Alexandra's Boutique — Local services in Fall River

I'm beyond frustrated with Alexandra's Bridal Boutique and their lacking customer service.

I went in November for my first bridal appointment and I found my dress and I loved the straps my stylist added on at the end. We decided to include in my order a yard of the same fabric so my seamstress could recreate off-the-shoulder straps. When I got an email in January saying my dress had arrived, I called to confirm the fabric was included. But then my stylist emailed me, admitting she forgot to order the fabric. After several emails back and forth, she suggested ordering the straps instead, confirming they'd arrive by mid-April. I went ahead and placed the order for the straps on the same day we picked up my dress from the store.

Now it's mid-April, and I heard nothing about the straps I ordered. I called on 4/19, and the front desk told me the straps wouldn't arrive until June! When I asked why I hadn't been notified, they claimed they sent an email, but I never received it (at minimum I would expect an email and phone call knowing brides are already working on tight timelines and stressed).

After my stylist confirmed it would arrive by mid-April, I booked my fitting for the first week of May. My seamstress is very busy and I also live halfway across the country so we do not have the option to move my timelines. My seamstress requested that I bring my straps in with the dress on the first fitting (on the call with salon manager, she was defensive in saying that it's not needed, but I have to follow the guidance of my seamstress).

I asked to speak to the manager, and she was not helpful and somewhat defensive instead of trying to help resolve the second mess up by the bridal salon. She claimed she had no information and that only Christina, the buyer, did, but Christina was in appointments all day.

I will say Christina did call me on Monday and was very lovely and tried to find a solution. Not sure how, but Christina was able to have the straps delivered to the salon on Friday for my mother to pick up. Once they arrived I booked a pick up appointment for the following day and when my mother arrived they didn’t know where the straps were. They had multiple people at the salon looking for the misplaced straps for over 20 minutes. They finally found them, but just another layer of frustration.

I've tried to be accommodating to my bridal stylist and the salon and give them the benefit of the doubt. For example, at my first appointment, I met my stylist and narrowed it down to two dresses. I wanted to come back later that week with my bridal party and grandmother to "Say yes to the dress," but my stylist wasn't available, and I had a flight back home shortly after.I felt terrible that she wouldn't get the commission for my sale, even though she was the one who originally helped me. I went out of my way to make sure she got the credit by putting a deposit down on my dress before I had even officially decided on it.

I am posting this so that future brides can make an informed decision about purchasing their dress for their important day...

Had my first experience buying from a bridal shop this week -bought my "mother of the groom" gown! Living in the area I had heard of Alexandra's so I thought I knew where they were - nope! Right street and neighborhood just wrong block. I was a bit anxious as I located them and saw street parking (that was full) but was pleasantly surprised when I circled the block and found their spacious parking lot in back; love the pink parking lines btw :) My consultant was Michelle and she was so helpful and kind. Being my first time I had no idea what to expect or what I was looking for except the color and length. I tried to explain what I thought might be flattering and she was off. She brought me 3 dresses and I have to say - she heard exactly what I wasn't saying lol! The first dress I tried on scored an 8 out of 10, the second a 6 out of 10 but the third was a 10 out of 10! I tried on one more just for fun but my mind was made up on the third and thankfully my future daughter-in-law agreed (great minds lol). While I was waiting for the rest of the group to decide I mentioned to my family that I was a little warm and had to sit down. Michelle offered me a water, and brought some for the rest of the party as well. Truly, Michelle is my first and only experience, but I am so grateful for her attentiveness, thoughtfulness and kindness. Remember there were other women there trying on dresses so I was able to observe them and their consultants as well. One other compliment for Michelle - she didn't keep all of the dresses in their plastic garment bags in the fitting room with me - brought me the 3 and after I tried each one on it was removed; I really appreciate that! Here are my pros and cons Pros: my consultant Michelle definitely 5 stars, no fee to try on dresses, spacious parking, HUGE selection of dresses, for a brick and mortar store price was reasonable, reminders by text and phone. Cons: our dressing rooms were small with no where to hang our street clothes and only a small ottoman to sit on (which I used for my street clothes), alterations are not included in the price and no discussion up front about payment requirements (I found out about the last two at check out but these could be on me from my inexperience because I thought the alterations would be included and that there would be a payment plan available) All in all it was a very pleasant and enjoyable experience, in many ways because of the years Alexandra's has been in business but, I think my consultant Michelle played a very big part in it too, after all she was the human connection of my experience not just the business. I recommend you to go to Alexandra's for your next formal wear event, I think you will be pleased. I will post again once my dress is in - in about...

Now that I have my dress and my bridesmaids all have their dresses, I wanted to share a full review of our experience with Alexandra's for both. My first bridal appointment at Alexandra's was with Rachel Dzialo and she was amazing from start to finish, including emailing ahead of the appointment to get a good sense of my vision. After trying 4 other stores prior, she was extremely patient and helped me make the decision when I decided on my "yes" dress. I can't recommend her enough if you have a chance to request a specific stylist. The same day, two of my bridesmaids tried on dresses in their first floor area with a different stylist and the experience there was more mediocre. The stylist was fine but not overly eager or friendly, and she took their measurements and wrote down their favorite styles but later when we called they didn't have record of those things. I would say our experience with the bridesmaids stylists was a bit disorganized across the board, as this happened again when a different one of my girls went for an appointment. The last issue we had with the bridesmaids orders was that one of my girls ordered hers in person and specifically stated she would need to ship to her home since she isn't local, but when the dresses came in they only had record of charging her for shipping to the store. I ended up having to go pick up her dress and won't be able to get it to her for another 2 months when we will see each other for the shower which isn't ideal. Finally, on a separate occasion where I picked up my bridal gown and did a try on for accessories, my stylist for that appointment seemed newer and was kind of awkward/rushing me along so I didn't end up getting any accessories at all with Alexandra's. She wasn't really getting my taste for jewelry and the pieces she brought for me to try were not it so I just let it go. I did want to re-try a veil my stylist Rachel had found when I said yes to my dress, and this other stylist couldn't find it when I showed her the photo so I didn't get that veil either. Overall I would say it depends who you can work with at the store so keep that in mind. I would still choose Alexandra's simply for their massive inventory and selection, just be choosy about your stylist and if you have a subpar experience keep in mind a different stylist might change your mind. And if you go here for bridesmaid dresses triple check everything before placing an order, and take note of your own measurements/preferred styles in case they...