L'elite Bridal, Occasions & Bridesmaids

ghter's big day in spite of the late notice. I can't tell you what a relief it was to have them in our corner, ensuring that in spite of the lateness, all was handled and delivered to perfection. The day was a dream thanks to L'Elite. They are a first class operation with warm and caring people who rise to the occasion when necessary. Thank you. Thank you.

and her work was fabulous. I absolutely loved my dress, it fit perfectly and truly reflected my style. I highly recommend L'Elite bridal!

at L'Elite, where I discovered that despite being promised that my gown could be double-lined by the designer when ordered (so that it was not see-through, and the boning was not visible), that this was not the case. I ended up needing five fittings, with two being the weekend before my wedding as it was determined that my dress could not be taken in anymore but still did not have enough support to stay in place and a corset would be required. I had numerous issues throughout the time that L'Elite had my dress, including a lost veil and numerous miscommunications (I informed them on multiple occasions that I would not be picking my dress up on the day of the last fitting, but still arrived to a dress packaged for pick up and not for a fitting). My mother bought her mother-of-the-bride gown from L'Elite as well, and requested it to be hemmed shorter than normal as she has MS and has difficulty walking, resulting in tripping more easily with a longer dress. She came in from Charlotte, NC for each fitting, and the dress still had not been hemmed to her request two days before the wedding - and was longer than she wanted on wedding day. All in all, while L'Elite is a beautiful salon and has very talented seamstresses, it is extremely expensive and not worth the headache.

reason to come to this boutique. They have a NYC worthy lineup of designers exclusive to them that you will not find anywhere else in Boston. I purchased the 5th dress I tried on. It was a slight departure from the dress I thought I wanted, but I trusted Madeline and she delivered an amazing dress by my favorite designer. PRICE: $$$$$$ Are you prepared to shell out some serious money? If not, get ready. Be completely honest about your budget and what you want that to include (just the dress or the dress with alterations + accessories). I would not suggest this place to a bride who has not decided to put a huge part of her wedding budget towards a dress. Even for brides with a more flexible budget, I would suggest looking elsewhere for more reasonable accessories before committing to the gorgeous ones here. A variety of $3,000 veils will be placed on your head throughout the appointment. Try not to fall in love too fast. SIZING: I would say you will have a decent chance at finding a dress here if you're between a size 0 to 12 (if you're open to less body-hugging dress styles at the size 12 end of the spectrum). Keep in mind, bridal sizes run very small. Madeline is very good at pinning the dresses just enough to give you a great idea of what a dress will look like, even when it's not your size. OVERALL EXPERIENCE: Absolutely fantastic. My mom and I will have memories for a lifetime because of Madeline. - She was very knowledgeable, patient, and accommodating. The length of my appointment was exactly what I needed and I never felt rushed. - Having someone dress and pin you could be very awkward, but I was completely comfortable with the experience. - I never felt pressured into buying a gown. She suggested that my mom and I go have lunch to think about the dress before we make such a large purchase. We were sold. TIPS: 1. Make an appointment with MADELINE. I am so lucky to have been randomly assigned to her. Something to note is that I was also treated well by the other consultants in the store. It could be possible that 1 or 2 bad apples are the cause of the negative Yelp reviews. I would also like to add that as an African American woman, it's not uncommon for me to be completely ignored/ written off by sales associates at other high-end stores in this area. If you also have this problem, let me assure you that you will receive the highest level of service from Madeline at L'elite. 2. If your dress size is above the bridal sample size 8 or 10 (remember this is more like a regular 6 or 8), I would ask what their inventory numbers are like for dresses in the style you want when you're on the phone making an appointment. 3. Bring heels and a strapless bra. 4. Be honest about your budget and be prepared to spend quite a bit on a L'elite dress. 5. Lastly, do your research and come in with pictures, but let Madeline pull other dresses for you to try on even if you "just know" you're going to hate them. This is an opportunity to specifically point out the details you like and do not like about a style which will get you closer to your ideal dress. The dress you have in your head may end up being very different than the dress you fall in love with.

