I recently visited with my soon-to-be-SIL and it was a very jarring and disheartening experience. When my SIL first booked the appointment, she wasn't sure how many people she'd have with her depending on who made it into town. After we got the final number, which was 6, we learned that Orainda's caps the number of guests at 4. My SIL called to cancel the appointment for that reason, as she wanted to respect the shop's policies, but she spoke to Orainda's daughter on the phone who insisted that 6 was totally fine and that we should keep the appointment, which we did. However, when we showed up with 6, Orainda was the one working/hosting our appointment and she immediately made a fuss about our numbers despite my SIL going to lengths to make sure it was okay. She also immediately insisted that we take off our shoes, which is fine and normal, but the approach was very gruff. She then went on a long tangent about family drama she was having which was why her phone kept ringing -- rather than just muting her phone.
My SIL is a first time bride and the engagement came fairly fast, so she didn't know EXACTLY what she wanted. Orainda belittled her for this, turning to the rest of us saying, "she doesn't know what she wants, but you all know her better than I do so you better help her figure it out" in a tone that was unamused and rude. The few preferences my SIL did provide were largely ignored, with Orainda insisting she try on a dress that my SIL explicitly said she wasn't interested in. Orainda also asked questions and made comments outright about body type etc that were rude and uncalled for, or at the very least were lacking tact and sensitivity.
On top of this, when it came time to try dresses on, my SIL wasn't given the option for any of us to help her with changing, but rather Orainda went right in and gave a strange spiel about how she "wasn't looking at" my SIL and how she "didn't judge" but didn't make my SIL feel comfortable during the changing process. She didn't really give my SIL much of a choice to consent to have the owner all up in her business while changing.
During the try ons, Orainda repeatedly made comments that made us all look at each other like "did she really just say that?" She was very blunt about her opinions and acted like her opinion was the most important one in the room, even when we didn't ask for an opinion. She also consistently gave unsolicited advice, not just about dresses or weddings but about medical matters for friends of the bride that were with her. When that guest expressed that she had the situation addressed, Orainda continued to insist the friend follow her advice. It was very odd and off putting.
By the end, we had narrowed it down to a couple of dresses and we didn't even have time to try them back on because the next appointment was walking in while my SIL was still in a dress. Had my SIL wanted to walk out with a dress that day, she couldn't have because she wasn't even given the choice since the next appointment was starting (which Orainda made sure we knew). The whole process felt rushed and unprofessional from beginning to end. We should have read the reviews before we came that the daughter provides a positive experience, but the owner herself not so much. read more