Janene's Bridal Boutique — Local services in Alameda

Go here to buy a dress, but take that dress somewhere ELSE for alterations. 4.5 stars for the dress boutique. 1 star for alterations.

Buying my dress at Janene's was actually great. So please keep in mind the review below is ONLY for my experience with the alterations department.

Honestly I don't know where to start. I had SO many appointments it's all kind of a blur. Let's start with a timeline.

12/16/2022- I had my fitting and bought my dress for my wedding on 8/19/23 (thinking I had PLENTY of time). I decided that I wanted to have a keyhole put in the back, so alterations were needed.

12/20/2022- I was sent an email with descriptions of the type of lace, and costs. I respond back the same day and pay the next day 12/21.

3/18/2023-I come in for my first fitting, excited I bring a girlfriend. I try on my dress (still excited at this point). Alterations doesn't do anything really and when I mentioned the keyhole, they had NO idea what I was talking about. I told them I paid and ordered it back in December...Nothing. So we make another appointment to come in and they'll order the lace.

4/19/2023- I arrive for my now second fitting. Fabric still has not been purchased. No note in my file about wanting a keyhole. I told the alterations person (Austin, who was VERY helpful and kind) but was then left there, in my dress standing for 30 minutes while they tried to "resolve" the situation.

4/20/2023- I write a frustrated email asking for a a refund on the $50 worth of lace that has yet to be ordered but that was paid for (which was ignored). I get a call from the head of alterations saying that the lace WAS ordered, but that the dress manufacturers prioritize fabric for the dresses not alterations... even though it was "ordered in December" opposite of wedding season. I didn't have time to argue but was feeling gaslit. I just wanted to get my dress done and be done with it all. I was assured the lace would be there by my next fitting. At this point, I felt I still had time.

5/18/2023- Third fitting. No lace. All we did was pin some batting down to get a shape of the key hole but my dress' seams are all out and I cant get any idea of how it's going to look. We literally take a picture and draw it with an ipad so I can at least imagine what it will look like. By this point I'm just completely defeated. I'm told, we have the shape so when the lace comes in it will be ALL done and we don't have to do anything. Also, they'll call me as soon as the lace gets in.

Late July I called them since I still had not received a notification of the lace coming in and now I'm actually nervous my dress wont be ready for my freaking wedding. Nothing, no call back.

8/10/23 (a little over a week before my wedding and supposedly my LAST fitting). The key hole is FINALLY on with the lace. my friend meets me there, we do the bustle, but the dress is too long. Fine, that's why we planned early and of course I have to come back.

8/17/2023 TWO days before the wedding, I try on the dress one more time and an quarter of the bustle is missing and dragging on the ground. We wait for 45 MORE minutes for them to fix. No alterations person comes out to talk to me but sends their messenger to give me a discount on the bustle... I'm SO over it.

I love my dress, I love how it came out. But I also had all the fun and excitement of getting a wedding dress taken out of the entire process and when I look at it I also remember this frustrating process. I felt gaslit and ignored and really because I wasn't a loud complainer they didn't try to make things better. I would have preferred them to just own up, say, we forgot to order your lace, sorry come back in 5 months. Better that than make these fake appointments wasting my time to put a pin in here and there to make me feel like we were doing something. Unless you have MORE than a year before your wedding, take your Janene's dress somewhere else for alterations....

I got an email from Janene's advertising for a sample sale at their San Francisco location. I saw that the advertisement said that they would have sizes 10 to 20 but didn't specify anything else in regards to sizing. I had assumed that the sizing was referring to US sizes and had decided not to go, because I wear a size 4. I then called and was assured on the phone that they are in fact "European sizes" and therefore the size 10 would be "perfect". I also decided that day to make an appointment at their Alameda location, because there was no guarantee that I would necessarily find the dress/size that I needed at the sample sale. As the sample sale was running for seven days ending on a weekend, I decided to take a day off of work and go on a Friday. That way I could beat the crowd and not come at the tail end of the sale, when I suspected things may have been picked over. I also decided to drive there instead of taking bart as it was the most time saving and inexpensive option. After driving from San Leandro to San Francisco, paying for toll and parking and not to mention wasting my time, I was highly disappointed when I arrived at their San Francisco location. All the dresses we're in fact US sizes. The first sales clerk reiterated this by saying that the smallest size was in fact a US 10. Then out of nowhere another clerk cut her off and said that these were "special wedding dress sizes" and that if I was a size 4, then the 10 would be perfect. When I explained that every dress I tried on was far too big, she proceeded to insist that I would have the option of alterations. I completely understand that needing alterations is very common (taking in a dress at the waist etc.) However, it should not be necessary to redo the entire dress. I was also informed that alterations would START at $500. (Sadly, I was informed by someone who has been in this industry for 30 years, that these types of alteration scams are very common.) After driving back from San Francisco I called and canceled my appointment for that afternoon at the Alameda location. I would have been more than happy to attend my regular scheduled appointment, but after seeing how Janene's does business I was not interested. I had every intention, and was actually excited, to support their business. This was such a negative experience I decided against that. I did call and speak with Leah the manager who apologized over and over, saying that she would straighten out her employees. She assured me several times that it would be made very clear so that no other customers would be wasting their time. My friend then called the following day to see it they had, in fact, followed through. My friend called saying that she was a size 2-4 and asked if anything at the sample sale would be in a suitable size. They once again gave the same response of having the "special wedding dress sizing" that would obviously require heavy alterations. I only took the time to write this, because if I can save even one person from wasting their time and/or money, it...

I bought and had my dress altered at Janene's and had such a wonderful experience throughout the entire process!

Carla was my stylist and she was so sweet and patient with my group and me. She gave us a tour of the entire store, pointed out different designers and price ranges, gave us a bag of clips to mark any dresses we were interested in, and let us loose! I told her what I was looking for, so she added some selections of her own as well. After trying on a bunch of dresses (including a couple of over the top gowns just for fun), I ultimately wound up going with the dress she picked out for me, which turned out to be well under my budget. She really knows her stuff! We had such a fun time singing along to the music playing in the store and she even let a few members of my group try on some veils for a fun impromptu photoshoot. Since Janene's was my first wedding dress shopping stop, I was hesitant to commit to a dress without checking out other stores first. Carla was so understanding and didn't pressure me at all to make a decision on the spot. She told me that they would keep my dress information and measurements on file in case I decide later on to go through with the purchase. I shouldn't have had my doubts--I called back to order the dress immediately after a mediocre experience at another bridal boutique!

Months later when my dress arrived, I worked with Brooke in alterations. She really took her time asking me if there were any changes I wanted to make to my dress to make it perfect and patiently explained all of my options and pricing. Then, Janene herself came by to pin my dress and make alteration recommendations. I came back for a few more appointments, targeting different areas of the dress each time. There was so much attention to detail and I could tell that the whole alterations team really worked hard to make every aspect of my dress perfect. I was also given suggestions on how to look best while wearing my dress and how to move in it. They also taught my bridesmaids how to get me into my dress and how to do the bustle. On the day before my wedding, they had me try on the dress one last time (it fit like a glove!) then had it fluffed and bagged, ready to go for the big day.

I can't recommend Janene's enough. Every staff member I encountered was so sweet and I truly felt that they really cared about making everything perfect for me. They even gave me a discount for being a nurse! Thank...