Ava Laurenne Bride — Attraction in Fredericksburg

I debated writing a review because I didn't want to expose myself publicly. I hope that by doing this it can give someone else like me the courage to find your dress. Wedding dress shopping is something we all dream of our whole lives. However, I'm not your typical "ecstatic to try on dresses" type of bride. I was extremely nervous to start the process but knew I needed to get the ball rolling. I'm in recovery from anorexia and am in an entirely different body than I'd ever imagined getting married in. Despite my extreme battle with self-image and self-love, I found a dress at an amazing store in Richmond two months after getting engaged. I tried it on once, bought it & put in a closet for a year. A few months before my wedding I went to my first alterations appt and just completely deflated. I felt so disconnected from the dress and couldn't even tolerate looking in the mirror. I was less than 3 months out from my wedding and totally panicked. This wasn't my dress and I needed help asap. I made a desperate phone call to Ava Laurenne and literally from the second I was connected with my first AL angel I knew I'd be okay. Emmy answered the phone (angel #1) and somehow found space for an appointment a few hours later. I walked into the gorgeous store by myself and was greeted by a few lovely staff members. I kept my sunglasses on the 1st half of my appointment because I was crying full of fear and discomfort. As soon as I started talking to my heaven sent consultant Stephanie (angel #2), I just told her I hate all of this and am terrified of trying on dresses again. To have to redo the dress shopping process just about killed me. I wanted to leave or go hide in a closet lol. Stephanie quickly pulled in Brooke (angel #3) and Emmy for support & to help ease my mind and bring light and love into my appointment. I have endless things I could say about these angels and what happened that day. These three girls are literally fairy godmothers and somehow helped me find a dress that I felt pretty and special in. How did this happen? I have no idea. I had zero hope I could find a dress that fit me and made me feel like a bride. Especially in the time crunch we were in. But we did. It was a very healing experience and I had never felt so loved and safe as I did while shopping that day. These girls were beyond supportive and full of good energy & excitement which made the process more tolerable. They perfectly balanced my need for a quiet/calm/private appointment with their natural disposition of being the best hype girls. I didn't want to be complimented or doted on. That part was so hard for me. They allowed me to be sad and frustrated without talking me out of my feelings. I was beyond loved and supported it literally made me cry to have that type of experience with complete strangers. I walked out of that appointment with three new friends/soul sisters who will go down in history as being part of one of the most special experiences of my entire life. The dress they found for me was insanely gorgeous and fit me perfectly. It literally didn't make any sense how this all aligned but it did. Trust the process. Trust the professionals who work hard at being a vital part of your wedding planning experience. I don't know what kind of training goes on at this amazing store but it's something special. I truly believe I was meant to find them and they were meant to be a part of my complicated story. I even invited them to my wedding ceremony and they literally drove an hour each way to be there and support me. Who does that!? These girls. No matter what type of bride you are, you will feel special and supported at Ava Laurenne. I hope you all find your dress fairy...

ALB went above mine and my parents’ expectations. We live about 6.5 hours away and we really did not want to have to make the trip if we didn’t have to. I went to two bridal shops near my home and didn’t find “the one”. One of the two, wasn’t the best experience as I had hoped it would be so I was apprehensive to travel to ALB. However, I fell in love with some gowns shown on their social media and after reading many positive reviews, I decided to inquire some additional questions to ALB before I booked a hotel and took time off of work. ALB responded to my email within about 30 minutes with excitement, answers to my questions and thoughtfulness. After that, I booked an appointment and took the plunge. I couldn’t have been happier. Upon walking up to the building two people opened up the double doors welcoming me with excitement and kindness. Everyone was so kind and supportive in making sure me and my parents were comfortable and accommodated. My stylist was also very supportive and friendly and didn’t make me feel rushed, uncomfortable or like she was trying to get me to spend more. Not only did my stylist help me, but many of her coworkers were helping her as well to find me my dream gown. All of a sudden she would have another person come around the corner and help her carry gowns up or get anything she needed. They actually listened to my wants and feedback and helped me find my wedding dress! I always tell myself if something is meant to be, that it would be and my dream dress happened to have been an off the rack dress. After falling in love with a sample dress, she mentioned that the same dress was available off the rack in a smaller size which happened to have been my size and in great condition. We couldn’t believe it. I didn’t need a dress quickly but having the ability to take the dress home with me today, and get it at a reasonable price, was everything I could’ve wanted. They even helped me ship the dress to get professionally cleaned at a trusted company as I didn’t even know where to begin with that. Everyone there felt like a big family and I feel like that sets an open and welcoming tone to whomever walks in. After walking away my parents and I were in awe of how wonderful an experience it was. We were there well past our scheduled time and closing time and they didn’t even seem upset about it at all. Thank you to everyone that works at ALB and know that you all do make a difference and impact on not only us brides but our friends/family who join us as well. I will look back on this experience for the rest of my life. I could go on and on about all of the things that made this place special. If you are apprehensive about making the trip, I wouldn’t recommend it enough to...

EDIT: I’m editing this because I believe fully that my second experience was just a “hiccup” day and that my first experience was the genuineness of what the store is. The owner was beyond understanding and was outstanding with her communication/response time to the issue. If you have the pleasure of meeting Wendy, you’ll 100% understand the elegance of ALB and that her employees are copy’s of herself and her vision. She listens and takes the feedback to heart, she loves this business that she has built and you can hear the love in her voice (as well as the girls). Thank you so much, Wendy, for listening and being so pure!

This has taken me some time to decide if I wanted to write a review or not. Main reason being- I thoroughly enjoyed my first experience. My designer (Brittney) was absolutely amazing, she was welcoming and very attentive. She by far gave me the best experience and made me feel beautiful and heard.

On the other hand, the day I went to pick up my dress was not the same experience. I tried on my dress to make sure everything was good (which partially was). I was told that my arm straps would we detachable, which they were not.. which leaves me having to pay extra money for that to be done. Then the huge disappointment was being that the floors were absolutely disgusting. My dress picked up all of the dirt and what I assume- leaves. I was told “yeah the weather has made the floors dirty”, with no apology, which then tried picking off the dirt (a different associate than Brittney). I completely understand that that could be the case, BUT I was there immediately once they opened and the floors in the dressing room and mirror area was caked in dirt. The area that I stood to make sure everything fit well, looked as if someone walked in after doing a construction job or as if the store hadn’t been cleaned in over a week. THEN the associate tried selling me the “cleaning package” for after my wedding day. This left me so upset. This store is known for its “perfection” and cleanliness. Now I have a dress that has dirt on it before my wedding day after spending a lot of money for the dress in the first place.

I just hope that the store takes the time to look at these reviews and hopefully takes more time to clean at the end of the night so no one else leaves feeling the way I did with my brand new...