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I'm going to Formally Yours in Lilburn. A ton of my friends have used them and love them! Definite plusses: often offer discounts for buying your dress that day and also offer discounts for your BMs if they get their dress there as well.
(I'm going dress shopping next month and am SO excited!)
My good friend also went to Formally Yours! She said they were very helpful -- I guess I'm just nervous!
I went to the Priscilla of Boston store for my dress and had a great time.. very personal attention and very helpful overall. I also went to Bridals by Lori to look for bridesmaids dresses and was very impressed! My mom even said she had wished we went there to look for my dress. They have dresses at all different price points, and the saleswoman we met with was really helpful, the store was laid out well, and it was just a really fun experience.
I had good experiences at the following stores:
Bride Beautiful - Roswell/Atlanta
Wedding Angels - Roswell
Affordable Bridal - Buford (has a larger selection in greater sizes)
I didn't really enjoy the David's Bridal in Kennesaw
I have to add in Sweet Elegance Bridal in Decatur!!!
I went to pretty much all of the stores listed above and found a recurring theme of a lack of customer service, along with a "pick what you want from the rack and we'll get you a dressing room" mentality. (I was really disappointed to encounter that at Formally Yours b/c I had heard great reviews about them).
It turns out that Sweet Elegance is run by a mother and daughter who opened the store after the daughters wedding - the mother (who I think is the primary owner) wanted to keep other brides from going through what they went through - poor service and expensive prices. The really cool thing they did for me is they pulled gowns for me that matched the style I was looking for, but also pulled things I never would have tried on - to make sure I didn't have dress regret and also to make sure that I was exposed to everything that was out there. I didn't feel rushed at all (I had at several other places, especially David's Bridal). It actually felt kind of like being on Say Yes to the Dress, I have to admit. And the dresses were absolutely amazing, so much nicer than everywhere else I had been, and at reasonable prices.
I know I sound like an ad for the store - I swear I'm not! I just had such a good experience and think they are a hidden jem in the Atlanta bridal market.
Smokinpenelope, do you remember some of the designers they carried there?
i got my dress from bridals by lori in sandy springs and LOVED THEM!! they have trunk shows a lot, which is when i bought my gown and i got to meet the designer and received a discount for buying that day.
the experience was great and im excited to go back for fittings and for my bm gowns! i love how they have all the designers separated into "rooms" so its not just a store with a line of white gowns. there are tons of mirrors and a runway so you can see how your gown moves and looks when you walk!'
they have a webcam set up to connect with family members that cant be there and the consultants are fabulous! they were so helpful and didnt pressure us to buy that day, our lady actually gave us great advice about narrowing it down and then coming back. it was the experience that i always dreamed about when i would imagine going to buy my gown.
the salon is 3 floors and they have everything you could think of that you might need, its really a one stop shopping for everything wardrobe and accessories!
I got my dress at Priscilla of Boston and I loved it :) I visited quite a few store on my "quest for the dress"
New Natalies: They were RUDE and said that I could only try on five dresses the entire day. They also wouldn't let my mom come back to the dressing area with me. It was just me and some stranger helping me get dressed.
Bride Beautiful: Decent selection of dresses, helpful staff. I got my bridesmaid's dresses there.
LaRaine's Bridal Boutique: Best one that I visited!! Even though I didn't get my dress there, I wish that I found "the one" there. The store is so wonderful, elegant yet homey at the same time and the staff is AMAZING!
Bridals by Lori was the last one on my list after Priscilla of Boston, but since I found my dress at Priscilla, I never went there. Heard all good things though!
I heard horrible things about New Natalie's. My friend went there to look for her dress and said pretty much the same thing as you. She said she didn't stay very long because they were pretty mean. I've heard good things about LaRaine's. I'll have to go there!
Ok. Will check that one (NN's) off the list!
Who's been to Demetrios? I went in and looked but didn't try on. NOT gonna try on a thing until 10 lbs are gone.
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I didn't go to New Natalie's after a bad visit with my MOH 2 years ago. They were horrible to her making a comment about her "back fat" and being too large for sample sizes (she's a size 12). I've only know one person to have a good experience there.
On the other hand I visited la raine's with another friend who had a fantastic experience there. Our consultant even found a way to help with a sticky situation where my friend was trying on the same dress that another friend was wearing a few weeks before. She was able to special order a petite cut from there and has nothing but great reviews of them.
