Something is off about this place. They won't let you take pictures and the dresses are "exclusive" as the employees say. I think they have these dresses made over seas by some cheap manufacture and charge way too much. Go somewhere else where you can take pictures and get a good quality name brand dress and most importantly enjoy your shopping experience!
Friendly staff...But I went in to get measurements for a bridesmaid dress and they made me pay $21.10. Really? I need to pay to have you measure me in three areas of my body and that's it? .......
My first ever bridal shopping experience started with Beautiful Brides and Formals. The dress I eventually chose happened to be the first dress inside the door on the manikin that the stylist suggested I give a try - thank goodness she did!
Both Rebecca and Amy, who I worked with closely on separate visits, were fantastic! Very open, attentive, kind, understanding, helpful, and laid back. They really know what they're doing and how best to do it so the process runs smoothly and isn't too overwhelming. They answered all of my questions and did not make me feel at all rushed. Great experiences all around each of the three times I visited!
The prices for such beautiful dresses are unbeatable, especially during their sales. Lots of options, at least for the style I was searching for. You will try on the actual bridal dress that you will walk out the door with; no ordering, waiting, or wondering what your actual dress will look like on you. Looking forward to working with the seamstress they recommended to personalize my new dress and make it perfect!
I went in there with my mom with an appointment to try on wedding dresses. It was a Saturday afternoon and there was only one woman working. I got there a little early and she told me to look at the dresses and pick out a few I wanted to try on. I found about three or four I wanted to try on and.... 45 minutes after my appointment was supposed to happen, she wasn't helping at all. People walked in after I did that she helped, but I literally sat there with my mother (cuz it took maybe 10 minutes to find the dresses I wanted to try on). There weren't that many people in the store and she wasn't that busy, so I don't know why she wasn't helping. She could see us sitting there. She finally came over to help and it took over an hour to try on three dresses (thats over 20 minutes a dress) because she felt the need to recite every feature about the dress. Mind you, she didn't ask if I even liked the dress. She just went into a 20 minute lecture on the types of beads and crystals on the dress. Honestly. I don't care if they're swarovski crystals or from the dime store. All I care is that they're pretty. She doesn't allow pictures and even "reminded" (i.e. yelled at) my mom about taking pictures when she pulled out her phone. (She wasn't taking a photo. My sister had called). She was completely rude and I never would have bought a dress there, even if I had found one I liked.
Edit: To Laura who said "If the one lady (as previously complained about) was in anyway overloading someone with too much detail about the dresses they were trying on, it was because she wanted to make sure you knew what you were purchasing, which I think is truly considerate. If you don't have time to listen to the details of what you are trying on so that you may better appreciate it, then you don't have time to seriously consider buying a dress and shouldn't make an appointment." I bought a dress at Vera's that had lace and beads on it. I don't know in what country the lace was made and whether or not it was hand made. I don't know what type of beads they are. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate and love my dress. I DO appreciate that the sales staff at Vera's didn't keep me in a dress for 20+ minutes that I didn't like. Beautiful Brides sucks through and through and thats it.
Rebecca was amazing, and the store was delightful. I came from out of state to try on dresses with my mom and best friend, and Rebecca was able to fit me into an appt with limited advanced notice. It's true that there isn't a huge selection of a dresses you could find anywhere else, instead there are a number of hand crafted unique designs I haven't seen anywhere else. I didn't want shopping for my wedding dress to feel like going to a department store, and beautiful brides delivers being a locally owned independent business that really cares about their customers and their dresses. Before you try on dresses you look through the selection and choose your top four which helps to focus you on what you actually want without getting overwhelmed by how many gorgeous options there are. There is also a lovely selection of hair accessories, purses, and vails to complete the look that are worth a stop at the store even if you found your dress somewhere else. I couldn't be happier that I ended up going to Beautiful Brides to find my stunning dress and had Rebecca to help guide me through the process including being fitted and choosing the best size to order.
This store was much smaller than any other place that I had shopped at but had really beautiful dresses! I walked in on a weekend without an appointment after a VERY disappointing appointment at a larger store and found the one I wanted. I didn't even know they existed, so I was excited to find a place in East Madison to shop. Despite being busy, they were accommodating and pleasant to work with. They don't allow photos in a dress unless you purchase it, which is the only reason I took it down a star. To me, that's a little silly. This place is definitely worth a stop! No, there aren't hundreds and hundreds of dresses, but the selection and quality is actually quite nice. I didn't get any huge speech about every detail of my dress or any annoying sales techniques thrown my way as some other reviews have complained about. I thought it was very nice and relaxing and I loved that the stock is right on the floor for you to browse through!
I walked in on a Monday afternoon and Rebecca was more than willing to help my mom and I find a dress for my wedding. Third dress fit perfect and I was able to buy it off the rack and take it home that day! The whole experience was extremely pleasant. Rebecca listened to what I wanted in a dress and got the idea spot on. Thank you for making my day and being such a great consultant! You rock!
Tell you one thing like you can make payments over a period of time but really means layaway, so you can't make alterations with their l seamstress.
I had a great experience at Beautiful Brides and Formals. They have a very large selection of nice quality dresses. The person that assisted us was super helpful and nice. She was attentive to us the whole time and listened to everything I was looking for in a bridesmaid dress.
I went in yesterday with my family, (I was worried that perhaps 7 would be too many) but my consultant, Rebecca, was amazing! She went above and beyond making sure everyone felt welcomed and that dress picking went alot smoother. I had read prior reviews, although knowingly going in, not everyone has similar experience, I explained my realistic budget was 'x' amount. I chose to go little more being that I am petite, so of course it was little more. But for the time she took with me, and the comfort of everyone, and the service i received. (I had no luck at other places), the money is worth it. They will let you take a photo of the dress that you are buying. But to me it makes sense, being that's what makes it more personalized and more custom to the customer.
