I have been to six bridal gown shops so far and would say Camellia is just "okay". I was initially attracted by their collection of Sophia Tolli gowns, which is one of the designer labels that I really liked during my research on dresses. I made an appointment several weeks ahead of time and was promptly confirmed by email.
My friend and I arrived in the store and indicated that we are here for my bridal gown appointment. The dress consultant was confused at first because she thought we were coming for bridesmaid dresses. She had to take some time to clear the gown changing area as there is a giant mannequin occupying the space that I was supposed to be using.
After that I picked out about five gowns to try on. Unfortunately she brought only two of the dresses and one that I didn't pick out. Unlike other stores that use a pedestal for brides to step on while they try on dresses, I was instead offered a pair of five-inch platform shoes which were uncomfortable. The consultant was tentative enough to help me with changing in and out of the dresses, but it was still fairly uncomfortable and I had a hard time appreciating the dresses. She also lingered too much on each dress rather than letting me try on more dresses so I got the feeling that she didn't want me to pick out more gowns. After trying on my first pick again, my friend and I left the store and went for dinner.
The store is not horrible, but it would not be my first pick.
Several things to note:
- they don't allow photography
- the store is quite small and it can get distracting with other customers coming in
- do your research on the dresses before going in