Bridal Elegance

I give 5 stars for the actual shopping and buying experience but 3 stars for the alterations experience. So 4 on average. Buying: all the associates I worked with were super nice and accommodating. They were respectful to my mother and friend plus listened to my feedback. This was my 7th or 9th store (can’t remember) that I visited so I was already a bit burnt out from the process so I am VERY glad that I found the dress here. They steamed ($75) and held onto my dress and veil until the day before which was helpful. Alterations: I am disappointed after the fact. On the wedding reddit, most brides say to NOT use the tailors at your bridal shop due to cost and quality. I saw Courtney given a ton of shoutouts so when I was assigned to her, I thought cool, we’re set. We had 3 appointments but 2 major issues. Issue 1: On my actual wedding day, any time I walked in my dress, I felt like I was going to trip at any moment. I don’t know if it was the style of the dress and the amount of layers in the skirt OR an alteration issue where it should have been made shorter but I felt uncomfortable. My guests on the other hand said I looked like I was gliding so a relief that I didn't look as uncomfortable as I felt but still - for the amount I paid, I should have felt as good as I looked. I assume most brides do not know what they’re doing as they try on bridal dresses and get them altered (I sure didn’t) so I wish Courtney/the BE team had provided a bit more guidance with this as now my biggest tip is WALK AROUND IN YOUR DRESS. Don’t just stand there and let them shorten it with the pins and markers and such and call it a day. Fully walk around in it and see how it feels. When I go to my normal tailor they have me do that but I never did that here. Could I have remembered to do this myself? Sure but the whole wedding thing is so overwhelming so I would have appreciated this guidance from the team. Issue 2: We bustled my dress as it had a long train. Again trying on the bustle in the store, it worked perfectly. The problem is given issue one with the general styling / length of the skirt in my HEELS, I also switched to converses for the reception so the length became even more of an issue. I brought my flats to fittings btw but we never tried them on due to timing / reassurance that if the dress is the right length for the heels, it will be for the converses. Well it wasn’t. I would have been better off with the wristlet-type bustle because that’s what I ended up doing all night. I probably look goofy as hell in my photos and videos trying to dance while holding my drink AND my dress (while it was bustled). Oh and the bustle wouldn’t stay, my coordinator had to readjust it multiple times even before the dancing portion started. Then I ended up just making a makeshift bustle tucking it into my hemline LOL. Similar to the walking in the dress advice, WEAR YOUR DANCING SHOES (if changing) AND ACTUALLY BUSTLE AND MOVE PURPOSEFULLY IN THE DRESS BEFORE FINALIZING. I would have loved more direction from Courtney and the BE team on this because, again, wedding planning is a whirlwind and not something we’re used to (and let's be real, dress shopping sucks because you're the center of attention in a room full of strangers who have full of you, it's not a comfortable experience already) so having that guidance here would have probably saved a lot of trouble.