Renee Austin Wedding — Attraction in Grand Rapids

Lovely store, great aesthetic & walked in to find a welcome sign with my name on it. I really appreciated the warm welcome until I was told we would have to wait for the current bride trying on dresses to finish even though we arrived right on time for our scheduled appointment. While I thought this was totally fine.. later on when I was trying on dresses I was shafted by another bride and pretty much was put on the back burner. I brought three friends with me because my grandma couldn't attend, my future mother in law couldn't attend due to the weather and my mother passed away three years ago. I think the brides who had "adults" with them were treated with more respect and were heavily attended to. But because I was just with my bridesmaids I was disregarded as business. Example: The bride before me was trying on dresses and was between two dresses and they put veils on her, compared with various belts, asked to have her stand on the pedestal etc. I never had a veil placed on my head, belts were only placed on me because the consultant seemed to not have clamps and I never once stepped on the pedestal and at the end of the appointment it was already being used by the next bride. While trying on dresses the consultant didn't help me into the dress. She handed me the dress to put on by myself. When a dress didn't fit she just told me to put it over my head and when it wouldn't go past my hips she just belted it as a quick friends and told my friends and I to "imagine" it. Luckily I spotted another dress that another consultant was suggested from across the room ( that my consultant totally said wasn't for me) ....I know it is my dress. I then requested for it to be brought over to me and my consultant reminded me that is wasn't my size...while I was still wearing the other dress that was bunched around my waist...and then held it against my body and again told us to "imagine it." My consultant was completely disinterested in helping me solve this issue. I was looking at my wedding gown while trapped in a gown that was bunched around my waist..but don't worry...we'll just put a belt on it. I sincerely apologized for having wide hips and not being able to fit into the dresses I told the consultant that I needed to try this dress on and would try it on in my home state, because I knew it was the perfect one for me. She should've known it was the perfect one for me because a previous dress I tried on at another shop that I showed her was made by the same brand and was a similar style and I loved it. Regardless....my consultant told me she understood but dutifully reminded me that I should purchase from them. I will not be purchasing from there purely based on the poor service and disinterested behavior my friends and I received. When I ran out of dresses that I picked she sent me on my way with no recommendations and did not write down any information for me, didn't give a card or anything. I will not be returning to purchase my dress but I'm so thankful I saw my dress from across the room....as an update I just received a lovely voicemail from my consultant apologizing for my experience. That was a very sweet gesture and I of course accept their apology and think it should be noted that...

Incredibly disappointed with Renee Austin Wedding. I recently worked with several of their associates regarding a bridesmaid outfit for a wedding in Grand Rapids, MI. Since I live in Tucson, AZ, we discussed my measurements at length over the phone and via email. With much guidance, I obtained, confirmed, was remeasured, and confirmed again my measurements with the team. They weren't very accommodating given that I live in a different time zone and were constantly calling me back during what I told them were my work hours. I tried to confirm things by email because that is always easier but ended up working with different people, which got extra confusing. I am 5' 8" tall and 125 lbs, and noted to everyone I spoke with that I have for the last several years worn a size 4 or 6 in shirts, pants, and dresses alike. Even so, Renee Austin Wedding associates recommended that I proceed to purchase a size 12 --double my normal size! Of course, I understand that some brands run incredibly tiny, but that was pretty embarrassing--they were so emphatic that I was a 12. While a 12 seemed ludicrously large and inconsistent with my whole adult life's experience with clothing, I trusted the associates’ professional expertise and paid $198.64 (thank god for a sale that was going on at that time!!) for the size 12 that they said fit my measurements. I understood, as stated on the receipt, that all sales with Renee Austin Wedding were final.

Predictably and disappointingly, when the pieces arrived and were shipped to me, they were both monstrously large. I’ve attached the “before” pictures. I inevitably sought out the support of a local seamstress to see what could be done. The seamstress I worked with was shocked and immediately told me to send it back; she told me that there was no way that size was the closest to my measurements, and given that the top was made entirely of SEQUINS she didn't really want to have to remove all of that fabric. I let her know it was a final sale, and she agreed to work with me but still suggested I contact regarding what was obviously a major mistake in sizing. As you can see from the attached before photos, almost a third of the fabric on the top had to be removed and the entire garment re-sown, and the waist on the skirt had to be taken in significantly, and the bottom hemmed.

Post-alterations, the outfit is still is a far cry from the outfit shown in the catalog. I certainly considered having further alterations made, but after multiple trips to the seamstress and the $26.50 I’d paid to have the ill-fitting outfit shipped across the country, it simply was no longer worth the seamstress’s valiant efforts. I ended up paying my seamstress $98 (and tipping her another $20) because of her incredible patience and support, and donating the nightmare of an outfit immediately...

Brides should NOT go here for your wedding dresses! I was extremely disappointed.... first things first the lady helping us was not friendly at all. I had made an appointment but felt as if they didn't even notice I was in their salon. My maid of honor was helping me get the dresses on because they lady that was supposedly helping us was no where to be found. I found a dress that I really liked but did not want to order it from them because I did not want to give them the business. I ended up going back to the store to order my dress in hopes of having a better experience (and to get the dress i loved!) but my second visit was no better.

I ordered my wedding gown in December, and was told it would take 3 months to get here, so with a June wedding I figured this was plently of time. Then, I get a postcard from them in the mail saying my expected ship date was April 30th. I called on the 30th and multiple days following but my dress was still not in. They said my dress got held up in customs, and promised me it would be in by the end of the week. The dress was not there by the end of the week, and they called me to apologize and told me the manufacturer had shipped the dress late (which was confusing since they previously told me they dress was on its way and was held up in customs) but they gave me a tracking number so I could see when the dress arrived.

The dress arrived 3 weeks before my wedding, and my appointment to pick up the dress was HORRIBLE. There was no room, the same lady was helping us and had a really bad attitude. I was asked to step off the pedestal to give other brides who were looking to purchase a gown time to look in the mirror. On top of everything else the dress had a completely different shape than I was expecting, and the lady told me I just didn't remember what it looked like. EVERY dress I tried on was the "mermaid" style because that was the kind of dress I wanted, thought I was getting, but ended up getting a standard a-line full skirted dress. I was so upset but we had no other option but to leave with the dress (no discount, or even an apology the dress was so late bc "it was not their fault").

I really think it was a lack of knowledge on the dresses they carry-- when I was clamped into the sample gowns they places the clamps lower so it would give me the look of the mermaid style even though the gown truly wasn't made to fit like that....

I'm not happy with my dress or with the experience and will never recommend anyone go here. Save yourself the hassle and go to a salon that actually cares about customer service, and you won't have to be a stressed out bride 3 weeks before your wedding with a dress needing major...