GARNET + grace Bridal Boutique — Local services in Hayward

Over all, I’m very disappointed with my experience at garnet and grace in Hayward. I chose this location because the designer I was leaning towards advertised some of her dresses here. The initial communication was great, they reached out in advance and asked me for pictures of dresses that I liked. I sent three dresses over and when I arrive from my appointment, Dani had two dresses pulled out similar to the pictures I had provided. The dress I ended up choosing was incredibly similar to my preferred dress but overall ran quite a bit smaller than I was expecting. I discussed my concerns with dani and she assured me that the alterations were completely doable. The dress would fit me great and I would have nothing to worry about. The dress itself needed to be taken out around the ribs about an inch and a half and the sleeves were quite tight under the armpit. This was causing the sleeves to slip off my shoulders and i was not able to move my arms much at all. The sleeves are a fitted material that does not have any give.The cut of the dress has a large V in the front and back so the sleeves need to fit properly onto the shoulders or they slip right off and cause a large gap in the front. All of this being said, I left the store with the dress in hand due to the confidence of the gal who assisted me. Dani referred me to an alterations place in Livermore that I met with only a few days later. They were very kind and very honest stating that the alterations could be done but it would be tough to alter the dress to my exact fit. For starters, They would need to add additional material for the dress to be taken out and would likely need to cut out the armpits under my dress in order to get the sleeves to fit comfortably onto my shoulders. After going over ALL of the alterations, they were charging me over 1000 and there was still no guarantee that the dress would fit exactly the way I was hoping. I especially did not like the idea of cutting holes into the armpits of the sleeves. Although I was told this is common, I personally left the appointment totally upset and feeling insecure about the fit and finish of my dress after all of these alterations were to be done. A few days later I reached out to the Garnet and Grace location expressing my concerns. They offered to pick up the dress from the alterations place in Livermore and did agree that the price of alterations were way too high. Dani would have another gal come to the store and measure me again. (This is probably the only reason why i offered 2 stars rather than 1.) I went back to the store and met with another gal who measured me once again. After meeting with her, she referred me to another alterations place and assured me the alterations could be done. I told Dani I was still uncomfortable with the uncertainty surrounding the alterations itself and asked if I could try on a couple additional dresses to see if anything would fit me a little bit better. I was expecting minor alterations for my dress but nothing to this extent and I was becoming completely unhappy with the dress itself. Dani then told me that “because i had paid for the dress in full and they had an alternative alterations person, the sale was final.” No returns, no exchanges, nothing. I was honestly taken back… I wasn’t asking for my money back, I was asking for an opportunity to try on another dress that might fit me more comfortably. I had not yet done any alterations to the dress whatsoever. Due to the fact that their “additional alterations” location was 45 minutes from my home and in a location that I was not entirely comfortable traveling to, I chose to find a location in my hometown. The location I chose alter my dress with has completely agreed with the initial analysis of the Livermore alterations location and has done their best to alter the dress to my fit. On what should be my special day I am left with a dress that I am not comfortable in, unhappy with, forced to use because there was no...

I was hellbent on shopping online for a more affordable and, let's be honest- introverted- experience. I used to work in retail as a stylist myself and felt totally competent handling my own wedding dress shopping online. I did not want to have to work with a stranger in person and pay tons of money on a dress I'd wear only once. However, my Maid of Honor felt I was doing myself an injustice by not visiting a store and having that once-in-a-lifetime experience. She insisted I visit a store and just try on dresses, no commitment to buy! Trusting her, I obliged. I found Garnet + Grace via a Google search for affordable wedding dress boutiques in and around the peninsula. On the day of my appointment, I went in with ZERO expectations.

First, the location is easy to find. Their website notes limited parking, but I found there to be plenty. When I walked in, we were warmly greeted by one of the employee stylists and she informed me my stylist was just wrapping up with another client and it wouldn't be too long of a wait. No problem at all. I walked around and checked out the dresses and decor and found everything to be lovely and inviting. I noticed a cute fall-themed chalkboard sign at the front that welcomed all the brides with appointments that day, with our names handwritten; It was a pleasant surprise and I thought that was a sweet, personalized touch.

