Precious Memories Bridal Shop — Attraction in Malden

I got my sisters Maid of Honor dress at Precious Memories 4 years ago and had a great experience. I originally found my dream dress at another boutique in Peabody, but when I saw it again at Precious Memories I knew it was meant to be. And the woman, Gina, was a godsend. She was amazing and I couldn’t have asked for anyone better to work with. And they had bridesmaids dresses, tuxes AND alterations so Precious Memories was just a win win overall. WRONG. So I buy my dress and my veil in early September, I’m told for every bridesmaid dress I get from there I’ll receive $10 off alterations, same for tuxes. Perfect! That’s $180 off. Done, deal. I go back in early November with my girls to get their bridesmaid dresses, I’m told they no longer do alterations at the salon I can use the money towards accessories. Except for my veil, because it was already half paid off. I’m sorry but the typical jewelry sold at Precious Memories is outdated and not my style. So here I am left with (only $80 at this point, guys haven’t gone for their tuxes yet) and I don’t need anything else from them. Ok, that’s fine. I’ll wait, maybe something will come up. Fast forward to March when my dress and veil come in. My dress was perfect, always was. But my veil was PINK. And the woman (I never catch her name, she says it too quickly all the time. She’s the manager of the tuxes) didn’t want to say anything. Instead, she put it on me and says “what do you think of the veil” I say “it’s beautiful but I don’t remember ordering pink” and she said “that’s why I was asking” so you knew it was wrong, but you were hoping I didn’t notice. 👌🏼 ok, so they order me a new veil and tell me it’ll arrive in 3 weeks. Ok. Now fast forward to the beginning of June when the guys go for their tuxes. We originally started working with some kid who looked like he was 17, who no longer works there. I wonder why. He told us we would have one free tux for the groom, but because of the number of tuxes we were getting (10) we would have another for free. Sweet! No, not the case. When my dad went to get fitted for his tux they said no, he was responsible for paying full price. No. That’s not what we were told, ok. Whatever. While on the phone with this manager of tuxes who says her name too quickly, I stated “and what about my veil, it was supposed to arrive in three weeks” she said she would check and get back to me. 10 minutes later she calls “it just came off the UPS truck” did it really? Or was it sitting there and you forgot to call me? The latter is fine because to be quite honest, I also forgot until that moment. Ok, dad pays for his tux, whatever. So now I mention how I should be getting $180 in credit to use for accessories. Surprise, surprise...wrong. Only $80 for the girls dresses guys tuxes are not included in that, after we were told they were. So whatever I got a hair comb....which ended up breaking in the middle of the night of the wedding. Ok NOW let’s fast forward to the week of the wedding. Remember, we ordered 10 tuxes. TELL ME WHY did only THREE of them fit! That 17 year old fitted the other 7, and NONE OF THEM FIT. Imagine the stress of a bride, the week of the wedding when four guys are out of state and not arriving until the Thursday before the Saturday wedding and nothing fits. Not what I needed. That week was supposed to be stress free. Instead I made about three trips to the salon that week just to get the tuxes fitted. And I was dead serious when I said to them “I do not want to ever see you guys again” even after they laughed. Not funny. Overall it was a terrible experience and have already told two other brides to look elsewhere for dresses. It’s just so sad, that even though a lot of the women were the same staff from when my sister got married, how different this experience was. I can’t say it’s different management because it was the same women. I just don’t understand, and it’s so sad to see such a great place go downhill. I will not be returning for anything and it’s because it’s all the over promises and under delivering they...

I had a fantastic experience at Precious Memories Bridal Shop in Malden. The store is absolutely beautiful! It doesn't look like much when you are pulling up to it, but there is ample parking and as soon as you get inside it feels warm and welcoming and there are so many dresses! The store layout makes you feel like you are shopping there by yourself, as every person has their own section, complete with couches or comfortable seating, full length mirror, and stand. I found this to be especially helpful during the pandemic to feel like you are spaced out from anybody else that may be there (which there was only one other appointment in the store when I was there).

I was worried going into my appointment at Precious Memories, as this was my first bridal experience, I had a decent but modest budget I didn't want to totally blow, and I am plus sized, but my consultant Marize instantly put me at ease. She listened to what I thought I wanted in a dress (we even looked at the pictures I had saved), made me try on things outside of my comfort zone, and ultimately found me the dress style I would later pick--which wasn't what I thought I liked walking in there.

Although I was unable to find the 100% perfect dress at this shop, I wanted to write this review because this store is great! Here are some other aspects I found helpful, that you might too in looking for a dress: Marize listened and adapted her dress pulls to aspects that we found that worked really well on my body and that I pointed out that I liked. She went into the fitting room (which was large) and helped me to get in and out of the dresses. Some salons make you fend for yourself putting them on and taking them off and that can be quite overwhelming depending on how much fabric is there. And even though I am sure she'd prefer if she made a sale, I didn't feel pressured in the least to buy a dress that wasn't absolutely right for me.

I don't think you can go wrong by checking out Precious Memories in Malden, and I would recommend starting your bridal dress shopping experience here because it will be a great one and they have so many dresses you just might...

UPDATE 2023 - Three years later and I found my wedding gown at Precious Memories! After the prior experience with Precious Memories, I knew I wanted to go back if I ever needed a formal gown. I went to a few other bridal stores before Precious Memories. While all were good experiences, the care, service, and expertise at Precious Memories was top notch. The showroom is large, but not overwhelming. There were a few appointments at the same time as mine, but each bride-to-be had a dedicated section, so it didn’t feel crowded.

I worked with Nerelyn, who listened to a few of my likes and dislikes, then pulled dresses she thought I’d like. I didn’t have a long lead time to the big day, so Nerelyn ensured she only suggested dresses that would be in stock in time. Once it became obvious that I found a gown that could be “the one”, Nerelyn confirmed availability and was realistic in telling me about the stock and how items in stock one day could be out of stock the next. However, unlike some other places I visited, at no point did I feel pressured to make a purchase during the appointment. We continued trying dresses and when we neared the end, went back and tried the one I loved most. My dress appointment was efficient, effective, and stress free. My dress arrived when expected and I am so pleased that the great service that originally brought me to Precious Memories was still there when I returned years later!

Original 2020- I had a great experience this morning at Precious Memories. I’m going to be a bridesmaid in wedding out of state and needed to try on a few styles of dresses. Mariza (sp?) was very helpful and attentive while I was there. She promptly pulled the styles I needed to try and helped me get the best fit possible in the sample sizes. I did not feel rushed or pressured. Definitely would recommend this shop for future...