Elegant Bridals — Attraction in Augusta

I can't say enough good things about Elegant Bridals! Before I came here, I had only been to a David's Bridal near Atlanta, and I had a not-so-ideal experience of a pushy saleswoman pressuring me to buy something I didn't really like. After the stress I felt from that experience, I resigned myself to just finding something online and buying it, avoiding any pressure from sales people. However, I still wanted to try on a few dresses at bridal shops in person to see what styles I liked. This is how I found myself at Elegant Bridals. I only brought my mom with me, trying to keep the experience very low-key. My stylist was Dawn, and I'm so glad to say she was the opposite of every pushy salesperson I had ever feared! From the beginning, she made it clear that she was not here to sell me a dress- she was here to make sure I was happy with every aspect of this process (the dress AND the price). I told her my budget (trying to stay around $1500) and generally the style I liked (fit and flare skirt). She let my mom and I walk around the showroom by ourselves, picking out dresses to try, while she went in the back to their larger selection to see what she could find. The showroom had so many different styles to choose from, and Dawn brought a handful of dresses from the back as well. When she saw dresses we picked out from the showroom, she was sure to caution us if they were above my budget (which I really appreciated). She made it clear that no one would be offended if I didn't like something, and she wanted me to be brutally honest. I tried on many beautiful dresses (prices ranged from $1500-$3500), and when I finally found "the one", it was something Dawn had picked out from the back for me, and it was $1900- perfect! No dress I saw online could compare. There was only one problem....I had a different appointment at a second bridal shop coming up in 30 minutes. I told Dawn that I loved the dress, but I still had another appointment and I needed to check all my options before I was sure I wanted to purchase. She had no problem with that at all, and she totally understood. I went to the second shop, and lo and behold, a couple hours later, I found myself back at Elegant Bridals, unable to find anything at the second shop that was as perfect as "the dress". I made the purchase, Elegant Bridals ordered my size, and a few weeks later, my dress arrived! I am so grateful to Dawn and the rest of the team for the wonderful experience I had here. My wedding day can't come...

The look and selection is phenomenal! I went with my sister in law (The bride) and her maid of honor (we are helping plan her wedding). Upon entry, we were greeted immediately and given water and a place to sit while we waited for our party to be complete. Once all were in, we were told to look around and place what we liked on hooks at the front section. We did that. However, the only dresses my sister in law tried on were the ones the sales woman picked. My thing is this, why have us spend 20mins picking dresses if she wasn't going to even try any of her selections on. My sister did give a price range however, I am a firm believer in "The dress picks the Bride", so no matter her limit, anything is possible. (She would have gladly purchased if she felt it was "The One" no matter the cost). In the end, the sales woman suggested a dress and offered a discounted price (24-48hrs only for the price). We did not purchase for a couple reasons. In an environment that is suppose to cater to the needs of the customer, we didn't feel our brides needs were met. Allowing her to at least try on 1 dress she picked out would have helped. Also, offering more than a day or 2 on a discount would have helped. (Seems it was more pressure to hurry up and purchase). I was very disappointed as my sis was excited when going in, and kind of defeated going out. They did give her a GORGEOUS bouquet on the way out as a thank you which was nice. COVID-19 protection standards are in place and sanitizer is available and placed around. The store itself is beautiful and neat and clean. Staff is friendly and helpful. I just wish they would be more attentive to keeping the customer happy and listening to what they actually want. The pictures I added are of sis in the dresses she did try on, and the dresses she picked as her likes. You can be the judge. She told the sales woman she wanted something with straps, shimmery/a lil bling, that shows off "The girls" and assets, with a long train... I really feel my sisters opinions and needs were not met, and she was just rushed. This process is too important to rush or be careless about. I am willing to give this store another chance but idk if my sister is. The dress...

10/10 experience! I had Alice and let me tell you, she is an absolute treasure!! I’m a plus size bride and it’s been pretty challenging finding dresses that I love the style in and in my size. Majority of the other bridal shops..I’ve left in such sad tears because the dresses didn’t look like the “straight” sizes and honestly made me feel so horrible about myself and the way I looked. I had a dress that I loved from another boutique that I wanted to try on one more time before finalizing the dress. This boutique had it in a size I could try and tbh I wasn’t going to buy from here… but once I met my bridal consultant it all changed. I was so blessed to have Alice! She told me to not settle on my dress no matter what because I didn’t settle on my future husband. She told me to try on dresses I liked and even if they didn’t have it in my size, we would try it on! I knew I was too big for some of the sizes and felt the seams open but Alice reassured me it’s okay and kept saying positive things such as “this dress just loves you!!!” And “shake those hips like Shakira!” And made sure at the end of the day I felt good about myself. She was the first bridal consultant in my journey that made sure I knew I was beautiful no matter my size and it truly made my experience that much more. She let me try on the two dresses I was in between as many times as I liked to make sure I was so sure of my decision. I cannot thank her enough. She made this experience so incredible and at the end of the day, there was only happy tears. This place made me feel like just another bride without any discrimination on my size. Which if you are a plus size bride, you know how much that means. Thank you so...