What can I say about my experience at ALWAYS ELEGANT BRIDAL to convey what happened to my family yesterday. Let's just say buying a wedding-related dress is always stressful. Of course so when you are the bide, but ESPECIALLY when you are only in the bridal party. : ( Usually the bride's mom pays for a really awesome dress and the attendees are told what to buy. That, in itself, puts the party member at a disadvantage from the get-go. So what do you expect when you visit these bridal stores trying to find your size in that lime green stunner? While the bride spends a lot more $ by choosing, the bridal party is forced to spend $200+ on a silly looking sea green gown that they might be able to wear to a costume party. So what do we attendees need? Help, y'all! This is a true HTG story: The mother-of-the-bride, my sister-in-law, our little daughters (so looking forward to trying on dresses) all visited Elegant Bridal yesterday. It's a little shop on Main street that LOOKS LIKE it is a respite from the madness. We had called the afternoon previous to our visit, three times, and left messages that we would be in the next morning to see their junior bridesmaid dresses but we had a particular model in mind. The owner of the shop, Rafaela, I believe, did not return our calls. We were initially only able to receive a response via email, but finally, after numerous attempts, she finally called back. Rafaela told us when she called that we could certainly come to the shop but we shouldn't expect to try anything on until we basically swore on the lives of our children that we would actually BUY from the shop. We explained, "How can we buy the dress until we see it on our children?" After much back-and-forth, she agreed to let our us come in, after driving the 45 minutes to arrive, and try on the dresses. We left early in the morning to make our appointment on-time. As soon as we arrived, Rafaela had her posse of employees, and the dress we were looking (in a plastic bag) waiting for us near the entrance. We walked into her shop excited to see our little girls all dressed up. What we experienced was another story. Rafaela informed us that. miraculously, in the late night hours, the dress we wanted to try on had been sold and we were not only not allowed to try in on, but even touch it. When we then asked the size of the dress to get an idea of possible fit, she refused to tell us. Then we asked the price of the dress. She wasn't sure. We kindly asked, since the dress we wanted to try on had been sold somewhere near midnight, that we would like to try on something comparable to get an idea of the girl's sizes. Her answer was "No." She said, in full view of all the junior bridesmaid dresses in the store, that she had absolutely nothing for us to try on. "But," we explained, "We drove 40 minutes to get here and you told us last night we could try on the dresses." She curtly said, "Sorry, you can't" and refused to even take the bridal dress out of the plastic covering for us to look at. After some back-and-forth, we asked the simple question -- "If you knew the dress was sold, why didn't you call us back to alert us not to make the trip?" No response but a sideways look. Listen bridal shop owners, buying a $250 dress that your kid is only going to wear once is taxing on a mom. The absolute last thing we want is to bullied out of the store buy the owner. I have NEVER been so offended in my life. We left the shop in shock at the utter selfishness and uncaring attitude of this woman and I vowed to document our experience on google to save others the distress that we experienced. So wedding party moms and attendees, listen closely. If you go to Elegant Bridal, expect to be treated like you are diseased, and penniless, of which we are neither. But it really doesn't matter, does it. Even if we were, we should have been shown a modicum of respect. We weren't. SAVE YOURSELF YOUR HUMILITY AND THE PLEASURE OF NOT MEETING RAFAELA AND ELEGANT BRIDAL. YOU WILL THANK ME DOWN THE ROAD! read more

They have a decent enough selection of dresses, especially in sizes hard to find at traditional retailers. However, the man there is extremely pushy. He was almost insistent that we had to buy dyed to match shoes and accessories from them, even though we repeatedly mentioned that we weren't sure we wanted or needed to. Also, they assured my mom at the first time she went that they would give her a deal, but then seemed almost offended when she brought it up later. Just felt very slimey. They could have sold us a beautiful dress but the pushiness turned us off of everything. read more

I had an excellent experience. I came in on a Saturday desperate to find a floor length gown for a black tie wedding the following weekend. I explained my size and style needs and was immediately shown a beautiful blue dress to try on. It fit well and gave me the classy look I was hoping for. The seamstress was there and did a fitting on the spot! I returned a few days later for the final fitting and picked the dress up the next day! They treated me respectfully and helped me out of a rough spot with time to spare! I am delighted with my experience. read more

They were the only bridal shop that made us enjoy the experience, we had visited 5 others. Carl and Pat were so professional, helpful and knowledgeable. We quickly decided to give them our business. Words really cannot do justice for how pleased we were with this quaint boutique. They had a huge selection for all of the parties involved from mother of the bride to the junior bridesmaids and everyone in between. I would recommend them to anyone looking for the personal touch without the pressure. read more

I am rating this retailer Raffeala 5 stars she is patient professional informative working with her in finding the perfect fit and style made the experience perfect for a bride ,also mom and my bride maids were impressed. Loved the espresso I would recommend highly thanks for making my day special read more

