Premiere Couture

Great place! Really helpful staff. They took the time to help my daughter pick her prom dress and they were very patient

As the bride-​to-​be, this is the first bridal shop I went to. The staff was friendly, and was quickly able to put me in dresses to match my taste. It is a very well-​organized shop, with good staff and service. Their sales approach was matter-​of-​fact, without a heavy sales pitch or pressure. I really enjoyed trying on dresses here, and I can’t wait to go back to look for bridesmaids dresses.

Wonderful! My Dessy bridesmaids gowns were purchased from Première Couture. Laura is wonderful! I also tried on wedding gowns here and found two I loved, but ultimately went with a dress from a different shop that I loved as well. The newer location in Cambridge is great. My sister loved the selection of cocktail gowns and purchased two during her bridesmaid dress fitting. I will be heading back there when it comes time to me needed dresses for showers and rehearsal dinners!

Première was my first stop in the hunt for the dress, and I was pleasantly surprised to find the reviews to be true: this place is lovely!
Sarah was more than accommodating and friendly in helping me figure out what styles worked best (though EVERYTHING looked great)!
I was also impressed that so many of their gowns are handmade right here in the USA or in Canada with impeccable workmanship, and the price points are realistic. not to mention a terrific selection of bridesmaid dresses to complete your choices.
While I haven’t «said yes» to any particular style yet, Sarah definitely helped me narrow down to a few options. I look forward to seeing them later this summer.
Pro tip: grab a glass of vino with your lady friends out on the patio at Burgundy before your appointment ;)

I have been to this shop three times over the last few months. Apparently there is only one person who works here so if you aren’t going in for a bridal appointment and you are just looking to buy bridal accessories, fat chance you’ll ever get any help. They pay absolutely no attention unless you have an appointment but won’t make an appt just for accessory shopping. Their prices are inflated and they have zero selection. The only reason I’ve tried to go back here is because there are only 2 other bridal shops in Madison and one is David’s bridal.

My mom and I came to Première Couture to look at bridesmaid dresses. I’d seen a couple I liked online and the company states that Première carried the designs. So in we came to check them out and maybe try them on in person.
They had the dresses, and we *tried* to try them on. But all their samples seemed to top out at a formalwear size 8 (a normal 6). While I’m a plus-​sized gal, my mother is a size ⁸⁄₁₀ — not large by any means. And she couldn’t even try a dress in a *similar* style on because they just didn’t have any. So she half tried-​on the dress we liked and I had to ask my out-​of-​town bridesmaids if they would mind taking the time to find a place near them to try the dress on as we wanted to see it on a real person (not the company model) before making up our minds.
The saleslady at Premier was polite enough. She seemed to think it was quite common that they only had one of each dress as a sample and mostly only having 1 size in the whole store (having been to other shops I know this is, in fact, uncommon). She was nice enough about it, but that combined with largely being left to our own devices during our appointment (yes, I had made an appointment) really left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. In the end, I ordered from a different bridalwear shop (not even in the Madison area) and was given amazing service.
I think Premier probably is alright if you are small and don’t expect much service, but for the price brides and bridesmaids pay for gowns, I expect a little bit more.

I came here about a month ago with my mom who was looking for a chic yet affordable wedding dress. Even with their very limited selection of dresses she was able to find a few gems. They have a wonderful selection of sashes too.
However, our sales consultant left us to help another customer look for dresses while my mom was in the dressing room waiting for her. We heard the manager instructing her to return to us. We wondered if this had anything to do with the fact that she was on commission and knew she wouldn’t make as high of a return from us as she would with the younger customer…? Nevertheless, when she returned she was very pleasant and attentive. She didn’t provide my mom with any constructive criticism which would be very helpful for brides shopping without an entourage. With every dress she said it was beautiful even when there were obvious problems with it that couldn’t be fixed by tailoring alone (silhouette vs. body shape, etc). Also keep in mind that they go in the dressing room with you and stand there while you strip down. It was very awkward for my mom, though she probably could have told her to leave. Anyhow, we ended up finding a more affordable dress with the perfect shape for her at Beautiful Brides (which also has a much larger selection of dresses).
It’s convenient if you’re from the Madison area but I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re planning on traveling a long distance to come here.

Première has some great stuff, no question. Their staff are nice, by and large, and the location is central.
I’m not a big fan of Première, however, for several reasons. First, the owner was very rude to me the first time I was in there. I vowed never to go back, but dress shopping in Madison is not always easy. (Vera’s, often overlooked, has a vast selection of dresses — it’s not the place you think you’ll find your dress, but it’s where I figured out what I really wanted, and I’m grateful for that.)
Second, their selection is focused at the upper end of the spectrum. I think that young brides (unlike me) may be swayed by the desire to go to a boutique like Première; however, their dresses are more expensive than elsewhere (again, not a huge huge fan of Vera’s, but they do have this going for them — great dresses for a variety of budgets), and unnecessarily so.
Third, their selection is small — they don’t have many dresses to try on in stock, and ditto for bridesmaids. I would stay away from Première if you aren’t a willowy young person. I can’t for the life of me figure out why they don’t have many even slightly larger dresses — that seems ridiculous in the upper midwest/​modern America. It does feel a little offensive. But I will say that their customer base does seem to be young women, who tend to be smaller, and who are I think less likely to shop around for better deals or a better selection.
Overall, a good place for what it is, but I would not begin or focus my search for a wedding gown here.

