A Formal Affair Bridal and Special Occasions Salon

ately calmed and felt at ease. Akunna was so helpful and sweet. I found my dream dress and had a great experience. ❤️ highly recommend.

mind!!

s focused while also having fun with us. The dresses were also so cute and match the theme of my friend’s wedding perfectly.

ately calmed and felt at ease. Akunna was so helpful and sweet. I found my dream dress and had a great experience. ❤️ highly recommend.

eginning but they let me try on different styles until we found one I loved. Highly recommend!!

ought it to my room!

ed good, and what looked great! I would highly recommend her. I found this location because my Maid of Honor also used her for her wedding years ago!

Affair.

ould be available to ship out sooner. I had a lot of options but I knew I found the one when my mom, sister and I started tearing up! Best experience ever.

beautiful. I would definitely recommend.

e to rush my dress in time for my elopement!

d be like! They even stayed longer than needed to ensure I got the attention I needed ! 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

for the hollow to hem fee or replacement material to lengthen the dress and my wedding is only 5 weeks away. At first I was thrilled with A Formal Affair; they had a dress I couldn’t find anywhere else and they were so kind. They offered me a “hollow to hem,” meaning the dress would be hemmed in factory, for $200, which they claimed would save me money on tailoring. Not knowing better, I agreed, and they measured me for flat shoes. The dress came in an inch or two too short. Immediately I let them know and asked for extra lace to fix it and the $200 back, to cover the cost of fixing it. This started literally months of back-and-forth. First they needed extremely specific photos – so specific that I had to take two trips to my tailor to get it right, and then they demanded a video call. They were calling me frequently, insisting that I had to get the photos right away. I asked why and they said that altering would shorten the dress. But they never warned me of that when I ordered a dress for flat shoes! Eventually – weeks after I received the dress – they were happy with the photos, but said they couldn’t get me extra lace by the time my tailor wanted it, because the lace had to be hand made. They refused to give me the $200 back, claiming policy was they had to try to get me a replacement dress first. I asked how they could guarantee me a replacement dress in time if they couldn’t even get me replacement lace, and they had no answer. They asked me to send them back the dress and promised me a new one, but refused to give me a date that I would receive it. At this point we were about three months out from the wedding, and my tailor said she needed to start the tailoring. I told them I couldn’t send them the dress without a guaranteed date; there wasn’t enough time. They tried to blame my tailor for not being good enough – but she is one of the best in the city. At that point I was so stressed because my tailor was telling me she would have to cut into the train to get enough lace to make the dress long enough, and it was going to cost hundreds of dollars. I asked A Formal Affair for at least my money back, if they couldn’t even get me lace. Their current position is they will get me lace in time, but they are refusing to refund me the money, and now they have stopped communicating with me at all. At least I have the dress, I guess. But it may or may not end up without the beautiful train, and I will spend hundreds on fixing the mistake they charged me $200 to make. It has been weeks of back and forth, them blaming me, blaming my tailor, blaming the factory. If they had just refunded me the $200 and sent me the lace, I would have been happy. Everyone makes mistakes – I get that – and this one could have been fixed. But sadly I have to strongly advise against purchasing your dress here – not only because of how hard it is to get them to fix mistakes, but also because of how they failed to warn me about the alterations problem, which seems like a pretty necessary warning for someone ordering a dress for flat shoes! If you absolutely must go here, I recommend against allowing them to hem your dress in factory.

did the whole 'shedding tears of joy' when I had the dress on. They have been amazing in setting up appointments and following up with you! Akunna was so helpful in making me feel confident that the alteration process would be a breeze! You ladies are the bomb! Thank you so much for helping me find the most beautiful dress!

g accessories. Love this place!

