Annabella Boutique — Attraction in Jefferson Township

Ordered my bridesmaid dresses from here in early febuary. It would have been sooner but due to the communication at Annabella's, it all got delayed, basically I picked a dress on Jan 9th and was notified Jan 16th the dress was discontinued. Picked a new dress the next day and wasn't contacted until Feburary 3rd that bridesmaids could get measured. I let my 11 bridesmaid know that I need them measured by the 18th of Feburary being reassured that they take 16 weeks to come in but Its fine cause they will be in around the second or third week in June. The wedding wasn't until July 25th. Everyone gets measured and I am sure of it cause I went on the 18th when the last two girls got measured. The months passed and we get into the second week of June and I do not receive a phone call about the dresses. I call on the 13th and am reassured by one of the ladies there that she looked at tracking and everything should be in by 21st of June. The 21st and the week after comes around and still nothing. I begin to call on a regular basis now being that there is 4 weeks until my wedding. Many times I am given the run around about when my dresses were actually going to come in. Many times I am told I will be called the next day and don't receive phone calls back. I was called July 6th and told they would be in by the end of the week and I waited the whole week like they said and by Sunday, July 12th I had still not received a phone call. It wasn't until Monday July 13th that I received a phone call. For some reason the owner thought it would be funny to call in a voice of disappointment acting like my dresses hadn't come in and then "surprise" im kidding. I tell my bridesmaids and because everyone has hectic schedules and what not, they pick them up when they have a chance. I went that day and picked up two bridesmaids dresses and leave. The last dress was picked up Friday. Everyone refused to get their dresses altered there because they gave me the run around with the dresses coming in and they didn't want to risk the same outcome with alterations. Out of 11 girls, only 3 of the dresses actually stayed up on the girls before alterations. Everyone else's dress would fall to the ground because they were so big.Besides the dresses being big, they were left with a week to a week and a half to get the dresses altered because of how late they were coming in. I personally did not complain to the store owners when I went because I didn't want to make the experience worse and end in a shouting match without me having my dresses in hand. One of my bridesmaid even mentioned how late the dresses where when she picked up her dress and how they were rushed to get alterations and one of the owners responded "they weren't late, they've been here for a week already" mind you my bridesmaid was there July 15th to pick up the dress, two days after I received a call that the dress was there. The fact that she lied and believed she would get away with it was ridicolous. The wedding came and passed and I was finally glad the ordeal was over. I was aware that some of my bridesmaids put up reviews on a couple of websites and I let it be. I was just glad to be done with Annabella's. Yesterday, August 12, I received a phone call from Annabella's again asking about the situation. I was so over it and to get another phone call made me decide to write a review also.

If I were you, I would look for someone more reliable because I wouldn't risk the 50/50 chance of possibly getting a good experience here. As nice as the ladies tried to be to me, they fact that they lied and gave me the run around was not worth it. My bridesmaids spent over $2,000 here and not one penny was worth...

