Aliber’s Bridal

Aliber’s was the second bridal boutique on my journey to find The Dress. Although I didn’t purchase my wedding dress for Aliber’s, I can recommend it as a very reasonable option to peruse and try on gowns.
This bridal salon was also represented at the Big E wedding expo, and even handed out envelopes for money-​off a wedding gown purchase (sealed until you came for your appointment). It was a cold and icky evening in January when I walked through the doors. And I was rushing in from a long, hard day of work. Unfortunately, this meant that I looked quite a mess: my hair was thrown up in bun, I had on my warmest winter clothing, and generally didn’t look like a bride-​to-​be. Since I work in Greenfield, but live in Springfield, there was really no way around it.
Cristen, the owner at Aliber’s, greeted me warmly. The shop was inviting, well thought out, and quite beautiful. Yes, you are asked to remove your shoes, which yes, did kind of feel a bit pretentious, but understand that they are trying to protect the gorgeous gowns that fill the room. We took our time looking at a few dresses; I had seen some Justin Alexander gowns that I wanted to try on, and those were included in her list of designers.
The try-​on room is tiny: only room for the bride and maybe one person can squeeze in to assist. Cristen actually waited outside while I stepped into the gown, and then she helped zip me into it. I loved the pedestal and 180 mirror (plus the mirrors on the wall behind the pedestal), it really helped me to get a full view of the dresses. Aliber’s also has quite the selection of accessories. I asked to see a couple of bolero/​sleeve options and she had several to choose from.
I was quite disappointed that I didn’t look the part of a bride, with my hair a mess and my makeup half undone. Cristen politely (though it kind of stung when she said it), suggested that I make another appointment for when I had more time to primp. She was very helpful in helping get my mom on FaceTime to see the dress, and even took loads of pictures for me to look at when I got home. And she did this without the slightest complaint or hesitation. At the end of the evening, I had a very good idea of the style of dress that looked best on my body, and felt better about the direction these appointments were going.
Cristen continued to keep in contact with me in the months following my appointment. And though I ended up purchasing my wedding dress at another boutique, I can still say with some assurance that this is one of the better bridal salons in Western Mass. They have lots of accessories, beautiful gowns, and with their added history (since 1920), you know this is a shop you can trust.

Stopped by Aliber’s this weekend to look at some bridesmaid dresses with my partner and we were sadly surprised at our experience at this store. When we entered, the first thing that we encountered was the fact that we had to take off our shoes. This was a bit strange due to the fact that we have been to other dress boutiques in the past and have never seen this before. In the past if someone is trying on a dress they have to go to the «no shoe dressing area», but never have we had to walk around the store shoeless.
The next major flaw with this store was the customer service. When we entered the store the saleswoman said hello… and that was then end of our interactions. She did not ask to help us and made no effort to assist in the slightest. The shop had a great selection of dresses, but we ended up leaving because the staff seemed too preoccupied to help out.
Overall, this place has great potential, and maybe we hit it on an off day, but we felt uncomfortable while shopping here and wished the experience had been better.

I recently bought my bridal gown at Aliber’s and I couldn’t have had a better experience. I tried the usual places, David’s Bridal and the like, and there’s no contest to a smaller shop that will really pay attention to you. Cristen was patient and extremely helpful. The gown I picked was one of her choices. It was nothing like what I thought I wanted, but it’s gorgeous and I can’t wait to wear it! It’s perfect for my body type and I’m very comfortable in it. She also went out of her way to help me find bride’s maid dresses. My girls are all over the pace geographically so that is so helpful. I was really dreading the whole experience of gown shopping, and I ended up being so happy that I am even more excited about my wedding!