Do any of you GA bees remember any designers Laraine's has? I'm zeroing in on several designers that I want to try on.
I know they carried Casablanca, Paloma Blanca, and Alfred Sung....I know most designers sites have a place where you can search for a local store who carries their designs.
Which designers are you looking for? I think if you said some names, I would remember...For some reason, all I can remember is Venus, and I'm not even sure that's right. I think they also had some from that Kristie Kelly (whichever one does the Disney collection). Don't let my forgetfulness keep you from going there, they have lots of gorgeous dresses :)
I'm into the Alfred Sung dresses and the Anjolique dresses! Right now I'm trying to decide between Bridals by Lori and Bride Beautiful (you can only fit in so many salons in one day.)
Holy Moly, you've got to go to Kelly's Closet, in Candler Park! They're pretty expensive, but have some good samples for sale sometimes. I didn't buy my dress there, but only because it wasn't in the budget. However, I knew that going in, so I knew it was just a scouting expedition. (My favorite dress there was around $3000.) They're expensive, but if you want a fantastic experience, definitely find time to go there. It's a gorgeous little shop, they have really interesting designers (check out their website), and they're soo helpful. They talked with me first, to see what I wanted, and what kind of wedding we were planning. Then we talked about my ideas of a dress that I wanted, then went around picking some out, with her help and suggestions. There were some dresses there that were knock your socks off gorgeous! Even if you can't afford to buy a dress there, I'd recommend going in, just to get an idea of what's out there. I loved it, and even though I kind of fell in love with an impossible dress there, it was totally worth it. When I eventually did find my dress, I knew enough to recognize its worth. :)
Good luck! Have fun!
I actually had a good experience at New Natalie's (maybe because I made an appointment and my mom knows the owner's sister-in-law?). They have amazing prices and I almost bought my dress there for under $600.
LaRaine's in the Highlands was good too and I found a dress I loved but then ended up buying the same dress (for $500 less) at Formally Yours in Lilburn because it was cheaper and FY gave a 15% discount if you bought the first time you came in.
New Natalie's has a good selection of bridesmaid dresses too. Since most of my BMs are out of town, I got measurements and we ordered through NN's online--their "no frills" bridesmaid package. You have to order all online and pay in full on one credit card and then pick up from the store (or pay extra for shipping) , but we easily saved 60 bucks per dress doing that.
Dear Bees,
I'm a little late on hitting up this board, but I wanted to contribute.
Please be very cautious when buying a wedding dress. I went to Bridals by Lori to look at dresses before shopping with my mom and sister and picked out a dress that I really liked. Conveniently it was a "sample" gown and was marked half off (which was a huge part of why I chose the dress).
The next day I returned to Bridals by Lori, and an assistant brought out the dress for me to show my mom and sister. My mom went and paid for the dress. It wasn't until later that weekend that I learned my mom had paid full price for the dress. When I contacted Bridals by Lori they told me the dress I had bought was not a sample gown, because it was a size smaller (they did not tell me this when I was trying it on). And because you cannot return a wedding dress they would not take it back. In the fury that ensued they were rude and did not return my phone calls. And now I have a dress way out of my budget and don't know what I'm going to do!
BEWARE BRIDALS BY LORI!
On another note, for those brides looking for a steal, a new boutique opened in Atlanta called Le Dress. It's across the street from Priscilla of Boston and Demetrios on Peachtree near the container store. The owner consigns high end wedding gowns and it might be a good place to look around...
I have been to Formally Yours (Lilburn), New Natalies (Atl), Kelly's Closet (Atl), La Raine's (Atl), Wedding Angels (Roswell Square), and have an appointment at Crystal Crane (near Mall of GA) this weekend.
I found most places to be great! With the exception of New Nats (not nice people or dreses). WEDDING ANGELS has to be my favorite, their dresses look to be great quality dresses, but are not expensive; seconded by La Raine's. Kelly's closet did not have a very wide selection, and although the ladies were nice, they didn't even really let you handle the dresses, and yes, they're in a higher price range than the rest. Formally Yours was good too. Crystal Crane was personally recommended by a wedding magainze editor to me, so I am excited to see it this weekend. She said they have great prices and nice dresses.