. I had several alternations with Lena and she did a fantastic job of advising me of the length and proper fit, being extremely attentive and patient throughout the process. I also purchased accessories in the salon which went perfect with the gown. Thank you again to the L'elite team for my dream wedding dress! :)

d for in my first time to have someone guide me.

rices, silhouettes, brands. I highly recommend this place!!

esses I adored. I made a follow-up appointment to think everything over and when I cancelled the appointment due to deciding on a dress at another shop, the woman on the phone congratulated me on finding a dress, even though it didn't come from L'elite. I can't recommend them highly enough!

te, I would highly recommend seeing her if you're interested. She deserves the 5 stars!

y recommend you save yourself the stress and take your business elsewhere. They failed to add almost every one of my appointments to the calendar. They lost my veil twice. The second time was three days before the wedding. They did not quality check the bridesmaids dresses when they arrived from the manufacturer, so we had to scramble to find replacements. They lost one of the bridesmaids dresses in their own store. And throughout all of this, when I would call to speak to L’elite about my concerns, I was continually talked over, given every excuse, and only once received an apology. L’elite‘s only redeeming quality is their selection of dresses and their ability to fix mistakes in a crunch.

p, because they have bridesmaids and evening wear, for mother of the bride. I could pick out everything for my bridal party (including the flower girl dresses) and do alterations all in one place! Took so much stress out of the process. I cannot recommend L'elite enough!

m corset for my dress and it is gorgeous. The reason that this is not a 5-star review is that they were sometimes hard to get in touch with, or if I needed something (also got my bridesmaid dresses here) it was as though they did not have a file on me? They never had my phone number or information and I had to give it again and again.

even let us know to order soon before one of the styles was discontinued. My mom also used L'elite's Occasions store to find her MOB dress and looked fabulous! Everyone was so helpful. We are so glad we used L'elite!

, nice, professional and honest. We enjoyed ever minute with her and made my day so special!! Thank you Lena and the whole team, I am so grateful! Love, Tricia Cullinan

style dresses at L'Elite. The store had a very clean and orderly layout (vs dozens of racks crammed with dresses in a seemingly disorganized manner). The staff was very professional and incredibly easy to work with. I was able to place the order over the phone, and our dresses arrived sooner than when they were promised. The tailoring process was also very easy. We had a very positive experience at L'Elite and would highly recommend this bridal boutique!

ded up picking out the dress that I said yes to! I was nervous about how the fittings would go considering I live in Florida but I could not have been more impressed. Ysabel was ABOVE AND BEYOND everything I could have dreamed of. I had 3 dress fittings, all of which I flew in for. The dress was shipped to me within a week of my final fitting, perfectly pressed/folded and ready for me to wear. Everyone at my wedding complimented the bussell of my dress, shocked how amazing it looked considered the length of my train. I wish this review could come with a photo. AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING!

s, made me feel unique and special. I adored my dress and am so glad to have found it, and at such a wonderful place! I am looking forward to taking it back to have it cleaned/preserved, and am so happy that L'elite was part of my wedding experience.

ess Lena was also able to work wonders with my dress and accommodate almost any alteration. Cons: I was made to feel extremely rushed and last minute in buying my dress and felt pressured to buy one the day that I was there. Looking back, I wish I had waited and looked around more. I was also sold a dress that I was promised could be altered to look the way I wanted. However, the dress was not requested correctly from the designer and even when the dress came in wrong from the designer, they delayed the process of correcting it by making me come in and try it on anyway. The alterations that were then required put me well over my original dress budget ($775 dollars for example to adjust the neckline back to the look of the original dress after it was altered through other changes to the dress). Through all the delays in getting my dress in and the alteration process, I now know that I would have had ample time to shop for a dress and not rush into a decision.

, and there was an overwhelmingly beautiful selection of dresses to try on. Lauren’s guidance was knowledgeable, genuine, and pressure-free. She happily let us browse and pulled a gorgeous selection of dresses, and when I fell in love with my gown she picked a perfect veil to match. Our experience was equally positive when shopping for my five bridesmaids. We had plenty of space and time to try on different dresses, and the fitting and ordering process was hassle free. We also found a gorgeous gown for my Mother in Law at Occasions, which Faustina also tailored beautifully. When my dress came in it was far too big (designer cut it wrong) and had to be returned. This was a bit of a hiccup but was resolved professionally. When the proper dress came in, Faustina tailored it flawlessly over several fittings. There were many structural and design elements to work with and I am extremely detail oriented, and I have to say her work was unbelievable. Each a positive experience in L’elites beautiful space, my fittings were always something to look forward to. Faustina took the time and care to teach my Mom and MOH how to bustle and put the dress on, and taught me how to properly walk, turn, and sit with my dress/train. Overall, I am so glad I trusted L’elite with the dresses for my wedding! The service and selection of designer gowns and accessories is wonderful, and we were treated like family from day one. The products and services are definitely high end, and while the alterations are pricey, Faustina’s meticulous attention to detail and superior craftsmanship is worth every penny to create an unforgettable family heirloom. If I could recommend one improvement it would be that the bookkeeping could definitely be modernized, but I can truly only rave about L’elite in every other aspect.

