My mom and I are from Seattle and we decided to take a girls trip to Victoria this past February…read more While there we decided on a whim to go look at some wedding dresses just to see what I would like. We really had no intentions of finding a dress since the was the first and only time I had ever looked at wedding dresses. From the moment I stepped in the doors I felt so welcome and so well taken care of. The ladies that work here are truly the best, I can honestly say I've never had a better experience in a store of any kind. They went above and beyond to make my mom and I feel comfortable, and I walked out of there feeling so incredibly beautiful, on cloud 9, and with the dress of my dreams. It was magic and I cannot give this place enough praise. Trusting them with this huge decision was the best on a whim decision ever!

There are not enough good things to say about this wonderful bridal boutique. I went in with…read moreabsolutely no idea of what type of wedding dress I would be interested in, and Amanda took me and my bridesmaids in, and made us all feel like princesses for the morning. She had such a keen eye, and the first dress she chose for me ended up being the wedding dress of my dreams. They are all so professional, warm, and caring. The team made the overall experience a truly magical one, and I would recommend anyone interested in looking for a wedding gown to give the White Peony a look!

Beautiful store connected to Belva's home in the woods. Great selection of beautiful dresses at…read morevery reasonable prices. What's even better than that? Belva and Wanda are so passionate about what they do and they are highly skilled!! They can make and alter anything. I bought a lovely dress from another store but they did the alterations. They were completely custom and made the dress fit perfectly. Wanda added a bustle and some additional sparkle. She attached my sash to the dress and spent countless hours on the lace and beading. She went above and beyond. Both Belva and Wanda are super kind, professional and very enjoyable to work with. Highly recommended!!

I went to many a bridal boutique in Seattle and in Austin before finding this gem- Black Diamond…read moreBridal. I found my dream wedding dress at their intimate boutique tucked in the woods... talk about a romantic setting in which to choose your wedding gown! I called ahead and scheduled an appointment. They were so helpful, supportive, and welcoming. They weren't pushy and they also respected my budget by only pulling gowns within the price range- I can't tell you how many times I've gone into a salon and felt like they pulled beautiful dresses that were way above my price point. The other wonderful thing about Black Diamond Bridal is that they do alterations in house. So you can purchase your dress and alterations all in one go. It was such a relief to know that my dress wouldn't be needlessly transported to an outsourced alteration company. Thank you Black Diamond Bridal for giving me a wonderful experience.

The best dress selection I've ever seen!! I felt like I was in a 2000s romcom trying things on, the…read moreladies that run the place are so friendly and the prices are amazing, I found my bridesmaids dress and my friend got a dress and the straps were a bit loose and they tightened them for her on the spot! I've been twice and I can't wait for whenever I have an excuse to come back!

My daughter needed a dress for her first Homecoming. This was all new to me…read more A friend recommended G&G. Had I not looked them up online, I would have never even known this little shop was there -tucked in between others. We spent quite a while in the store and the lovely owner gave her lots of tips. She ended up finding the perfect dress, exactly what she was looking for. I'm happy because we spent under $50 on a dress she'll likely not wear again. She also found a great accent necklace to go with it. Tip: don't try on dress by sizes, look for the style and colors you want first. We found things that fit my daughter from size 4-16. Dresses like this really vary in sizing.

