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| - This place was an unexpected dream.
Wedding dress shopping was extremely stressful for me at first. I had several horrible experiences at other salons and I went here on a whim with my mother and maid of honor. I'm a very laid black, go-with-the-flow kind of bride, but I felt very shy and reluctant at first given my time spent in other bridal salons. All three of us were greeted warmly and Joanne, my consultant, asked me some questions about what I was looking for and what price range I wanted to stay in. I'm a heavier bride, and I wanted something that would look good and that I felt good in whether I met my weight loss goal or not. Joanne took off like a rocket and ran around the store, grabbing dresses she thought I'd like. I was a little overwhelmed at first, but as I started trying dresses on, I realized that I was in good hands. Joanne was so upbeat and positive - all the stress I had felt from dress shopping and planning melted away. It never felt like she was pressuring me to make a decision, or that she was fine with me settling for something I was only somewhat okay with. At one point, she put some accessories on me to see what would go well with the kind of dress I liked, but she changed her mind because she didn't think they looked right. I greatly value when someone who is selling me something is also willing to tell me when something doesn't look good. Joanne is just amazing and genuine in that sense.
I ended up finding my dress, which led to a flood of tears. She gave great advice and wasn't pushy when I wanted to think about options before ordering. I did inevitably decide to purchase the dress and a belt a few days later and I returned to get my measurements and place the order. I still wasn't sure on the veil, though. I knew I wanted a cathedral length, but felt like the one I originally liked was lacking. Joanne tinkered with some veils and found a shorter veil with a trim that I liked a lot more. She verified that the manufacturer could make it cathedral length (they could!).
Meanwhile, I had been shopping in other salons for bridesmaid dresses with my bridesmaids and mother and we found a few that we liked. I have five bridesmaids of all shapes and sizes and heights, so it was important for me to find a dress that made them all feel good. One of my bridesmaids came with me to The Exquisite Bride so I could order my veil and we found the dress everyone liked, but for a slightly lower price! I was so excited, especially since bridesmaids get their dresses 10% off if they order their dresses there (only if the bride got her dress there too).
All of my bridesmaids were in town this week, so we all went out today to get their measurements done. I was really happy that Joanne could help us as well as Giselle (I'm sorry if I spelled her name incorrectly - she was wonderful too and my bridesmaids liked her a lot). We had an absolutely amazing time. There was so much talking and laughing, and it was everything I've wanted for my wedding planning. My bridesmaids are extremely chill and they don't stress about sizes (and they are never shy about being silly or making fun of themselves). We were being a bit loud, though, and I was worried when the owner's son came over and introduced himself. He started joking around with us too! Then, one of my sisters was wondering if sleeves could be added to the bridesmaid dress. He talked to us about various options and how we could order some extra fabric, but also took two dresses off of the rack and tucked fabric from one into the other to show us how a pretty sleeve could be added. All of my bridesmaids loved the idea, so we ordered the extra fabric. I have a bridesmaid who is 6 ft tall and needed length added as well. They ended up giving my bridesmaids 15% off of their orders! Given that the dress was already cheaper than what we expected it to be, this was so awesome.
I never felt self-conscious or stressed at The Exquisite Bride, and I'm so thankful that my bridesmaids felt the same way. They took something that was my primary stressor and made it extremely pleasant and relaxing. I was hoping I'd be able to look back on dress shopping as a happy experience, and thanks to the Joanne and the rest of the staff, I'm able to!
Their selection is awesome. I ended up selecting an Ellis dress, but there was so much to pick from for all budgets and sizes!
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