Bijou Bridal & Special Occasion

Reviews 4

HA

Hadir Ahmed

I had such a lovely experience at Bijou! My helper was so sweet and was so patient with me, although I was so indecisive. After finding "the dress", they allowed me to stay after closing hours to wait for my mother to see the dress before I made the decision to order it. After my moms approval(and tears), I decided to purchase the dress. The women measured me up and went through the whole process with me. They even were able to get the dress custom ordered to Ivory for me(it was originally only in blush). They really went above and beyond and stayed for us way beyond their closing time. We still have a long way to go with alterations and such, but my initial experience has been excellent. My advice to shoppers will be, please bring a small number of people with you. They are a very busy store so you may have to share some mirror space and seating space for your guests. And as you all know, too many opinions can sometimes be very negative and influence you in the wrong direction. You have a big room to change and mirror to check yourself out even before going outside. Go in there with a budget and dont be afraid to try new things. I went in there knowing I wanted a ball gown, but ended up falling in love with a mermaid. Be sweet to the woman helping you, she really has to go through a lot with you. Be honest when they ask about weight. Dont just say your going to lose 10 pounds. Just say you may tone up a bit or will try to stay the same weight. Dont do anything too drastic(unless your VERY committed). Try to wear some shapewear with you similar to what you will wear on your wedding day. Do your hair and make up nicely, so the image will actually real. Also, do yourself a favor and try on veils with your dress, and bring heels similar to the height youll wear on your wedding day. They really make a difference. Call in advance! Remember that depending on the dress sometimes it can take up to 6-8 months to finish making and depending on what alterations 1-3 months if your adding sleeves or anything like I am. So start shopping EARLY. And try going on a day during the week where it wont be too busy. And lastly, go in EARLY! You never know how long it will take. Be prepared, comfortable, and positive. Good luck, ladies!

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LI

Lisa Richter

I was a bridesmaid in a wedding last month and the bridal party purchased and had our gowns altered at Bijou. The initial visit went well. The staff was friendly. I was even fine with the first fitting. The seamstress was very sweet, I didnt feel rushed. When I went for my final fitting, however, I was really frustrated and disappointed. Bridesmaids fitting are only done during weekdays, a bit difficult for someone who has a full time job & lives an hour + away from the shop. When I arrived, and I tried on my dress it was too tight.[sidenote: I had just been weighed at a doctors appointment the day before and I had lost a pound from my last fitting, plus the dress was tight in an area that doesnt gain weight (ribcage).] When I expressed my concern to the seamstress, saying if felt tight and as though I couldnt breathe, I was quickly dismissed. She assured me it fit fine, the zipper was working well. The straps were falling off, so she offered to fix that and "let out the lining" which she said would help. She came back a few moments later, the straps were fixed but the dress still felt constricting. Again I told her I felt stifled and again she said it was fine. I was frustrated because I knew there was no time to have it fixed & come back up again on another week night. I took my dress to a local tailor and they were able to fix the problem for me. I have very mixed feelings about Bijou at this point, mostly because I dont like the fact that I was told the dress fit me "fine" when clearly, being in the dress, I knew that it didnt. Perhaps I should have spoken up more, but with the distance, travel time, money already spent, etc. being a concern, I was frustrated and chose to take my alterations business elsewhere. Unfortunately, the other bridesmaids dresses had other problems with regard to alteration. A few girls felt their dresses were too tight as well, a junior bridesmaids straps looked incorrect and the maid of honor had a long thread on her dress that got caught on the brides veil during the ceremony. As far as a shop, they do have a lot of choices for bridesmaids. I wouldnt say the prices are great (alterations were pricey too) and I would definitely have alterations done elsewhere.

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JE

Jessica Ann

Bijou disappointed me right from the beginning. First off my appointment was at 4pm however our group was left attained for about 15 minutes til out consultant came over at 4:15. Next they take us up the stair case to the bridal dress. The girl tells us "Ok this is all our dresses look through the racks and decided what you want to try on". Which I knew for my group personally was bad news. When the consultant said this everyone in my party started pulling gowns and putting them on my rack regardless of what I liked. Then when I told her "I know you have a specific designer, do you have this dress?" she told me "Oh i dont know our dresses by name"...and didnt even go check their computer or anything. So next she takes the rack of all the dress, most of which I didnt even know my group put on the rack, upstairs. Where there are about 4 dressing rooms. Your group then sits on a bench along a balcony and there is one runaway where all the girls trying on dresses come out and stand together as though we are in some awkward runway show. So my family and friends were on the opposite end of the "stage" as me half the time because all the girls were basically squeezed up on this platform. It became a mess of girls and families talking over one another. I happened to try on a dress I thought was ok and asked my consultant if she had anything like it downstairs and she said wed have to go back down and look through the racks. How could the people working there not know what is in stock??? Finally, while I was there another one of the brides who was trying on dresses the same time as me, who even I can admit was a handful (she didnt want to share the stage with anyone). But with this being said I found it ridiculous that all the consultants were making fun of her. I heard them doing so when my consultant went back out to rack to get me another dress. If I heard them dont think the other girl did? I understand people are frustrating especially picking people looking for a wedding dress, but come on girls save it for when she leaves! Overall I was so disappointed! The staff was immature and unknowable and the space is very unperson-able. It more like a group appointment than a personally one.

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CA

Catherine Feliz

The only reason, Im giving the store 2* is because my attendant Despina and a store associate Lisa were very accommodating and helpful during my visits. 1 bridal gown, 1 veil, and 8 bridesmaid dresses later. This has become my biggest headache in wedding planning. The bridesmaid dresses came in, theyre Ivory @Bill Levkoff dresses -$200 each. The quality is so poor and the fabric is so sheer, theyre only suitable as a beach cover up. Secondly the sizing is horribly off. Girls went in, were measured by Bijou associates, lost weight, purchased the recommended size and the dress does not fit. How can this be? There is honestly an issue with the cut and they should push back on the manufacturer. Instead they twist the facts to how its convenient to them and take no ownership. When they talk to the girls, they say they warned me and I chose this design anyway - a lie! When I called and said they never spoke to me, they said they spoke to the girls... My sister is down 15lbs. At time of order she was measured with clothes on. She can barely fit in the dress, its too tight on the hips. They remeasured her, without clothes and acknowledged her measurements are 1/2inch smaller but brushed it off as "irrelevant". The point is unless shes bigger it should fit, right? They measured her, they advised which size would fit. Its considered "irrelevant" in this case, but the day before, one of the girls also tried on the dress and again too tight on the hips and they recommended the dress can be extended 1/4 inch to give more room. So is it relevant or not? I feel helpless that these girls now have to spend more money to fix the dress. Bijous resolution is to purchase a new one at 40% off. They already spent $200 on this one. So my only option if we cant find a fix from a seamstress is to buy them all 8 of them new dresses

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