From Amazon & Azazie to Anthropologie & David’s Bridal
Shopping for and finding their wedding dress is a highly memorable experience for brides, with the wedding dress the very definition of a highly-involved purchase. These customer segmentation examples highlight how different consumers approach this all-important part of their big day.
It’s a $4 billion plus market for wedding dresses, with around two million women shopping for and buying a wedding dress this year, based on the average number of US weddings from 2021 to 2024. US brides are typically in their late twenties, with the bride’s median age for first marriages at 28.6 in 2024, while the groom’s was 30.2. here is considerable variation, but the average cost of the bride’s dress is around $2,100, or 6% of the total wedding cost of $33,000 in 2024.
Even though food, beverage and venue rental are usually the largest wedding expenses, it’s inarguable that the bride’s wedding dress commands disproportionate attention and involvement from the bride. There’s an expectation that photos of the bride in her selected wedding dress (with groom) will be proudly displayed for her entire lifetime– and maybe beyond.
Many brides have imagined their wedding day for years and receive online recommendations to start wedding dress shopping 10 to 12 months prior to the wedding date. It’s not unusual for the bride to start wedding dress shopping even before the wedding date is finalized as we’ll see from these customer segmentation examples.
In qualitative interviews, we spoke with three segments:
- Diligent Explorers
- Digital Streamliners
- Bespoke Sophisticates
We also saw evidence of two additional segments: Pre-owned/Rental Choosers and Heirloomers. While each bride will follow her own path, the first two customer segments make up the largest parts of the market, while the Bespoke Sophisticate is smaller but commands considerable spending power. The brides we spoke with shopped and purchased from:
- Amazon
- Anthropologie
- Azazie
- David’s Bridal
- Monique
- Oscar de la Renta
- Santee Alley
- Vera Wang
Wedding Dress Customer Segmentation Examples #1: Diligent Explorers
While magazines and online shopping form the initial inspiration, an in-person visit to a retail store to try on dresses and get a sense of what looks good on her body is still an important step for many brides. The Knot reports that on average, brides visit two stores, but the Diligent Explorers we spoke with exceeded the average.
The in-store experience is critical for the Diligent Explorers customer segment, who highly values the ability to try on multiple dresses in a retail environment. This segment is prepared to invest significant time and go to several stores.. They make up an estimated 30 to 50% of brides today.
My daughter MJ is the first example of the Diligent Explorer Segment. David’s Bridal was her first go-to choice, as it is for many brides. In 2023, David’s Bridal’s share was estimated at 25-30% of the US wedding dress market, and in 2025 David’s Bridal claims a third of the market with 190 stores. MJ explains,
“I started to shop for my wedding dress before getting engaged because I knew I was getting engaged. I went to David’s Bridal, and it was a positive experience. I picked David’s Bridal as I knew it didn’t require an appointment beforehand, and I felt that a lot of bridal shopping in Boston was quite precious in a way that felt stressful (i.e., you have to have an appointment, they give you champagne and you feel pressured to make a purchase in one visit). At David’s Bridal (in Boston), I was comfortable, and I was learning what dresses looked good on me and there was low pressure.
“Before I went there, I thought I would like a mermaid style, but I didn’t like the way it fit. I also didn’t like the feel and look of having a lot of lace. I walked away expecting to place an order at David’s Bridal on my next store visit and had two dresses I liked there.”
MJ’s experience points out the importance of trying dresses on for this segment, as her preferences on style changed from mermaid to A-line and also away from lace. In other words, the dress that looks best in online pictures may be a dud after trying it on.
The second store visit for MJ was also with David’s Bridal, at the brand’s Long Beach, California location. Her expectation was to place the order on this trip, after trying on some of the favorites from the first visit. Unfortunately, the experience under-delivered, with store staff clearly overwhelmed, and the stock in store not appealing.
“I had an appointment, but it was still rushed, just the opposite of the Boston experience. In MA, their approach was to take your time. I thought the stock must be the same in MA, and so I will try the Long Beach location. But they didn’t have anything in Long Beach that was right, and so they lost the sale.”
After deciding against David’s Bridal, the third store MJ visited was Anthropologie in Chestnut Hill. She selected this store based on good prior experiences with their products.
“I went there [Anthropologie] before to get a bridesmaid dress, and I felt these are flattering, and this could be good. The prices are pretty reasonable. It was a good experience. I went with a friend and tried on a few dresses. At that appointment I fell in love with the dress I really liked, but wanted to sleep on it because I wasn’t really comfortable making a purchase that same day. I came away with three dresses I liked, but one was the top choice.”
Her next step was to do a bit of market research, by getting her friend’s input on the top three choices from Anthropologie and two from David’s Bridal using a Powerpoint and asking comments. After receiving her friend’s feedback, the top choice dress at Anthropologie was clear, as well as the second and third choices at Anthropologie, all of which were flattering.

At this point, the expected ending to this story is likely that Diligent Explorer MJ was able to buy her top choice at Anthropologies. The process wasn’t meant to be that easy, however, as her fourth store visit revealed a new challenge.