To put it simply you pay for what you get ... the store is very outdated and there are no real Bridal areas to make you feel special . Poor lighting . And you will need to pay for everything . You have to pay for the bag to put your dress in... you heard me THE BAG to preserve your gown. They do not care about anything but putting more money in their registers. I am completely disgusted . I wish i could take away stars.
I stopped in at 2pm on a Saturday without an appointment. I figured I would get ignored since this is the busiest time for wedding dress shopping, but they were great. They said that I could try on 4-5 dresses and that they would squeeze me in between appointments. The woman who was helping me was very nice and attentive. She helped me into every dress and gave me great advice. They didn't even turn on the high pressure sales tactics. I would definitely go back.
We had a Saturday appt for my girl friend that started off rocky and only went down hill from there. The appt before us was an early appt and the store refused to let both groups, even though we BOTH had an appt. Very rude and poor customer service from the get go I'd say! The bridal selection is very small with even less options. The more dresses my bride friend tried, the more dissapointed she became. We even asked to take picture of a "maybe" dress and were told NO PICTURES UNTIL YOU PURCHASE that very dress. Accommodating ... yeah no, quite the opposite. On a good note, thank you Beautiful Brides for the sour experience so my friend could have an amazing experience and find her dress at her next appt at different store:) I'll discourage any furture brides to choose your store.
From the moment we walked in the staff greeted us warmly and welcomed us into their wedding world. It was an extremely comfortable experience. I loved that they are a family business and made my family feel like part of theirs.
Our consultant was superb. By far the best I had. She was really listening to our opinions, offering suggestions in our budget. Once we found a dress everyone loved, we tried on accessories. All that and a beautiful veil really gave me the full picture! They were quick to pass the much needed Kleenex box. Everyone agreed, we had finally found the one!!!! I can't thank them enough. So happy!
I called ahead to make an appointment and they advised that I would not have enough time if I came in that close to their closing time.(I was coming in an hour before they closed) I told them I knew exactly what I wanted and described the type of dress to them. They urged me to hurry in as quickly as possible. When I arrived they made me wait 20 minutes. Then after this wait they told me to go look for the dress. I looked around to find that they did not even have the style of dress I was looking for. Ridiculous service. I definitely would not recommend going here.
Great experience! We bought our bridesmaid dresses here and they were very accomidating to making several appointments to get all my girls in and fitted. I decided to change the color and I didn't have any issues from them. Very helpful staff and a great selection of dresses! :) Recommend to all brides!
2.9 out of 5 stars indicates about as many people were unhappy with their experience here as were happy with it. Are those the odds you want to bet on for your wedding needs? I struggled with this review (it's my first Google review of a business). The bride for this wedding is a wedding planner and I should have trusted her judgement and gone straight to Alfred Angelo in Chicago rather than this bridal shop here in Madison (the wedding is in California).
Be cautious when you go in to ensure that you try on a dress IN YOUR PROPER size which is exceptionally similar to the one you are getting. Having never done this before, I trusted their judgment trying on the size 16 dress (which they had in store) in which I needed in a much smaller size. My actual dress came in way too small (the bodice was three inches shorter in the size 4 than in the size 16 I tried on-- almost to the nips in the bust). They said my only option was to pay for my own alterations or outright buy a replacement dress that may or may not come in time. When I explained that I relied on their judgment as the experts with measurements and sizing, there wasn't even an acknowledgement of responsibility for that. The manager said something along the lines of, "Well we can guide you but this is why we stand with you and have you sign off on the final sizing. You make that final decision." I have a small waist and large bust and explained to them that I'd rather have enough room in the bust and take in the waist than have to "let the dress out" in the bust. After trying on a larger size, I reiterated this and chose the size 4 that THEY suggested I get. When I spoke to the manager today, I explained that I didn't want compensation but that it would be nice if they could acknowledge that for future clients, they'll ensure they tell their clients that going down over ten sizes means losing significant height in the bodice. Rather than acknowledging they'd do this, the manager reiterated that I signed off on the sizing (so essentially, it was my fault). No hint of recognition of the frustrating situation. Just a, "I'm really sorry you feel that way." When I asked for some kind of recognition that their associates could have communicated better in the situation (e.g., for a large bust stay up a size and have it taken in), she remained silent then said, "I don't know what you want me to say." I don't have the time to order a new one, so I'm having to pay over $100 to have more fabric sewn into the boning in the bust. Sad state of affairs for what should be an exciting time.
Though I did not end up buying my wedding dress at BB I had to write a review because I had such a wonderful experience. Their dress selection is slightly smaller than other bridal stores but they are quality dresses in a variety of price More
i went to the store with my grandma. no one was there so we went around to find someone from the mans store and got mad that i was asking for assistance which the lady found the person in charge for the bride store. lady was mean and kept looking at us like we really poor just cuz of how we looked. i asked if she could just measure me and she was like i was wasting her time. i even had to pay almost $10 just for regular measurements for a dress since i was going to be a bridesmaid the bride needed my measurement. i felt uncomfortable in the store
Becky is amazing. She was able to find the perfect dresses for me and my bridesmaids. They all are wearing different dresses and Becky was able to quickly tune into everyone's personal needs.
Great experience. My budget was 2000 and I had no problem with dresses out of that price range. I found the perfect dress and even with all the accessories I was still under my budget.
They are a smaller shop compared to the other big box type stores in the area but I found dresses that I hadn't seen everywhere else. Which was awesome.
Also, the accessory selection was fantastic, lots of unique and beautiful pieces!
I really had a great time here, from start to finish.
beautifulbridesmadison.com