Galleria Gowns - Cleveland Bridal Shop — Local services in Highland Heights

Edit: Clara called me and we were able to work things out. I really appreciate the concern she showed after my review and her desire to give other brides a better experience than I received.

I enjoyed my dress buying experience at Galleria, but the alterations process was a nightmare. I was looking forward to having a moment in my dress to see how it made me feel, but as soon as I was dressed Clara started pinning and altering, making me stand in one spot with my arms raised for an hour and a half during my first appointment. She didn’t walk me through anything she was doing, which was upsetting when I realized she was cutting the lace. The second appointment went a little better aside from her telling me how I don’t have a model’s body so of course the dress would look completely different on me than the model on the tag. At the end of the appointment my mom pointed out a noticeable fold of fabric in the chest area that Clara said she would fix. At the final fitting the issue was still there. I had to take the dress off so she could fix it, and then she immediately tried to usher me out. Instead, I put on the dress again to see that the issue was still there. Again, she had me take it off so she could fix it. When I put it on the third time it was still there and she had to call someone out of the back to fix it on me. When it finally looked okay, she hung the dress for me in a way that she said it wouldn’t come off the hanger when traveling. She told me not to worry about taking it out of the bag at all and we were all set. When I got to my destination after a day of traveling I noticed a straight pin had snagged the dress while it was in the bag. The snag caused the lace to pull all down the front of the dress. We checked my dress thoroughly that night and found FIVE straight pins left throughout the layers of the skirt, some holding fabric in place where it should have been hemmed and wasn’t, and some where they didn’t even make sense to be in the first place. Clara brushed off my concerns during the whole alterations process and in the end alterations weren’t even complete. The ones that were look like they were done in a careless rush. I paid $415.80 for these alterations (with no price breakdown so I have no idea how Clara came to that number after quoting me $300) and I wish more than anything that I had gone somewhere else. I want a refund for the full amount of alterations due to the job being incomplete and the damage done...

I hadn’t given a second thought to leaving a review after my visit to Galleria Gowns, but now that I have purchased “the dress” at a different store and had an incredibly positive experience, I do think I should let other women know about the negative experience I had while shopping here.

The staff who helped us were nice enough. Now I know, nothing above and beyond, but they were fine, hence the two stars. If you are going to visit this store, you should know that you will not have your own room. I constantly had to walk out of the small dressing room in front of another bride looking at herself in the mirror and amongst tons of people who are with their loved ones trying on dresses. This was not an upscale experience as advertised, and actually was a little quite uncomfortable. I wanted to have my time but instead was forced to share it with strangers. And in addition, it made me feel like a horrible inconvenience to the other brides in the area.

I decided on a dress that I thought I loved. I just thought it would look pretty with sleeves added on so I knew I would need extra fabric. Again, after purchasing from a different store, I know that is a common request and the sales associate should’ve known how to handle it immediately. But, I was told that she would have to give the company a call, and let me know later if it was possible to get additional fabric. I was totally fine with this, as I didn’t know any better. The girl helping us promised to call back if not Monday, on Tuesday. Totally fine - I left excited and hopeful.

Here we are, probably about 5 months later, and I still haven’t heard from her. If it ended up not being possible for some odd reason, I really would’ve appreciated a phone call. And if that was the case, I probably would’ve gone back in and tried on more dresses. But because of the lack of communication, lack of transparency, and the poor experience in store, I purchased my gown elsewhere. (If you are looking for an unbelievable experience and absolutely stunning dresses, Abbot’s Bridal in Canton should be on your list. It was worth every second of the drive. We even had an issue with my dress when it came in that they resolved promptly, appropriately, and in a way that exceeded my expectations.)

Anyway, I hope that others have a more positive experience, but I would beware of the enormous shortcomings in the bridal gown selection process at...

Honestly, this was my worst experience yet. I have been to 7 bridal shops looking for the perfect dress for my wedding. Due to a previous experience, I contacted the shop ahead of time to confirm they would have enough options in my size. They answered confidently expressing that they had racks upon racks that I could choose from.

Upon entering Galleria Gowns, 7-8 employees stood behind the counter staring at my MOH and myself. We walked up to the counter and expressed that we had an appointment at 12:30 for bridal. They confirmed my name and then handed me a piece of paper and said fill this part out. I completed the form and they scowled at us and then proceeded to tell us to follow. There was an awful noise during the appointment. They claimed it was the doorbell. Once we got to the dressing room area, they asked basic contact information and told me to tell them about the wedding day. Well….. that’s quite general and I wasn’t sure what she was looking for so I told her where it was and what I liked/didn’t like in a dress. In addition, I explained how I struggle with body dysmorphia which tends to make dress shopping more difficult for me.

Besides the attitude and cold shoulder we received from the employees… they were just that. Employees. Not stylists. The girls assigned to us couldn’t figure out what I was looking for and had to get someone else to help. I specifically asked not to try on dresses in a smaller size knowing that I would it would stress me out. The employee continued to ask if I’d like to try on dresses she pulled in a size too small. This was upsetting, and in turn, I declined those options.

After five dresses, the employee told us that they are unable to help us find the dress that “checks all of the boxes”. At this point, I said okay and thank you and got dressed. You would think they would have at least walked us to the door but instead they left us on our own to gather up and leave.

This situation not only effected myself and my MOH emotionally, but also made me feel worthless to Galleria Gowns as I wasn’t able to fit into a cookie cutter dress. I found it rude and appalling to be treated this way & therefore I will be sure to never recommend their shop to those looking for bridal or formal.

EDIT: The owner and another associate did reach out to me regarding this issue. I would like to acknowledge...