Weddings And Dreams Bridal — Local services in Fremont

I couldn't be happier with my dress and service at Weddings and Dreams. I was looking for a bridal store that could help me with my vision to have a western dress and removable filipiniana sleeves. I couldn't find many places in the Bay Area that were able to help and I'm so glad I found Weddings and Dreams.

I only tried on dresses twice and said yes to the dress pretty quickly after trying on ten or so dresses maybe fewer. They understood exactly what I was looking for and I only tried on dresses that fit my vision. Their dresses are also very reasonably priced. It's possible to find a dress priced under $1,000 during their seasonal sales but even outside the sale, the dresses are high quality at a great price.

It was easy to book an appointment online. I brought my mom along the first time. We tried on different styles of dresses to see what I liked best. I landed on something fitted over a ball gown or even A-line. I came back a second time with a better idea of what I was looking for and found my dress in less than an hour. It was perfect and within my budget. I also bought a matching veil, which I probably could have shopped around more for but the embellishments perfectly matched my dress and in the long run probably saved me time.

For my filipiniana sleeves, we ordered 2 yards of extra fabric and extra lace trim just in case. I was referred to someone who could do my alterations and make my custom filipiniana sleeves. The staff were helpful in choosing the right dress size. We placed the order and waited. It can take 6 - 9 months, which is typical. They gifted me a bottle of champagne when I said yes to the dress.

Within the 6 - 9 month window, I got a call that my dress was ready to be picked up. I came in the following weekend and tried on my dress. It fit almost perfectly. I needed it hemmed and the bust taken in.

They offer dress preservation packages when you pick up your dress but you don't have to decide then and there. I upgraded the garment bag, which in the end I'm not sure was worth it. The garment bag zipper completely came off while we transporting my dress from the hotel to the venue. I ended up having to stuff my dress into an IKEA bag the day of my wedding but it wasn't a huge deal and now makes a funny story.

My dress was around $1,600, veil was $500, alterations were around $700 and my custom sleeves were around $250. Total I spent around $3,000 for my dress, alterations, cathedral veil, custom filipiniana sleeves, and upgraded garment bag. You can easily spend $5,000 on a dress alone for comparison.

Weddings and Dreams helped my vision become a reality and I...

After reflecting for a few days on my bizarre experience here, I feel like I got swindled into buying a dress. I take full accountability for deciding to buy the dress even though I wasn’t fully confident in that decision at the time, but the staff was extremely pushy in making the sale— more details below.

I went to Weddings and Dreams on the last day of their August sale. At first, the appointment was fine- I picked out dresses to try on, and the staff gave some recommendations based on what I said I liked. After trying on 8 dresses and identifying which one I liked the most, this is when I feel like the staff started to overstep. They kept telling me how I felt about the dress— how much I loved it, how much my mom and other guests loved it, how it matched the vibes of my venue, and how it was definitely the one. Looking back, even though I was unsure, it was impossible to think clearly because the staff was so loud and adamant about how much we all loved the dress for me, and how I just had to have it.

When I asked if I could decide later, they noted they don’t hold any dresses (which is fine). However, when I asked what time they close so I could decide by end of day since I knew the sale was ending that day, they said they didn’t know what time they were going to close (???) and would probably close early that day. Looking back, this seemed like a deceptive tactic as it made me feel like I had to make a decision in the moment because I didn’t know the latest time at which I could make the decision.

Ultimately, I decided to buy the dress. After making the decision (which in hindsight I shouldn’t have), they rushed me to the register and rang up the dress with the veil I had on while I was trying the dress. I never showed any interest in purchasing the veil, so it was shady they added it to the bill, and I had to ask to get it removed. The whole thing happened so fast, I didn’t even realize I bought the dress without knowing the actual size of the dress because I had tried it on with clamps in the store. (I knew I had to get it altered down to my size, but I didn’t know if it was a 6, a 12, or something else.)

All in all, I learned a lesson the hard way as they don’t allow returns, but I would also advise against going to Weddings and Dreams if you are easily influenced, as the staff here are pushy to make a sale, will tell you what you want to hear, and rush you into a decision to...

I just picked up my dress today and the whole process has been a nightmare - I highly recommend avoiding this bridal shop! They made really disastrous mistakes which they did not take responsibility for and were unapologetic about, including shipping my wedding dress in the WRONG SIZE right before my wedding!

1. They quoted me an arrival date of 5 - 8 months (which was longer than other bridal shops I had visited), half of which fell PAST my wedding date. They knew when my wedding date was, but did not mention that there was a high chance my wedding dress would arrive after my wedding. They tried to assure me that my particular dress generally comes in between 5 - 7 months, which still meant there was a chance it would arrive after my wedding / would leave no time for alterations. I had to talk with three people before I got a hold of the manager and he promised to rush the shipping.

2. When I arrived to pick up the dress, I noticed it was one size larger than what I ordered! When I confronted the front desk, she tried to tell me I was wrong. She finally pulled out the purchase order and realized that it was indeed the wrong size. Her solution was "well, it seems like it fit" (I hadn't actually tried it on all the way since it was a corset style). When I pressed about what if it doesn't fit, her response was "Once you walk out of here, you can't return it." She said I could also see if I can get the correct size ordered. I asked her how long that would take and she just shrugged and said she would call on Monday. It is WAY too risky to try and order another dress a month and a half before the wedding when I know it needs alterations. There was not a single apology or attempt to remedy their mistake and I had no choice but to sign and walk out or risk having no dress for the wedding.

3. Not a big deal, but prepare to walk in and pick up your paid-in-full dress and then have to pay $25 for a cheaply made garment bag, or otherwise walk out with the wedding dress dragging in the dirt.

I understand people make mistakes, but the lack of attention and responsibility - not to mention they made two huge errors that could have ended disastrously - is mortifying and unprofessional. I was very dissatisfied with their service...