The Altar Bridal — Local services in Barrington

Worst experience. I would rate this experience a 1/10. From the second you walk in, it can be very deceiving because the shop is very cute. I loved the inside. My Maid of honor and I walked around and took pictures of dresses that I liked. However, take note that this is a “Off The Rack” dress shop. I was not exactly sure what that meant or how that process worked. These dresses are clearly used. Right off the bat, I was greeted by a woman named Jacqueline. She was friendly, however she was extremely pushy. She openly asked me my dress size in front of everyone, sat us right behind another group when there were plenty of other spots, price range (which is a very personal question and should be asked in private) and the name of the dress shop I looked at where I potentially found my dress. She asked me “what happened” and I told her I wanted to keep my options opened. In no way shape or form was this woman helpful. I showed her dresses that I liked and she made it known that they were not “In my size”. She never even took the time to measure me to know my true size. She took me into a section that was way larger than what I am. I could only select a few dresses. None of them were fully my style and are huge on me, but I had to pick something at least. Once she grabbed the dresses, she was not careful with the dresses at all and dragged them. I got to the dressing room, and she expected me to try to get into these dresses myself. Putting on a wedding dress yourself with no help, can be quite a challenge. She just came in to zip me up and make adjustments. These dresses were terrible quality. They all had stains on them and the beading was coming off. My mom and maid of honor were in complete shock seeing that one of the dresses had a huge coffee stain on the back of it. When they expressed concern, the woman said “we could try to get that out.”

I understand that these dresses are off the rack, but I had no idea how this process worked. There was no direction. Jacqueline was not the best with her verbiage and kept emphasizing the need to look “slim”. She also made a very rude comment regarding the “butt crack in my back and how we want it to be flat.” That was completely inappropriate. I felt very pressured and felt as if she just wanted to sell me a dress and that’s it. It felt like she was trying to compete with the other dress place that I enjoyed. Every time she kept asking me if this compared to the other dress that I liked etc. At that point, yes, I kept thinking about the other dress and the wonderful experience I had. My mom and maid of honor were not pleased and noticed so many things wrong with this experience. In my opinion, the prices of these used dresses were not worth it.

I will not recommend this place to woman/bride who wants to feel special or confident. Wedding dress shopping is a huge decision. In no way shape or form should you feel pressured to make a purchase right then in...

I'm not one to write reviews for a place, but I cannot say enough great things about this place. I first went to David's Bridal a few weeks ago and had no luck finding something that looked 'original' and something that made me feel beautiful. Nothing against David's Bridal, it was just my own experience. I then made an appointment with Viero Bridal in Chicago because the collection I saw online was beautiful but I knew they were in the higher end price range. I happened to come across The Altar on Google as a store with off-the-rack dresses designer dresses for a fraction of the price. These dresses have never been bought. The reviews looked great, so I thought to go at least 'look'. I cancelled my appointment for Viero Bridal and made it for the same date and time I was going to have it for The Altar. As soon as we walked in, Maureen (the owner) welcomed my mother-in-law, my mother, and I with a great big smile. We picked out the dresses we wanted to try and got our own perfect area where my moms could sit on a comfy couch and I could stand under perfect spotlighting so you can see all the details of the dresses. I want to mention that I am not the most confident person when it comes to dresses, let alone a bridal gown. At David's Bridal, I didn't feel confident in the four dresses I tried on. At The Altar, I probably tried on about seven dresses and they ALL made me feel beautiful. My moms were laughing because every dress I tried and came out to show them looked like THE ONE. We were in there for over two hours because we narrowed it down to two dresses and Maureen, was a Godsend. She made the process so easy and really took care of our needs. She walked me through the entire process and really asked me questions on how I feel in each dress because "you shouldn't have any doubts in the dress you pick." At bridal shops they always push and push dresses for you to go home with one, Maureen is not like that. She is such a kind-hearted, sweet person who really loves what she does and makes YOU want to feel as confident and beautiful as you should feel on your wedding day. She has a location in Colorado as well! Thank you Maureen! It was down to two choices and BOTH within my budget which was insane. What is crazy is that I wanted an A-Line, long sleeve, lace dress (which I always pictured me wearing). I got the complete opposite of that, and I would not have known that I would fall in love with it if it wasn't for Maureen hand picking some dresses for me to try. More people should go here to find their dress. The staff was amazing, the atmosphere was so joyful and fun. I can't believe I felt confident. I have no regrets. Thank...

I was so excited to go dress shopping at the Altar Bridal. I made my appointment months in advance and followed their FB page for months watching the new styles arrive in excitement. I called a few weeks in advance of my appointment to confirm and to notify that I had an additional guest joining my party. I spoke with Carly, who was lovely, and said, no problem, you don't have to let us know your party size. The day before my appointment, I received a voicemail from Monique indicating that my party size was too big and I needed to remove 2 people from my party. I also received a follow up voicemail on the day of my appointment from Monique indicating the same. My sister contacted Monique back to discuss who then told us we needed to remove 2 people from our party. After much discussion, my sister informed Monique that we had people travel in from out of state, as far as Texas, to be here on this day for my dress appointment. We ultimately were given the OK to bring my party to the appointment but were told that we would have to sign waivers because we had a party of 8. I was really worried after these phone calls because I didn't want any negativity or issues during my dress shopping. Upon arrival, the dress shop was very busy, but we were assigned Carly as our consultant. We were never asked to sign any waivers, and we were given a huge changing room that easily accommodated our group size without issue. Carly was absolutely amazing, making me feel so calm and comfortable, and was never pushy in the process. She complimented my group of 8, saying they were one of the nicest groups she's had of that size. She was VERY helpful with trying on dresses, asked me pointed questions to help me determine my final choice, and ultimately helped me find my dress that I said Yes to! Then when I was getting ready to check out, I noticed some dream catchers that completely aligned with my wedding decor, and Carly took the time to contact the owner and ask if they were for sale. The owner offered them to sell to me, and I purchased those for my wedding as well!

Overall I purchased my dress, a wrap, and decor, all at a very reasonable price. Carly was AMAZING to work with.

I would've given this shop 5 stars if there wasn't the confusion regarding the party size, even after I had called to confirm a few weeks before my appointment. I felt like it was an unneccessary stressor, but luckily it ended up not being an issue...