Needleman's Bridal & Formal — Local services in South Burlington

I really wanted to love my bridal experience with Needleman’s…but it wasn’t great. I called ahead in January to begin the process and was invited to come in, have a look at their collection, try on ‘off the rack’ dresses and -if so inspired- make an appointment for a full ‘bridal experience’. Mark was initially welcoming, and I let him know that as an older professional bride I did not (happily) have a budget that particularly needed respecting. I tried on three gowns and Mark even brought a lavish, and very beautiful, creation to the fitting room even though I did not have a bridal appointment. What I quickly came to realize, however, was that as beautiful as Needleman’s top-of-the-line embellished gowns are, what looked good on me was NOT lace, sequins, and elaborate corsetry but -rather- simple, unadorned construction. With the help of a really lovely sales associate I found a sleek ivory dress in the (gasp!) ‘bridesmaids’ section. It was perfect. And not expensive….and that’s where my Needleman’s experience seemed to shift. I fully paid for the dress in advance and Mark told me that he or his wife would call when it came in. They did not. Six weeks before my wedding, I called Needleman’s to inquire about the dress and was told that it had been sitting in the storage room for the last three weeks. I asked about their (promised) in-house seamstress and was provided with her name and number and was also instructed NOT to call her until after June 2nd as Needleman’s was “prioritizing our prom customers”. My wedding was on June 22nd so I ignored this directive and called Sally. If there was anything redeeming about the Needleman’s sales experience it was Sally – warm, funny, incredibly talented, hugely experienced, focused, kind, and direct. We did two fittings, laughed through both of them; she advised me on jewelry, shoes…and men….and we had a ball. Mark was nowhere to be seen until I was walking out the door. He called after me as my hand was on the door “does your husband need a suit?”. My husband-to-be did not need a suit, he had had one custom made in New York months earlier and -frankly- given my experience with Mark I would not have brought him to Needleman's two weeks before the wedding. Two hundred people were at our wedding, my dress was beautiful, and the compliments were over-the-top. Full credit to Sally and the gorgeous unadorned construction of this ‘bridesmaids’ dress. I just wish my experience with Needleman’s (particularly the owners) had been...

Words cannot describe how grateful I am for Needleman’s. I recommend them to anybody (wedding party, groom, bride included) who is going to a wedding or anyone looking a nice tux or suit in general. I am getting married in September 2022 and needed a suit. I tried another place in Burlington and a horrible experience and was referred here after numerous recommendations. Boy oh boy were they absolutely right. I called and made an appointment and they were able to take me the very same day. When me and my fiancé got there, we were immediately greeted by Mark and Heather. They were engaging, polite, attentive, and eager to help me pick out my wedding suit. Mark helped me pick out two awesome blue suits and even put each of the jackets on to help model them for us so we could see how they looked. I have had to buy many suits in my life and I’ve never seen someone grab something off a mannequin to put it on to better demonstrate the fit and style for a customer. It was honestly so helpful and made a huge difference. Once we we picked the color, Mark then carefully and deliberately helped get my measurements and complete the rest of the ensemble. Heather and her daughter helped us pick out an amazing tie and they had such an incredible amount of selections. They knew exactly what would look good once we told them our preferences and what we were looking for, they found the most amazing tie for me and the groomsmen. They were meticulous, detailed, and always made sure to check in with us to ensure we were getting exactly what we were looking for. They also were just lovely to talk to. They asked about our venue, some information about ourselves, and were just a joy to talk to. My fiancé and I felt like we were at home and this place is the epitome of what it means to be a successful family business. They made us feel special, heard, and unbelievably excited for our special day.

I am a larger gentleman and I did not feel judged or degraded as I did from other places. Bodies come in all shapes and sizes and Needleman’s deliberately has a vast selection for any body type. Even a self-conscious shopper like myself feels at ease with their friendly, inclusive, and all-around welcoming environment. They find the perfect fit for you without any judgement. They are the epitome of what it means to be an amazing family business, the kinds that form the backbone of our nation. Just as everyone knows Tom Brady is the GOAT, Needleman’s is the GOAT for all your bridal and...

I initially wasn’t going to write a review, but as things unfolded, I felt compelled to share our experience. My daughter bought a beautiful dress from Needleman's. While the owner is noticeably short-tempered and rude, the real issue lies with the seamstress they recommended, Sally, who tailors dresses and suits for the store and meets clients there.

My daughter drove five hours for these appointments. The first went smoothly, but at the second, it seemed like Sally had forgotten about the appointment. Instead of making progress, she spent the time adding more pins and remeasuring the hem. We had a scheduled pickup for the dress three days before the wedding, but it wasn’t ready. Sally offered to drop it off the night before the wedding, but we compromised, and I picked it up the afternoon before. Even then, she wasn’t ready when I arrived, despite me being late.

Pressed for time with the rehearsal and wedding setup, I had no choice but to leave. We ended up pulling pins out of the dress as my daughter was wearing it and had to steam out pen marks just before she was supposed to walk down the aisle. There were threads left hanging, the workmanship was poor, and the number of pins left in the dress was shocking. We raised concerns about these issues and after some back and forth, Sally agreed to send $100 as compensation. However, after weeks of waiting, the bride received a check made out to the wrong person and a random $20 bill.

All in all, we were extremely unsatisfied with the service and the experience.

In Response to Needleman's: "I understand that Sally operates as a separate entity, but since she conducts her business within Needleman's storefront and is recommended by your store, I believe it's fair to include my experience in this review. If she operated independently elsewhere, I would gladly leave separate reviews for each experience. I hope this feedback encourages Needleman’s to consider recommending a more reliable seamstress, as what I observed during multiple appointments at Needleman's suggests these issues may not be isolated.

As for Needleman’s itself, while Heather was professional and pleasant, I found Mark's behavior rude and dismissive. When my daughter called with questions, he interrupted her and hung up while she was...