you Ive
bought dresses/gowns from Davids that I used for prom/pageant events,
the retailer isn't responsible for what your daughter uses the dress
for.

minors can't enter into legal contracts....duh?

Get your money back, and get out. why the heck was your daughter even
there, much less purchasing a dress, without your knowledge?????

So should grocery stores be allowed to let minors purchase plastic
cups? They could be used for beer...

I don't think that it's really the place of a dress retailer to gather
information regarding the age of the purchaser. Some parents give
consent for their daughters to marry earlier than the legal age of
that state (e.g. shotgun wedding). Some kids are emancipated from
their parents and are adults in their
own right. Some may just really get into the idea of playing dress up
(as others have said for other occasions such as dances, or
pageants). Besides all of that the purchase of a wedding dress does
not a marriage make. Unless DB were a walk in all inclusive wedding
chapel complete with legal ceremony conducted on premises, they really
aren't doing anything wrong. They are selling their product. Your
issue really should be with your daughter and why she bought the dress
without telling you she was in the market for marriage. (If she was).
They aren't actually marrying your daughter off without consent. They
aren't breaking the law.

deb, better get that dress out of layaway and let her use it. 'Cause
you know the next purchase will be for a maternity dress, don't you?
And as far as the legal advice you got--I suggest you hire a new
lawyer.

How about teaching your daughter some responsibility?

Also, in the future, the store should have some sort of policy
regarding selling merchandise, especially wedding dresses, to minors.
---

Many girls shop at these stores for prom dresses, or may be in a
wedding party.

If she did not read the fine print, then she should not get out of it
by a "but she's a minor." Second, if she agreed to pay for it, she
should have read the contract which will probably state exactly what
you were told.

And stores can not discriminate unless you are talking about stores
that are sexual in nature, sell alcohol or tobacco products.

Was she trying to get married- or was she making payments on a dress
for another occasion, such as a prom or other formal event as others
have mentioned.

At least she is willing to set up a payment plan for something she
can't afford as an alternative to stealing it... (not necessarily a
dress... but something smaller)

David's Bridal isn't responsible for your parenting duties. I bought
a bridal gown from DB for prom when I was fifteen, and the sales girls
were just as sweet as could be, they weren't interrogating me about my
intentions for the dress because...*drumroll*....that's not their job.
If you're really that concerned about what your daughter is doing,
try talking to her, don't put the responsiblity on other people.

Sounds like you are blaming David's Bridal for your daughters actions.
She got transportation to the store, browsed through the dresses,
picked out a dress, probably tried it one, decided to put it on
layway, then put money down on the layaway. DB sales many types of
dresses and I am sure there have been teens in the past who put
bridesmaid or prom dresses on layway. They are selling her a dress,
not a gun. You're daughter is responsibel for her own actions.

Maybe because I don't have a teenage daughter I fail to see how she or
David's Bridal did anything wrong. Did you even ask her what occasion
the dress was for or did you just happen to find her layaway slip and
freak out? If she can't get married without your consent anyway, what
is the problem? It's her money, not yours, which is why David's
Bridal will not talk to you regarding it.

Your daughter must be old enough to have a driver's license, which
explains how she got to David's Bridal without you knowing and why she
was able to make a layaway purchase. Perhaps you should just calm
down and have a talk with your daughter about things. I think going
to small claims court is a bit extreme. Your reaction to this
situation may be the reason your daughter waited to tell you about the
layaway in the first place; this may not be the first time you hit the
roof like this.

I suggest you try to keep your cool a bit more and maybe your daughter
will be more open with you. It probably won't be too long before your
daughter is able to marry without your consent and hopefully when that
happens you have a good relationship and you will know about it before
it happens. Otherwise there will be a new post about why the state of
Indiana needs to anull her marriage license....

Seriously, this is just crazy. You should keep an eye on your daughter
and make sure she isn't out shopping for wedding dresses. I am sure
even if you take DB to court their lawyers are going to be much better
than yours.

