Gowns Bridal and Formal Boutique — Local services in Springfield

We went to LA Formal in the Mall and it was terrible. We were profiled and treated like criminals. Their staff were whispering and laughing and even said "move your purse we dont want anyone to steal it." So we came here. And boy oh boy was the vibe completely different. The girl running the place was amazing. She offered to stay late if we needed to take a little longer. She was so kind and helpful and she didnt watch us like a hawk. I felt welcome and like a person there. The other store made us feel extremely uncomfortable. I will never ever go back there knowing this store exists. I didn't even know about it until I googled it after we left the mall. I told my daughter we will NOT be spending money at a place who didnt even treat us with basic human decency. They have a nice selection of dresses and dont hover and actually let you try them on yourself. What's even crazier is the dresses my daughter tried on here were double that at the store in the mall and yet we STILL got to shop and not be profiled. I just cant stress how much better this place was. Honestly after the mall I didn't even want to step foot in another high end dress store. This place changed that for me and I am so grateful. I even heard the girl answer the phone before we left and she also told the customer who called that she would stay open and wait for her to come back and get the dress she wanted before she closed. This woman literally could just have clocked out and said were closing in a few minutes but instead she went above and beyond. My daughter said she felt like she was talking to a friend and not someone trying to make a sale. Check this place out. I promise it is...

I took my little sister shopping for a cute, affordable Homecoming dress and we had a great time picking out options—saving her absolute favorite for last to try on (her size and favorite color). But just as she was about to try it, an employee came in and asked to “borrow” the dress. She then told us, rather bluntly, that another girl had tried it on earlier, left, and decided to come back for it.

The issue is that the dress had not been placed on hold—meaning it was still very much available. My sister had every right to try on that dress in her size and favorite color. Instead, we had to watch it get taken out of her hands and sold to someone else, right in front of us. It was an incredibly disappointing and disheartening moment, especially considering how excited she was.

The situation was handled poorly and with little regard for the customer experience. Sadly, we won’t be returning.

This could’ve been handled so differently and the word “borrowed” was used. We could’ve quickly seen if it was the one for her, or the other customer could have been offered to order from the next shipment. The way it was approached felt inconsiderate.

We truly loved the dresses and the store, but we’d hate for another shopper, especially a young girl, to go through something similar. It might be worth revisiting your policy for situations like this. If a customer plans to come back for an item, there should be a clear expectation that it must be placed on hold. Otherwise, it should remain available like any other item.

We’re sharing this not to complain, but in the hope that it helps improve the experience for others...

1000/10 experience! Gowns was the fourth bridal store I had been to and I can say the experience was leagues above the other shops! Katie was my consultant (and another consultant, Cailey assisted). The best hype team while also being totally honest, they were both people that made you feel so comfortable as if you were lifelong friends already. As a plus size bride - the dress selection was amazing! I’m between a 20-22 and I had a consultant at a DIFFERENT shop try to shove me into a size 8 because that’s what their samples were 😐. But at Gowns they had a HUGE selection of dresses my size and above to try! It felt amazing to actually see what the dress was meant to look like in my size body and be comfortable. The thing about me? Im so indecisive and they embraced my back and forth for such a long time without making me feel pressured. That was 2 months ago and yesterday I went in in a bit of a panic that I had picked the wrong dress. Well the same 2 saved the day. They immediately pulled my dress to let me put it on again, went back into hyping me up while still acknowledging my concerns, and even extended my time to let me try on other dresses again to see just why I picked the one that I did! I know this is a long review but I just want Everyone considering this shop to know that I’ve never been made more comfortable or felt more supported in this kind of situation. It’s so apparent that Katie and her employees really care about you and your experience so much and will do what it takes to make you happy. Could not recommend this...