The Bustle — Attraction in Del Mar

I had the BEST experience at The Bustle!!!! First this place is super easy to get to with TONS of parking in the back, stress free right off the bat!

Right when I entered I was greeted with a personalized sign that said: "the bustle welcomes April our bride to be" how cute and adorable is that?!! This was my 4th and LAST stop and I had not experience anything so personable just by walking in. It's the little things.

The shop is so cute and small and by appointments only. It feels like you're in a tiny cottage. The only person in the shop is Tam, me and my 3 guests so we had the whole place to ourselves.

Tam gave us the warmest greeting and I could already tell I was going to love him! He had all my dresses that I picked from the portal in the dressing room READY TO GO. Btw the portal they have you set up is amazing! I love that it had a look book and I could just heart the ones I wanted to try on.

Tam provided professional and exceptional service! He already knew what kinda style I was going for based on what I showed him I tried on at other shops. He was pulling dresses for me to try on left and right! He made me feel so comfortable and beautiful and was giving me the best advice. "If she doesn't beat your first choice then she's not the one!"

After trying on a few dresses I already knew I was going to be picking my dress here. I had my top 2 dresses and at the end I kept going back and forth. Tam let me flip back and forth with no hesitation.

I ended up saying YES to the dress. It was YES to the very first dress I tried on. I think I knew it deep down when I said going back into the dressing room "I don't want to take it off!"

Everyone kept telling me you'll know and you'll feel it once you put it on. I can honestly say I didn't "feel it" until I came to the bustle.

Thank you Tam for giving me one of the greatest experiences of my life. You made it so much fun and stress free. I felt completely comfortable in my own skin. The personable, intimacy and privacy of trying on dresses here is something I'll...

I had the most FANTASTIC experience with Kennedy at The Bustle. She is so warm, friendly, professional, and knowledgeable. I really felt supported and comfortable during my experience with her. I appreciate how genuinely excited she was for me, and that increased my own excitement and enjoyment immensely.

Prior to my appointment, I sent her pictures of dresses from The Bustle’s catalogue. The first dress I tried on was actually one that she picked out, based on my preferences and it was THE DRESS. In the photos, it did not stand out to me. But on me, it was completely and totally perfect. Everything I wanted and everything I didn’t even know that I wanted!

I tried on seven more dresses (including all the ones I sent her pictures of), but none compared to the dress the picked for me. I had another appointment booked at a different salon the next day, and cancelled that appointment in the middle of my experience at The Bustle because I knew I could not find a more PERFECT dress anywhere else!

Kennedy also helped me to find a veil. I tried on three, and when I tried on the third (the one I loved the most) the song that my fiancé and I picked for our first dance came on, so it was clearly meant to be. Kennedy also recommended shoes to me, and was kind enough to take the time to research some based on my preferences and send them to me.

Other lovely touches: the sign with my name on it was an unexpected and thoughtful touch that made me feel immediately welcomed. I received an offer the day before to upgrade my standard appointment to the deluxe that includes a private suite, champagne, chocolate, mints, and cupcakes, and I am SO GLAD I did that. I would highly recommend doing it because it really elevated our experience and set the mood!

The Bustle Del Mar is amazing. Book there and you’ll have an...

Edit: (staying at 5 stars because this was my fault — adding in the edit to help inform future brides about sample dresses)

I bought a sample dress and there are risks to that! So I blame my own naïveté here, and I don’t blame the Bustle.

When I brought the dress back to NYC, the alterations expert I brought it to noted that the dress had been previously and significantly altered: layers taken out, boning removed, back dropped. A second opinion confirmed that the dress was either weirdly made or altered. I ended up not wearing the dress for a different reason (aesthetic change), but I wish I asked more questions at the Bustle and had looked more carefully at the sewing and layers.

Original review:

My experience at the Bustle, specifically with the lovely Paytin, was amazing from the moment I walked in until I (finally) decided on a gown. I was visiting family in SD from NYC, and wasn’t expecting to buy a dress in California but saw the Bustle’s weekday “clearance” spots and decided it was a great chance to find a unique dress. Paytin helped me narrow down choices and iterate on a few options after we had a sense of which style fit best. She was incredibly flexible (I brought my mom back into the boutique later in the day to see my #1 pick) and the champagne / signage was such a nice touch that I didn’t think would be part of a sample sale appt. In the end, I found a gorgeous gown at an amazing price and am...