ur review has been disputed twice by the owner & we were required to make adjustments to what in our opinion, were factual statements. Customer service was non-existent, immediately following the purchase & payment in-full plus shipping. It was extremely difficult to get status updates. Akunna completed all measurements for the dress order. When the dress finally arrived, we were asked if we wanted to use their alterations company. We did & made our first appointment. The dress was not at all what we expected & did not fit. The sample dress was a size 10 & the majority of the dress was clipped back to fit a size 4 body. An enormous lace cutout was not visible, & was not brought to our attention, which resulted in additional lining at our expense. The overall quality was not good. The neckline was very rough causing immediate skin irritation. Akunna completed all measuring & pinning for four separate dress fitting alterations, although the alterations company is supposedly a separate company. Akunna handled the transaction for the dress fitting alterations & the charge to my credit card statement was for Helpful Hints, LLC. A simple LLC search revealed that Helpful Hints, LLC listed Akunna as the registered agent for that business & it was active/in compliance. Dress was finally complete & ready for pickup, with multiple residual lining issues Monday, 9/16/2019 before the Saturday, 9/21/2019 wedding. At the third dress fitting, Akunna attempted to charge an alteration rush fee of $190 when she realized that the wedding date was just two weeks away. Akunna had been informed when we originally purchased the dress in February 2019, that the wedding was Sept. 21, 2019. She thought the wedding was Sept. 28, 2019. Akunna started making multiple excuses for the reason we were suddenly in a rush mode for these alterations. Akunna expressed that shipping took 15 days instead of the originally scheduled 7-10 days because the dress was shipped from China & was held up in a port. A Formal Affair was understaffed. The schedule was very complicated & Akunna, Molly & Alex all needed to be present for the next fitting. Akunna expressed that we were contractually bound for rush fees. After listing a multitude of excuses, Akunna ultimately paid the rush fee. A Formal Affair does not appear to have a corporate office as stated by Akunna. The email address for A Formal Affair is a gmail address. According to Akunna & A Formal Affair Manager, Marissa, the corporate office in New York does not have a mailing address, telephone number or contact person. Akunna & Marissa both suggested that we contact the corporate offices at the exact same email address ending in aol.com . A Formal Affair presented the alterations company as a separate company, which allowed them both to blame the other when alterations were not going smoothly. Ultimately, the dress was completed for the wedding. The bustle button fell off within minutes & we secured the bustle with a safety pin for the entire reception. At no time during the four dress fittings did any employee at A Formal Affair apologize for the process or show any empathy for the stress we were feeling. A Formal Affair was our only vendor to receive less than 5 stars. I would not recommend purchasing anything from this business.

exciting! She helped me find beautiful dresses in my price point and even stayed over an hour after the store closed letting me continue to try on and re-try on dresses. Wouldn't have wanted to experience that occasion any other way!

feel stressed or rushed throughout our appointment. I am very excited to bring my bridesmaids back and know I will be treated with the upmost respect and care. I highly recommend A Formal Affair! (: Thank you for such a memorable and joyful experience!

n to account what I said I wanted out of a dress. I would not have found my perfect dress without A Formal Affair!

r different platforms, so the negative experiences can be a little hard to find. I'll start by saying Akunna is a wonderful saleswoman. We felt very welcomed and attended to early 2019 when I went to try on wedding dresses. However, there were a couple of odd things about how they ran their business that gave us red flags: 1) We weren't under any circumstances allowed to take pictures of the dresses until the papers were signed to buy it, and 2) we weren't allowed to know who designed the dress. However, I ended up trying on a dress I loved, and we went ahead and bought it. But we still felt weird about not having been allowed to know the designer. Every other wedding store provided this information to give the designers credit. We then read through all of the reviews for this place and dreaded November when my dress was supposed to arrive. It's very likely that A Formal Affair has these dresses made cheaply overseas to mock actual desigers' dresses. SO many negative reviews complain their dresses didn't look like the original, weren't sized correctly, etc. On the day my mom and I went to pick up my dress, they weirdly had us do a 'dress check' to verify it was what we ordered, and we had to sign papers after looking at it and BEFORE even trying it on. My mom and I had already decided to probably have the final alterations done by a personal seamstress, but A Formal Affair repeatedly would mention their "neighbor seamstress" in the business "next door". The seamstress' building is literally connected to A Formal Affair. I tried on my dress (which, thankfully, was the fit and look of the dress I tried on... I think we were one of the lucky ones in that aspect), and she mentioned changing to go next door to the seamstress. I asked if I could just keep the dress on and walk through the connecting door, but she said they don't use that door. We didn't think much of it, so I got out of my dress, put it back in it's bag, changed clothes, and Akunna walked my mom and I up the stairs, out the door, and down the side of the building to the front entrance of the seamstress. We walked into the seamstress' office.... and the seamstress was the same lady who was just working as the receptionist upstairs at A Formal Affair??? She clearly had just walked down the stairs and used the connecting door. My mom and I felt SO uncomfortable. I changed into my dress to have her figure out what alterations were needed, and this lady could not pin my dress. It was as if she's never pinned a dress for alterations. She struggled so long to pin parts of the dress that I stopped her before we were finished and told her we were going to go elsewhere for the alterations. I would NOT recommend this place to anyone, but ESPECIALLY to a bride. In reading through their negative reviews (specifically on Google Reviews), you'll notice they only respond to some of them. They don't appropriately address the concerns regarding their policies that I've stated above. Instead of simply apologizing, they actually will argue with a customer's experience, which is something that I think is unprofessional.

