WildBride — Local services in San Francisco

I am hesitant to write this review because I am tired from dealing with conflicts and confrontation with the owner of this store, to the point that it's giving me anxiety; I am hoping I do not receive any communication from them after this post.

The showroom is beautiful and you can find mid-range dresses. The staff was average, friendly but not especially knowledgeable--I was helped by an employee and have been working the owner since. I ordered a made to order, custom sized dress. It arrived, and I was excited in the moment and took it home, but when I saw the photos of myself I was shocked. The dress was way too tight, puckering at my hips and not sitting right. It was so tight it looked vulgar.

The owner has implied that this is probably because of me gaining weight, but looking back at our records the store said I was between a size 6 and 8. On my order form they submitted a size 6, this very same order form says "We highly recommend sizing up when your measurements fall in between sizes as you can always take in the dress during alterations," and it appears they failed to follow their own advice. To be clear, my clothes all fit the same and my size has not changed for some 10 years.

I went the seamstress the owner personally recommended, and he said the measurements they took made no sense and they didn't leave enough room. The seamstress said to return the dress and not waste my time with alterations because it's the shop's error, and that he would even provide this statement for me in writing if need be. He said shops should never ever make things too tight; that it's always important to leave room because it's very expensive and difficult to take out.

After a series of emails and back and forths the owner agreed to take the dress back, and I am thankful she did so. However, when I arrived she notified me of a 12% restocking fee. I was upset I have to pay this considering the error was in her shop's part, but the owner said this was necessary because I am not electing to reorder the dress in a new size (would you want to test your luck a second time?). She threatened to not complete the return if I didn't pay, said she was "too busy" to tell me in advance, and claimed she wrote that she was only going to take the dress back if I ordered another; which upon review is false. I paid because of her threat, and I feel lied to and strong-armed. Per my credit card company, signing a contract that finalizes a sale does not protect a company from issuing a refund based on their own error.

The treatment I received, the choice to not tell me about the restocking fee in advance of my visit during our many emails, the suggestion that I gained weight, and the owner's cold, confrontational, demeaning attitude in general has left a really bad taste in my mouth. I can think of many junctures where improvements are needed: in taking measurements, in handling disputes, in offering to pay for the necessary alteration charges, or in not notifying me of an unfair restocking fee at the time of my arrival. I would not be writing this review had it solely been a matter of making a mistake; it's also the blame placed on me, and the unnecessary effort and stress it took to achieve a some semblance of a resolution. On top of all of it, the store took no accountability for their errors, and acted like taking my return was some form of doing a favor for me. In the end I still had to call the credit card company.

It is the store's responsibility and a reflection of their values to let me walk out with a dress that doesn't fit me, and stating that I signed a contract accepting the dress plays upon my lack of experience with the bridal industry. It plays on the emotions of excitement that occur when we see ourselves in something special, and it is frankly predatory and dishonest. I have had a few months to learn about bridal, but this owner has years and should have...

I had a good experience shopping at Wildbride on 654 Fillmore with Samira and one of the stylists, Emily. The space is beautiful, comfortable, and has natural lighting. This is the only dress shop I went to where I had to be naked and was helped into each dress while in the changing area. I was fine with this, but just a note in case being nude in front of a stranger would stop you from visiting. This is also a place where you can't just grab dresses to try off the racks; you have pick ahead of time from their website and then the staff attending to you will bring them out. Samira, however, did adjust to bring in more dresses based on the styles I liked after I had tried on a few. Samira was accommodating, knew details about each manufacturer and design, and was very detailed in asking questions and putting forward recommendations. I felt like she was attentive and took care of me and my entourage during my time there.

Dresses here are on the less formal side but still gorgeous and a bit more affordable. They have samples you can purchase and an end-of-year discount. I feel like everything looked good on me and I did end up picking a dress from here. If I remember to update this review, I will let y'all know how the dress I purchased turns out. Overall, a great experience that I would recommend to...

I first went to WildBride in 2019 and have had the BEST experiences over the last few years! When dress shopping in 2019, I went to several different dress shops and felt the most comfortable and accommodated at WildBride. I didn’t feel pressured to make a purchase and I felt like I received a lot of really helpful tips and information in a very non-judgmental environment.

After purchasing my dress pre-pandemic, I ended up coming back to purchase a veil and a hair piece also. Samira has been so helpful, knowledgeable and warm throughout my several visits to the shop. She helped me customize my dress by picking out the lining, and I am SO glad she gave me advice on the color because I was about to order a different lining color and I love the color she helped me choose!

I had to postpone my wedding an extra year, and while I still loved my dress, I wanted to do something to update it for my new wedding date. Samira helped me order fabric to make sleeves and connected me with the amazing seamstresses at Tailor Maid. I was so happy and excited to finally wear my dress for my wedding last month and I’m so grateful for all the help from Samira and WildBride! I would recommend WildBride to anyone looking for a wedding dress and/or wedding day...