I just wanted to post a little update since I went dress shopping this past weekend. I went to Formally Yours, like I said above, and LOVED it! The attendants are so helpful and kind -- they pulled a ton of great dresses for me. It will help if you take a friend or someone with you to help get into dresses as it's kind of hard on your own. The attendants at FY will help you tie, clamp your dress, etc so that it fits appropriately.
Aside from the great staff, I got a wonderful discount for buying my dress the first day. My mom and FMIL were also able to find their dresses there! The entire experience took about two hours. I'm totally thrilled with FY and my dress!
i LOVED my first "trying on" experience at bridals by lori, they are amazing except their prices are not :(
i got my dress at bride beautiful in sandy springs. its a little 80s looking inside but if you can get over that they actually put the wedding dresses ON MODEL bodies so you can see the shape of them! that helped me out sooo much. i got my Angolique dress while they had a trunk show there for $1800 including alterations.
do NOT go to new natalie's, seriously. it made wedding dress shopping embarrassing, cheap, and awkward. they were so rude!
I actually had a fantastic experience at Bridals by Lori. I went to try on dresses there yesterday, and Marta waited on me hand and foot. :) We ended up ordering the Maribel dress by Christos. So lovely. :)
I would suggest Sweet Elegance! I LOVED the expereince there. Aimee is wonderful. I did not know anyhting about this bridal salon until I was leaving work one morning and I saw it. I stopped by the following weekend and found the dress of my dreams at a great price. Aimee give you the total experience as what to expect on your wedding day. This includes trying on veils, shoes, earrings, etc. I highly recommend them.
I came across this post a little late, but thought I'd add my 2 cents b/c looks like the thread is still being read by people...
My favorite is Bel Fiore in Marietta (I got mine here). It's a smaller shop, but it makes for a more private experience. I also felt like they go for quality over quantity when it comes to the dresses they carry. They are a no pressure, no attitude boutique with great customer service that feels like they actually want your business. They also have an online shop for accessories/gifts to make things easy too.
La Raine's in town is also a gorgeous shop with a TON of options and price points. As a side note, they had the nicest and largest selection of ready to wear samples in a wide variety sizes of shops I visited. I could spend all day trying on dresses here. My only complaint would be that I told the associate I was looking for something under $1,000...$1250 being my absolute ceiling and she kept pulling dresses in the $1,600+ range that were a lot more embellished than I wanted.
Bridals by Lori in Sandy Springs carries a lot of the trendier bridesmaid dresses you see in Bridal magazines and has a nice selection of shoes and accessories in store. I wasn't impressed with the attitude or personal style of the consultants.
If money is no object, make an appt. at Kelly's Closet. Unique and gorgeous dresses.
Bride Beautiful in Sandy Springs has a nice selection of some of the lesser known/less expensive designers' gowns. Bridal Sense, a block down the road, also has nice, more affordable dresses that don't look cheap. (If you're eloping, FI deploying early, or you're having a shotgun wedding and need a dress ASAP - try Bridal Sense...lots of surprisingly nice and affordable options).
I tried New Natalie's too...you know when you look at a sale rack in a store and think to yourself "no wonder these haven't sold"....well, that's what most of this place is like...and the gowns didn't even seem all that discount. Whole place had a sketchy feel to me.
Hey gals - I just dropped by Le Dress Boutique in Buckhead this weekend with my sister/MOH, and I found 'the one!' I very highly recommend Linda and her shop - they definitely know what they are talking about and are really helpful. I cannot say enough. Make Le Dress one of your must-try's for dress shopping!
Girls,
I found my dress at Etain Bridal Boutique in Tyrone. It is a great shop with fabulous customer service. I found a Matthew Christopher dress and I love it! they have so many different styles to look at and all price ranges.
you have to have an apt but it is totally worth it! You will not be sorry, my mother and I have enjoyed everything about the shop and the girls that work there.
Ok. I checked out Heidi Elnora's site and loved her work!
How expensive are her dresses? What range exactly?
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Hi Bees! I'm about to go shopping for my wedding dress (yay!) and just wanted to knwo if anyone had any recommendations as to good/helpful bridal salons in the metro Atlanta area! I've read enough horror stories on here to know a good salon is a big step in finding the right dress! Thank you ATL bees!
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