en the day of my wedding the bussle was up and there were safety pins all over my dress. I called after my honeymoon with pictures and they said the safety pins were suppose to be there and did not apologize for any of the mistakes that were made. It was upsetting seeing as I spent so much money and they did not do a good job. There was no accountability.

lon to purchase your gown.

hile I came in 4 separate times before purchasing my dress. Faustina, my seamstress, was amazing. She is so sweet and extremely talented. I couldn't have been happier.

such a special experience. Absolutely flawless service. I really can not speak highly enough of the unique stunning selection of dresses and the phenomenal costumer service. I was a picky stubborn bride (the dress I bought was the 86th one I tried on) My advice, don't waste your time anywhere else, go to L'elite and ask for Karen!!💕

was planning on purchasing several additional accessories for my gown anyway, I decided to give them another chance. When I called for alterations, not only was the woman abrupt and rude - she told me they don't "do outside" alterations and seemed offended that I even asked. That's fine - I can understand that policy. So when I asked if she had any recommendations, she said "No. We don't know anyone else." I said "You mean to say you know no other alterations businesses in all of Boston?" "No, we don't know anyone else." Yikes. ~ Not only did I have a bad experience, I would say that L'Elite's attitude negatively impacts the Boston community. While I certainly will go online and find a fine tailor to get the job done, L'elite misses out on the opportunity to help a neighbor. ~

ld fashion gowns, kept insisting that they are lovely and that I should consider them. The redeeming factor was that she later on let me try on a dress that was a thousand off my budget, but looked totally awesome. However, due to the trauma of the two dresses earlier, I decided not to buy from them.

p back and forth. Upon the first time walking into L'elite, I was immediately greeted by a consultant and the owner Salwa. Salwa helped me find the dress of my dreams, and even when I found a perfect dress and the price just wasnt right, she found me an even better dress in my price range. Salwa made sure to take care of me every time I came to Boston for an appointment. I could not have felt more beautiful on my wedding day, and my husband keeps telling me how he fell in love with me all over again when he saw me during our first look. Thank you L'elite for helping make my dreams a reality!

lier Bliss gown was going to be THE dress even before I did. When I came back for alterations the staff was amazing. I was very picky and came back a few extra times and they were always so nice and accommodating. The dress ended up being molded to my body perfectly and I loved the earrings they suggested. I would recommend LElite to any bride dress shopping- it was everything I had dreamed of.

alled L'elite Bridal 1 week before my wedding in total panic mode. Our wedding was in Boston at the Taj so I knew L'elite's location would be ideal. I never thought they would take me for a final fitting but they did! I went in the Wednesday before our wedding (on Saturday) and they were able to literally do wonders! They fixed my dress in 24 hours. I went in Thursday night and I was shocked they fixed my dress and I finally felt beautiful in it. I am beyond thankful for the customer service they provided and extending out to help me when I did not purchase my dress at their store. I was expecting to pay a crazy amount of money for the alterations but they were very reasonable. They truly cared about helping me and making me feel beautiful in my dress. I would highly recommend L'elite!

rting to get depressed and tired of seeing the same dresses at the other shops, but walking into L’elite was a breath of fresh air. I worked with Lena to find my dress and she immediately understood my style and vision. After trying on a few different designers, we narrowed it down to Monique Lhuillier because of her simplicity and gorgeous fit. I narrowed it down to two dresses, but quickly realized which one was meant for me. I came back later that week and purchased the dress. Lena was so helpful and so wonderful to work with. I can’t thank her enough for helping me find my dream dress. I used their alterations and was so happy I did. They worked with me to make sure the dress was a perfect fit and I had exactly the right accessories to go with it. I am so happy with the overall process and I’m so happy to call myself a L’elite bride.

