Downtown Bridal, Prom, & Tuxedo — Local services in Salisbury

So to start with, I paid $260 for a Platinum experience. This was supposed to be a 3 hour private experience and was to come with a charcuterie, photo journal, fresh flower mini bouquet and a swag tote with goodies and a special gift. I had let them know in advance that I am plus size, told them my size, sent them designs I was interested in looking at. I made the appointment in June for September so that out-of-town guests could plan to fly in.

I got there, my name was spelled wrong so not the best first impression. My party and I were sat in an area and left alone for some time while the consultants went to pull dresses. No one ever looked at my inspiration book. They came back, asked if we were ready to start and I was handed a dress and told I could go put it on. I had to ask for assistance, something I had not had to do at any salon prior to or since. Now granted, it was a size that would fit, but it was white, had no train, and no lace. It didn't have a single element I was looking for. They continued to pull A line/princess dresses with tulle skirts, which were opposite of what I wanted. Finally, my maid of honor went to go look for dresses as in her opinion, it was clear that my opinions were not being listened to. She found some that had what I was looking for and I tried them on. They were getting closer to what I wanted but again, were just missing that "wow" moment. Half the time, the stylist were nowhere to be seen while I was going over the dress with my party talking about what we liked, what we didn't. In the end, I only tried on 4-5 dresses and only 2 had elements I wanted, both of which were pulls by my maid of honor. Finally, my maid of honor found the designer and dress I said I was very interested in. It couldn't be tried on due to size but I was told they could see if a loaner could be gotten.

After sitting for several minutes, they came back, handed me a tote bag, flowers and was told they would be in touch. The bag had a handful of chocolates in it and coupons for things like body treatments. I expected at some point I would get my photo journal emailed though I doubt there were going to many photos available given how often the consultants were away. A month later, I followed up as there had been no contact. I expressed my disappointment in the experience, that I was there maybe 2 hours, had very little enthusiasm from stylist, no photos provided and no follow up about the dress I really was interested in. I have had no response back to my email and I waited 4 days before deciding to post my review. Considering that I paid for a consultation, you would think they would have at...

If I could give zero stars, I would! Today was single-handly the worst moment of my daughter’s wedding planning thus far while shopping for my MOB dress. We arrived early and was greeted by our consultant, after answering some questions and getting measured I began choosing some dresses to try on. After several I found the one I really loved and felt great in. The consultant informed me she had to go get the manager to go over some logistics before completing the sale. I had never heard of that before, but we sat and waited. The manager came in and explained to me she was going to order the dress I had chosen in the navy like I wanted (I had tried it on in a wine/red shade) 6 sizes bigger than what I was actually in. YES SIX sizes bigger. However, the consultant, my daughter, and I had commented prior to the manager coming in how it fit perfectly and would need next to no alterations and I had tried a dress on by the same designer, similar cut in that particular size and it was clearly too big. I asked why I would need to purchase something so much larger when clearly I was trying on a size that fit so well. I could even be comfortable ordering one size up, but not 6! She kept repeating the question of how tight did I want my dress to be? I said, comfortable but flattering. She said well it’s skin tight on you. Please see pictures for reference that it indeed was not skin tight. After a few more rude and unnecessary comments in regards to why I wouldn’t fit in the size dress I was trying on and ordering one SIX sizes bigger I very politely, but sternly informed her I was done, got out of the dress, and left the store. I feel awful for the consultant who missed out on the sale and had done a great job up until that point. The icing on the cake, when my daughter called to speak to someone higher up we discovered it was actually the owner who we had the awful interaction and completely degrading conversation with regarding the dress size to be ordered. So I have zero confidence in something being handled properly when the leadership is so unprofessional. There are amazing other local dress shops and I encourage you to seek their kind and positive business! We did and thankfully can move forward with a positive experience elsewhere! Shame on you...

About to get real sappy here.... I can't begin to express how grateful I am for Downtown Bridal and all of the gals who helped to pick my dress. I walked in a few days ago after a not-so-great experience at another shop. I already owned another dress, but was second-guessing my decision. I was nearly in tears from the last place, and just wanted to have a good experience elsewhere. Downtown didn't have to take me as a walk-in, but they accommodated me knowing my situation. Felicia immediately began our search, and we tried on so many dresses, narrowing down what I was looking for. She is an absolute sweetheart, and will make you feel so comfortable and confident, while guiding you in the right direction. Colleen began to help me as well, who is so knowledgable, helpful and pulled so many great dresses. We came back the next day, confident I could find a dress I would fall in love with. Colleen helped me, and she spent just as long with me. She picked one dress that I had not previously considered, but had all the specs I was looking for. The rest was history- I fell in love and was even able to purchase the sample so I wouldn't have to wait until the Spring to get it in. Without Colleen, I never would have found my dream dress. I really put the consultants through the wringer with how picky I was. Lastly, Maria was so helpful from alterations and was able to give her input on what she can and can't do when it's time to alter my gown. I am looking forward to seeing what we can do, when it is time to alter it. A few other consultants popped their head in too to give input, and each made me feel confident. Every single person in there was an absolute gem. Between all of these amazing ladies, it was a collective effort to find the right dress and I am so thankful for them. I rarely write reviews, but I am so beyond grateful, beyond what they know, for how much they went above and beyond for me. Buying a dress is so much more of an emotional decision than I had expected, which is why this all means the world to me. I can't wait to come back for alterations, mother of the bride dress shopping, and more. Thank you from the bottom...