I live in NYC and looked at a couple bridal salons there – the experience left me bewildered and basically wanting to order something from J Crew and call it a day, just so I could avoid the gestalt of most bridal shops. (Only problem: I didn’t want any of J Crew’s dresses. And I like to support small businesses whenever possible.)
Good thing my sister had me pop in Première Couture during a visit home. The ladies here are helpful, patient, friendly, nonjudgmental. They really listened to me, not just to what I wanted in terms of style but also price. The selection is fantastic. They don’t push you at Première, and I love that. In fact, 6 months elapsed between when I tried on my dress and when I bought it. (It being an Amy Kuschel dress that I adore.)
Another reviewer said that they really do make you feel beautiful at the store, and it’s true. When I walked in the door I felt totally «bleh» about the whole idea of getting a dress, and by the time I walked out I actually felt lovely (despite the fact that I hadn’t brushed my hair that day, or put on makeup, was full of cheese and croissants, and was wearing coke-​bottle glasses from last century), and that was so nice.

This was the first and only bridal shop I visited, and it was a great experience! Tess was super nice and helpful, even when things took a few tries to get on right. She was also very enthusiastic and helped play a big part in making the day special. Tess didn’t push anything on me at all; I didn’t feel like I was being sold or pushed into something I didn’t like. She was willing to take all the time in the world with me and even suggested things that I wouldn’t have thought of.
They have a beautiful, unique selection of dresses with what I thought was a very fair price range. If you are looking for a dress just like everyone else’s, you should look elsewhere. I ended up buying a dress that was completely different than what I thought I wanted but the moment I put it on, it just felt like me. And I was so glad to be supporting a local, Monroe Street business instead of some big chain store.

I really loved shopping here. I have been to so many places that make you feel like it’s a hassle for them to suggest a dress or help you get the dress fitting good. Not this place! They acted as though they loved helping you look at try on. They also seemed to really listen to what I was looking for. I know that the people who work here say to the customers that everyone women they work with is beautiful and it sounds corny but they REALLY mean it. They make you feel gorgeous in your own skin and I’m not sure how they do it but they do. This is the only wedding dress shopping experience I have had where I felt calm and happy. I didn’t even buy a dress yet but I plan to continue to look at this store because of their attitude. Finally, they have an awesome selection of quality dresses that are not cheap but also not outrageous. They have a lot of diversity in their collection and lots of great fabrics.

After visiting MANY other bridal shops, I decided to visit Première. I initially thought that it was a longshot to find my dress here — I assumed most of their dresses would be out of my price range. I was wrong!
Having tried on a zillion dresses before this, I knew what I wanted but just had not found it yet, and was beyond exhausted with the process. When I stepped into Première and told them what I was looking for, the owner immediately brought me a dress that she thought I would love — and I did! It was THE best dress I could have imagined.
They carry a small number of dresses compared to most other shops, but they know each dress inside and out. Every dress is beautiful and of great quality. Their knowledge and obvious passion for the bridal industry really shows through!

The moment I walked into Première Couture, I just had a wonderful feeling of confidence that I was going to find my dress there. I told the attendant, Rosemarie that I only wanted to try on dresses that came in the color ivory, and she explained that would give me a ride range because they pretty much only carried ivory dresses. I described for her all the things I was looking for in a dress, and she found me not one, but two dresses matching my exact criteria, one of which ended up as my dress. I’m pretty sure Rosemarie was almost as emotional about my dress as I was. Everytime I called the store, she knew exactly who I was, which always comforted me. She also gave me a bottle of champagne with my purchase to toast the wonderful occasion. We also purchased our bridesmaid dresses here.
The only disadvantage of purchasing from Première Couture is that they do not have an in house tailor, so I had to go elsewhere for alterations, and Première could not store my dress for me. As an out of state bride, that was a hard thing for me to deal with, but something I got over quickly when I found a great tailor in my home state. Overall, the staff could not have been more warm and less pushy about selling me a dress. Rosemarie knew immediately what I was looking for and paired me in the perfect dress for my day. I would recommend this smaller boutique for any bride looking for a more custom bridal experience than you’d receive at some of the larger, chain bridal stores.

I went in with great hopes as a good friend of mine got her dress here.
I told the woman (who I believe is the owner) what I was looking for and my budget. She completely ignored my budget (went way over) and proceeded to take a dress off a mannequin for me to try on. I said «Um, I’m so not that size.» to which she replied «Just use your imagination»
After SQUEEZING me into 4 dress, not even coming close to having the back come together, I was SO humiliated. There is no way I could conceive of spending way too much on these dresses without them even coming close to fitting.
She literally ignored my tears (yes I was crying at this point) and said «just try on one more.»
I said «I’m sorry. This is so uncomfortable for me.»
So while she very aggressively undid me from all these hooks she said in a very mean tone «Well I’m sorry if I can’t complete with the department stores. I only have ONE sample SIZE to try on.»
I’m not asking them to have 2 – 28, as I know they are a small local store but how about a 10 and a 18? All women would much rather be cinched into a dress rather than feel like a stuffed pig.
The topper? When we left I said «Good bye» and «sorry» and she gave me a snotty look!
Don’t waste your time on this store. Unless of course you are a size 6 and have lots of cash.

Note to future self: This is where you are getting your wedding dress, after you are proposed to and you accept. You will thank me (your past self) years (months?) from now.

After touring (read as sticking my head in, feeling judged, and retracting my head out of) various Chicago bridal shops large and small, I conclude that this place in Madison has ‘em all beat in terms of quality of dresses and service… not to mention the cinnamon roll-​like treats they occasionally have.
I ended up getting a plain and elegant Amy Kuschel gown, and my bridesmaids picked Lynn Lugo dresses to suit themselves. Five star experience.