Elizabeth Ann's Bridal Boutique — Local services in Auburn

My wedding is scheduled for September 2025. When I initially booked my appointment at Elizabeth Ann’s, we didn’t yet have a set date or venue—but I knew I had a limited window to find a dress. Due to my size, height, and personal preferences, I assumed off-the-rack would be a challenge. Elizabeth Ann’s was the fourth bridal shop I visited after seeing dresses at others that were either just okay or couldn’t not be guaranteed for delivery in time. Several places mentioned a 16–24 week lead time for dress arrivals, leaving little to no room for alterations and I was left with the opinion that time was of the essence.

I first requested an appointment for a day that might have worked for my mom before her vacation, but was told via email that the slot was no longer available. The email exchange was overall fine—they encouraged me to bring someone, which I appreciated—but due to scheduling conflicts and travel, I ultimately went to the appointment alone. I received a confirmation email and a follow-up call the day before.

At no point in any communication or on their website was it mentioned that taking photos of dresses was not allowed unless I planned to purchase that dress. When I arrived, I let them know I was alone, and again, nothing was said about a photo policy. While I was trying on a dress and standing on the podium, I snapped a quick photo as the employee assisting me went to grab another gown. I was then told, somewhat curtly, that photos weren’t permitted unless I was saying “yes” to a dress. I apologized and immediately put my phone aside.

That interaction, especially given I was already wedding dress shopping alone, made the experience feel even more awkward and uncomfortable. While they did say I could FaceTime someone, my maid of honor was busy and my mom was on a cruise with little to no service. I did my best to remember the details of the dresses I liked—memorizing the designer names and on the hanger tags and style numbers on the shop tags (one didn’t have this that I could find)—because that was one of the only accurate bits of information available on the store tags. In doing some research afterward, I found both dresses priced around $600 less at multiple other retailers that I could find pricing for online.

Of the four shops I visited, Elizabeth Ann’s was the only one with a no-photo policy—every other store encouraged taking photos for reference. Given they carry many of the same designers and styles as other local shops, this policy was perplexing. I might understand such a restriction if they carried exclusive or very high-end designs, or early samples—but that didn’t appear to be the case. If it was the case, some transparency would have gone a long way.

It led me to wonder whether the no-photo policy is in place to prevent brides from comparison shopping—especially concerning when their pricing appears to be significantly higher than average—or whether it was to create some sense of urgency and exclusivity that might drive a more impulsive and less informed purchase. While I can’t say for sure if those things are true, it just felt really off and made me uncomfortable with the idea of purchasing a dress there.

Had the photo policy been clearly stated on their website or during booking, I likely wouldn’t have wasted my time (or money), or theirs. If the main goal is to discourage people who aren’t seriously looking for a dress, I’d recommend they consider charging a slightly higher appointment fee like other shops in the area do, rather than implementing unclear and unspoken policies that can make things more difficult for brides-to-be. Finding time for dress shopping and planning a wedding is already difficult enough. Many of us also have full time jobs of our own and have friends and family that do as well, or other obligations on top of that. I would not recommend looking/shopping here, and won’t be going back for another...

Today I spent the day with my daughter searching many bridal shops for her Junior Prom dress. We found what we thought was the perfect dress but in the wrong color at another store. The staff there was quick to state that we could not get it in the color she wanted and that we would not be able to order the dress without taking a single moment to even look into it. I mean maybe I would understand if they took a minute to look it up and check it out. I was immediately turned off. It seemed like nobody cared we were there and I was surprised nobody had offered any assistance since the time we had walked in the door. I jotted down the designers name and the style number of the dress and searched online and found that this store Elizabeth Ann Bridal carried the line and could possibly have the dress my lil girl really wanted. From the moment I walked up to their door and noticed the sign that read not come in we're open but come in we're awesome I knew this place was going to be different. The place seemed very clean and up to date and organized much better than all of the places we had visited. They did carry the dress but they also did not have the right color. After they looked up to see if we could order it or find it I accepted that it was not going to be something we were going to get in her color blue. While my daughter tried the dress on in the purple color they did have a couple associates gathered a few other similar dresses from the same designer for her to try. I felt like they were all there helping us out. I would say there was at least 3 or 4 of them and I must say the girls here all work very well together. I loved the teamwork they all displayed and they helped my daughter find a dress she absolutely loved and that she looks absolutely amazing in! Being in the retail business for many years. I've learned that it's not about making the sale or selling something instock. It's about getting to know the client and by not selling but helping the client and by doing that you will always make the sale plus every future sale and every referral sale. This place gets that and I can not say enough about this place def give this place a shot you will be glad you did! Thank you ladies you truly...

I had such an incredible experience with Elizabeth Ann’s. I originally reached out regarding a dress they didn’t have, but was by a designer they carried. I reached out to several wedding boutiques and they were the only ones able to get a loaner for me. While I didn’t love the dress once I was able to try it on, Sharon helped me pull a ton of dresses in the store to try instead. They have so many options and different styles of dresses. I was very very nervous about the wedding dress hunting process as I kept finding a lot of dresses I liked vs fell in love with. I knew what I didn’t want but didn’t necessarily know what I was looking for, creating a bit of a challenge Sharon took on with stride. She was so patient, very uplifting, and kind hearing certain aspects I liked of different dresses and didn’t like of others to help narrow down what I was really looking for. On my first visit, I found one dress I really liked but wanted to come back to. A week or two later, I tried the dress on again and just didn’t love it sending myself and Sharon back to the drawing board. After, going through dresses again, we finally found a dress that was everything I didn’t know I was looking for.

Through-out this process, from getting the loaner to finding the dress after a couple of visits, the communication was immaculate. Even when I was having a lot of doubts or felt frustrated with myself through-out the process, Sharon was always encouraging. I can’t wait to come back once the final dress...