Always Elegant Bridal Shop is like finding a hidden treasure. This is my second wedding and I had been to numerous shops before I decided to try Always Elegant Bridal. I was frustrated as I could not find what I had in mind as well as feeling like nobody cared and had the patience to help me find the dress that made me feel like I wanted. The first day I was greeted by Carl. He was extremely friendly and took a moment to introduce himself to me and my soon to be step-daughter. Carl showed us some options and let us go from there. My step-daughter found a dress I ended up liking but it still was not exactly what I wanted. So, I relayed that to Carl. I then saw some of the shoes that were there and Carl sat us down to show us the MAGNIFICENT, beautiful custom designed shoes he created. I told Carl, if I don't buy the dress you have on hold, I will be back for the shoes. Plus, I loved his positive customer service, professionalism, knowledge and personal attention in which one can't find just anywhere. After shopping some more without no luck, I had an idea pop into my head. If he can custom design a shoe, why not a wedding dress. I called Carl to discuss this and made an appointment to come into the store. With the help of his seamstress, Pat, we took the dress my step-daughter picked out and a picture of what I had in my head and designed that particular dress to match the style I wanted. I am VERY excited to see the dress when it is completed. I am even more so excited to wear it for our wedding. Carl and Pat, I can't thank you enough! read more

Unfortunately, this was my first bridal gown shopping experience. The staff provided poor, unprofessional and distracted service. They gossiped in front of me about another customer and her unreasonable requests. The boutique interior was shabby and outdated with unflattering fluorescent lighting and dirty carpet. The dressing room doubles as a storage closet. I let these things slide as their dress selection was adequate and I had other bridal appointments where I expected to have a better experience. I am only writing a review because the following day, my mom and I were reviewing my favorites, one of which was at Always Elegant, but we had forgotten to write down the name of the dress. Mom called to inquire but the clerk was reluctant to give her any information, insisting that I come back in to buy from them. Mom explained that I had to return home and would not be able to come back that day but we were just hoping to keep that dress in our "maybe pile." The kicker was that after their conversation, the clerk CALLED HER BACK to "school her" on how small businesses operate and she didn't want to give her the information as she was terribly concerned that we wanted to buy from a different retailer (which was untrue). I understand the struggles of a small business as I own one myself. However, as a small business owner, I believe that customer service trumps all else. Not only was AE's phone call passive aggressive and rude, but they shot themselves in the foot because no matter how much I loved that gown, I will not give them my business and will definitely spread the word. In an internet era of educated consumers, the crucial first impression of a business is generally gathered online. Businesses should be especially sensitive to clients' needs and wants and AE's clerk should have been more concerned about their poor internet reviews and less about ONE customer potentially buying from another vendor. read more

My dress made my wedding special, and I could not have had a greater experience in working with Carl, and Pat the seamstress. The dress fit me perfectly, and our time spent in the store with my Mom and girl friends was a great overall part of our wedding planning experience. I would highly recommend Carl and his team at Always Elegant, and I know that my bridesmaid Sherry is working with Carl now for October. read more

This place doesn't even deserve one star. Rafaela was only interested in the money and was dishonest with me about my dress. When I went in i tried one on, loved it and therefore was measured to buy one that would fit me the best. Obviously some adjustments would be needed and this I expected. However after purchasing my dress and trying it on my dress was way too big. I asked her if she had ordered the correct size. She continued to state that the dress had to be ordered larger, this way when adjustments were done it would fit like a glove. I was convinced this was not the dress I had ordered (size wise) and that she was giving me the prop dress and the one that I had tried on when I came in the first time. I went back into the dressing room and tried to find the tag on the dress. My assumption was correct, the dress I had on was a 14. After being measured Rafaela said I was an 8, and even if she would have sized up she should have ordered a 10. I brought this to her attention and she insisted that the dress was the correct size and that the tag was wrong. Even then I settled because my sons wedding was less than 3 months away and I didn't have time to look for a new dress and do alterations, plus i had already paid $400 for the dress. Since the dress was way to big we then discussed about the seamstress doing the alterations. She stated that it would have to be later on because the seamstress only made visits once every few weeks and only when multiple alterations needed to be done. I again agreed and was told I would be called when I could meet. About 2 weeks later I finally met with the seamstress, all she did was pin the hem and this took less then 10 mins to do. I debated on getting this done here because things were not going as smoothly as I hoped. But again due to the lack of time left I decided to do it. After leaving I decided it was not worth how much they were asking for and called Rafaela, apologized for the inconvenience and asked if I could just pick up the dress. She stated that the seamstress had already left and was on the highway and would not be able to turn around. This made no sense since I had not even left 10 mins prior , but the semestres was long gone with my dress. She stated the seamstress would come in a week and return it, to which I insisted I could not wait. Rafaela then called me back and stated that the seamstress would drop it off the following day. At this point I just wanted my dress and be done with this place. The following day I went to pick up my dress but of course Rafaela needed more money. She was withholding my dress and stated that if I didn't pay $20 for wasting the seamstress time I would not receive my dress. I was fed up with how unprofessional everything was occurring. On top of screwing me out of my correct sized dress, I was then being charged for "wasting" the seamstress time. Although she had to show up anyway because she had prior alterations to do. Rafaela began to get very nasty and even commented on how "if I was even legal"? This pushed me over the edge. All because I'm Hispanic, she assumed I was an illegal immigrant. This comment was unnecessary and completely disrespectful. And in fact even if I was, that had nothing to do with me wanting my $400 dress and her withholding it all because of $20. I gave her the $20 and walked out with my dress in hand and with tears in my eyes. I at no point was difficult, disrespectful or rude. I went in looking for a beautiful dress for my sons wedding and walked out with tears because of the insults that woman stated.I do no recommend going and giving her any type of business, especially if she thinks it's okay to speak to customers in that way. read more

