Before I was even engaged I knew I wanted to go to Alice in Ivory to try on a two-piece dress from Katie May's Noel & Jean line. I'd been stalking the dress for months until it was finally my time to try on the dress. I was really wishy-washy back and forth with Kaylee through email trying to coordinate an appointment for my mom, who was coming in from Michigan. I think we had about 30 emails between us by the time of the appointment!
Kaylee ended up squeezing me in for a quick try-on of the dress before my mom came to visit (I couldn't wait!). The appointment was about 30 minutes and I tried on two or three options. It was a very quick in-and-out. Lee Anne was my associate, and I thought she was great at the appointment.
When my mom and I came in to try on the dress, the vibe was a little different. I had a different associate (I can't remember her name,) and Kaylee was in the shop. The associate made me feel rushed. We were supposed to have an hour appointment, and she was under that impression that we weren't. I felt like she was trying to push me out of the dressing room. They also allowed a few window shoppers to come into the shop while I tried on dresses, which was off-putting.
I knew that the Noel & Jean dress was the one. While ordering the dress, Kaylee chose sizes based on the measurements Lee Anne took at my first appointment. The top was a 14 and the skirt was a 16, which seemed very off to me considering I nearly fit in the sample size and probably only needed to size up a size or two. Being a naive and giddy bride, I didn't really think much of it.
When the dress came in three and a half months later, I'd lost about 20 pounds (unexpectedly - due to cutting out alcohol!) and I was terrified to try on the dress. Lee Anne was in the shop that day and helped me into it. Sure enough, MUCH too big and I was very upset. We tried on the sample size dress just to remind myself what I looked like in the dress and it fit perfectly. Lee Anne was great and assured me that if the alterations shop I'd chosen didn't think they could fix the dress (which needed to be completely reconstructed), that she would figure something out for me.
After three appointments and a month of alterations, the dress didn't fit me properly. I felt pressured by the seamstress that the dress was perfect. When I tried on my dress five days (5 DAYS) before leaving for my destination wedding, I contacted Alice in Ivory and Lee Anne called me. I was in tears, but she reassured me that she would figure something out. Kaylee and Lee Anne decided that they would give me the sample size skirt, they would have it professionally dry cleaned for me, and that I could have it altered. They suggested The Dress Doctor. Lee Anne called all of the vendors, told them the story so I didn't have to, and continued to reassure me that everything would be okay.
Lee Anne is absolutely amazing, and I would recommend booking your appointment with her. While I was disappointed about the sizing issue of my dress, I think that Lee Anne went to great lengths to make it right and I couldn't be more appreciative of her. read more