I would not recommend anyone get their alterations done here if you have a wedding gown with lace details that you care to keep. I've added photos of the result of their work, since I know that this can all be very subjective. I went to Clara's to get my wedding gown altered. The alterations were to shorten the hem (4 layers of fabric), and to add a 3 point over bustle. I didn't need any other alterations since the dress already fit me pretty well. I dropped off the dress on 4/16/25, and initial pick up was on 6/18/25. Total cost of alterations was around $425. My dress had a lot of lace details all over it, all the way down to the bottom of the dress. My biggest worry in getting the dress shortened was finding a seamstress who knew how to work with lace. I was feeling pretty good about having my dress altered at Clara's since they had 30 years of experience and Carrie had mentioned needing to take time to move all of the lace up, which was the reason alterations would take so long. When I picked up the dress, I was initially satisfied with the length of the dress, but it wasn't until I got home that I noticed that they had cut straight through the lace as a means of hemming the dress. Additionally, I found that the edge itself looked unprofessionally finished to my novice eye, with some edges cut unevenly and a flower applique left at the very edge of the hem. I reached out to Carrie about this, and she claimed that this was the industry standard approach for dresses with lace. When meeting her in person, she went through several other reasons for why the dress was altered the way it was, including: - This is an industry standard approach for hemming dresses with lace. - The small bits were left on in order to preserve as much of the lace as possible. - It's not a scalloped lace hem. The lace cannot be removed because it is integrated, they are not appliques. - Removing the lace has a chance of damaging the tulle layer. - The cut of the hem is supposed to be uneven because that gives it a flowy look. - The fabric is difficult to cut straight, and it was only straight before because it was made in a factory. - There were 5 inches of material that had to be removed, which is a lot of material. - She didn't know she had to tell me before cutting through the lace, as no one else has complained about it in the past. - Her tailor knows best because of all his experience working on wedding dresses, she doesn't even need to tell him what to do so she didn't think to ask about doing something different with the lace. Overall, I felt extremely uncomfortable trying to get a resolution to these issues with her. I mentioned to her about how everyone I asked, including family, friends and internet strangers, said that the work didn't look right and that it looked poorly done, and she told me that none of them knew anything about how the industry actually works. When I asked if I could take it to a different tailor for a second opinion, she told me that it was offensive that I would even suggest that. In the end, she told me that she's the last person who should be running a business because she cares too much about her brides, and that she felt disrespected and insulted that I would challenge their work when they have over 30 years of experience. I will say that Carrie was extremely responsive throughout this entire process, as frustrating as it was. I do appreciate that from her as I know other places have frequently taken much longer to get back to me about inquiries. She was willing to try to the best of her ability to resolve the situation, and was able to remove some of the small applique pieces that were left over as well as adding some of the cut off lace appliques back on. She also apologized for not knowing she had to tell me before cutting the lace, and created a new handout that goes over how they approaching hemming dresses with lace. I don't agree that what's described on it matches what they did, but I've added a photo of this handout as well so that you can judge for yourself. read more

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I was immediately impressed by the selection this shop has for wedding gowns. As this was my first store I had gone to in search of that perfect gown. I had a pretty good idea of what I was looking for, but the sales person (whom I'm assuming is the owner) made some great selections for me to try on. I am a size 10-12, and once I tried on a ten that was too snug she was quite brash about making comments about how much weight I planned on losing and kept suggesting that maybe I NEEDED to lose the weight. I left that shop feeling so low about myself and continued to have terrible self esteem issues about looking too fat in my wedding dress. I will point out that she does carry BEAUTIFUL gowns. However I later went and purchased a dress at Sposa Wedding World, Feeling GREAT about who I was, my dress and my curves! read more

Clara couture is definitely place I would recommend checking out. It was the first in Vancouver that I checked out and I loved how Carrie was super helpful about trying on a zillion dresses. Twice. (I went there a couple months later and repeated the process with my sister for input) PROS: - a good sized selection of designers such as Pronovias, San Patrick, Kitty Chen, etc. - they put the NAMES on the dresses... this is quite a surprise because so many places hide this information so you'll buy with them - reasonable prices... especially near the front section of the store where the dresses are on sale for 50% off...! yeowza! I found one beauty of a dress for $800 Tip: need to take shoes off before you walk around the store, so don't wear your expensive knee high boots. read more

Clara was very accommodating and friendly, and had the dress that I wanted. When I was measured the women told me I had big hips for my size (I'm fairly petite), which I know already, but it was still an off-putting comment to make, especially when I am dropping close to $2,000 on a dress. She did give me an excellent deal on my veil, and even offered to let me bring my dress back to be steamed right before my wedding. When I couldn't pick my dress up right on the day it came in, the employees were a bit catty about it, and Clara also didn't remember her offer to steam the wrinkles out of my dress before the wedding. An okay experience, but when it's your wedding dress, I'd expect better service, and more tact. read more

I bought my wedding gown in the states. It's too long for me. Carrie not only did a perfect job hemming it, but also made few suggestions to make my dress look even more fabulous! Carrie is super friendly and detail orientated! I definitely had a great experience at her shop!! read more

