Bridal Suite Boutique — Local services in Hamilton Township

I got married 6 months ago and have thought long and hard about writing this review since. I've never written a bad review, but feel I need to share my experience to help others avoid feeling the way I do.

TLDR version: Came here just for alterations as I had recently moved to the area and purchased my dress in a different state. Sadly, I had an awful time, feeling rushed, gaslit, and experiencing truly poor workmanship. My seamstress was so pushy and insistent on being right all the time, that I felt like I had to be overly nice, not risk insulting her, etc. and that my dress was being held hostage. The dress turned out okay (definitely not perfect), but the experience was awful. When I look at my wedding photos, I'm overwhelmingly reminded of my miserable alterations experience rather than how great the day was.

Fitting 1: was supposed to just be a consultation, but the seamstress was so pushy. She also wanted the second fitting only 12 days before my wedding; I am so happy I refused that timeline.

Second fitting: Every. Single. Alteration was wrong. Waistline was too high in the front, looking like a steep ski slope from the side. This lifted up the hem at the front, so it was 2in too short. The waistline was over my ribs instead of my waist it, so it was so tight I could barely fit into the dress. Straps way too tight on the shoulders but still gapping at the back. Appliqué was replaced sideways. I pointed these things out - she told me the waist and straps were where I wanted them (they were so wrong it was obviously untrue). I showed her a photo of my dress to show her the correct applique placement; she insisted over and over that it was not the same dress and that the way she did it is the exact original design. I had to say at least three times that it was my literal dress hanging up in my own home. When I pointed out the uneven hem, she acted like this was also purposeful asking why I was wearing fancy shoes if I didn't want people to see them. She was mad that I wanted these things fixed and told me the dress should be perfect by now... after only 1 fitting.

Third fitting: the applique was fixed, but the seamstress changed her story, talking a lot about how she purposefully put it on differently because she never has brides that want their dresses to look the same as the original design. Now lying to me AND forgetting that I had emphasised at 'fitting 1' how much I loved the design and how important it was to me that we kept it as close to the original as possible. The waist was still wrong - I had to pull in the manager to get her to see it. This time she finally took out a marker to mark a straight line. She charged me extra for doing it a third time and told me that it was my fault because the waistline actually is straight but my back is uneven. Firstly, even on the hanger the waistline was clearly crooked. Secondly, even if my back were uneven, is it not her job to fit the dress to my body...?

Dress pick up: She steams it. She stuffs this cardboard thing in it to "keep the shape of the dress", tells me not to remove it and not take the dress out of the bag until the wedding day to preserve it. I trusted the expert's advice and honestly just wanted this to be done. I could see the cardboard was straining the dress, but she said the dress needed it, and i thought no way cardboard could do any harm.

Wedding time: I notice the appliqué at the waistline is unravelling after being manipulated so much. The cups, which were held in by just 2 small strings and not properly sewn in, were no longer attached. I can only assume that the cardboard put so much pressure on the poorly attached cups that it snapped the 2 little strings. I had no time or materials to sew them back in (nor should I have had to).

Based on all the great reviews, I am so disappointed that I did not receive close to the same level of service as other brides seem to have. But all I can do now is try to save other brides from my...

This place was recommended by a friend, and while I was initially hesitant because it was a bit far from me, the reviews persuaded me to just go for it and book an appointment, and I’m so glad I did! From the moment you walk in, you’ll notice their cute yet relaxing aesthetic, the many dresses on the racks, and the friendliness of the staff. I was paired with Liv and she immediately made me feel at ease. I was able to pretty much do exactly what I wanted - peruse and pick out the dresses that caught my attention, try on the dresses I had initially picked out from their online inventory, and even go back and try on more if needed. Liv also knew what I was looking for given our conversation, my inspo pics, and the kind of style I kept gravitating towards. She picked dresses within that realm and even allowed me to try on dresses that were different, but that would maybe give me a different feel/perspective I hadn’t considered. At no point did I feel rushed, pressured, anxious, confused, or uncomfortable (things I had felt at other bridal places…), and I feel that this is super important when it comes to deciding your wedding dress - the consultant you have can really make or break your experience.

In the end, I was pretty confident about a dress that I had tried on. So Liv had me try it on a second time, and even gave me time to FaceTime any important family and friends. And even though I was certain after that, I still wanted to think it over some more, look over the pictures I had taken of myself in the dress, and compare them against other dresses I had tried on. Instead of making me feel as if I had to make a decision then and there, they said I could go down the block and have some ice cream from Halo Pub and come back, or I could just leave them with my measurements and call back the next day - I did both; I tried Halo Pub (which was really good), and then I went back and decided I’d like to take a day to think it over. And even after all that, they still didn’t make me feel bad or anything for being unable to make up my mind right away! I really just want to commend Liv and the staff (Bella was also really sweet) for their patience, understanding, and overall grace. To me, this is the standard I expect when visiting these places because it is an important milestone in people’s lives, and I am so grateful that instead of seeing brides as people to make money off of, this place treats them like people that they genuinely want to see happy on their wedding day.

And I did end up calling back and saying yes to...

EDIT: This is the first time I've edited a review but I had to move this from a 5 star to a 2 star because of my experience after purchasing the dress.

I paid over 3k in the store (for my dress and cape) and didn't hear anything for a couple weeks so I had to call and find out that the dress would be there in 4-5 months. It was fine but would have been nice to know in the store.

When my dress arrived I was called told I had a week to get my dress, which was a struggle because I live 2 hours away and I had thought they would hold it at least until I came in to talk to a seamstress about alterations. Instead, I had to get it, hold it, and bring it back, or it would cost a storage fee, none of which I was told in the store.

When I came in, I asked about the seamstress and was told they set the seamstress appointments 2 months before the wedding. This was an issue because I needed to travel with it in 2 months to Europe where I was getting married to finish wedding planning, which I told them when I bought the dress.

They set the appointment, and I got an email called "What you need to know about Alterations."" This email from a seamstress that I hadn't met with yet said that I would be paying at least $595, which would be due at the first fitting. That on top of everything else and knowing that typically I'd have found this out only two months away from my wedding left a bad taste in my mouth.

I found another streamstress and she had to do a lot of work (to be fair I did want a lot of custom alterations) but she said that it could have been thousands of dollars in the states.

I stand by how kind everyone was during the shopping process, and the dress was beautiful and affordable. I just want other brides to be aware of what might come after.

Origanl Post: I went to four stores in total looking for my wedding dress, and I finally found it here! Sue and Bella were so amazing and kind. They listened to what I was looking for and guided me through the store while also letting me move independently. They helped me try on dresses and made me feel comfortable while we discussed alterations to make the dress I picked perfect for my big day - which ended up being 6k under budget!!!

My niece was there with my Mom, sister in law, and brother and they were so nice to her, letting her try on a veil. The place was also beautiful and very comfortable which is always a plus.

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