I bought my wedding dress, three bridesmaid dresses and 5 ties from Anne Harding in 2014. The dress was stunning, but with the fabric I wanted added to the keyhole back, alterations cost £100 and fitting an additional £115, both of which I felt were overpriced, as the dress fit was almost perfect without it.
Two of my bridesmaids (both size 8-10) were measured by the staff at Anne Harding, and these dresses turned up in sizes 14 and 16. When I asked the reason for them being so oversized, I was told the size is based on the largest measurement taken. very strange as neither girl is any bigger than a 10 anywhere on their bodies! I was then offered an alteration service: £60 per dress. I was feeling more and more ripped off. (We altered the dresses elsewhere). My third bridesmaid lives abroad, so took her own measurements and her dress fitted perfectly. No alterations required.
My final complaint is that the ties I ordered well in advance still hadn't arrived two weeks before the wedding date. The staff at AH blamed issues with the distributor in America. They made phone calls for me, but only when I asked them to. They made no effort to keep me updated. Eventually I bought 5 "back up" ties in a similar colour from another shop a week before the wedding. The ties eventually arrived, but the situation had been frustrating and stressful.
I felt cheated out of my wedding dress shopping experience at Anne Harding. It's a real shame, as finding Essence and Dessy stockists in and around Bristol is tricky, but I'd recommend avoiding disappointment by looking further afield. read more
