A. V. A. Formals and Laney Bridal — Local services in Washington

Came here for alterations:

Did not have a great experience here. First off, I never looked forward this part of planning a wedding. Going to a dress shop. But this place most definitely didn’t restore my faith in boutiques or dress shops. My mother and I came here on a whim to have alterations done on a wedding dress. We did not buy the dress from this shop and maybe this is why they treated us this way? The initial introduction was promising - I felt uneasy, but my mom assured me that these ladies had years of experience. 1) when we called to ask about updates on the dress almost a month later we were informed that some weddings had been added to their list and I was now third in line. 2) When it was finally time to pick up the dress, mind you a week before the wedding, I expressed my discomfort with the alterations (the dress still felt too big), but the seamstress (she never gave us a name) joked that she couldn’t help if I had a small chest. (The only alterations she managed to do on the chest was add padding and that seemed to make my problem worse) 3) You can do much better by finding a local/regional artist on Etsy than the accessories they have. Or heck! Try a thrift store or grab a glue gun and make your own bedazzled/sequined belt. Those items seemed mass produced, cheaply made and overpriced, but that is just me.

Overall I was dissatisfied, but we had paid in advance and felt it was not worth the trouble to try and make a fuss about it. Perhaps if we had bought the dress from their shop, they would have treated us better.

But hey. I’m giving two stars because it did look like they had a nice assortment of dresses you can choose from and they seemed fine with letting you try on everything.

Best to you! My advice, if you would like to try out this place is to stand firm and don’t let those ladies bully you!! They can oddly get you to comply with their sassy...

I was helping the daughter of a really close friend rent a suit for her prom. She was attending prom with her girlfriend and she didn't want to ask her family for help because they wouldn't be accepting of it. I wish I would have had the guts to attend my prom with my boyfriend when I was her age so I was more than happy to help her.

When we asked the sales lady for a tuxedo she assumed it was for me. I had to explain that it wasn't for me. It seemed to confuse her for a little while but she got it. After that she went from a smiling helpful sales lady to a curt short expressionless sales lady. She did take measurements and ordered the tuxedo so she did help us get what we needed. But the attitude change was like night and day. My two star rating has nothing to do with their selection of clothes or their prices. I gave them 2 stars based exclusively on their service and the judgmental unwelcoming atmosphere the sales lady created.

Regardless the two girls made it to prom and had a really good time. It was expensive for me but worth every penny. I have their prom picture framed hanging in my house, and it gives me joy every time...

I bought my wedding dress from Carolina Bridal World and while they recommended their choice of seamstresses to alter my dress, I told them “No, I have a place I’m familiar with in Little Washington” and boy am I glad. A.V.A Formals altered my prom dress for me (10 years ago 🤣), and to my surprise, the same lady who altered my prom dress was still working there and available to alter my wedding dress! I’m bad with names, but she is an older lady and is so sweet and funny. She was transparent in pricing and her timeline of when it would be ready. When I first tried it on after it being altered, I still needed some additional small alterations, which she accommodated and had ready for me in a week or two (and at no extra charge). Prom is one thing, but your wedding dress on the biggest day of your life is another, so it is tough to find a trustworthy, skilled seamstress… Thank you for altering my dress to make it perfect for me! I always recommend A.V.A. Formals to those looking for a dress or...