I visited the Bridal Chateau after hearing two different people recommend it (only one of which bought their dress there - the other had heard they did good work but had never gone).
Upon arrival I was told by one of the owners how many dresses the Bridal Chateau has and all the rooms they have them. As soon as I met the woman who helped me and described what I wanted (a simple chiffon dress or a light and slim tulle gown), we proceeded to walk through the main dress room. She pointed at all different dresses telling me I wouldn't like them because they weren't the style I was looking for but to feel free to look at them. She could have offered different suggestions on what I could do to slim down the dresses or other options, instead, she barely helped and didn't pull dresses. My mom and I to push through each dress to look at it -- through a bag -- since no one helped to open the bags for us.
I decided to try on two dresses and was told to imagine it in my size -- other bridal shops I attended used clips to pin back the dress so it was fitted to me. After I said this, one clip was produced. At one point in trying on the dresses Linda asked me if I needed help getting the dress on. I said "Of course I need help! This is a huge gown!"
On my way to the dressing room, I noticed another room in the back of dresses. I asked what that was and Linda said I wouldn't want to go look there because those were all old dresses and the sale room. I said I want to go to the sale room! While wearing the second dress I had tried on, Linda said, why don't you go look in the sales room now, instead of getting changed again? So I waddled, barefoot, holding up this monstrous gown, and shuffled into the sale room to push more dresses apart to look at them while the woman helping me stood behind and chatted to me. This was all while I was barefoot and trying to hold up the dress I was wearing to not fall down...
The whole time I was trying on dresses, more and more Bridal Chateau workers flocked around me complimenting each dress I try on. I could have put a paper bag on and it would have been "the one." But don't try to take a picture of yourself! That's not allowed. Signs are all over prohibiting that.
I think Linda and the male owner and the few other shop girls could tell I was not loving the scene. I asked Linda if I could look upstairs at dresses, she told me no that those were dresses already purchased -- I don't know why I couldn't look and have another ordered but.... After I had gotten dressed, a woman comes down the stairs and asks me what I am looking for. I find out this is the other owner. After telling another person what I am looking for (and showed pictures) she asked if I would try a dress on for her to see what I am looking for. I don't know why I needed to try a dress on to show her what I was looking for when I had pictures on my phone of what I wanted.
She ends up asking me to try on a few more dresses that she has selected. It turns out one of the dresses I tried on WAS ALREADY PURCHASED AND OWNED by someone else! I immediately thought, "Why would I ever buy my dress here?! They'll let someone else try it on!"
The owner proceeded to explain to my dad that they don't allow photography because her girls work so hard and devote so much time to each bride and then people snap a photo, find it online, and buy it for cheaper.... Why doesn't she just lower her prices from the starting average of her dresses $1200?
She also said how sometimes they have to take the dresses to get dry cleaned because some girls try on the dresses without panties... EW!
In the end, my dad was allowed to take a picture of me and if I bought the dress that day "$300 off!!!" --- You have 'til Tuesday!," the owner kept repeating. I felt like I was being sold a used car by a pushy salesmen. Also shows how much mark up is in the dress. I was also told how awful a chiffon gown would be and how badly it would wrinkle. Me sitting while my helper was sitting next to me, lady owner in front, male owner sitting far to my left, and two other shop girls standing and watching. I felt surrounded and suffocated and pushed.
I walked away without buying the dress, and I didn't call back Tuesday. read more