Le Bella Donna Bridal — Local services in Newtown

I am truly sickened that I am in a position that I feel I must write this review. It is very hard to do this hoping that people will believe it, but it is worth sharing my TRUE experience at La Bella Donna. I am the mother of the bride. My daughter and I headed to La Bella Donna in February 2023 to find my gown for her October, 2023 wedding. I had a great experience in the salon and picked a gown. The consultant told me that I measured at a size 10. I told her that I was no size 10 in any universe. I expressed that I prefer not to be in a dress that is too tight - even though a seamstress will probably have a different idea. The size gown that would come in time was a 14. So, I ordered the size 14 - two sizes larger than what they were recommending. I signed their iron clad customer sales agreement and paid in full for my dress - and stupidly even gave the consultant a tip because it was suggested at checkout. My gown arrived and I went for a try on Saturday, August 5, 2023. To say that I was surprised that the gown barely zipped is a gross understatement. I was expecting a gown that was big (by 2 sizes). I left with the gown, but was not happy, still shocked at the fit. After going home and trying it on again and having other people see it, I decided to call La Bella Donna and share my disappointment. At that point, I was still trying to figure out how this happened. Is the manufacturer size chart wrong? Did they send the wrong size? La Bella Donna told me to come in to get remeasured. So, I made that appointment. I did further research.The manufacturer size chart was not the problem. The measurement taken at La Bella Donna was incorrect. As I walked into La Bella Donna, I was sure they would help me with this dilemma. Any good merchant wants their customer to be happy and feel that they were treated fairly. I could not have been more wrong. They had done their research and concluded, as I did, that the manufacturer chart was correct. So, the attendant/consultant (do not know what to call the person doing try-ons) said she would remeasure me anyway. I told her that I looked at the measurements on the original receipt and they are wrong. My waist measurement was off by about 4 inches. I said, “So you are just going to measure me and then say that I must have gained weight and there is nothing La Bella Donna can do?” And she pretty much confirmed that was the plan. I told her to give me the gown and told her it wasn’t fair. I said they made a mistake and I wasn’t going to waste my time having her measure me and tell me I gained weight. What is my recourse? There is none. They have their agreement that I signed saying my measurement was correct. Did they offer me the tape measure the day I was there? No. Did they offer it to my daughter and ask her to check? No. Did they have another consultant come and check? No. Did I EVER worry that La Bella Donna screwed up my measurement? NO. I trusted them. I trusted that consultant. Am I naive? Probably. Should I know my own measurements? I don’t know. This is what I do know. I do not care what size is inside my dress. I am the same size today that I was when I went there -14/16. I am wearing all the same clothes I was wearing in February - same dress pants - same jeans- same tops - same dresses. There is no way I gained enough weight to put me up practically two sizes. But because I have no way to prove that, La Bella Donna gets to sell me a dress that doesn’t fit the way I want - all because they made a mistake. The sample gown was big on me, but I don’t know what size that was. BUT maybe that could have helped the CONSULTANT figure out the mistake before she made it. But what do I know? I am just the customer, the mother of the bride, without a dress. I have seen poor reviews on this page and note the long-winded justifications from the owner. I am the only person who really knows if the measurements taken in February are wrong. And I stand by my assertion that they are. Would I have had the same response if I had ordered the size 10 they...

I had the most amazing time at Le Bella Donna!! I chose to come here after looking at their website and seeing the large range of designers and dresses that they carried. They particularly carried a lot of designers that I was interested in (such as Stella York, Justin Alexander, Essence of Australia, etc.).

Ombretta was our consultant, and she was absolutely incredible - I can't say enough great things about her! She was so helpful in finding my perfect gown!! At the beginning of the appointment, she took some time to talk to me to understand what I was looking for in my wedding dress. She listened intently and asked great questions. She saw my visions so quickly and helped me achieve them perfectly. I really was so impressed with her promptness and how she knew exactly what to do every step of the way throughout the appointment to help find my dream gown. In fact, the very first gown that she brought out was the one that I ended up saying yes to - that's how quickly she identified what I was looking for!! However, she knew exactly which other dresses to try on to make sure that I explored everything that I was hoping to explore, and she brought it back to the first dress at the appropriate time. She also chose the perfect veil that added the finishing touch that I was looking for - I cried when she put it on, it was such a magical moment!! Everyone got to take many pictures and videos of the dress, and Ombretta took the best video! Plus, I was extra impressed that she found my perfect gown in the lower range of the budget that I gave her - I was very happy that she kept that in consideration. Plus Ombretta was so sweet, and I loved getting to know her a bit throughout the appointment as well. I could not be more happy that I got to work with Ombretta for this experience.

