Always Elegant Bridal

I went to Always Elegant back in July of last year to try on wedding dresses. I had looked online, picked my top 5 dresses that I liked, and looked up places that sold dresses by the designer I liked. Making the appointment was easy. I called and got the exact appointment time I wanted. I went down there with one of my bridesmaids, my maid of honor, and my mother. The appointment was nice and laid back. Rafaela was very friendly, and she brought me my top two dresses right away. I tried them both on and I was sold. I bought my top pick, and looked at a couple bridesmaids dresses. Overall my experience was very enjoyable. My only complaint is that it’s been almost a year since I bought the dress (my engagement is a long one) and I haven’t received one call about my dress arriving, scheduling fittings, just checking in to let me know they didn’t forget about me, etc. My mom and I were watching Say Yes to the Dress and were suddenly reminded «Oh yeah we bought that wedding dress!» So I called Always Elegant myself to ask about my dress. Rafaela was very quick about getting back to me and I’ll be going in for a fitting in June. So basically, this is a great place to get a wedding dress, just make sure you follow up on the fittings and about when your dress comes in because I didn’t get any calls from them about my purchase after almost a whole year.

I am rating this retailer Raffeala 5 stars she is patient professional informative working with her in finding the perfect fit and style made the experience perfect for a bride, also mom and my bride maids were impressed. Loved the espresso I would recommend highly thanks for making my day special

After going to probably 7 bridal stores in Bergen County (spent a lot of time on weekends there due to my husband’s family) and not being able to find anything, I decided to try Always Elegant as it was around the corner from my house. Rafaela was amazing from the start. She accommodated my busy work schedule by staying open past business hours. I ended up finding my dress there relatively quickly due to her fabulous selection (she has a lot of Maggie Sottero dresses which I really liked). Rafaela was very patient and allowed me to come back to show the dress to my mom via Skype as my mom lives in another state. Then when it came time for the fitting, she was very accommodating again to my busy schedule to make sure I was able to get all the 3 fittings. Pat, the seamstress, is AMAZING. She is incredibly skillful and did a superb job with taking the dress in, handling the intricate bead work, sewing in cups, and creating the bustle. Overall, it was a very positive experience and made the whole wedding planning process less stressful. For those looking at wedding dresses, make sure to select a place that is not too far from your house if you’re schedule is less flexible as you will be traveling there at least 3 more times for the fitting and final pickup. AE couldn’t have been in a more convenient location.

I had an excellent experience. I came in on a Saturday desperate to find a floor length gown for a black tie wedding the following weekend. I explained my size and style needs and was immediately shown a beautiful blue dress to try on. It fit well and gave me the classy look I was hoping for. The seamstress was there and did a fitting on the spot! I returned a few days later for the final fitting and picked the dress up the next day! They treated me respectfully and helped me out of a rough spot with time to spare! I am delighted with my experience.

Unfortunately, this was my first bridal gown shopping experience. The staff provided poor, unprofessional and distracted service. They gossiped in front of me about another customer and her unreasonable requests. The boutique interior was shabby and outdated with unflattering fluorescent lighting and dirty carpet. The dressing room doubles as a storage closet. I let these things slide as their dress selection was adequate and I had other bridal appointments where I expected to have a better experience.
I am only writing a review because the following day, my mom and I were reviewing my favorites, one of which was at Always Elegant, but we had forgotten to write down the name of the dress. Mom called to inquire but the clerk was reluctant to give her any information, insisting that I come back in to buy from them. Mom explained that I had to return home and would not be able to come back that day but we were just hoping to keep that dress in our «maybe pile.» The kicker was that after their conversation, the clerk CALLED HER BACK to «school her» on how small businesses operate and she didn’t want to give her the information as she was terribly concerned that we wanted to buy from a different retailer (which was untrue). I understand the struggles of a small business as I own one myself. However, as a small business owner, I believe that customer service trumps all else. Not only was AE’s phone call passive aggressive and rude, but they shot themselves in the foot because no matter how much I loved that gown, I will not give them my business and will definitely spread the word. In an internet era of educated consumers, the crucial first impression of a business is generally gathered online. Businesses should be especially sensitive to clients’ needs and wants and AE’s clerk should have been more concerned about their poor internet reviews and less about ONE customer potentially buying from another vendor.

