The White Gown — Local services in New York

The White Gown saved my wedding day. Definitely make the White Gown part of your wedding dress shopping experience! My only regret is not finding them sooner in the process than I did.

After buying a dress someplace else and bringing it to be altered, when I picked it up from the seamstress the store had recommended the dress didn't work. It was too tight, unflattering, and not fixable. I had about four weeks until my wedding. Planning a wedding you know the dress is important, but it wasn't until I almost didn't have a dress that I realized what an existential threat to the whole event it is! The dress has got to work, a friend said later. The thought of wearing an ill-fitting dress at my wedding of nearly 200 people was so stressful and keeping me up at night. I tried to problem solve and ordered a couple of dresses online that could arrive in time, but they weren't special, and I was resigning myself to the fact that I might just not get to wear a special dress to my wedding. I saw a friend that day as I was stressing and she said "Don't worry, we're going to be at your wedding in a month and you'll be in a beautiful dress and we'll be saying how it all worked out." My friend must have manifested Hope and The White Gown because that evening at 11 p.m. I started googling sample dresses at bridal salons and The White Gown popped up. They had many beautiful sample dresses available, in my size, and an appointment available the next morning at 9:30 a.m. I headed over with my future sis-in-law feeling hopeful but not sure if it would work out. The second I walked in I felt at ease. The staff was so warm and welcoming and greeted me with warmth and lighthearted-ness. When I said my wedding was in a month they said, "Don't worry, we've helped brides with only a week to go." Hope was an angel. I had picked out online a few I liked, and she brought them all out and then some that were so my style and more what I wanted, I realized, than the original dress. Hope was so warm and supportive and listened and understood what I was looking for. The very first dress I tried on was perfect. I couldn't believe my luck. It was also reasonably priced. Hope and the staff were also very sensitive to how stressed I was and were supportive and kind. I really felt like they were rooting for me. She also gave good advice and was honest, like as I tried on other dresses, if there was something I wasn't sure about (like too much of my back showing), she validated it, saying something like if I wasn't sure about it here with just a few people, I probably wouldn't feel great that day. Hope also picked out a veil that went perfectly with my dress, and lovely earrings. I went from the nightmare of wearing an ill-fitting dress on my wedding day to feeling so good and confident on my wedding day. I got so many compliments on my dress, friends said it looked like a fairytale when I walked out and it felt like one. The dress was also incredibly comfortable - I could move, dance and breathe in it all night (the earlier one restricted my breathing). I love the way it flowed and there were so many layers to it, it felt unique and very me. Hope also recommended a seamstress who was terrific, The Wedding Dresser, and my entire dress experience was transformed. It was an expensive mistake for the first dress to not work out, but I'm kind of grateful it didn't because it led me to the White Gown and Hope. I only wish I went to them sooner! It was such a calm, fun, lighthearted experience and they are pros and know what they are doing. The selection of dresses was beautiful and a range of prices. I am so grateful to have found them and feel incredibly lucky it worked out! They have a real personal touch. The space is also just really cool and chill and has a warm, relaxed vibe. Visiting their store is a lovely memory and I highly recommend them, and encourage any bride to make an...

TL;DR: Loved my dress but PLEASE DO NOT USE THE TAILORING SERVICE!! 0/5 stars for the tailor

I recently got married and want to share my experience with this bridal shop so that it may help future shoppers/brides. I have so many regrets about how it went, but I do want to highlight some positives first.

The dress selection here is great, the staff are so nice, and I found the wedding dress of my dreams here. I can't thank the associate who helped me pick it enough! I had such a good experience shopping and recommend this shop to other brides. My first fitting seemed fine, too, aside from a few scheduling difficulties.

Everything went downhill at the subsequent fittings. I feel awful saying this, but the tailor Natasha is extremely unprofessional and not very good at her job. Here are some outtakes from my experience with her: She took measurements and said she would get started on tailoring at the first fitting, only to have done nothing by the second and spend the second fitting just retaking the same measurements Multiple times there was no progress in the tailoring between fittings She promised to add sleeves and bra pads to the dress at each fitting, but always forgot by the next one. She had to be re-reminded each time. Including the final fitting. So we had to schedule yet another fitting. LOL Speaking of sleeves, she got my request mixed up with another bride's, so I had the wrong sleeves when they did get made :( I paid extra for the sleeves The bustle she created snapped off during our reception simply from the weight of the dress (nobody pulled on it, it just broke) so I had to hold my dress like the pokemon Smeargle while dancing. Whether it was bad bustle job or simply flimsy, poor quality materials, I'm not sure :/ She was consistently seeing other clients during my scheduled appointment times Her workspace is in a dark and empty we-work/office building where wedding dresses are thrown all over the place (not hung up; there are no racks or anything) and dumped on the floor/chairs She would disappear during tailoring appointments for long periods of time without explaining where she went The tailoring service was wildly overpriced for the services received For my last fitting, which was added on after she presented me with an unfinished dress at my "final" fitting, I arrived only to find that she forgot about our appointment and had instead double-booked with another client. I was fine waiting, but it really felt like icing on the cake

My only gripe with the White Gown themselves is that they make it seem like you have to use Natasha's services if you buy from them -- you don't. Take your gown when it arrives and run somewhere else!! Overall I still had an amazing wedding day and loved my dress, but I definitely have regrets about the tailor. I hope other brides can dodge...

The consultant was nice and staff was polite, but I had a confusing and ultimately disappointing bridal experience. I called Friday morning to ask about a specific dress the bridal designer website claimed this store had in stock, and the person on the phone said sure we have it, come on over. I live 2 hours away so I took the train into the city specifically for this. When I asked the consultant about this gown she said no I'm sorry I don't know that dress, I think it has been discontinued (?!) I was heatbroken but she tried to help me find a different dress. None were exactly what I wanted or even very close. When I went to ask about prices for the ones they did have in store, (by the way alterations are $695 here, that's a bit much, and if you are tall and need extra length they charge extra, even though the fabrics are mostly polyester; also they charge shipping and sales tax unless for some reason you want to order it to NJ or C, but not anywhere else...) the manager clarified that the dress I wanted was not discontinued, but that it was not in stock. She proceeded to quiz me about whether I had really asked about it, claiming her consultants were trained. Yes I had! And gosh, is your inventory really so large that they don't remember a dress that is not actually discontinued? They only showed me gowns from one designer, so that seemed improbable. So in sum they could order the dress to the store, but it would cost me $75. I asked how soon it would come, they didn't know. I asked if it had structure in the bodice, they didn't know. I had been searching for a dress for a few months so uncertainties and paying more out of pocket (enough for a bridal shower dress at that) stressed me out. They offered me a discount on the length, and on the other dresses, but only if I committed by end of day (in two hours). I hemmed and hawed and walked out because I was really drained; the consultant was still doing her best to try to sell me on the dresses that were just okay. I am glad I walked because I called another shop closer to home that carries the designer and asked about the dress. They not only knew it but had seen it under a week ago and could get it again in a week at no charge. I felt immediate relief atbeing in more capable hands. So I am going there instead, even though it is 40 miles from where I live. If you come here, be sure to do your research first and be specific. Their inventory is in the back so if the consultant is searching she'll be gone for a while, and you won't be able to look at things yourself. Also, the dresses are in the more affordable range but there are a lot of hidden costs here. If you donlt live in the city look somewjere...