Do NOT waste your time at Annabella’s. My experience there was horrific. This horrific experience was given to me thanks to Caterina Vitale who seems to run the store while Rosa Vitale Analitis is the go to person when Caterina messes up (which she messed up this entire bridal party, you would think for someone who went to DePaul University they would have learned something in college.) I knew as soon as I walked in that this place was not up to par. Unfortunately, I did not have a choice due to being a bridesmaid, however, over time my intuition proved right and the bride and the bridal party became displeased with Annabella’s too. (Read on for the full story) We first went in for measurements. I was shocked to find out that they did NOT have a dress to try on at all! I also thought when they took all of our measurements that they would order the dresses using the measurements. This turned out NOT to be true. They ordered almost all but one of the dresses in sizes that were 2-3x the size the measurements called for. They then said we would need to alter them, yet, what was the point in measurements if the dress was going to be more than completely off? Needless to say, they wasted all of our time by making us get measured when apparently Annabella’s cannot read measurements correctly and ordered the wrong size dresses. They also did NOT write any of our measurements on our receipts, weird. I was the last to order the dress, meaning we could finally put in the last order. They stated it would take 16 weeks to get our dresses. We did NOT get our dress within 16 weeks. It was past due what they stated vocally. However, do note that their receipt states 16-24 weeks. Do NOT sign unless you have over 24 weeks to wait and alter the dress. We had less than a week to get our dresses altered for the wedding. As you can see in the pictures posted above, there is a dress that is way too big. The dresses should not be so big that you could make another dress out of it. We called numerous times to see when the dresses would be arriving since it was past the due date. They refused to give us any tracking numbers to track when our dress would arrive, this way we could have the clarity of tracking it ourselves but instead they just told us they would look up the tracking number and call us back. Also, the store gave each one of us a different story line and sometimes they would say that they would call us back the next day with the day they were coming in but truthfully they never called any of us back with an actual date. They blew off any of our concerns as if it was just a normal thing that happens (it’s probably only normal in their store). Having this many problems with any establishment is NOT normal.They lacked customer service because they did not help any of the bridal party including the bride with alterations in regards to the over-sized dresses. There was no compensation or reduced price for alterations. They never admitted to their mistakes. They never apologized to the bride for causing her undue stress. They never apologized to our bridal party. They are unapologetic on EVERY level. It’s no wonder why they are not accredited with the Better Business Bureau. If they were, they would have to fix all the incoming complaints that would be filed against them. If I could stand outside their shop and warn every individual walking...

Reading these negative reviews is just crazy! Annabella’s was a God send! And Cat and Rosa are absolutely LOVELY. Gems! The very first time I came, they made me and my daughter feel like family. And I honestly WANTED to purchase my dress from Annabella’s because of them. I called and asked if they did wedding gown appointments and was told they did. I spoke with Rosa who asked questions about my desired style and wedding date. We set a 5pm Monday appt and I had the boutique to myself. Cat and Rosa greeted us with smiles and energy. Rosa remembered what I was looking for and already had dresses in mind which she showed me on the mannequins. No questions yet about my budget – just very easy going and professional. Once she showed me a few display gowns that I loved, she told me their prices and asked if that was a good range which it was.

While Rosa pulled gowns, Cat talked with my daughter and I. She is SUPER sweet and we talked and laughed while we waited. Once Rosa was ready, my daughter and I sat at the stage while she showed us about 9 or 10 gowns and I loved every single last gown except for one! She was SPOT on! I tried them all on with Rosa’s help and every gown was more stunning than the last. They were patient, engaged and so fun! Rosa paired veils with the gowns and they even dimmed the lights so I could see how the dresses looked under lighting. The visit totally exceeded my expectations. I left in LOVE with one gown in particular, but with a top 4 list. I left letting them know that I’d be going to another known boutique and they were super cool about it. Even said, yes, try on other gowns before choosing!

Well, that other place was a HUGE let down. I called Rosa back and she immediately remembered me. I let her know that I wanted THEE dress I loved! I ended up getting the sample gown because the designer would not have a new one in time for my wedding. But the sample was in impeccable condition! I came back in with more of my bridal party for another try on to be for SURE for sure! Rosa made sure to tell me to bring my heels so that I could see how the dress will fall. Cat and Rosa were JUST as accommodating the 2nd time around and we had a great time. Rosa talked with me about alteration options and once again, she was spot on in her suggestions. I said yes to the dress! It was a dream experience.

When I went back for my first alterations visit, I took my mom with me and she cried when I tried on the gown. Such a special moment! Once again, SO fun and Cat & Rosa were SO awesome! I had my veil made which I brought with me and they loved it and complimented it. Even told me how to fold and care for it so that it won’t be terribly wrinkled for the big day. I could go on and on! I just love those two!

I had two or three more alterations visits and I was beyond satisfied with the results! My final cost was exactly what I was told it would be. Yes, I asked. It’s best to ask and not be surprised!

Again, I can’t even understand others’ experiences but mine? I could not have asked for a better one. They will continue to get my business.

Thank you Cat & Rosa! Keep doing...