The Persnickety Bride — Local services in Newtown

WORK WITH DENISE AND PERSNICKETY BRIDE! Denise has gone MORE THAN ABOVE AND BEYOND what I could have expected in multiple areas! In less than two months from meeting Denise and Persnickety, my fiancé, future mother-in-law, and I have already had Denise work on wedding invitations, party invitations, personalized products, AND I got my veil and a wonderful barrette from Persnickety, too. Here's the whole story: I found Persnickety while at one of those bridal expos. Before that, I was having the hardest time finding someone to make beautiful invitations for mine and my finance's wedding. Everyone told me that "nobody makes invitations in person anymore because everything is done online." Well, I wasn't happy about this because whenever I tried to make my invitations online, I either had to adjust the wording/format that I wanted to have a design I liked, or I had to have a design I hated in order to have the wording/format I liked. In other words, I could only pick one aspect I wanted; I couldn't have both. Therefore, when I saw Persnickety's table at the expo with tons of unique invitations, I was SO RELIEVED! During our first appointment, I could tell immediately that Denise knew her stuff! It did not take her long to help me nail down the kind of paper, colors, fonts, and style that we wanted. While Denise was quick to understand my wants, she took her time to listen and to get to know my fiancé and me (as well as my future mother-in-law and her cousin who also went with to the appointment). Our first appointment lasted about an hour and a half, and I can honestly say that we got more done in that time than I had in the month before the appointment as I tried to work on invitations on my own. We designed our invitations, response cards, separate rehearsal cards, another party invitation, and Denise even helped my future mother-in-law design shower invitations at that time, too; she was also impressed with Denise's expertise. I also purchased my veil and hair clip from the shop. I had no doubts that I'd find a hair accessory because there were so many beautiful options, but I had no idea that I'd find the veil that was perfect for me. I'd had a lot of trouble finding one at bridal chain stores and other chic boutiques, but right away Denise and one of her staff members pulled out several veils and helped me find the best one! They scrutinized photos of my dress and made several suggestions, and wouldn't you know, they found something that I love. The one I wanted didn't have a blusher, but Denise had one added to it, and it looks awesome! Oh, and the price was right, too, which was great since I, like many other brides, was not looking forward to spending hundreds of dollars on a piece of tule that I'd wear for a couple of hours. We've had about 4 appointments with Denise so far, and between each one, Denise has been excellent when it comes to communicating. If I send her questions via email, she responds quickly. When there was something my future mother-in-law needed edited with her shower invitations, Denise took the time to sit down with her and figure it all out. Going to appointments is fun, not stressful, and Denise makes you feel like an old family friend. She legitimately cares about her clients and her work that she does for them all. It helps that she's a perfectionist; if you work with her, there's NO WAY that you'd get lazy, low quality products. Denise takes the time and puts in the extra effort to make sure that everything is perfect, and if you aren't exceptionally happy with it, she makes sure to fix it fast. Denise and the staff members at Persnickety are wonderful. I would HIGHLY recommend them to anyone who needs wedding attire and/or any kind of printed materials for a wedding or any other event. If I could give Denise and Persnickety 10 stars, I would. I'm so glad I found Denise and Persnickety at that bridal expo; I only wish I would have...

On 8/7/21 I went to the Persnickety Bride to begin my wedding dress search. I traveled over 4 hours from northern New Hampshire to come to this store because of the phenomenal reviews on The Knot.

This was one of the best wedding-related decisions I have made thus far! The five top reasons I loved this bridal salon: 1) Denise is enthusiastic, knowledgeable, a fantastic listener, and a skilled stylist. 2) She worked within my budget. 3) She had me try on several different dresses styles, which allowed me to experiment with different fabrics, cuts, and other details. 4) The experience was personalized, intimate, and comfortable. 5) The store itself was clean, well organized, and had plenty of inventory to select from!

I did NOT plan on purchasing my dress on the first day of wedding dress shopping. I typically don't make quick decisions, and I like to think about big purchases. I had selected two other bridal salons in southern CT to visit that day, as well, under the assumption I would keep looking. That was just not necessary!

Before meeting with Denise, she sent me a link where I could "favorite" several dresses in my price-point. This allowed me to show her what I was looking for, but also get an idea of what I could expect to find within my budget. She selected dresses from this list as well as others she thought I would like.