What I hate is the fact that your daughter is the one you should be
complaining to, not David's Bridal. If your daughter is underage,
where were you when she was putting it on layaway and spending all
that money money? -Not watching her and knowing what she was doing.
She made the mistake, make her PAY the price not David's Bridal.
Why is it that no one holds themselves as parents or their "perfect
kids" accountable for their actions?
She did a bad thing and you should punish her and vow to pay more
attention to what she is doing. If she is so young and immature, where
exactly were you when she went to David's Bridal and how did she get
there? Where did she get the money and why weren't you on top of the
situation?
You are putting the blame on the wrong people. The blame should go to
you as a parent and stop at her as a child that made a mistake.
I hope you do take them to small claims court and I hope they hold you
as a parent responsible for letting your daughter fraudulantly put a
dress on lay-a-way at a cost to the store, that you should have never
let happen in the first place. This is your fault and YOU need to
learn accountability and teach your daughter by example.

that Davids Bridal will cancel a layaway, if it is within the 60 days,
and keep $75 of the initial deposit as a fee.

I would expect though that you will ba able to cancel this one and get
the entire deposit refunded, eventually.

Another reason David'smay not ask for age is because people buy
dresses that are technically wedding gowns for things other than
weddings......when I was in college I needed to buy a white dress for
my sorority,and many debutantes buy wedding dresses when they come out
to society. I'm not defending David's Bridal,I am just throwing this
out there for consideration.
When I bought my wedding dress I had to sign a contract stating I
would buy the dress after it was altered and something to the effect
that I couldn't return it after it was altered...not sure what the
laws are in your state but most states prohibit contracts being signed
by minors...I hope this works out for you!

David's Bridal is on pretty bad footing. They'd probably end up
having to refund the dollars if you took them to small claims.

When I was a kid and did something stupid with my money, my Dad would
rush in and point out that I had really screwed up and would say "what
did you learn from that." I learned that my actions have consequences
and that I won't be rescued from the consequences of making impulsive,
ill-advised decisions.

I wonder what the kid learns when the parent always swoops in and
rescues them from the consequences of their bad decisions -- assuming
the consequences aren't putting them in risk of injury.

Who's to say she showed them a fake ID to put it in lay a way?

What you should do is try to figure out why she wants to get married
at such a young age...that is your real issue you should be dealing
with not this wedding dress.

and has seen this before, and has guidelines.
I worked at a place where it was required to sign a contract and we
had to check ID and ages, and record it along with a few other things
(like a credit check).
DB has certainly run into situations like these and if they didn't
check ID or verify her age, chances are they have already determined
that they do not have to in the lay-a-way situation or else I am sure
their lawyers would have told them to refund the money.

sell the dress on E-bay

The manager who said she isn't allowed to ask how old the customer is
is full of it. Now, minors can't enter into contracts -- but I don't
know that that applies to putting clothes on layaway.

Also, depending on the state, your minor child (age 16 or 17,
depending on the state) can get married without your permission.

So take 'em to small claims court. They've already made it clear that
they aren't going to give you the money back.

Or let your daughter learn a lesson.

As the advice columnists would say... this isn't about the money.
It's about something else.

I may be wrong, but I'm guessing that we have a situation where a
minor wants to get married. Perhaps she's fighting with Mom over how
she LOVES HIM and wants to get married. A Mom, rightfully, says that
she's too young.

If not, I think the answer is simple. The daughter had the money for
what she's paid so far. She needs to take responsibility for paying
the rest. As a good parent, Deb, I'm sure that you'd want to teach
her some responsibility for having her pay for the dress. If she
needs to, she can do extra work around the house to pay you back.

But that's my opinion. If your kind of parenting isn't like that,
that's your business.

All I ask is that you look at whether this is about a mother-daughter
disagreement or if it's really about contract law.

It sounds like you're having a difficult time with your daughter, and
I'm sorry for that. That said, I don't believe it's illegal to sell a
dress to a minor - wedding gown or not. If your daughter is old enough
to make this purchase, she's old enough to understand the terms of the
sale, which may include "no refunds". I do think David's Bridal should
have some kind of refund policy - weddings do get canceled. I take it
she hasn't paid for the dress in full. They may keep a percentage and
refund the rest, and the amount she's paid may be the amount they
keep.