Whenever I have anywhere special to go I always turn to Raffaela at Always Elegant Bridal. She never ceases to amaze me by finding something fabulous for me to wear! I have been coming to this boutique for years. Rafaella is truly a gem!! She makes you feel welcome, gives excellent advice and takes the stress out dress shopping! read more

Excellent service- just purchased a gown for my sons wedding and a beautiful dress for grandma of the groom. This was a a wonderful experience everyone was so helpful, kind, friendly and truly help you to pick the right dress for !! My fittings were never cancelled they even changed some of them to accommodate me. I truly recommend you try this shop they treat you like a friend !!!! read more

After going to probably 7 bridal stores in Bergen County (spent a lot of time on weekends there due to my husband's family) and not being able to find anything, I decided to try Always Elegant as it was around the corner from my house. Rafaela was amazing from the start. She accommodated my busy work schedule by staying open past business hours. I ended up finding my dress there relatively quickly due to her fabulous selection (she has a lot of Maggie Sottero dresses which I really liked). Rafaela was very patient and allowed me to come back to show the dress to my mom via Skype as my mom lives in another state. Then when it came time for the fitting, she was very accommodating again to my busy schedule to make sure I was able to get all the 3 fittings. Pat, the seamstress, is AMAZING. She is incredibly skillful and did a superb job with taking the dress in, handling the intricate bead work, sewing in cups, and creating the bustle. Overall, it was a very positive experience and made the whole wedding planning process less stressful. For those looking at wedding dresses, make sure to select a place that is not too far from your house if you're schedule is less flexible as you will be traveling there at least 3 more times for the fitting and final pickup. AE couldn't have been in a more convenient location. read more

My sister came here to get her wedding dress and she is normally a size 4 in regular clothes. They tried to order her a size 12 wedding dress. I know that there is a variation in sizes when it comes to street clothes and dresses but this is a HUGE difference. My mom put her foot down and they compromised on ordering her a size 10. She needed almost $600 of alterations done to her already pricey wedding dress. If they would have ordered her a size 6 she would have zipped right into it with minimal alterations. In the end my sister looked beautiful but the dress had to be taken in a ridiculous amount. They also ordered me a size 16 bridesmaids dress. I have NEVER been a size 16 even when I was pregnant with my sons. I asked the owner three or four times on the day that we placed the order for our dresses what size she was ordering me and she would not tell me. She kept saying that she needed to put in into the chart. I told her I was planning on losing weight (I had just had a baby) so I didn't want to get too big of a size because I was going to lose weight. Well low and behold when I went to pick up the dress after 6 months I had lost some weight but the dress was HUGE. I mean ridiculously huge. The dress originally $200 and they wanted to charge me $150 which is $50 less than the cost of the dress. I took the dress and got it altered somewhere else. I was NOT giving this place any more of my money. It all seemed so shady. All the other bridesmaids were ordered dresses 2-3 sizes bigger than what they needed which required a ton of alterations. Be VERY careful when you buy a dress here. Make sure they order you the correct size or you will be paying through the nose for alterations. It seems like they have a huge scam going on here by ordering such huge sizes to try and charge you a ton of money for alterations. I was NOT happy at all. read more

I went to Always Elegant back in July of last year to try on wedding dresses. I had looked online, picked my top 5 dresses that I liked, and looked up places that sold dresses by the designer I liked. Making the appointment was easy. I called and got the exact appointment time I wanted. I went down there with one of my bridesmaids, my maid of honor, and my mother. The appointment was nice and laid back. Rafaela was very friendly, and she brought me my top two dresses right away. I tried them both on and I was sold. I bought my top pick, and looked at a couple bridesmaids dresses. Overall my experience was very enjoyable. My only complaint is that it's been almost a year since I bought the dress (my engagement is a long one) and I haven't received one call about my dress arriving, scheduling fittings, just checking in to let me know they didn't forget about me, etc. My mom and I were watching Say Yes to the Dress and were suddenly reminded "Oh yeah we bought that wedding dress!" So I called Always Elegant myself to ask about my dress. Rafaela was very quick about getting back to me and I'll be going in for a fitting in June. So basically, this is a great place to get a wedding dress, just make sure you follow up on the fittings and about when your dress comes in because I didn't get any calls from them about my purchase after almost a whole year. read more