Archive Bridal provided me with such a disappointing experience. This was my second appointment of the day and I was on Cloud 9 after the experience at my first appointment. I booked my appointment at Archive about four months out. When we arri...ved, we were greeted at the front by a girl who seemed annoyed that we arrived and she was dressed as if she were coming back from the club the night before. The store was empty, besides one other appointment, so it seemed odd that she would be annoyed to have another bride walk through the door. I was hoping this girl was just a receptionist since she quickly dimmed my excitement, but Crystal was unfortunately my bridal consultant. When I made my appointment I confirmed that their special order gowns started under what I was willing to spend, so I didn't think my budget was unreasonable. She asked about budget and silhouettes, and was visibly put out by the budget I wanted to start with. And, instead of using that information to pull dresses, she then told our group "alright, well I will let you all browse, let me know when you find something and I can pull it down." The biggest problem with this: what if we pulled dresses well beyond budget?! I was absolutely taken aback. I was under the impression that such a high-end and raved about bridal salon would, at the very least, be assisting with pulling the right dresses.
The selection of gowns was great, but nothing spectacular. I was unfamiliar with how the gowns were organized so I didn't want to waste time shopping around. We found a few and she helped me into them with the most painful and fake small talk. I know bridal consultants do this day in and day out, but I assume they choose this industry because they enjoy making someone's experience an experience they have dreamed of.
When I came out in a few of the dresses, she didn't care to ask how I felt about the dress or what I liked about it to help pull styles that were more to my taste at all. She just stated facts about the silhouette (thanks, we all know what a sweetheart neckline is). We asked her if she could pin the front of some dresses so that we could get a better idea of what the back looked like and she complained that we "were making her work." I didn't find it funny, since I assumed it was her job to help me get the best idea of what this oversized dress could look like on my body.
I tried on 5 dresses and she promised to email me with the name and info about my favorite dress from the appointment. She rushed me through each one and prematurely started putting veils on my head and it seemed like she was trying to force a feeling. I did like one dress, but she was so uninterested in me or what I was trying to find that I needed to leave before I became any more disappointed with my shopping experience. Four days passed and I did not hear from her, so I left a voicemail at the salon. She emailed me the next day with the dress info and told me she was "resending it"-- no doubt to cover her mistake. Even if I had been absolutely in love with this dress, I still would not have been able to purchase it. I would never have wanted to credit this girl with the sale or give my money to this salon.
If you are looking for a dream experience, there are plenty of other salons in San Diego that will provide you with this. As a bride, you deserve to be over the moon about your dress and it is a consultant's job to help you feel this way about such an important part of your day!