“On the next visit to Anthropologie, the #1 dress had a big problem. It had straps that dug into me. When I tried it on before, they said you can remove the straps. On this visit, however, they said my colleague misinformed you, these straps can’t be removed. So, I had to eliminate it. At this point I was determined to make a purchase, I was not going back to that store again. I know I look great in the number two dress, I will get it. The support of my girlfriends was helpful at this point.”
For the Diligent Explorer, like MJ, shopping in several stores for this high involvement purchase makes sense. She summarizes,
“It seemed more stressful to me to shop online than to go to stores. Also I enjoyed the process of shopping for a wedding dress overall. I had an initial positive experience of David’s Bridal. By the end, I was getting frustrated.”
A second Diligent Explorer that we spoke to is Monica. Monica shopped more than 10 stores over several shopping trips, which required considerable stamina. Like MJ, Maria changed her preferences after trying dresses on and also switched the retailer choice. Maria says,
“I started shopping for the first time in July before the proposal in October. I began looking online on social media and websites for my body structure after getting style analysis from House of Colour.
“While my first thought on a budget was that I didn’t care and I would pay $5,000 or more, after I shopped in Venice, Hollywood and on Rodeo Drive and saw the pricing and quality, I decided that’s really expensive. My budget started decreasing as I looked around. I saw that some of these are really expensive and they are not pretty. I also saw a dress I liked online but didn’t like how it looked in person.
“A few months later, in October I went to downtown LA’s Santee Alley. I went into nine or ten different stores and stayed from 9:30am to 3:00pm. The experience was terrible. I went alone as my friends flaked on me. The first three stores I went to, the dresses were $200-$500, and they were cheap in price and cheap in quality. I didn’t like the material.
“So, I said that’s it, I’m done, I will go to a more expensive store, and I went to an expensive store. Every dress was $8,000 or more, so I walked out. Then I ran into another store, and everything on the mannequin was $5,000 and up. The saleslady said go upstairs, there are more wedding dresses. The saleslady encouraged me to try on ten dresses from the last deal sales rack. I was suspicious, but after trying them on, I liked the way the one looked, I really liked it. The price was $700, down from the original price of $3,000. I got that one, and also went ahead and got the bouquet and veil at the same store. It was an overwhelming experience, but I’m very happy with my dress.”
Wedding Dress Customer Segmentation Examples #2: Digital Streamliners
The next customer segment example, “Digital Streamliners” is motivated very differently. Digital Streamliners are comfortable placing their wedding dress order online and will order the one dress that is their top choice. The two brides interviewed were also more price conscious. Amazon and Azazie are top retail brands for the Digital Streamliner wedding dress customer segment. They represent an estimated 15 to 30% of brides today.
My friend Helena is a good example of this customer segment. Helena’s wedding dress shopping process was 100% online. She began by looking at styles that matched the wedding venue and theme. Helena recounts,
“I began shopping maybe three months ago (eight months before the wedding date). The trigger for shopping was setting the wedding date and deciding on the venue, and getting those things in motion. I started looking for something fairly simple, off the rack. I went online and started to look for the look I wanted. I searched ‘wedding dresses boho style,’ because I’m getting married on a friend’s wine property. I wanted an easy, beachy feel, not poofy and not princess. I found a look that I wanted, and then where can I find it, and how quick can I get it if you order it and return.”
Through looking online, Helena found the Clo gown at Grace Loves Lace . Grace Loves Lace has local boutiques in Los Angeles where Helena lives, however, her preference was to shop online. Grace Loves Lace also has a boho wedding dresses page on its website.

The Clo was a look Helena liked, however, the price point at $2,600 exceeded her desired rough budget of no more than $1,000.
As the next step, Helena took a screenshot and put the desired image into Google Image Search. She found similar mermaid dresses from Amazon that were much more affordable. Below is an example of this type of search.

After checking the specifications, Helena ordered an $89 Mermaid Wedding Dress from Amazon. Helena describes,
“I see a wide range of prices, and I look at the specs and the material, assuming it’s close to one for $2600. Then I ordered it and it arrived on May 15th from Amazon. It was easy breezy in that sense. I couldn’t perceive the difference for the price. They recommended a size based on the fit and size, and I ordered a size up because it tends to run small and I will get it altered. I have plenty of time, and I know what tends to look well on me. It’s mermaid style, it looks good on me. I will get it altered locally.”

After arrival, Helena reported that the dress fits fairly true-to-size and is as expected.
Overall, her most important criteria were:
“The look was most important, something I felt I would look good in. The material was next, wanted quality. I’m not necessarily a brand person. I was scrolling through to see if I can find the look I want in some other places.”
A second Digital Streamliner example is MJ’s friend Emily. In wedding planning and wedding dress shopping, Emily preferred to streamline the process. For instance, she preferred all-inclusive wedding venues to simplify wedding planning.
When it came to wedding dress shopping, this Digital Streamliner’s preferred source was Azazie. Emily’s plan was to order only her top choice dress from Azazie, however, her Diligent Explorer friend MJ convinced her to order four gowns, promising to foot the bill for the return postage as “you have to try it on.” After trying the dresses on, preferences changed, and Emily chose her initially third-ranked choice of the four that were delivered from Azazie and returned the others. To make this easier, Azazie offers a Home Try-On program, which allows customers to order up to three sample dresses to try at home for a small fee ($10–$15 each, covering shipping).
