Mimi's Bridal Boutique — Local services in Ann Arbor

I purchased my wedding dress from another bridal boutique that does not do alterations. I needed very minimal alterations - add bra cups, reinforce hook and eye, add snap to the decorative belt, and add the bustle. I had heard Mimi's were expensive but I was hoping to not take chances even with such small requests.

First fitting: The staff member who does all of the pinning was friendly. I was concerned that my dress was puckering in the middle where the boning ended. She told me it looked fine and was just made more pronounced by shadows from the lighting. She also was very excited about the bra cups I had purchased from the other bridal boutique along with my dress because she said they would have a more natural look. She even asked if she could keep the packaging for them so she could do some research on them and show them to the woman who actually does the tailoring.

Second Fitting: When I went back at my scheduled time to try on my dress to confirm the alterations were completed satisfactorily I went out and looked at the mirror only to still be very bothered by the puckering resulting from where the boning ended. The associate that helped into the dress said she didn't know much about alterations and we would need to wait for the women who did the pinning the last time. We waited for almost an hour because the associate was with another alteration appointment. She then came over along with the tailor and started arguing about what they thought the solution to the puckering would be. They made comments"see here it's too tight, the lace needs to be let out" and "you don't want to let the lace out and risk RUINING it."

The staff quickly became very pushy asking me what I wanted to do and were clearly in a rush to leave as it was nearing 7 p.m. - their closing time. I explained I was feeling very rushed and was told to schedule an appointment next time. I was told that my appointment was not in fact an appointment for a second fitting and it had been scheduled as a final fitting pick up appointment so they assumed I would be satisfied with my dress and would just take it home. I was blamed for the appointment being scheduled as a final fitting when I had no idea that's what I had been scheduled for nor was it what I would have asked for. The poor customer service and pressure to make a decision led me to decide to just get out of the store and I frankly didn't trust these people with my dress any longer based on their rude behavior toward me. As I'm speaking with the staff I find that the bra cups they had sewed in had come detached and had fallen out. I asked if I could get a refund for the $20 I paid to have them sewn in. I was told that I could get a refund but they didn't know how to do it and I would have to come back the following day to speak with the manager. The staff then gave many excuses about why the cups came unsewn and that they aren't familiar with working with those kind of cups - something they didn't share previously that they had any concerns about how it would turn out.

As they're rushing me out I realized I never even got to see how to do the bustle because I had just stood around in my dress for an hour waiting. I shared this with the staff on the way out and they quickly showed me the bustle with the dress on the hanger on our way out the door - still no idea how it actually looks on or if I even like it. I was in tears after this experience!

I had two calls with the manager both of which she was not interested in hearing what my experience was like and only provided excuses for why the various alterations fell through. I'm actually less concerned about the alterations and more about the customer service! I eventually went in for my $20 refund. I asked to speak privately with the manager so as not to disturb the appointment that was taking place but the manager proceeded to say "I'm not going to argue over $20" but continued to argue why they were not responsible. I finally got my refund but it was the worst experience of the whole...

I went to Mimi's with my family for my first time trying on wedding dresses. I had such a good time! Getting undressed in front of a stranger can be very uncomfortable, but they made sure I felt respected. They asked me if I would be comfortable with a consultant in the dressing room, or if I would rather step in the dresses first before they helped. They also made sure I was comfortable before helping me adjust dresses in more private areas. They were very busy and I had three consultants who helped me during my 1.5 hour appointment. When a new consultant arrived, they asked me about my comfort level in getting changed too. I really appreciate the consistency. They were nice, welcoming, and very accommodating. I chose about 12 dresses to try on because I was so excited, and they urged me to pick any dresses I was drawn to. I told the consultant that I was asking my sisters and cousins to be in my wedding party, and they gave us some space when I did so and were flexible. When we were done, our consultant took pictures of my family and I, too.

As for the selection, love it! There was something for every vibe. When I expressed a preference, they found gowns that matched. I mentioned always wanting to try on a black wedding dress, even though I knew I wouldn't wear one. Moments later, my consultant found the dress and said it was okay to try things on for fun, maybe I might surprise myself and go with it! The consultants were wonderful at matching veils, giving feedback, and letting me take my time.

The shop is beautiful! I loved the creativity in their decor, how they organized the bridal rooms, how they displayed and organized their dresses, and it was very clean.

Ultimately, I went with a dress I found at an appointment I booked after Mimi's. I feel bad because I was so excited to have found my dress that I forgot to cancel a follow-up appointment at Mimi's that Saturday! So sorry!

All in all, what a wonderful experience. I wish I could relive it because it truly is a special shop. Thank you for making my day special! I will...

Upon arriving for my appointment, I filled out a card with details about me, my wedding and my budget. When I handed the card to Nadja (I believe this was her name), she asked, "Your budget is $1500?" and I confirmed. We walked around the store and selected five dresses, three of which were part of a trunk sale taking place that weekend. The first two dresses were not me at all...but I was told to try them on first because the shop is obligated to put brides in the trunk show designer's dresses. Dress #3 was my dream dress and I was ready to say "yes"...until I found out back in the dressing room the dress was $2600. I reaffirmed my budget, and tried a few other dresses on including a dress within my budget with similar detail and silhouette but a much less expensive fabric. The woman working with me began to bad mouth the less expensive dress (It's nice, but you look better in the other one. It's not special. It's boring). At this point, I went from annoyed to angry. I was ready to go home. When I was done trying dresses on, she tried to get me back into the dress I loved despite the fact that I very plainly told her it was well over my budget.

A younger woman (the manager?) pulled me aside and hung the "boring" dress up next to the $2600 dress and asked what I liked and didn't like about each, and what's stopping me from buying the over-budget dress. I told her it was a matter of price. She walked away and came back with a calculator. She then proceeded to do "math" with me...the dress is 10% off because of the trunk show, but I'll give you 15% off. So the dress went from $2600 to $2200...still $700 over my budget.

I left near tears and ignored their call at 4:45pm that day (no doubt to see if I would be coming back to purchase the dress before the trunk show ended at 5pm). It is my understanding that putting a bride in a dress over her budget is a cardinal sin of bridal dress shopping. I will be telling every bride I know to avoid this place...