I finally gave Dipped By Dee, as I followed her instagram for a while now. I was always so mesmerized by the presentation of her berries since the first day I followed her; however, I never found the right time to go out and purchase some, even when she has trunk sales.
ORDERING THE BERRIES:
About a month ago, I decided to put in a custom order for my mom's birthday, which was on July 17.
Knowing the demand of her berries, I made sure to put in my order about three weeks early from July 17. I believe the only venues in which you can put in a custom order (other than physically going to the location) is through Instagram messaging or phone call. There's pros and cons to that, as there is less accessibility to directly viewing business' services/prices, only to really view them Instagram (not everyone has one). But, lucky for me, I easily messaged them in their direct message and awaited for a reply. And also, before I get to mention, they offer 10% student discount and military discount (I don't think you can combine them, if you are a student and a military dependent, like me) on CUSTOM PREORDERS ONLY.
Anyway, before putting in the order, I watched the series of IG stories that they have posted, which have a substantial amount of information for custom orders. I highly suggest doing this as it makes it easier for you as a customer, and for them, as the transaction is coherent and straightforward.
They replied pretty quickly to my request and from there, after confirming what I ordered, they sent me a picture of a handwritten invoice:
-Medium Box--$60
-1st Row: Marble (purple/white)--$5
-2nd Row: Milk dip with purple drizzle
-3rd Row: Marble (purple/white)
-"Happy Bday Mom" (phrase)--$5
-Gold coloring on the phrase--$10
Total: $80 +10% Student Discount= $68.00 (Grand Total)
As you can see, for 15 strawberries, you're paying about $5.30 per strawberry without any discount. It's honestly expensive in my frugal eyes, but in comparison to Godiva's Chocolate Strawberries, you purchase 6 CHOCOLATE (with no designs) strawberries for $42.00, meaning that's $7.00/strawberry. So I believe if people are going to complain about the prices, don't bother doing so, because you are getting a good deal for high-quality designed berries from individuals who actually are passionate of curating them, than from SOME individuals who are working a part-time job just to get by.
After sending the invoice, they send you a link to where you can pay for the berries via debit/credit or you can go in person to their store to pay for it. They gave me 48 hours to pay for it in order to take advantage of the student discount.
PICKING UP THE BERRIES:
The date I requested to pick up the berries was on July 16 at 530 PM because I had work in the morning of July 17. I drove to their location, which is easy to find. It's on Sand Island Access Road and in the same shopping center where Thang's (boba) is at; lots of parking too!
Went in and I was greeted right away. I wanted to try their flavored berries too, just in case I made a future custom order, so I grabbed a variety box (in their mini fridge) which included Fruity Pebble, Milk Chocolate, Red Velvet, Oreo, and Strawberry Shortcake (value is $20).
Her husband was working the register, nice guy who knows a lot about his berries! I told him I has a custom order for my name and he went to the back to check if it was ready. When he brought them out, I was surprised about the presentation of the box itself because they wrapped in ribbon and sprinkled gold glitter on it and I didn't even ask for it! It was such a cute touch, my mom loved it! However, it was very courteous of them to make a box of strawberries look like a little gift.
TASTING THE BERRIES:
The variety box was delicious! Too delicious that I could've eaten them all in one sitting if self control wasn't a thing. My favorite was the strawberry shortcake!
My mom's birthday berries were as well loved by my family. I'm glad that my mom loved them! I also was pleasantly surprised that the lettering was chocolate because all this time I thought it was fondant. They were still reasonably fresh considering that they've been in the fridge for about 24 hours. They did have strawberry liquid coming out from the bottom of the wrapper, but that's a natural, inevitable phenomenon with a fruit that retains moisture. So, the fresher, the better!
In all, Dipped By Dee provides quality customer service and creates quality strawberries that are delicious and beautiful! I highly recommend purchasing from them, as I will be doing so soon. Follow their Instagram to join giveaways and be on the look out for their trunk sales, they may be in your city! read more