What can I say about my experience at ALWAYS ELEGANT BRIDAL to convey what happened to my family yesterday.
Let’s just say buying a wedding-​related dress is always stressful. Of course so when you are the bide, but ESPECIALLY when you are only in the bridal party.: (
Usually the bride’s mom pays for a really awesome dress and the attendees are told what to buy. That, in itself, puts the party member at a disadvantage from the get-​go. So what do you expect when you visit these bridal stores trying to find your size in that lime green stunner?
While the bride spends a lot more $ by choosing, the bridal party is forced to spend $ 200+ on a silly looking gown sea green gown that they might be able to wear to a costume party.
So what do we attendees need? Help, y’all!
This is a true HTG story:
The mother-​of-​the-​bride, my sister-​in-​law, our little daughters (so looking forward to trying on dresses) all visited Elegant Bridal yesterday. It’s a little shop on Main street that LOOKS LIKE it is a respite from the madness.
We had called the afternoon previous to our visit, three times, and left messages that we would be in the next morning to see their junior bridesmaid dresses but we had a particular model in mind. The owner of the shop, Rafaela, I believe, did not return our calls. We were initially only able to receive a response via email, but finally, after numerous attempts, she finally called back. Rafaela told us when she called that we could certainly come to the shop but we shouldn’t expect to try anything on until we basically swore on the lives of our children that we would actually BUY from the shop.
We explained, «How can we buy the dress until we see it on our children?» After much back-​and-​forth, she agreed to let our us come in, after driving the 45 minutes to arrive, and try on the dresses. We left early in the morning to make our appointment on-​time. As soon as we arrived, Rafaela had her posse of employees, and the dress we were looking (in a plastic bag) waiting for us near the entrance.
We walked into her shop excited to see our little girls all dressed up. What we experienced was another story. Rafaela informed us that. miraculously, in the late night hours, the dress we wanted to try on had been sold and we were not only not allowed to try in on, but even touch it. When we then asked the size of the dress to get an idea of possible fit, she refused to tell us. Then we asked the price of the dress. She wasn’t sure. We kindly asked, since the dress we wanted to try on had been sold somewhere near midnight, that we would like to try on something comparable to get an idea of the girl’s sizes. Her answer was «No.» She said, in full view of all the junior bridesmaid dresses in the store, that she had absolutely nothing for us to try on.
«But,» we explained, «We drove 40 minutes to get here and you told us last night we could try on the dresses.» She curtly said, «Sorry, you can’t» and refused to even take the bridal dress out of the plastic covering for us to look at. After some back-​and-​forth, we asked the simple question — «If you knew the dress was sold, why didn’t you call us back to alert us not to make the trip?» No response but a sideways look.
Listen bridal shop owners, buying a $ 250 dress that your kid is only going to wear once is taxing on a mom. The absolute last thing we want is to bullied out of the store buy the owner. I have NEVER been so offended in my life. We left the shop in shock at the utter selfishness and uncaring attitude of this woman and I vowed to document our experience on google to save others the distress that we experienced. So wedding party moms and attendees, listen closely. If you go to Elegant Bridal, expect to be treated like you are diseased, and penniless, of which we are neither. But it really doesn’t matter, does it. Even if we were, we should have been shown a modicum of respect. We weren’t.
SAVE YOURSELF YOUR HUMILITY AND THE PLEASURE OF NOT MEETING RAFAELA AND ELEGANT BRIDAL. YOU WILL THANK ME DOWN THE ROAD!