iful. The staff was all very kind and accommodating. Highly recommend L'elite! Shopping there is definitely a treat, very fun experience for any bride, especially the girly ones :)

dress at a sample sale so the price was extremely reasonable. The alterations were a little pricey but definitely worth it since they needed to completely change the size of the dress. I am very happy with my experience at L'Elite, the shop is beautiful and I always felt very welcome and comfortable when I went there for my appointments.

gmental, and they made dress shopping very fun. Alterations were done in a timely manner, and I was surprised at how affordable they were, given how intricate the skirt of my dress was (and it needed to be shortened, like, several inches because I'm a shorty). I was a little less comfortable with the service in alterations; I felt a lot more out of place than I had in the boutique. But the quality of service was still excellent.

elf continually thinking about the dress. Lena was very patient with me, never pressuring me into this particular gown. Fatima was fabulous as my seamstress. She was so calm and patient and made me feel confident that my dress would look and feel great on the big day. I had a wonderful experience at L'Elite and received so many compliments on my dress!

great experience.

the dresses we were trying on so someone else could try them on. I don't know if it was a bad day for the shop. When we picked out a dress we liked my bridesmaids said we shouldn't order it through them due to the poor service. I ended up picking another dress (from flair right down the street).

resses are not cheap, but worth it if you're looking for something special. They were willing to bargain a little for an off the rack dress. The most amazing part of the experience though was the seamstress- Elena- she is a fairy godmother. She is so gifted, and altered my dress from the original 10 to a 2, and it fit like a dream. She designed a bustle that would fit with the look of the dress so well that people thought it had come like that. She has an impeccable sense of style and gave great advice on all aspects of the look. She made a veil for me at the price I was looking for, and customized to what we wanted. Those ladies are real professionals when it comes to gowns.

occasions store is equally as friendly and service-oriented, but offers a *much* more expensive selection of dresses.) The bridesmaid dress styles tend to be in the $250 and above range. Our salesperson, Hillary, was very helpful and the experience of shopping in the store was quiet and pleasant, as there aren't many customers there at any given time. Our order from Amsale arrived on time and the store promptly mailed the dresses to all of my bridesmaids around the United States; the staff is organized and responsive. The store also does alterations in-house, which is very convenient if you live in Boston.

l special even though there are probably several other brides in there all looking for the perfect dress! They really do know how to help you choose the dress that suits your body type as well as your personality. Also, my alterations were done by Faustina and she is wonderful. A lovely woman to work with and so careful and precise in her work. I live out of state and they were very accommodating to my schedule when I needed them to be. Amazing selection and service.

found a dress elsewhere that I wanted to try on. A great experience. Alterations, a whole different ball game. The seamstress was late to all three of our appointments, and one time they didn't even have a room for me to try my dress on in. When they mailed my finished dress to me, it came in a beat up, used cardboard box and was all crumpled up and not even hung on the dress form included in the box, Not at all how you'd want your dress of your dreams being treated! I'd buy my dress here again in a heartbeat, but get your alterations elsewhere.

lped us select a veil and hair accessory that complemented the dress perfectly and guided us through alterations. Our experience at L'elite was everything you would like your experience to be and more!

re a bit pricey, but not too outrageous from what I've heard for others. As for dress sales, I am not sure, but I did buy a headpiece and belt from them that was the first one I loved. It was crazy expensive, but I loved it!

costs of the fittings were a bit expensive. I had to fly in 3 times to be fit, and no alterations were done at all, until the last one, 3 weeks before the wedding. I repeatedly flew in and tried on a dress that had the pins in it from the prior fitting. Overall I was not impressed, especially for a boutique on Newbury street in Boston.

bridesmaids and 2 jr bridesmaids, I dealt plenty with L'Elite and never had a negative experience.

ple were SO pushy and cold that I left after trying on only two or three gowns. (They also must have had too many blush dresses, because they kept pushing me to try on pink Monique Lhuilliers, despite my hatred of pink.) And afterwards, they continued to call me for two weeks to "remind" me to come back. No thanks!

ed. My MOH kept trying to fix it and it just kept falling. My train dragged all night.

