Dala's Bridal Boutique — Local services in Tipton

1st visit = red carpet. 2nd visit = YOLANDA

My fiance is not a Bridezilla. She's very polite and easy to deal with - whether she's serving or being served in a professional setting. When she went to Dala's to find a dress, they were also very accommodating and gave my fiance a sense of security, like they would stop at nothing to give her the perfect dress.

She picked out a blue dress from their showroom several sizes too large and with a knee-length skirt just to get a general sense of how she might look in a similar dress the right size, color and length. Having faith in the shop, she went ahead and ordered that same dress in the size, color and length she needed.

My bride-to-be has a slender athletic build and would look great in a potato sack. So when the dress arrived at Dala's shop and she tried it on, it was distressing to discover that the shoulder straps were uneven, her underarms were squeezed out by the blouse, the front bunched messily at the bosom, the waist was too high and too tight. Thinking maybe she was having an "off" day, and believing that the staff at Dala's would surely work with her based on the initial reception she received,my fiance took it home to give the dress another chance.

After several attempts, she realized this dress simply wasn't what she'd hoped it would be based on the catalog photos and the shop's reassurances. So we called in advance to let them know our situation and then days later made the hour drive back to the shop when they said they could see us.

When we arrived, a young staff member told us we would need to wait to be helped because Dala was doing paperwork and Yolanda was busy in the back. Five minutes later she ushered my fiance to the little changing closet in the front of the store and told her they would need to see the dress on. My fiance came out with the dress on and explained the problems with the dress. About halfway through the staff member stopped her to ask, "so, the wedding was cancelled then?", assuming we were just trying to return the dress - although nothing we said would indicate that the wedding was off.

So we waited another ten minutes before they sent Yolanda out to 'deal' with us. Yolanda proceeded to explain in a very loud voice (don't know whether she's hard of hearing or trying to establish dominance) that my fiance is wrong about where her waistline is and that the dress fits perfectly. She also suggested many times that we're free to try somewhere else or pay Dala's competitive rates to have the dress altered. We finally had to ask if there was even an option to exchange the dress for one of equal value, at which point she turned us down repeatedly reciting red letter language such as "you made a commitment to this dress when you ordered it" and "it's industry standard" that we're stuck with the dress (even though David's Bridal would have allowed us to trade one of their own dresses for store credit if we weren’t happy with it). She even had the audacity to tell us "you tried on the exact same dress before you ordered it". Keep in mind, the dress they had in the store for her to try on was several sizes larger, blue and short-skirted. Not the "exact same".

Ultimately we felt terrible. My fiance was doing all she could to hold back tears and I was doing all I could not to get angry and chew out Yolanda for treating us in a way that no one on their staff would ever want to be treated in the same situation (although how could they know what that's like - they probably have an advantage when it comes to bridal dresses).

Bottom line: they'll treat you like royalty to get the sale, but be warned: you'd better be 100% happy with what you buy from them, 'cause they won't be so warm and fuzzy...

I bought two wedding dresses here. One in Oct of 2013 and one in Aug 2016. I give them one star because their dress selection is good.

I do not recommend letting them do your alterations however. With our first dress we had someone available to do the alterations. With the most recent dress we went with their alterations program and the customer service and experience was awful. The dress is paid in full......

First: they sent a reminder email for a scheduled fitting and it was the wrong time. When my daughter showed 1/2 hr late (according to the shops book) they were rude to her and told her she was late. She showed them the email. YOLANDA was on her way out the door for the day and rushed thru the fitting.

Second: A second appointment, the final fitting was scheduled so I went back with my daughter. I live in STL and my daughter lives in COMO so it is a big trip for both of us to make. It is now only 8 days before the wedding. When we arrive the dress is brought out of the back and only one part had been worked on, the left side down the hip still had all the pins in it and the right arm was way too tight. They offered no explanations or remorse for their mistake, in fact they were once again quite rude and completely unapologetic. Not wanting to upset the bride to be, (who was completely stressed) I kept a lid on my temper. We were told we would have to come back again for another fitting, but the lady doing the alterations would be in vacation for the next week.

ONCE THEY HAVE THEIR PROFIT IN THE DRESS, THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS!!!!!!!!!!!

In the end it worked out, but I would not take anyone else to that shop again. Very disappointed in a place that has been in business for so long. Obviously they have been doing...

Bought 3 brides maids dresses, a flower girl dress & a Mother of the Bride outfit here. Ordered the colors & dresses that were wanted. Got a call that they were in & to make an appointment to come check color & get fittings done. Drove the 1 1/2 hours to get there. The Mother of the Bride outfit was not the right color so was told we would have to finish paying for that one & order a new one with a $25 rush ship for it plus the full price of the new one! Needless to say we didn't do that nor did we get a refund for the wrong color outfit, so they got $125 for something that we...