Madeleine's Daughter Bridal — Local services in Portsmouth

I visited a week ago and bought my dress at Madeline's Daughter.

I can understand the one star reviews. However, on the whole, I think there were a lot of upsides of the experience here. I did my best to be very detailed here to help anyone considering this salon.

THE ROOMS: The rooms give you privacy from the other people in the salon, and it is indeed busy in there. I understand if people are not comfortable changing in front of friends and or family. I wore Spanx shorts and a strapless bra. The stylist helped me cover up if I needed to hide the shorts or remove the bra, in a very respectful and helpful way. I was never fully exposed to anyone, and you're provided a robe if you need. The room was a good size for my 2 guests and the stylist. I would say the couch was uncomfortable. The other amenities were fine.

THE STYLIST: Having the stylist help you get in the dress was wonderful to me - the other salon I went to, I was waiting for someone to help me do up the back of each dress, and it was a bit difficult. For me, the stylist helped me get more time actually in the dresses and less time putting them on. My stylist was Jodi and I feel like she really understood what I was going for, even though she had just met me and I hadn't made a very big wishlist. She worked really well with my maid of honor that was in attendance. When I would say what I did not like about a dress, she made sure not to waste my time by giving me something with that element. When I said what I did like, she gave me other options that had the same element to them.

TIME: I thought I was going to feel rushed but in the end I felt like I had exactly as much time as I needed and tried on more dress than I expected - it did help that I had already been to one appointment elsewhere so I did have a decent idea of what I liked and didn't like. For reference, at the other salon where I was the only bride in the whole salon (not planned) I tried on eight dresses in one hour and 30 minutes. At MD I tried on seven dresses in one hour and 30 minutes. I got to spend 20 minutes in the dress I bought at MD, which was dress number seven (I'm using data from photos when I make these time claims). I had enough time to see the look with three different veils and two hair accessories too.

FINDING THE ONE: I ended up buying a dress that was not on my wishlist and not an idea I had even considered - thanks to Jodi totally getting my vibe. She did a good job explaining how the designer makes their dresses and how fitting it was with my wedding's vibe. I was really happy with the selection here compared to the other salon I went to. I got to try on a dress with a non-white/non-neutral color, which was something I wanted to do and couldn't find at the other salon. The dresses I tried on felt really quality, well made with good fabrics and a lot of fabric.

PURCHASING: During the ordering process Jodi was really helpful in picking out sizing and showed me exactly what the charts recommended so I could pick, and she discussed the pros and cons. After my appointment I got an emailed copy of the signed order and in just a few days I got the update of when my dress would arrive and the list of tailors they recommend. She helped price out different pieces so I could decided what all I wanted to buy.

I think knowing what to expect here will put you in the right mindset. If you read this and say, I could never buy a dress after shopping for only one day and trying on only 15 (as I did), then I would give strong consideration to when and if you want an appointment here. (For me, I put on my dress and I was immediately over the moon. I did not need to see any more.) If the store doesn't sound like a good fit for you due to the changing room, that's okay! Otherwise, I think this is a great place to buy a dress. I am really happy with my experience and I appreciated the upsides of the way MD operates. Thank you Jodi and MD!

UPDATED: Dress arrived on time & my finishing touches appnt. with Jodi was great. She kindly took photos for me. Veil ordered &...

I unfortunately have to share a very poor experience at Madeleines Daughter. I purchased the dress in store in August 2024 and the dress was delivered to my house in California in February 2025 (we are from NH and got married in NH but are temporarily living in California). When I tried on the dress at home I was immediately in tears because the dress was absolutely enormous (large enough that I could do a 360 degree turn inside the dress). I brought it to a local 5-star tailor who was highly recommended by bridal salons in my area. Her first question when I tried on the dress was: “did you get it online?” because it was so ill-fitting. She took my measurements, took the measurements of the dress, and determined the dress was 3 sizes too large on me. The quote for reconstructing the whole top of the dress (3 sizes down) plus hemming was between $2,000-$3,000.

My mom and I had both been in contact with the general manager, Lindsay, to express our dissatisfaction with how poorly I was sized for the dress. The GM was incredibly dismissive and even suggested something as ludicrous as to come to New Hampshire the month of my wedding to get it altered at a tailor they recommend. (Meanwhile, it took my tailor in CA 4.5 months to complete all of the alterations required). Lindsay took absolutely zero accountability for the fact the dress was 3 sizes too big. The “expert bridal stylist” either took my measurements wrong or didn’t have enough expert knowledge to know how to purchase the correct size dress. Talking and emailing with Lindsay was so frustrating because she completely refused to accept the fact that the dress was ordered 3 sizes too big! The worst part is that my mom is good friends with the former GM who immediately said that was completely unacceptable and the dress should never have been ordered in such a large size. She was shocked when we sent the photos.

My tailor was able to work complete magic and the dress ended up fitting beautifully. But zero credit can go to Madeleines Daughter.

First photo is the way the dress looked out of the box. Second photo is after 4.5 months of alterations. The more I (and others) have shared this experience with vendors and other folks in the wedding business, the more we hear about other instances of the same thing happening at Madeleines Daughter.

My 1 star review is not solely due to the dress being incorrectly fitted/ordered, but mostly due to the way this was handled by management after the...

I had bought my dress for my daughter’s wedding here and they were great. My daughter in law on the other hand has had a dreadful experience and I am hoping they will make it right so I can update this with good news ! She bought a beautiful dress for my grandson’s wedding and they ordered her a size 16, she wears size 10. She has paid a considerable amount of money for it. They won’t alter it or order the correct size , so far, and they won’t give her a refund. Needless to say I am deeply disappointed in them as they chose the size and has not cared enough to help her find a solution. She cannot wear the dress! So for the sake of their reputation and my DIL pocketbook I am hoping they will rethink their decision and help resolve this poor and disappointing lack of regard for their business and my DILs dilemma. So for now I will hold off on the ending in hopes that they will come to a better decision that won’t affect the future of their reputation. Mean while WARNING, DO NOT let your bridal consultants choose the size of the garment you order. They don’t care , thus far, if it doesn’t fit!!! This is an update from my first post. My daughter in law did respond right away so the reply from MD was not truthful. She has actually been in tears because of their response. But…. Good News! She went back yesterday with the dress and MD realized that the measurements they sent to their provider did not match those of the dress measurements . So they are ordering a new dress and they were very nice to her. A far cry from not being able to do anything! So thank you MD for making a situation that was very painful into a happy ending! We will warn people to look carefully at the measurements before signing any paperwork that says the sale is final! My daughter in law will enjoy her son’s special day in a beautiful dress that fits her! Thank you Madeline’s Daughter for getting behind your responsibility and making this all work out. Maybe next time you won’t be so quick to deny assistance and have many more happy endings. Sincerely...