I wasn't entirely sure what style I wanted, and so it was helpful to have a stylist that could envision what the dress looks like. Each dress she selected had qualities and characteristics I loved.

As I tried on each dress, she talked with me to understand what I liked and what I disliked about them. She was able to narrow down my style and eliminate/add elements of the dresses I loved.

At other salons I went to, I was inundated with trying too many dresses. One salon had put me in dresses that all greatly exceeded my budget. Wedding dresses are naturally beautiful, and so it can be difficult to decide between gorgeous dresses.

At the Persnickety Bride, Denise gave me several well-thought-out options to start with. She had me try on a decent selection, but just the right amount so they didn't all blur together. I didn't feel rushed, or that I was trying to repetitive dresses. Each style was different enough that I could reflect on the overall look and consider it as a unique option.

My one recommendation is this: Be open to trying on different styles. Before shopping, my only criteria was that I wanted a dress with sleeves or some semblance of sleeves. As I tried on dresses, Denise's daughter found a gorgeous strapless dress for me to try on. Looking at it on the hanger, it had every quality I loved about the dresses I tried on.

There you go. That was the dress. I knew as soon as I stepped into it that it was coming home with me that day! Denise (and her daughter!) has a vision. Because she LISTENS to you and understands you, she's able to make phenomenal selections. In the end, that's what made it a great experience. Everyone wants to feel heard, and especially brides trying to find the perfect dress for their day. I just did not know much about wedding dresses.

Denise listened to what I liked and didn't like. I felt like in the short time I spent with her, she began to understand my personality.

As a result, I walked away with a gorgeous dress that I ADORE well within my budget. My one piece of advice for brides: START your wedding dress shopping experience here. You won't regret it!

9/16/2022 update Love the dress more than the day I tried it on :)...

I was warned not to go here but I decided to give it a second chance. I ended up purchasing 2 dresses. One of the dresses I purchased off the rack, the 2nd I needed to be sized. When they were taking my measurements they said they were going to order me a size 12. I was in disbelief and mentioned multiple times that I wasn’t a size 12, but I decided to let them order because they are the professionals and know what they’re doing. When my dress came in and I went to try on the dress it was extremely oversized on me. Again, I made multiple comments, but they assured me it was the right size and would be able to be altered. I still couldn’t get over the sizing so I decided to call a week and a half after I brought my dress home. The owner answered the phone and looked over my chart and said she had no idea why they would order me a size 12 saying that my other dress was a size 8. Well, she was there that day that I was measured and kept comparing myself to her which again I thought was very awkward because I’m nowhere near the size that she is. She said to bring the dress in and she would make it right. When I returned to the bridal shop, they measured me again and admitted that they sized me wrong and that I was between a six and an eight. Unfortunately they were not able to order me a size 6 or eight because it would never get there in time for my son’s wedding so they had to order me a size 10. I also purchased my dress with plenty of time to get the correct sizes, but because of their mistake, I wasn’t able to get the right size. When they told me they were only able to order me a size 10, I had brought up having to get the dress altered and the price of the alterations and my concern that it would be a lot to have to take in and not sure if it could be done. The reimbursement for alterations was totally disregarded, and I was told that there shouldn’t be much that the seamstress had to take in and it would be fine. Fast-forward, I went to get fitted and the seamstress could not believe how big the dress was on me and said it was going to be a big job and that I should reach out to the bridal shop to get reimbursed. When I contacted the bridal shop, the owner answered the phone and was very rude and unaccommodating and ended up hanging up the phone on me. The phone conversation between the owner and I, she was saying it was my fault and that I signed off on the dress. She also stated that she never had anyone return a dress in the last 8 years. I again tried to explain the situation, that they are the professionals and should know how to measure and order a proper size and the only reason I signed off on the dress was because they continued to tell me that all dresses are sized differently, and a size 12 was the correct size for me.. I decided to write this review because again it did not just happen to me, but it also happened to a friend of mine. You want to make this an unforgettable experience, especially when you’re purchasing a gown for your son or daughters wedding. Unfortunately this business is not the place to go to. I wouldn’t recommend this shop to anyone looking for a dress unless you don’t mind dealing with rudeness and unprofessionalism at the...