reviews. I was very hesitant to schedule an appointment (walk-ins aren't an option). I called the store to schedule and was told there would be a $20 consultant fee (pretty much an entrance fee) BUT it would go toward the total of the dress if one is purchased from them. Luckily, we ended up purchasing a dress so it wasn't $20 wasted. While we were there we worked with Akuna. She was nice, and we joked around, but it was an underwhelming experience. During measurements, they measured my mom as a size 10 (she is an 8). The measurements were finalized based upon her "biggest" measurement - I get it. I understand that. But we believe it was improperly measured with the tape measurer. A dress can be altered around the smaller measurements, cool. Well we paid $40 for rush shipping AFTER the fact (because I was never asked when my wedding date was). Plus we were scared into paying the $40 because even with 4 months to go until my wedding, it made it seem like we would not be able to receive it in time. Fast forward to picking up the dress, I picked it up for my mom because we were getting alterations done elsewhere (where we have been several times before). I signed for the dress after observing there were no tears, rips, or any obvious markings/imperfections. Fast forward again to 3/4/19, my mom goes to the alterations lady we use and tells us the dress is not made well/isn't good quality. The zipper is too long which is causing the dress zipper to pucker and the dress is SWIMMING on my mom. She should have gotten her true size, an 8. So on top of spending $40 for rush shipping, and $20 for a consultant fee, my mom now has to pay for about 5 different things to be altered because a poor quality dress. Fast forward to today, 3/5/19, I called A Formal Affair and speak to Akuna. She had a great memory of the events that took place in December when we were there. However, we hung up without resolution. There was no compensation. Nothing. I am very aware she didn't hand sew the dress herself but they should 110% stand behind their product. Akuna offered to go with us to our alteration lady to assist in how a dress should be altered - NO! Our alteration's lady alters outfits ALL DAY M-Sat, she doesn't need assisting. And then I also received an offer to go into A Formal Affair and use their alterations lady, but no thank you, don't want to waste any more time or money there. I will say, Akuna was very professional on the phone, and she is very nice... If you are reading this review, thinking if you should step foot in the store because it might not be as bad as the person before....think again! Save yourself the trouble, and possible upsetting reality of a poorly made dress. Edit: The night of my wedding, my mom's dress kept unraveling. The thread from the sequin work was coming UNDONE!! When I called the store about it, they suggested it was our alterations seamstress. I was appalled by the suggestion, seeing as how our seamstress altered my WEDDING DRESS and my dress had sequins and beading and thread and it stayed in perfect condition.

g room was intimate and easy to see the dress in. Overall an awesome experience and I said yes to the dress!

my experience there!

s we want to try on. Shouldn't this just be part of their job? How is it the Bride to be's problem. Looking for a dress and planning a wedding is already stressful enough.

ried on that day was strapless, and I wanted some kind of straps or shoulder piece to help hold my dress up. Linda suggested ordering extra fabric from the designer and having sleeves and an illusion back added to the dress - she even had a removable lace neck/shoulder piece that we were able to try in with the dress so I could have an I sea of what my dress would look like. In the end the designer ended up designing a custom top for my gown that was exactly what I wanted. I felt like a million dollars in that dress. I am so thankful for Linda and A Formal Affair for helping me find my perfect dress and making my wedding that much more special.