Personally, I had a good experience ordering my own wedding dress from Azazie four years ago, and I am a Digital Streamliner. The Digital Streamliner segment is likely experiencing more growth, as suggested by the financial difficulties of retail store market leader David’s Bridal, who is pivoting their strategy to provide a:
“personalized AI-powered planning tool and marketplace to simplify the (wedding planning) process.”
Wedding Dress Customer Segmentation Examples #3: Bespoke Sophisticates
Bespoke Sophisticates are the most involved in fashion and have spending power to invest in a designer dress. From their life experiences, these brides are already familiar with the top designers for wedding dresses, such as Oscar de la Renta, Vera Wang or Monique Lhuilier.
Like Diligent Explorers, Bespoke Sophisticates will put in considerable legwork to find the dress that is right for them, trying on as many as 80 dresses and going in person to over 10 stores, all of which require appointments.
Elena is an outstanding illustration of the Bespoke Sophisticate segment.
“I began shopping after getting engaged. I started just looking (online) at big name brands I knew who had beautiful bride dresses: Oscar, Vera Wang, Monique, Danielle Frankel. I looked online to see the newest collection and the old collection. These brands do a good job. From the beginning, I saw a lace dress from Oscar that I loved but I wanted to keep an open mind and do my due diligence. The first step was to look online, as I personally don’t love shopping in person. I also wanted to have some specific dresses picked out before talking with the salesperson.
“For the warm up shopping, I went to approximately four boutiques in San Francisco, just because I live in San Francisco. Overall, I didn’t take away much from the SF shopping experience. Mostly the boutiques had no inventory and crummy dresses. Jinwang was a nice boutique, but it didn’t carry Oscar.
“In New York, you are going straight to the designer or Mark Ingram. I spent maybe 15 hours shopping in New York total, across 10 stores. Mark Ingram was the first place I went to, figuring I wouldn’t buy anything there, but it would be a good warmup for New York. I was very pleasantly surprised by the experience but still didn’t see anything. Other boutiques I walked into weren’t elevated at all and weren’t going to have what I was looking for. I went second-to-last to Monique and last to Oscar, since I knew they had the lace dresses I would like.
“I liked going to the designers more than the boutiques because they had all the dresses out on the floor, where you can see all the dresses hanging there, pick them out and touch them. Boutiques often have more inventory upstairs that they don’t show you.
“In total, I tried on maybe 80 dresses. Advice I would give to a bride is to go look online at look books and buy sheets to get a feel for the brand. Don’t just look at the current season, also look at the past. Because it can be kind of overwhelming when you go in person. Salespeople will try to put a lot in front of you.”
The Bespoke Sophisticate is looking for a salesperson at the store who can understand her desired style. If she senses that the salesperson does, then she will allow more leeway in suggestions. While it is a different segment, the salesperson interaction is also important to Diligent Explorers, and there is definitely a balance of being helpful and providing suggestions to the bride while listening to her guidelines and attempting to find an option that stays within them.
Budget is not very important to the Bespoke Sophisticate segment, as they expect to spend for a top quality dress.
Wedding Dress Customer Segmentation Examples: Additional Groups
Overall, we find five customer segmentation examples in the market, including two additional segments that were not already covered. These are those that wear a hand-me-down gown (Heirloomers) and those who choose pre-owned or rental (Pre-owned/Rental Choosers). We are confident from market data that these additional segments are present, but are smaller in size and spending than Diligent Explorers, Digital Streamliners and Bespoke Sophisticates.
Customer Segmentation Examples | Estimated % of Brides | Preferred Retailer / Brand | Decision Drivers | Most Impactful Shop |
Diligent Explorers | 30-50% of brides | David’s Bridal Anthropologie | Flattering look on In-store experience Cost/value for the money | In-Store |
Digital Streamliners | 15-30% of brides | Amazon Azazie | Convenience Look I want Cost / value for the money | Online |
Bespoke Sophisticates | 2 to 10% | Oscar de la Renta Vera Wang Monique Lhuillier | Designer brand that’s known for bridal Finest fabrics Meticulous, labor-intensive construction In-store experience | In-Store |
Pre-owned /Rental Choosers | 2 to 10% | Still White Rent the Runway Nearly Newlywed | Cost/value for the money ConvenienceBrand | Online |
Heirloomers | 2 to 10% | Not applicable | Wear a hand-me-down gown from an older relative or friend. | No shopping |
Looking at the brides and their journeys, it is also evident that a bride can find a dress she likes at a wide range of price points from $89 to $10,000 or more. And the process couldn’t be more different between the diligence of the two in-store segments and the streamlining of the online group.
Considering weddings more broadly, our team has explored nine wedding planning segments based on the budget range and amount of planning. We’ve also profiled The Knot wedding planning platform. Other wedding registries and platforms include WithJoy and Zola. With all these platforms, it will be interesting to see if David’s Bridal is able to make a sizable dent in the platform marketplace. For additional customer segmentation examples, outside of weddings, visit our resources page.