L'elite and found my perfect dress. It was at the high-end of my budget but the salespeople said alterations would not be much so my mother and I decided to buy it. It turned out, the veil I bought there and the alterations were quite expensive. So much so that I ended up going over my goal dress and veil budget by more than $1500. At one point a salesperson had me try on a $5000 veil saying it was absolutely perfect. No, thank you! If you buy your dress here, I would not recommend buying any accessories here (etsy will have similar products at a fraction of the cost). I regret buying my veil there because I found similar ones after I already bought it for 1/5th the cost. Additionally, the women were very excited about me when I was trying on dresses and made the initial purchase. But on my follow-up visits once my dress arrived, they were not particularly warm and I felt a bit like an intrusion. In summary, I would recommend L'elite for their beautiful dress selection and alterations that were done perfectly (both of which are very important!) but be prepared for average service and high prices.

eautiful lace gown. No one came close to matching the knowledge that they had about lace. They offer higher-end dresses but I never felt pressured into buying something. They were also honest when a dress didn’t look good on me and weren’t offended when I said that I downright didn’t like something. I was really struggling with making the final decision and told them that I wasn’t ready to pull the trigger just yet. The older woman who works there told me, “I only want you to have this if it is exactly what you want. Think about it overnight.” I decided that the dress was “it” and went along with the alteration process. The woman with whom I worked on my alterations was such a pro and I trusted her 100%. She designed the most beautiful lace cap sleeves for me and made an already gorgeous dress look really stunning on me. I am forever grateful for her expertise and her patience. If you can get past what can feel like an initial “coldness” on the phone, you will find that they are true experts and want every woman to look perfect on her wedding day!

ise me wisely when it came to sizing and ordering. But Luong was the best. She is funny, nice, amazing at what she does, and accommodating. She once stayed until after L'elite closed in order to wait for me to make it to a fitting! She made me enjoy the whole process. The only thing to be aware of is try NOT to come here on a Saturday. It's just hectic and busy and you won't get the service you would expect for this much $$.

ey worked with my antique veil, helped with accessories. An overall wonderful experience.

L'elite and was somewhat rushing her b/c I knew I had my dress waiting down the street. She was patient. She was sweet. She continued to give me dresses within the general vicinity of my price range aka she never gave up. I ended up buying a dress that was completely not what I thought I was going to wear (Doesn't everyone say that?) The entire process was seamless. The dress came on time (3 months after I ordered it?) and the seamstress on the top floor of L'elite was able to get the dress done in 2 fittings. FYI - It is really expensive to get it hemmed there.

6 appointments. The seamstress did a very good job, but it seemed to take a few too many appointments to get the hem straight, etc. But, on the flip side, I was always able to make/change appointments easily and they accommodated my every request in the end. Overall, I was quite happy with the experience.

ing down half the ticket price it was sent to alterations. I inquired about the veil and was promptly told that there was only one type of veil that fell slightly below the shoulders and was cheap. Then I went to the first alteration appointment. The woman was pushing me to buy the add-ons and said that I needed much work to be done eventhough I was very close to the sample size. I called a week later to ask for the price for alterations and she said he computer was down (big mistake). She did the alterations and when I was setting up the next appointment I asked for the price again. She told me she was busy and that she would call me back. She called me the day before the appointment and told me the price for the alterations so far was over $700!! I asked for a breakdown and she then said, "ok it will be about $650 with a discount." And she said that she did a 3 point bustle, took in the dress only at the breasts, and cut the length down. Wow, I couldn't believe it. I came in the next day and picked up the dress as is before she could charge me more. It was still too big and I had to take it to another alteration shoppe. The other shoppe told me that nothing was even taken in at the breast. She basically charged me $650 for a hem and bustle. BIG rip off. Alter your dress somewhere else!

y grandmother to get more opinions!). They were prompt with all alterations and do great work. My sister got her dress here too (6 years ago).

she was understanding that she should have called before doing things that I said I didn't want explicitly.

as good and had me try on a couple new ones. I ended up getting one of their dresses that their in-house designer did and it was one she pulled for me. I had not even considered this style walked away very happy and satisfied! They were also great when I had to bring my 3 yr old nephew. I would highly recommend, great dress selection.

he store, a family towards the front, and I was stuck with my best friend in the middle. When I told them my budget (under $9000), they proceeded to only show me things in the 9-10k range. When I asked to see a dress that I loved (and was $3k), they told me is wouldn't work on my body... which, by the way is size 4 and this was an a-line dress. Obviously, it didn't work for their sales goals. The women "helping" us made us feel rushed, awkward, and as if we were asking too much in wanting to see the dresses in more than a portable mirror. Given the number of great stores in Boston, I would recommend having your bridal experience elsewhere.