Pretty good experience. I dropped in on a weekday and they were able to accommodate me. There isn't a huge selection, but I found a lot of dresses I liked. They are also not secretive about who the designers are for the dresses, which made it easier to narrow down what I liked, since some designers fit better than others. Definitely worth a visit. read more

Clara Couture was one of the first places I went to when I went wedding dress shopping. From the moment I met Carrie, I was instantly at ease and felt no pressure whatsoever, unlike a lot of other bridal boutiques (I went to 5 different places in the Lower Mainland). Considering I went back to Clara's 3 times before I made my final decision and Carrie did not put any pressure on me, I was very pleasantly surprised! You could also take pictures while trying on the dress and she doesn't hide the name or designer of the dress like a lot of other boutiques in New West do. After going back and forth between a few dresses, I decided on a Pronovias dress at Clara's. Clara's selection of dresses are all so beautiful and this is due to the fact that Carrie attends the Pronovias wedding show in Barcelona each year to pick the newest dresses for her store each year. The store has a selection of Pronovias, San Patrick, Paloma Blanca - which is not available at a lot of other boutiques in town. The difference between Clara Couture and going to a larger store is that you feel like Carrie actually cares about each of her clients on a personal level and this really shows through in her customer service. From the wedding gown selection process to the alterations I was extremely happy with Carrie's excellent service and her care with my dress. I went in twice for alterations and she was meticulous in making sure everything looked perfect! She took the time to go over how to tie my bustle with my MOH a couple of times before she got it right. I would recommend anyone getting married to go to Clara's for the selection as well as the high level of service throughout! read more

The best place in Vancouver to look for a great wedding dress! So helpful and friendly:) A grateful client! read more

Highly highly highly recommend this bridal store!! They have great selection topped with an intimate shopping experience because it is a smaller store you will have the whole shop to yourself and family/friends! The dressing room is massive with all around mirrors for a perfect viewing. The service Carrie provides is very professional and timely but also personable and friendly. I always enjoyed my experience there as I had to go back for multiple fittings and alterations. She will also be honest with you as to what will look best/perfect for your wedding day. The alterations provided were perfectly done with no delays or mistakes, and at a reasonable price. read more

My friend took a 12 hour flight to look at dresses in the city. We were thrilled she was able to get an appointment on such short notice. My friend was willing to drop $7500 at this store for her pictorial dresses and one of her dresses for her wedding day. When asked if there were any discounts offered for curiousity sake the lady responded her with as in literally said to her " You need to buy the dresses, but I do not have to sell them to you". The day before my friend already spent around 15k on a Vera Wang at Blush where our consultant was accomodating, patient and actually gave her 10% off just cause. Her intent was to buy the dresses at this store regardless discount or not, sadly that one sentence changed her mind. read more

Carrie was very helpful and accommodating. She has a beautiful selection of dresses that are classic and modern at a great price point. Not pushy and very patient, Carrie takes the time to listen to your needs. Definitely recommend Clara Couture. read more

I came here in my quest to search for the perfect gown! Although I have yet to find a dress, the entire experience at Clara Couture was wonderful from start to finish. The store was clean, organized, and smelled lovely! Carrie was very kind, knowledgeable, and patient. She was not pushy at all and there was no pressure to buy a dress. I never felt rushed even though I was the last appointment of the day. They have a great selection of stunning dresses! In addition to their regular stock, they also sell samples at a very decent price. I would recommend booking an appointment before coming in as they only have one fitting room. The fitting room was very spacious! Carrie followed up with me after the visit, which I appreciated. A+ for customer service! read more

Clara is a delight! I brought in a bridesmaid dress that was poorly constructed and needed a lot of fixing to get it to fit right. I am very picky and Clara has been so patient in making sure everything is just the way I want it! She was even able to creatively add detail to the neckline that was a little 'off' and just 'didn't look right' in my opinion. With those words as her only direction she was able to add detail and it is now better than I thought it could be! I would highly recommend Clara to anyone who needs alterations done! read more

I had a quite unpleasant experience here. Very few choices unlike what was advertised online and not at all "upscale" like the price suggests on yelp. Compared to other places I've been like Bisou, which was marvelous and pleasant, the woman helping us was brusque and unhelpful. The place is cramped with terrible lighting and not at all the sweet experience I was hoping for in having my mother with me. read more

Clara has a great selection of gowns. She has a lot of mermaid gowns which other stores didn't have. I like that she only sees one bride at a time so you're not competing for her attention. It's a little cramped in her shop, but I'm there for the dresses, not for the glamour of the fitting room. To the brides who said that Clara made comments about their bodies: I think she is just trying to help. As brides, we all become hyper aware of the way we look because suddenly we realize that everyone will be looking at us! My advice is stop looking for validation from others. Just love yourself and enjoy every moment of being a bride. I am buying my dress from Clara and cannot wait to wear it on my big day! read more

