Boston Bridal Atelier — Local services in Andover

Part I:

This shop is highly unprofessional for a business that markets itself a high end bridal store. I hope my story will save you unnecessary stress as you plan your special day.

Boston Bridal Atelier was formerly known as Christina's Bridal. The store was sold to a new owner sometime four or five years ago and is no longer affiliated with the prior owner who had been in business for over 30 years.

I purchased my wedding dress here and chose to do alterations with them as I was assured that long sleeves could be added to my dress. I was told this by the sales associate and the manager, who had verified this with the seamstress prior to my purchasing the dress. I was again assured this was an option by the seamstress during my first alterations appointment. I was told the sleeves could be made detachable with snaps, something other bridal shops had also offered.

I ordered my gown nine months prior to my wedding date. It did not arrive at the shop until one and a half months prior to my wedding. I immediately tried to book the soonest possible appointment for alterations but was told the shop was behind and they could not do my alterations until ONE MONTH prior to the wedding.

They scheduled three alterations appointments and required that I pay for the total cost of alterations up front, over $1000. The first appointment was one month prior to my wedding, the second was one and a half weeks prior to my wedding, and the third was six days before my wedding. When I went to the second alterations appointment, all the seamstress had done was sew bra cups into my dress. My wedding was in six days, none of the major alterations had been done and the sleeves had not been made.

When I went for my final alterations appointment my dress was a disaster. The sleeves were not detachable. They were sewn to the dress, were far too small, not symmetrical, and would not go up past my mid-upper arm. The seamstress removed the sleeves and said she had a small amount of extra fabric that I had ordered from the dress designer, and she would use this to make a new set of sleeves. She asked that I return in two days (four days before my wedding).

At the next visit the sleeves seemed to be a more appropriate length but were still not attached to the dress and the snaps had not been added. The end points and seams still were not symmetrical but she assured me she would fix this. She told me the dress would not be ready to be picked up UNTIL THE DAY BEFORE MY WEDDING.

During my final dress fitting, the sleeves were attached with snaps but the snaps would not stay snapped. The second I put my arm through a sleeve or moved my arm at all the sleeve would snap off. The sales associate said it was too last-minute to fix the detachable sleeves and they did not have any more fabric to make new sleeves so the seamstress would have to sew the sleeves to the dress. Since my wedding was THE NEXT DAY and I had no other options, I agreed to this.

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Part II

I tried on the dress and the sleeves were two different lengths, and the seams were not symmetrical. They called the original seamstress to come into the shop (it was her day off). She removed the sleeves and tried to sew them on again but they were still flawed. The seamstress then admitted she had never made long sleeves for a dress out of material other than tulle, and had also never made detachable sleeves. If this was the case, the shop should never have promised that sleeves could be added to my dress if they did not have a seamstress who could produce the product I had requested and paid extra for. Also, if this was not a service the shop could provide, they should have let me know up front. I asked the owner if she would offer a refund and she said to contact her after the wedding to discuss this. I had expected to spend the day before my wedding relaxing and going to the spa, but I had to cancel all my appointments as I was at the bridal shop from 10 am until 4 pm that day. I had no choice but to wear the wedding dress with the botched sleeves. It was not at all how I wanted my wedding dress to be, and needless to say, I was very upset. During my wedding the sleeves started detaching from my dress. There are noticeable holes in the armpit area of my dress and this can be seen in our wedding pictures, starting with the “getting ready” pictures of me putting on my gown.

I contacted the shop a few days after my wedding to speak to the manager but was told she was not there. The sales associate said the cost of the sleeves had been refunded. I asked for a copy of the invoice for the alterations and this indicated the cost to make the sleeves was $250 (not including extra fabric which I had to pay for). I asked to have the manager contact me because I wish to further discuss this issue with her. I called the shop two additional times in the months following my wedding and both times was told they would take a message for the manager. I did not get a call back from the manager until two months later. She said, “No one told me you wanted a call back.” She then told me, “that dress was never meant to have sleeves” and “sleeves would not work on that dress.” If this was the case, why would her staff, including the seamstress, assure me sleeves could be made and added? They had abundant opportunities to say that was not an option but not even once was I told that. If I had been told that up front, I would have chosen a different dress or a jacket to wear over the dress, but due to their numerous errors it was the day before my wedding and I did not have time to make other arrangements. After everything I had been through with the dress shop, the owner had the audacity to deflect responsibility for the errors and to infer it was somehow my fault. After listening to me speak with the owner, my husband got involved and also spoke with her. Only after intensive debate with her did she agree to refund us the entire cost of...

Worst experience ever. The dress was ordered inMay of 2023. Called in April to see when we would get the dress they said the manufacturer had not released the dress yet. Called in May told the same thing. Called manufacturer they said that the dress was ready and shop needed to all to pick up. A stressful week wherein manufacturer tried to reach the owner Gretchen. Finally the manufacture told me that I should contact another shop to pick up the dress. Driver from my home in New York to Andover to speak with owner. She was only available on the phone. We agreed to contact the manufacturer together on Monday as I told her someone was lying and needed to get to the bottom of this. on Monday I did not get a call from Gretchen. Called the manufacturer they said the dress was released. We had a scheduled appointment on the 18th of May to try dress and start alterations. On the 15th Gretchen called my daughter and told her that her family was not allowed in the store and that if we came they would call he police. She was told she could pick up the dress but the store would not work with us anymore. May daughter called me hysterical and said Gretchen had been rude and was screaming at her. Gretchen who is in the bridal business took away a very important moment for my daughter by not allowing me to come with her to try he dress. She made what should have been a wonderful experience, horrible and stressful. in addition we are not left scrambling to find a seamstress to alter the dress 6 weeks before the wedding.

Please read the reviews. Gretchen should not be in the bridal business

I response to the posted by Gretchen

One my daughter called on Mya first and was not told the dress would arrive in early May but was told that the manufacture had not yet released the dress and wold do so in the next few weeks. Given that the wedding was two month away we were upset. Two I did no harass the maniufatuer in fat they called me several time and indeed told me at the end of the week when they still were not able to get in touch with Gretchen that this has never happened before but the only suggestion they had waste go to a different bridal boutique and see if they could pick up my dress. Three Gretchen was on the phone with us almost the entire time we were in the shop on Saturday and her and I had agreed to call the manufacture together at 4 on Monday as she was in Court in the morning. Four Gretchen never called me on Monday. I had to call the manufacturer to see if the dress was released Fie Gretchen was not concillatory as she claim when she spoke to my daughter as my daughter called me a tears and said that Gretchen was threatening to call the police and told her she had to come alone to...