into the boutique Akunna was ready for me even though I was there a bit before my appointment. She first sat down with me to talk about what I was thinking for my wedding dress, I think she quickly learned I wasn’t entirely certain. She then walked me through the store and asked me my thoughts on different dresses to narrow down what we were looking for. As I began to try on dresses Akunna was very good at calming my nerves and laughing with me as I tried on dress after dress. She did an excellent job pushing me to give her feedback after each dress as to what I liked/didn’t like about it so she could find the next dress that might be THE dress. She even let me Facetime with my parents who live in Minnesota so they could see it and give their feedback before buying a dress. Finally, I found it, the dress that was elegant and glamourous and perfect! I cannot say enough good things about Akunna and the staff at A Formal Affair, they were always there to answer my calls and questions. And the highlight for all us I think was when we were a month out from the wedding my dress was supposed to have arrived and when Akunna called the manufacturer we found out to do a weather disaster in the area where the manufacturer was located the dress had not been shipped! Of course I was very concerned as was Akunna, however, she did everything to keep me calm and to ensure me I would have my dress for the wedding. When it became clear the dress would likely not arrive in time Akunna gave me the dress that was in the shop. The dress in the store was about eight sizes too large for me, so she offered to pay for all of the alterations and the dress preservation afterwards to make it right. I was initially concerned that the due to all of the intricate lace and beading that taking it in that much would change the look of the dress but she assured me that the seamstress was the best and it would be perfect. She even drove over to the Alterations shop with me and my mom on a Saturday to ensure that the seamstress understood everything I was looking for. In the end she was right, the dress was absolutely PERFECT and I could not have asked for a better experience. Thank you so much to A Formal Affair and Akunna as I felt like a princess on my wedding day and had so many compliments on how amazing my dress was. If you are looking for your wedding dress you absolutely must go to A Formal Affair!

d time making a decision ad she let me try on the dresses as many times as I needed. We lost track of time and closed the salon down! I'm planning on visiting to look for bridesmaid dresses. 2nd Review (6.22.16): After I bought my dress, I received a phone call from the sweetest young lady (I can't remember her name). She called just to check in on me and to see if I had any follow up questions regarding my dress! I went in to look for bridesmaids dress. I wasn't successful - because I wanted my girls be able to chose their style from a larger selection - BUT our experience was still very nice and very comfortable. The associate was very helpful and even sent me home with some styles to look at if I changed my mind.

he right questions of each dress to help narrow down my choices. Definitely made it not stressful. Found my perfect dress here!

to get my other items needed and have been so kind to me. Definitely worth working with them again.

he dresses weren't on the floor. That is TOTALLY RIDICULOUS. I have never heard of that. What kind of business is this. Why do people actually go here? They lost any future business with me.

experienced before (I wear a size 12/14). Akunna helped me figure out what I liked and didn't like and made suggestions for me that were well within my specified budget. She took her time and was very patient. I never felt rushed. Happy to say I found the perfect dress! I absolutely love it!!!

ing, The sales rep Linda treated me with such professionalism and respect.THANK YOU A FORMAL AFFAIR BRIDAL,I KNOW MY UPCOMING WEDDING WILL BE FANTASTIC. I am grateful for your services.

hours. Then called again they picked up the phone only to hang it up on me. Was told several times would call back and no one ever called me. We are waiting on a total of 5 bridesmaids dress at $256.00 a piece we were told we could not have owners information nor can we call the distribution company who they placed the order was told they would get back to us never have we got that call from them yet. We have a photo shoot in 3 weeks and still no answer on the dresses.

dget, my style, and try on many dresses. I actually found my dress and purchased it that same day. However, to be conscious of our budget and timeline, I decided to purchase my belt and veil within a three week time frame after purchase. When I called to confirm the belt style and arrange to pick it up during my lunch break I was informed that the consultant failed to write down the belt style as well as the veil style.Further inconvenience, she was out of town. The bridal salon did nothing to contact her nor did they express any remorse for their error in record keeping. In fact, no one ever even followed up. It wasn't until I saw them at another bridal show that I was even able to get a response on my belt. When I went to pick it up - it was the incorrect belt. End result - I had to take my dress out of it's cold dark storage area, risk it in the heat, drive over 20 miles from my home back to the salon (not to mention home again), put my dress back on and try on the belts again to find the correct one. After all that - they even had the audacity to say that I should calm down - I'm sorry but if I spend $1000 plus in your store - I expect exceptional customer service at any retail store. Their solution for 2 months of run around and horrendous service, a ten percent discount off the belt. Not acceptable and I would never recommend this salon to any bride. Truly an impersonal experience and falls extremely short for any retail customer service.

ed into A Formal Affair, I was excited to see the huge selection, and the woman who helped me was so friendly and down to earth. I highly recommend checking them out if you are in the market for a wedding dress.