Garnish Boutique — Local services in Towson

My experience at Garnish Boutique was absolutely a dream come true!!! This was actually my very first wedding dress fitting EVER and I walked out on cloud nine. There was plenty of parking at the building - both in front and back. Note- the store sign is on the front of the building but you have to walk to the side and up the stairs to get to the store entrance. My bridesmaids and I were greeted right away by the store owner Mia. She showed us to a beautifully decorated room with a comfy couch and table to put down our coats and bags. Mia then showed us each section of the store which was organized by designer and dress style which made it SO easy to look through! She even showed us that the tags had the prices clearly marked so that I would easily be able to stay in budget. I had no idea what I was really looking for when I came in but Katie (our dress consultant) made the experience the best I could ask for! Katie made me feel so comfortable with getting in and out of dresses and never rushed me. She was really so sweet and respectful! She laughed along with my bridesmaids and would listen to their advice while also making sure that I was really happy with what I was wearing. I thought I wanted a more fitted dress but Katie suggested I try on a Blue Willow by Ann Barge dress that was in a ballgown style. I was hesitant at first but as soon as I tried it on and walked out of the fitting room- a hush came over everyone followed by loud squeals of delight! This was the one!! The dress even had a gorgeous long veil that came with it and both the dress and veil were 50% off because they were on the sample sale rack! I was blown away by the fact that even though my bridesmaids pressured me to buy the dress, Mia and Katie did not once pressure me to make a decision right away. In fact, they urged me to put the dress on hold and consult my fiance and mother regarding the finances first. I was so thankful for that! I have not yet purchased my dress but am convinced that I will soon be a Garnish bride! *Also my appointment was scheduled for 11-12 pm but Mia let me stay to try on dresses until 1 PM!!! If you're looking for a wedding dress for the first time- be sure to check out...

I live in NYC, and drove all the way to Baltimore for Garnish Boutique, and couldn't have been happier that I did so. Naturally, living in NYC, one of the biggest capitals of the world, you think to yourself, do I really need to drive 5 hours to find the wedding dress?

First of all, they were the only boutique on the entire East Coast that had the Anna Kara dress I was most certain was 'the one'. So they already set themselves apart.

Second, Garnish had the fastest and least pretentious communications of all the shops I worked with...I couldn't believe the response times! It was so very appreciated (and personally, I respect the business-savvy hustle). Overall, working with Mia was absolutely wonderful. She is so inspiringly warm and professional. I went to a certain famous shop in NYC and the associates were very mechanical and disinterested. I never thought it would make a difference, but it makes all the difference, and Mia is that difference.

Lastly, the shop is really beautiful. There actually happened to be a storm that day and the power had gone out, but it didn't matter because of all the natural light. I think it actually enhanced the experience because there's nothing like natural light, and it accented the lovely neutral color palette and soft design. I also appreciate that they didn't just give up and go home when the power went out. They texted to inform me, but I didn't get the text since I was on the road...imagine I had arrived after the 5-hour drive and found the shop closed! Tenacity, warmth, commitment, understanding...these are all words I can use to describe Garnish.

If you're considering whether to shop at Garnish, consider no further. It was the top experience of my own shopping, but having also shopped with many married girlfriends and cousins, I can tell you, they are unique, exquisite, and exemplary.

P.S. as if all this wasn't enough, I had a last-minute emergency with my veil (I was originally going to use my mother's but then we couldn't find it, less than a month to the wedding!) and Mia saved us again! The veil is on its way, just in time for the big day. Whew!...

This is comical at this point – the shop has now disputed my review on WeddingWire so that it won't be shown. Because we (the bridesmaids) paid the bride and then the bride was the one who paid for the dresses, they know that I won't be able to prove that I was a client of theirs. All that I can hope is that they treat their customers with more respect and professionalism in the future.

Update* The shop did not appreciate my honest review of my experience and called the bride about their concerns. This is so beyond unprofessional that I cannot wrap my head around it. My review in no way should affect the bride, and this definitely does not call for upsetting the bride a month before the wedding.

I will say that my friend (the bride) had nothing but fantastic things to say about the service that Mia and her team offered while she was looking for, and eventually bought, a wedding gown. This is why she decided to continue working with them while ordering bridesmaid dresses for the big day.

I found out that I was pregnant right around the time that my friend put in the order for all of the dresses and then the shop was on a three week "vacation" with no access to email or phone (evidently they did not have access to phone prior to vacation either because none of my calls were returned). In the meantime, I realized that I would need a few sizes larger so I reached out to the shop and asked if it would be possible to size-up. After two weeks, I finally got an unprofessional response stating that I would not be able to change the size because it was too late after the order was put in. Unfortunately, had they not taken a month off with no availability for their customers I would have had the chance to change the size. In addition, they have a no refund policy because the dresses are "handmade in China" and "made-to-order."

Long story short, you can buy the same Amsale dresses from Nordstrom's website and not go through the hassle that they may or may not put you through. I wouldn't recommend going here if you're looking for any...