Gavin Christianson Bridal

I had the most amazing experience at Gavin Christianson. I fully went in with no expectation of finding a dress, I was so nervous. I usually have such a hard time finding things I like, between being picky and not having the typical body type I was totally not looking forward to trying on dresses. My consultant asked me a ton of questions and helped me narrow down what I really wanted without me even knowing it! I found a gown from their private Carrington Collection and I'm so glad it's not a dress I will be seeing worn all over cause it's exclusive! Gavin Christianson made the day so amazing and everyone was so helpful and so kind, I ended up finding my dream dress and I can’t wait for it to get here! I cannot say enough wonderful things about the staff and the experience you get from Gavin Christianson. I'll be coming back for bridesmaids and my hubby's tuxedo too.❤️

Knowledgeable. Insightful. Caring. These are words that describe the people behind the experience that is Gavin Christianson Bridal. It's one thing to hear how wonderful a place is. It is quite another to experience it firsthand. I wasn't sure what to expect. I had already visited a few local bridal salons, before visiting Gavin Christianson, and always walked away unimpressed and thinking I may not find "the" dress. All that changed at Gavin Christianson Bridal. Hayes greeted our party. She was friendly and gracious. She asked about the wedding, about plans, and then asked what ideas I had for a dress. She listened - really listened, to everything I said, everything I shared, and was spot-on when it came to pulling dresses. Janeen came over to greet us and also grabbed a few gowns after listening to us talk. She could not have selected better dresses to try. She made the process of trying on dresses, and even more, the process of FINALLY choosing a dress, a JOY! The consultants together helped me make the best choice for me. Not once did I feel pressured in any way.  Not once did I feel as though this was a mere job to them. These were people who wanted you to find the dress for you! These were people who cared about you. When you go to Gavin Christianson Bridal, you will be in great hands, caring hands. Thank you, Gavin Christianson Bridal, for helping me to find "the" dress. ...but even more? Thank you for the way you care about individual brides. :)

This shop has an excellent selection of gorgeous gowns, however, buyer beware! Initially they are extremely helpful and seem to want you to find your dream dress, but there were a few warning signs about their shady business practices that I shouldn’t have ignored: 1) they charge a $25 consultation fee. They apply this to your dress purchase but ONLY if you purchase the same day of your consult. I went to at least 10 different bridal gowns shops and no one else charges a fee to try on their dresses. They use a pressured sales approach to make you feel forced to make a decision on one of your most expensive wedding costs and likely the most expensive clothing purchase you’ll ever make. That’s not okay. 2) They don’t give you written quotes for your gown or accessories unless you specifically ask and when they do, it’s very vague. Everywhere else writes down the name of the dress, designer and price. On my first visit, I found a dress I loved. Gineen told me the cost of the dress was $1700. I told her that needed to think about it. She followed up with me via a phone call two days later to let me know that there was an option to purchase the exact dress I tried on for an off-the-rack price of $1100. I liked that idea so I told her I’d think about that and get back to her. I continued my search for the perfect dress and went to another bridal store in Cameron Village to try on dresses. They also happened to carry the same dress I fell in love with at GCB. The helpful, no-pressure salesgirl wrote down the dress designer, specific dress and price of $1499 for me without hesitation on cards printed for this purpose. Despite being $200 less expensive, I still felt like I should buy the gown from GCB since I originally found the dress there. Two weeks later Gineen called me to let me know they were having an off-the-rack sale of 10% off so, “the dress I loved would be an additional 10% off”. I was thrilled! I asked if there would be another consultation fee and she told me only if I tried on other dresses besides that ONE. I decided to go back and try it on one more time but because I wanted to try on two other dresses that day to compare, I had to pay an additional $25 (total of $50 now). I narrowed it down to the dress I loved and one other dress so I asked her to tell me the final cost of each dress so I could decide. She told me the dress I loved was $2500 brand new or $1500 off the rack. But that they would give me a “healthcare heroes discount”. When I reminded her that she told me that the off the rack dress was $1100 plus 10% off because of the sale, she told me that she “never said that”. Which was 100% untrue. I also reminded her that she originally told me the dress was $1700 brand new. She told me that was the off the rack price. She couldn’t give me a straight answer about the ACTUAL cost of either dress so I asked her to please total everything up and give me an out the door cost for the dress, belt and veil. At this point I realized I was getting ripped off and decided to take my business elsewhere. I ended up going to Carolina Bridal World in Smithfield based on a recommendation from a friend. I was treated EXCEPTIONALLY and found my exact same dress there for $920!! For the SAME dress and accessories I spent a grand total of $1280, when GCB was going to charge me $2860 (even with a “discount”)! Bottom line- GCB has beautiful dresses but they treat you like you’re buying a used car instead of a wedding gown.

I am very shocked this store has such a high rating. I scheduled an afternoon appointment because I saw an ad online that they had budget friendly sample dresses on sale. I booked an appointment online, but the minimum requirement to put down as my budget was something around $1,500. I also wrote in the description that I would’ve gone dress shopping at a few stores before the Gavin appointment. After I booked, I decided the sale was just TOO good so I rescheduled to a 10:30 AM appointment the same day so I’d have first picks of the great dresses! I then received a call from the store to confirm the appointment and discuss my vision. I explained to her that my budget was NOT $1,500, and I only put that because the website forced me to. I explained I was only interested in sample dresses.In addition, I explained since I changed the appointment time, this would actually be my first bridal appointment ever. She understood (or at least I think she did). So, the day of the appointment arrives. We arrived early, around 10:15, just to be safe. The doors were locked, so we stood outside for ten minutes while we waited for someone to show up and unlock the store. I understand we were the first appointment of the day, but I would expect the doors to be open more than five minutes before an appointment. Inside the stylist said she went through my Pinterest board and said I was “all over the place,” and to be honest, the tone was not very friendly. It came off more like I was annoying her that I didn’t know EXACTLY what I wanted. Well how could I? I hadn’t tried on any dresses yet. She said that in my profile I had written that I would’ve been to a few stores beforehand, and that my budget was $1,500. I explained to her that that was incorrect, and that I talked to someone on the phone a week prior explaining that. I guess the message didn’t get routed/my profile wasn’t updated. In the dressing room there were pins on the floor which I had to move that my bare feet wouldn’t step on. When I went back to the dressing room the stylist would purposely step on my dress to keep me from walking in too far so she could zip me out of it. I don’t know about you, but if I’m buying a dress off the rack, I wouldn’t want anyone stepping on my dress. We did not take any photos (there are signs around the stores instructing it’s prohibited). I think the stylist might have said we could’ve taken a photo of the top dress only, but none were worth photographing. After we went through all the dresses in my budget, the appointment ended early and we left. It was very disappointing because I paid a $30 non refundable deposit for the appointment. Afterwards my mom and sister told me that when I was not paying attention, they got up to look at dresses and were immediately instructed to sit down and not move. Other stores I went to had a “no touch policy” due to covid, but they were much friendlier about it. Overall, my family and I did not feel welcomed in the store, the stylist was not very friendly (it felt more like she just wanted us to try on everything and get out). Luckily we got this appointment over first because we had AMAZING experiences at the five stores we went to afterwards (which were ALL not as “high end”, and didn’t charge me a deposit). All of the other stores let us take pictures, were super excited for us to show up, didn’t make me feel bad for not liking dresses, and were very welcoming and friendly.