This shop has a smaller but really good selection of wedding gowns. A few minutes into the shop, I already picked out many dresses that I wanted to try. The owner of the shop, Carrie, is extremely friendly and helpful. The shop is petite, but this is better than bigger shops, because I got to enjoy the privacy of having me and my gf in the shop only. I've been to the higher end shops, such as Kleinfeld Bridal at The Bay, and I'd say the service here is comparable. The changing room is very spacious. You can take your time and get changed and step into the dresses inside the room, and get Carrie to come in and fit the dress when you are ready. Carrie gave me great advice and even helped me to take pictures of the dresses. I'd say that she has definitely made my wedding planning experience to be more pleasant :) read more

Had an amazing experience here! Found my dream dress. The dresses are so beautiful. Service was wonderful. Couldn't have been a more perfect experience! :) read more

Had a really good time here. The consultant was really helpful and I showed her some pictures of what I like. And she got me right away. She was really helpful and very knowledgable. I order my dress at the first appointment. Hopefully the alteration was run smooth as well. Will update! read more

I loved Carrie and I loved her selection of dresses! For anyone wanting something very upscale and elegant, I highly recommend Clara's. I was looking for something with no lace, no beads, and very simple and classic, and she had a great selection of Pronovias and Mikaelas that fit the bill, and waaaay more reasonably priced than Bisou. Carrie was very friendly and helpful, and I had a great appointment with her read more

I am glad they changed their response to me on this review as it now sounds much more customer service oriented and more kind than their original reply did. I saw great reviews here for alterations so decided to get my wedding dress altered here. On my second fitting, there was a bunch of black ink splattered all over the front of my WHITE wedding dress!!!! I gently pointed it out at the end of my visit, and instead of owning up to having stained my dress, the lady blamed ME accusing that i bought a used dress. This is my BIGGEST complaint. When a business tries to blame the customer instead of owning up, that makes me feel they are not trustworthy. My dress only got those spots after my second fitting, so how dare you accuse me of having bought a used dress. Her response specifically before they removed the spots were "did you buy this dress used?". She even said that her seamstress pointed out to her that "the dress had the marks before he started working on it"....which is funny because AFTER they removed the marks they agreed that the marks appeared after being in there store. They said it was "black fuzz" but my mom, sister, and i examined them and fuzz has texture. I scratched away at the spots to ensure they were infact stains; and they were. Anyway, they ended up fixing it but I could not trust them after they tried to not take ownership. The alteration job at the end was crappy in the sense that my cups were not sewed in right so you could see the cups if you were looking down on me. They also forgot to trim one of the layers that was getting caught on my shoe so my mom had to do it herself the night before the wedding. I came in about 3-4 times and it was nearing my wedding date so i just wish more attention to detail was done so i didnt feel i had to just take the dress when it wasnt perfect. OH AND watch out with their lighting!! I purchased a veil from them thinking it looked white in the store but when I finally took everything home, saw the veil was actually butter yellow. Many people noticed as well and this was the day before my wedding.It did not look like that in the store at all so just note to be cautious of colours in their store lighting. What was annoying was that the lady denied it was yellow tinted and kept saying it was "ivory" when with our bare eyes we could see the colour!! They didnt help me with the veil situation in an exchange offer or anything and i was stuck with it the day of. I even had to tell my photographer to edit out the yellow in photos. Also I gave my ebay bought belts to them as i didnt need them myself...i paid 20$ for each and when i offered them the belts they took a small charge off the alterations cost..which is unexpectedly nice but made me think if they would try and resell the belts to compensate? OH and they charged me for steaming my dress after the lady had promised on the first fitting that she would steam it as a favour for next time so that i can see how poofy the dress really is. What got me is that not only was an offer not followed through on, but my brand new dress had no wrinkles until they started working on it! They caused the wrinkles but want me to pay to steam it out? Also, the alterations came out much more expensive than they had said it would. If the customer service aspect wasn't a factor, i would give this place a higher rating. read more

I had a great experience buying my San Patrick wedding dress here - after coming up empty-handed searching at other bridal stores (San Patrick is only sold at a couple of stores in the Lower Mainland). Clara and her staff were very attentive and helpful with my needs, especially when it came to making sure that the alterations of my hemline and bustle were done just the way I wanted. I even had a beautiful hairpiece made from the scraps of my dress left over from the alterations. Clara and her staff did a superb job with the alterations and I felt completely confident that my dress was in good hands. Clara also designs her own dresses as well...very talented. I would highly recommend other brides to visit Clara Couture to see her selection of wedding gowns (so many beautiful ones to choose from!), and/or if you're looking for someone to do quality alterations. Well worth the money spent!!!! read more

I had a great experience shopping at Clara Couture for my wedding gown. I have visited a number of bridal stores until I found Clara Couture. Although the store is not very big, it carries a good selection of wedding gowns at reasonable price. I was not sure what style suits me in the beginning and Clara provided good recommendations to me. Clara was very nice and patient with me. I went back and forth to the store for at least five times and have tried on at least 20 dresses before I found 2 dresses that I liked the most. Clara asked me to go home and decide which one I like the most. She was not pushy at all! After I chose my dress, Clara provided suggestions in how to make alteration to turn it into my perfect dream wedding dress. As Clara has a great reputation in her alteration skill, I feel very comfortable to have her alter my wedding dress (trust me, it's a big alteration!). I had a wonderful time working with Clara and I can't recommend them more! read more