***This is an update: Read my original review first.***…read more There is another review here now, whose express purpose is not to review the store at all, but simply to contradict my review. Surprise, it's from a reviewer new to the site with only one review. Obviously someone who knows the owner. To address the points in there - the person says, in reference to my discussion of how rude, indifferent and unpleasant the owner was: " I do know people in the process of getting married are under a lot of stress and can perceive actions in an enhanced manner. In fact there is a TV series about this very situation, showing how women especially go through a very stressful time." I grant you, that is often the case, but I was no bridezilla. We had the most laidback, easy-going wedding imaginable. Our cake was made by friends. Our wedding was in my parents' back garden. My mom made my bouquet. The photographer was a friend of ours. Both our caterer and the organizer at our reception venue commented that I was one of the most chill, easygoing brides they'd ever worked with. So please don't presume when you don't know what you're talking about. As for my taking the dress to an outside seamstress and the reviewer's comments that it "cut down poor Luz's profit", give me a break. If she had been remotely professional, caring or pleasant to deal with - if she had listened to me and my concerns and thoughts - if she had been anything other than insistent, arrogant and bulldozering in her dealings with me - OR, if she had offered one word of sympathy or reassurance when the dress arrived - I would happily have used Luz' seamstresses. But that woman and that store (with the exception of the first saleswoman, Patricia, who was lovely) was such a horrible experience that I wasn't spending another moment or dollar there. To clarify further, I have no problem with mistakes being made. My (then) fiance's suit arrived with fit problems as well. The company that made it were kind, friendly, gracious and helpful, and took care of the alterations happily, and even though we had to pay the return shipping on the incorrect items, it didn't matter - they treated us well, they fixed the problem, they took care of their customers. Luz Bridal Boutique was a very different story. I would not set foot in the place again, and I hope no other bride has to go through what I did.

I'm the bride to be and I went in with 5 girlfriends with no appointment on a Saturday. They were…read morevery busy but fit me in and we had a great time! Two ladies came in to help me back and forth grabbing dresses and helping me put them on. They were very kind and helpful, but also gave me and my girlfriends freedom to look at the dresses ourselves, pick them out, and have a good time! Lots to choose from!

Many options! I'm the bride to be and the ladies there are so personal and made dress shopping and…read morelovely experience! The only one that I felt super taken care of and they Knew their store and what dresses they have. They have big rooms and I felt comfortable trying on dresses.

I should point out that this store is under fairly new ownership - and I cannot say enough great…read morethings about Mandy and her team at Shades of White! I shopped at a bunch of stores in Vancouver before coming over to Victoria for some wedding dress shopping. By that point my expectations were fairly low as my experience in Vancouver had not been very good. Shades of White was my first stop in Victoria and they totally turned around my outlook on bridal salons. Every staff member was so sweet and accommodating. They really listened to me and were not at all patronizing (as I had found with salons in Vancouver). The dresses are quite reasonably priced (almost all under $2000) and the selection is excellent. My attendant ended up finding my dream dress!! We shopped around a bit more but ultimately went back to order from Shades of White. They were very clear that the dress was nonrefundable before I placed the order - and the transparency was much appreciated. I was a little wary about the size they recommended because I thought the waist measurement would be slightly too small. But they assured me it would fit - and if I went a size up I would have to have hundreds of dollars in alterations in the bust and hips (it's a lace dress). I thought it was very refreshing that they weren't trying to up-sell me on alterations. The dress arrived SOONER than expected (yay!!) and the size could not have been more perfect. Bust, waist, hips, length - not a single alteration! And this is a sheath dress with button back (Allure 8856 for anyone who's curious). Maya, their main seamstress, is not part of their staff, but rather a freelancer. And she is PHENOMENAL. One of the nicest, most accommodating people I have ever met. Granted she didn't have a lot of work to do on my dress but I ended up wanting the train shortened and a sash made and her prices were reasonable given the detail work associated with lace. To date I have had quite a number of interactions with many different staff members and they have all been wonderful - on the phone and in person. I want to give a shout-out to Ellen who was so helpful when I needed to get another sash at the last minute. Thank you Shades of White!

I had the most delightful experience making my purchase of a graduation gift for my granddaughter…read more The young woman Tiffany that helped me with my selection was so so kind and helpful. Once I made my purchase I wanted it engraved she very kindly gave me the name of a shop that did engraving and they were great. I can't say enough about the help I received from Tiffany.she is truly an asset to the company.

