I cannot say enough positive things about my experience buying my wedding gown from Shareen. For…read moresome background, I'm kind of introverted, and I'm not comfortable being the center of attention. So the whole bride thing makes me a little anxious. On top of that, this is my second marriage, and I come from a pretty conservative family. I was looking for a nontraditional gown for my small, intimate wedding. My fiancé and I planned our wedding pretty quickly, and I started to realize I'd have to choose a gown quickly too, so there would be enough time to have it tailored, etc. I was panicking about it one night, trying to figure out where to go, what to wear. The idea of going to some big commercial dress shop and buying into the whole wedding business just grossed me out. My fiancé saw me worrying and decided to help me, searching for where I could go to get a "different" type of gown. One of the first places he found in a google search was Shareen's shop. I looked at some photos and emailed her that night. The next morning I had a response, and that afternoon I had an appointment in the shop. Shareen is warm, friendly and welcoming. It was SUCH a relief to immediately feel at ease, when other places just made me feel uncomfortable and out of place. She asked me a few questions to get a sense of my style, then immediately pulled out a bunch of dresses and started trying them on me. I loved all of them. They are delicate, beautiful, and make you feel wonderful. On top of that, Shareen designs all of her gowns, so she knew what would flatter my body type. The other shop I tried was much more commercial, and I felt like all the dresses were designed for willowy model types. Shareen's dresses made me feel beautiful and feminine, and not self-conscious. I liked 2 on my first visit, then returned a few days later with my mom and my close friend. They liked the same ones but weren't completely sold on them. On a whim, Shareen grabbed another dress (something I definitely wouldn't have tried on my own, and boom, it was the one.
The buying experience was perfect. Because she designs all the dresses, Shareen can tweak them to fit your individual body. For instance, I have Cuban hips, and need a little more room, so she combined two sizes of dresses- one for the bodice, and one for the bottom part. The slip was altered so the straps were slightly wider (so I can wear a bra), and slightly higher in the middle (it plunged a little too much for me at first). NO commercial bridal shop will do this for you and include it in the cost of the dress. I had multiple fittings, and she made sure that every last detail was perfect. My dress is so lovely, I can't wait to wear it.
Bottom line, if you are a nontraditional (or self-conscious) bride like me, Shareen is your shop. She is sweet, helpful, and a perfectionist. You will leave her shop feeling affirmed, and well cared for. I actually cried my eyes out when I picked up my dress today. I don't usually get emotional over anything wedding-related, but I had such a great experience, I will really miss my appointments at Shareen's shop now that we are done. I will definitely keep in touch, and next time I need a gown for an event, I have my eye on a beautiful red gown she has in the shop...