Overall, despite the appointment time being 1.5 hours, I found my perfect dress in less than an hour! The appointment was prompt (but not rushed) and so much fun. After I said yes to my dress, Ombretta helped take my measurements, and I ordered the dress and the veil. Ombretta then gave me a folder with the receipt, additional information about the order (such as who I can contact for updates), and additional helpful information (including recommendations for where to get the dress altered once it comes in and floral arrangements, how to schedule an accessories appointment, etc.). She also gave me a cute gift!! Then, I took pictures with the "I said yes to the dress sign," which was such a clean and adorable sign.

I'd also like to discuss the atmosphere at the store - the entire vibe was amazing. Everyone around was so nice and everything was so pretty. First, the dresses were all so beautifully kept. They do such a great job of preserving the dresses, I felt that I was trying on my real dress when I put one on. The color scheme of the store was soft and beautiful, and there was so much natural lighting everywhere. The fitting rooms and the mirrors inside of them were huge, I absolutely loved them! Furthermore, other consultants walking around in the store were also so positive and added to the experience. They always smiled and gave compliments as they walked by, and they celebrated with me when I said yes to the dress!

I'd also like to note that I brought my mom, my fiance's mom, and my maid of honor to the appointment. They were also so impressed with the store and so very impressed with Ombretta. They loved the atmosphere as well, and they were very comfy on the couch provided! They loved the pace of the appointment and felt that they were included an appropriate amount of the time.

I'll finish this review by noting that Le Bella Donna was the second store that I visited to try on wedding dresses, and I had more appointments scheduled after - but I cancelled them because they were no longer necessary after coming here!! I keep looking at the pictures and videos of me in the dress and smiling, and I have such fond memories of my experience here. I can't wait for everyone to see my dress on my...

I'm sure the bridal side of their business is fantastic as I have friends who have shopped here and have nothing but good things to say, but I'm a strictly alterations-only client, so I want to be clear that the crux of my issue is with their subcontractor, Lucy ("Alterations By Lucy") and with Le Bella Donna's unwillingness to support their customers when they're displeased with her work. In short, if you're going to subcontract out to someone and give them space in your business, you have a stake in their clients' displeasure, and you owe it to your clients to take responsibility for your subcontractors' goofs.

I'm an opera singer, and my entire livelihood is made wearing gowns, so I take their care and maintenance extremely seriously - therefore, I was willing to pay for good alterations. At the recommendation of a friend, I took several of them in to be altered in various ways by the specialist at Le Bella Donna, and after a month, I finally returned yesterday to pick them up. To be clear, when I dropped them off, several of them were still in the dry cleaners' plastic on hangers from when I had them cleaned prior to bringing them in, but when I picked them up, they were in a branded Le Bella Donna garment bag. I noticed that the garment bag had a bit of a musty smell, but I was in a rush at the time and the extent of it didn't fully hit me until I returned home, unzipped the bag, and the full stench hit me. My dresses all reek, and it made my entire apartment stink to high heaven. I have a concert in a few days, and I have no choice but to have my dry cleaner rush their cleaning - or to risk going onstage and causing all of my colleagues' throats to close from the pungent odor.

I returned today to speak with someone (neither of their phone numbers were working?) and hopefully rectify the problem. Upon speaking with the manager, Jess, and asking her to verify that the dresses do indeed stink, she looked at me incredulously and informed me that she "couldn't speak to the way that they smelled when they were dropped off, so [she wasn't] willing to blame Lucy for the smell since it's never been a problem and [she's] never received a complaint before." I informed her that the garment bag smells, too, that my dresses are kept in a cedar closet in my home, and that several of them were still in dry cleaners' bags when I dropped them off, so there's no way it came to her that way; further, I asked her if she wanted me to return with a dress directly from that same closet so that she could compare scents. She told me that wouldn't be necessary because again, she wasn't willing to place the blame on Lucy since she didn't know how they smelled when I brought them over. Growing frustrated, I told her that I didn't want any money back, I didn't want to argue with her or make her feel bad, and all I wanted was for them to cover the cost of my dry cleaning from a cleaner whose work I trust; she told me that I'd have to take it up with Lucy directly because the primary business wouldn't be willing to support me.

So, let me get this straight. You're implying that I would bring in five dresses to have them altered just so that I could bring them back and complain about the smell in order to get them dry cleaned for free? You're suggesting that I would make my own clothing - my business attire, a significant investment - smell like a damp basement so that I could grift you out of a $75 dry cleaning bill after paying $660 in cash to have them hemmed? Get...