I first met Judith Pierce in 1994 when I was 17 years old…read more I was shopping for a grad dress with my mother in White Rock and we went into a little dress shop who had nothing I like. When we left Judith (who was also shopping) told my mother she was opening up a store and if we wanted to we could go back to her house and look through catalogues and she would order the dresses I liked for me to try on. As I was going through the catalogues, I came across a wedding dress and told her to order it for me because I wanted to get married in it, she laughed and said it was a bit too formal for my event but to keep looking. Anyway, I picked out a few dresses and she ordered them. When they arrived, she brought them to my house and I tried on about 5 dresses before making my selection. Overall a very good experience (my younger sister also bought her grad dress there 3 years after me and Judith helped her as well) In 2000, my girlfriend was engaged (as was I) and made an appointment for us to try on dresses at The Drawing Room. We went in and Judith remembered me as her very first customer and helped me pick out a few dresses. When I came out in the first dress she told me, "That's just like the one you picked out when you were 17 from the catalogue, do you remember?" I did and was married in that dress, which I still love all these years later. After almost 15 years, I still remember my dress experiences with Judith and would recommend the Drawing Room to anyone. I had no problems and would go there again if the occasion ever called for it.

SHOP AT YOUR OWN RISK Not enough stress, disappointment, or frustration in your life? Change that…read moreimmediately and look for your dress at Champagne and Disgrace. You will be lied to. You will be disrespected. You will be gas lighted. If you want a knock off gown at designer prices, this is your destination. And don't expect it to fit like the sample, or even be the same fabric or colour. And when it doesn't fit, don't expect a refund (especially after you've signed the refund "waiver"). The owner, Robynn Mcfarlane provides bridesmaids, brides, graduates and moms with the quintessential nightmare shopping experience. Read the other bad reviews and believe them, but whatever you do, don't believe that you are trying on the dress that will be the one that arrives. She orders from China, and you're going to be left in an impossible situation. I suppose the plan is for her to retire beside a lake of brides' tears, and she couldn't care less - as a matter of fact, it would seem that she might actually find some sick satisfaction in it. You'd be better off buying a potato sack because when it doesn't fit right, at least you get to enjoy the potatoes. Shop anywhere but here. PLEASE, SHOP ANYWHERE BUT HERE. (P.S. When R. McUnFairlane disputes this review, her "side of the story" will be riddled with lies.)

Contrary to the business's reply, the bride did try multiple times to reach somebody at the store…read more I am sitting next to the bride as I type this. After seeing the dress on me she agreed it was not good at all. Robyn was absolutely not rude to me once, her receptionist was. Robyn did offer for me to come have the dress altered at the store, for a price. This felt incredibly offensive as the dress is horrible and she is aware I can't make it to Abby from Burnaby in rush hour after work before they close. I tried twice to pick the dress up and failed. I have now had this dress "fixed" the best it can be by a professional seamstress. This was the second seamstress I had look at the dress. Both agreed the dress does not look as it does in the picture. It sits completely different. The dress is now fitted to me and still looks just terrible. The bride will have an absolutely beautiful wedding day. She completely understands mine, and a few of the other girls, issues with this dress. This will not effect her perfect day as we will make it work for her. I still stand by my previous review and will never purchase another item to this company. The customer is absolutely not always right, however in this case, unfortunately for me, I am.

I went in today to have three small fixes. I was rudely responded to that I am not a bride so the…read moreitems would not be seen until early August. If you were open 5 days a week maybe you could support customers with little jobs or just take 40 minutes to help me out. Update: I do not agree with your response. Small mending jobs, hemming, and slight alterations are your bread and butter for the year. I acknowledge that weddings are your priority at this time, but my job would have been quick and could have been added to a days' work. When I spoke with other vendors they acknowledged that was not a good business model, turning away business. While you may think not accepting work and commenting that I was not a bride is a good service conversation, as I read other reviews, many feel you are rude when communicating with them. I commented on your times that you are open because Google said you are open three days a week, your website says 5 days, and other sites say 4. It is not clear to a customer who has to travel downtown for the work.

Irina came highly recommended by my daughter who had gone to her for her wedding dress alterations…read more I was in need of having my Mother of the Bride dress shortened. Irina listened to what I wanted done and she did a beautiful job with the alterations. I couldn't have been happier. I will definitely use her again if needed and won't hesitate to recommend her to anyone else needing quality work done at a reasonable price