My stylist, Sierra, was absolutely PERFECT. Her energy, kindness, enthusiasm, and knowledge were way above bar. I LOVED working with her and for the first time from my own stylist perspective, I felt like I had much to learn and gain from the experience. And boy did she deliver! My 2 bridesmaids and I opted to buy an upgraded try-on package, which came with champagne and desserts. While sipping champagne, trying on dresses, analyzing, laughing, and taking pictures, we had a blast! And Sierra was right there with us, effortlessly assisting and joining the fun.

I was convinced by a couple things that this experience at Garnet + Grace was a better option than buying online: 1) I discovered that wedding dresses, depending on the brand ALL vary in sizes. I'm a natural size 2 in street clothes. There, I tried on 4s, 6s, and 8s, and all of them fit me in one way or another. A size 2 wasn't even an option because they were so small. When shopping online, I was ONLY putting size 2s in my cart! So glad I didn't go that way. 2) They do alterations for an incredible price! Most alterations on wedding dresses can cost anywhere from 300-500.00! With Garnet + Grace, I was quoted $150-200. And 3) The way I felt in my chosen dress and veil was truly....magical. I know it sounds cliche, but when Sierra put a perfectly matching veil on me with my dress, it all made sense, and I was done for- I saw the vision come to life. Shopping online could've never given me that feeling or certainty. So at the end of my appointment, I said yes to the dress!! I paid more than what I anticipated to pay for my wedding dress, but I found from this experience that the saying "You get what you pay for" isn't a saying for nothing. This was an experience I'll never forget, and Sierra was so instrumental in making that happen for me. With so much gratitude, I am so thankful to Garnet + Grace for that...

Yestersday my daughter had a bridal appointment at Garnet and Grace. She booked the appointment months in advance and paid the $70.00 for their vip experience (champagne and macaroons). What started out as such an exciting day, turned sour quickly. My daughter is plus size and made that clear in her questionnaire/interview. She also indicated the silhouette she was interested in. The consultant who's name I can't remember because she made little to no impression beyond being cowardly, started by pulling one dress, which was a fit and flare, mind you not the silhouette my daughter was interested in, she proceeds to push the idea of "you never know until you try", so my daughter went with it. It wasn't flattering/what she wanted, so we were ready for the next one. Well there was no next one, my daughter was informed that they don't carry any other options in her size. Then the consultant unbeknownst to me until later, asked my daughter to share the disappointing news, instead of her being a professional and admitting they misled my daughter and wasted our time. She also went on to try and sell us some convoluted explanation about bridal sizes being smaller than street wear, etc. Well if you knew this was the case, when my daughter told you her street wear size, why didn't you let her know you didn't have anything in her size and silhouette? To add insult to injury, the maid of honor traveled from Los Angeles, specifically for the appointment. Needless to say we were beyond upset, we asked the consultant if she knew of any other bridal salons in the area, she came back with what was basically a Quincerea store and a salon in San Francisco and proceeded to explain how far San Francisco was from Hayward...SIGH! Fortunately, we went in to action, made some phone calls and found a Bridal Salon in Newark that had a cancellation. We made it to the appointment, and the energy was much better from the start, my daughter's name was on the board when we arrived, we were greeted by our consultant Virginia, who was amazing. We let her know what our previous unpleasant experience was like, she reassured us that wouldn't be the case at Weddings and Dreams, and she delivered on her promise. She pulled several dresses, listened to my daughter, engaged with our party and saved the day, because my daughter said YES TO THE DRESS!!!!

The moral of the story is this is 2022, why a reputable bridal salon doesn't carry a large variety of sizes and silhouettes is beyond me. But more importantly, if you have a limited selection based on size or silhouette, you need to be clear in your communication with bride to be so she can make an informed decision and give her business/money to a more inclusive salon...