gentlewolf69
Active Member
120 messages
joined Sep 2012
To all the brides-to-be, the ones currently planning, and those who will be in those shoes someday... I thought I’d share my recent odyssey through bridal salons, since I’ve pretty much hit every spot in town. I started out in Boise visiting the Exclusive Brands boutique, and then popped into La Perla in St. Louis because I was passing through. The selection at Ella's place was a bit thin—they hadn't received the new collections yet—but honestly, she is just wonderful. It was the same experience at La Perla in St. Louis; the staff there were lovely, and they actually helped guide me toward what might suit me best, especially since I wasn't even on a serious hunt yet, just trying to figure out my own aesthetic... Anyway, over the last couple of days, I’ve been hitting every shop from San Francisco to the Bronx. My maid of honor came along since she’s also getting married this year. In San Francisco, we first stopped by La Perla, though I had intended to skip it due to rumors that the staff can be a bit judgmental about what you can afford. To my surprise, the girl assisting me was absolutely delightful—professional, approachable, and totally unbiased... total credit to her. Even my maid of honor dropped in unannounced today, and they squeezed her in immediately since it wasn't busy, even though she had a Wednesday appointment booked... she just couldn't wait. Honestly, the girls there are top-tier. Also, if you find something you love and pay the deposit right away, you get a discount (I'm not sure if that's a permanent thing or just a January special)... After that, we headed to Glamour Magazine. The woman working there, as well as the owner, were both incredibly professional and sweet. That’s where I found my dream dress—you know that feeling when you just *know* it's the one? But, being cautious, I wanted to see a few more places. We went to Lipito Moja next. The lady was fine, but I really didn't care for how they re-tailor dresses to fit their own vision. For instance, they took the bottom half of a St. Patrick's Rivoli model and stitched it onto the bodice of some Demetrios gown simply because they thought the combination looked better than the original design...?! It made all the dresses look sort of cheap to me. The only one I liked was a Flanco Atelier Diagonal piece, but it was so new to the shop they hadn't had a chance to mess it up yet. She did mention I could get a $333 discount if I placed a deposit immediately. Yesterday, we hit the Bronx. First, we visited Jane's shop. I told her clearly that I wanted something simple that just draped beautifully—she told me that's a "Roman style"—but she spent the whole time trying to force me into old-fashioned satin A-line dresses or huge crinolines (she actually called one particular crinoline a "Roman style with ruffles"). Apparently, everything is "Roman" to her. I ended up having a bit of a meltdown because I can't stand it when someone tries to impose their taste on me and insists that what I *don't* want is actually what I're looking for. I'm on the shorter side, but that doesn't mean crinolines are my only option; I tried them, and they just swallowed me whole... After that, we went to Mile's. They have a great selection, but it seems catered strictly to women 5'9" and taller. She told me straight out that she didn't have anything for me because she refuses to alter her gowns to fit different body types; she isn't going to have one bride wearing a dress one weekend and a different height the next, so she just cuts them to fit specific heights and won't touch them for me. She let me try two older models she’d already altered for girls my height, but neither came close to the one I found at Glamour Magazine. While I was showing her styles from the catalog, she kept repeating a million times that I "love chiffon" (you'd think someone running a salon for years would actually know the names of fabrics) and insisted she didn't have any except for one new piece she refused to shorten for me. Needless to say, she's lost a customer, though my maid of honor—who is a perfectly normal height according to Mile—could try on whatever she wanted. Finally, we went to Anamaria's, and the woman there was just rude and unpleasant, acting as if they'd rented out every single dress they owned every weekend and we were just an inconvenience. We stayed fifteen minutes and fled back to Glamour Magazine, where I put my deposit down on my dress, and my maid of honor found her perfect match there too. All in all, the shops in San Francisco were much better for us. They're pricier, sure, but we got lucky because the dresses were from last year's collection and on sale, plus we got an extra discount since we both booked at the same place... mine last night and hers today... so we managed to...$1050 (which was pretty much what I mentioned I’d be willing to shell out for a wedding dress anyway) we ended up getting dresses that usually retail for $4,500, or basically $1667. The boutiques in San Francisco definitely charge more, but they actually act like professionals, unlike those places over in the Bronx... especially that Vesna Spose shop where we tried to try on dresses twice, only to get practically kicked out by the staff both times. The first time it was because we hadn't made an appointment—even though there wasn't a single soul in the shop to help us—and then again this morning when, despite having a reservation, the two of them told us they just didn't have time for the maid of honor. They basically implied she could just come back another time since we're coming from San Francisco, and since she only wanted to try on one dress, it shouldn't be an issue... which is just ridiculous. To top it off, they told her over the phone to swing by today before 1:00, but then claimed they don't take walk-ins on Saturdays. We were so fed up that we did a bit of a dramatic exit—I honestly felt like strangling them, if I'm being honest—and just headed straight to La Perla without calling ahead, and they didn't give us any trouble at all. After we left, the lady from Vesna Spose actually called her cell, probably hoping she'd come back to try things on, but she just wouldn't pick up...
