This was the only bridal appointment I had that charged a fee, so I honestly expected the…read moreexperience to be exceptional. Unfortunately, it was by FAR my worst bridal appointment.
I was greeted nicely when I arrived, and I filled out a form about my style and what I was looking for. We discussed that for a while, which was fine, although the conversation didn't feel particularly fluid. I also want to acknowledge that the consultant helping me was nice. However, I don't know a lot about specific dress styles, fabrics, or materials, so I found the continuous questions about exactly what I wanted to be difficult. I often genuinely didn't know the answer, but I felt like I was expected to have a more specific answer.
I was shown which styles were on each rack and then selected four dresses to try on. What really surprised me was that after I selected those dresses, no additional dresses were brought to me and I wasn't really given suggestions based on what I had chosen. I was essentially left to choose what I wanted from the racks myself.
Unfortunately, the condition of many of the dresses was also very disappointing. I did see some dresses that appeared to be in good condition, so I don't want to imply that every dress in the store was damaged. However, the dresses that were closest to my style were the ones that seemed particularly worn, torn, yellowed/oxidized, or otherwise in poor condition. Some appeared visibly damaged. One of the dresses I tried on even had broken straps, so I was literally having to hold it up while wearing it because it wasn't staying in place properly.
The fitting process was also extremely slow. It felt like it took roughly three times as long as any other bridal store I visited for each dress to be clipped and fitted in the back before I could come out of the dressing room. At one point, the dresses I had already tried on were left on the floor of the dressing room, and they weren't being picked up until I eventually couldn't stand the dressing room. By the time about an hour had passed, I felt like I had barely gotten through two dresses.
The overall appointment was also very question-heavy, which became stressful for me. I have a hard time speaking up when I'm uncomfortable, and instead of feeling excited and helped throughout the appointment, I found myself feeling overwhelmed and anxious. The experience became so stressful and disappointing that I ended up leaving the appointment early rather than continuing through the rest of the appointment.
Bridal dress shopping is supposed to be a fun and memorable experience, and unfortunately this one was neither for me.
I was also surprised by the overall level of professionalism. The consultant assisting me was wearing a tube top, slides, and socks. I understand that dress codes vary, but given that this is a bridal boutique where brides are coming in prepared to potentially spend thousands of dollars, I expected a more polished and professional presentation.
After the appointment, I contacted the boutique because I genuinely felt that the experience was unacceptable, particularly considering that I had paid an appointment fee. They agreed to refund my $19 fee, which I appreciated. However, four days later, I still have not received the refund or an update despite following up. I understand 4 days is not long, but I also feel that it says a lot when a bride takes the time to explain how upsetting and disappointing her appointment was, the boutique agrees to make it right, and then fails to respond to 3 follow ups.
I really hope management takes this feedback seriously. In my opinion, the boutique needs better employee training and a much closer look at the condition and selection of the dresses being offered. Broken, torn, heavily worn, and yellowed dresses should not be what a bride encounters when paying for a bridal appointment.
I left feeling stressed and disappointed rather than excited about finding my wedding dress, so unfortunately I would recommend going anywhere but here.
