Laurel Bridal

I flew to Chicago to go go dress shopping with my bridesmaids and one of my best friends that is also getting married. We booked an appointment here because the reviews led me to believe there would be some great discount dresses here. There was a sale section, but the majority of the dresses were around $ 1800, which is more than I was looking to spend.
I was also not aware that European style gowns were so extravagant. I was looking for something much simpler than this store had to offer. All of the dresses had a lot of poof, or a lot of beading, or a lot of both. Some of them were fun to try on, but if you are looking for something understated and on a budget of $ 1000 or less, this may not be the store for you.

I recently got screwed over by another bridal store out of 5 bridesmaids dresses 2 months away from my wedding (read my other review for that lovely story!) And reached out to Betty here at Laurel Bridal. She was kind, understanding, and also appalled at my story. :(She went right to work in letting me know what my options were, her opinions, and what to do to make sure I get my dresses on time. Couple hours later– my dresses are rush ordered and set to be here at the end of June.
What really struck me, is even though I showed obvious anxiety and desperation, she did not take advantage of me, and I can’t express how honest and kind that is. Will be sure to refer all my girlfriends to this shop!

When i first walked into the store i was greeted by the owner who was very friendly. The dresses they carry are quite different than what you normally would find at other Chicago bridal salons. By different i don’t mean great, but they are not bad also! Laurel bridal is by no means a cheap place. Dresses that caught my eye were all priced over $ 2000. I was ready to pay that much or even more money in order to have a unique and stylish European wedding gown. First, I looked at the catalogs and i was very surprised that the front page of the some catalogs was either missing or designers’ information was carefully covered with Laurel’s Bridal flayers and business cards. When i asked the owner who makes the dress i liked, she just said it’s European. Well, i went to try on some dresses and boy was i shocked! Those dresses just didn’t feel like a designer European dresses. Trust me that I know what a well made designer gown should feel like. Needless to say that all tags and labels were removed from the dresses. The dresses i picked looked pretty, but they felt VERY VERY CHEAP! It was like something you get from the Chinatown; it looks pretty on a picture, but it’s not the best quality item. I liked the style of some dresses, and i was hoping that Laurel bridal sells replicas of some well known brand. I went home dedicated to find out what was the name of that brand and where can i buy an authentic dress. After 2 days of searching the web i found out that the dresses that are sold at Laurel Bridal are NOT replicas and they in fact really come from Europe, but it’s a little more complicated… Those dresses are not made in Italy, France or Spain like the owner claims (maybe some of them are, i can only speak for the styles i was interested in). The dresses they sell are made in Poland and Ukraine. I contacted Ukrshic which is a factory based in a small town in Ukraine and they told me that all their dresses cost under $ 500 (shipping to the US included). They were extremely nice, spoke fluent English and were even willing to make some changes to the dress i liked on their website (which can be viewed in English as well). They said that the dress would be ready in 4 weeks and i should allow another 2 – 4 weeks for delivery. I didn’t end up ordering the dress from them because i wasn’t impressed by the fabric quality. I ended up buying an incredible Enzoani gown from the suburban bridal shop for $ 2500. That gown makes me feel like a princess, you can’t even compare it to the dresses sold at Laurel bridal. Personally, i have nothing against Russian, Polish, Ukrainian brands and I’m sure that there are many brides who like me would like their modern styles and affordable prices. I just feel it’s very wrong to provide customers with inaccurate information and to build business on lies. It makes me very angry when businesses like Laurel Bridal treat their clients like they are fools. They greet you nicely when you come in and they even make you feel that you are best friends, but in reality all what they care about is a huge profit they make of you. In my opinion, every bride has a right to know how and where her wedding gown was made, especially if it costs more than 2 thousand dollars.

After a disappointing visit to Eva’s Bridal, D and I stopped in to look around at Laurel’s dresses. Entering the shop, there were unbelievably gorgeous dresses EVERYWHERE! There was such a variety of colors and styles, D and I looked at each other in astonishment.
We were greeted warmly and cheerfully by the owner who looked genuinely pleased to have us come in. She introduced herself to both us and asked what we were looking for. After we described D’s dream dress, we were escorted to dresses that were exactly what we had described. She listened well and gave opinions as to what styles and colors would complement D.
Leading us into the fitting room, she explained to D and I that she would be showing us three different styles of dresses that she felt would portray the dress D was dreaming of. [She without a doubt kept D’s budget and desires in a dress at mind.] She helped and showed D how to put her wedding dress on and gave her honest opinion how the dresses looked on D.
Having the opportunity to select a top and a bottom from two different dresses to make them into ONE dream dress is the most AMAZING thing D and I have ever heard. The graciousness of the owner and the intimate and genuine desire to help us look through dresses is an absolute great quality this shop has. The owner is so knowledgeable and kind hearted, she made our horrid experience at Eva’s a mere memory =]

I was told about this store by a family friend. I went to their website and they had such incredible dresses by European designers. My mom and I were really counting on this store to have the dress I was looking for.
When we got to the store, the owner wasn’t there. Instead, her son arrived a few minutes later and told us that she had an emergency and had to visit a friend in the hospital and will be back in an hour and a half. Well, certainly someone else was going to help me find a dress instead of this kid, right? Wrong. So, how do we shop for a dress? He points us to catalogs and mannequins and says that we can customize almost any dress, so if I like a top, but not a skirt, they can do that. Can I try the dresses on? Yea, he’ll pull them off the mannequins for me. While my mom and I carry dresses to the messy fitting room, he helps several guys renting suits and a girl picking up a bridesmaids dress. We wait for him to pull dresses off mannequins. Nothing works out and we look at catalogs, but can’t make any decisions without someone who’s knowledgeable about the designers helping us. This is when I have my break-​down and we leave.
Now, I know that emergencies do come up, but the owner could’ve been a little more professional at called me and rescheduled my appointment! Or, maybe sent someone less clueless than her son? 1 star review + ½ a star for her son who tried very hard to be helpful and ½ star for the beautiful dresses in the catalog that I probably would’ve purchased had I not been devastated instead.