Minerva's Bridal Suite

mazing. She listened to what I was looking for and helped me find the perfect dress within my budget. She really made me feel like a bride and not another sales ticket walking through the door. I went back 3 times before saying Yes to the dress and service was great every time!

very specific in my taste and she didn’t really follow my lead. I had one dress I liked but she didn’t tell me the brand or anything. I had to come back in. It was a shop more for prom dfrdddd and quincenera’s it seems.

hopping experience here less than pleasant. After a misunderstanding involving inventory information provided online vs. what they had in-stock, Jim and Tee ordered a handful of my favorite dresses to the store so that I would be able to see/try them on before committing to buying them, going out of their way to accommodate me. I was told that I would be contacted when they had all come in, and that, of course, they would be reserved for me (rather than put out on the floor where others may buy them). Not really. The store owner came by later and apparently ordered the dresses to be displayed immediately, and in the order they were received, leading me, an instructor at the University of Florida in Gainesville, to agree to drop everything and rush down to Orlando mid-week and mid-semester for whatever number of shipments (luckily, it only ended up being one). I wasn’t expecting princess treatment or a miracle, but it couldn’t have waited for literally a few days? A few weeks later, I called to place my order (something I thought would be straightforward enough, since I had already gotten fitted there). Again, not exactly. Apparently, their 3 ordering options (although all “Minerva’s”) had some random, ambiguous differences… Whereas the website listed a certain final price upon checkout, ordering over the phone/in-store was $75 extra (later explained as $55 tax and $20 shipping when I called). I was told that that tax would’ve supposedly been added to my online purchase AFTER the fact (meaning in addition to the grand total I saw before clicking “confirm order”), and the $20 shipping fee was “un-waivable” (according to the owner) because it included “benefits, like being able to put it on in the store.” In actuality, a lot of wedding dress websites (and online stores in general) specifically say that sales tax doesn’t apply in states where the dresses aren’t manufactured (which I suspect could/should be the case here). And seriously? Shipping costs for items that are literally thousands of dollars, and not even directly delivered, in the name of nonexistent benefits (since it’s non-refundable anyway and is inspected for loose beading/pressed automatically during any alterations)? News flash: you get free shipping to your doorstep from nearly all retailers for spending just a fraction of that. No better way to seem cheap and to lose a sale than by haggling over an unreasonable $20 with a bride. I ordered online and am just hoping that everything goes well enough for me to never really have to interact with them again…

. The ladies did not seem to be very attentive or knowledgeable. I wouldn’t recommend.

l decision. Thank you Minerva’s!

ow what to do. Some lady than came to say we don’t have anyone at the moment to help you, you can wait 40 mins. I was so upset and couldn’t believe I drove over 45 mins to come to a place like this. I was than approached by another lady who was awfully rude and said the exact words “ if you don’t like to wait you can leave”. Spend your $ somewhere else!!!

n...

e with Minerva's, so I set up an appointment and asked two of my closest friends to go with me. The staff member who was my guide that day was very helpful; she listened carefully to what I wanted, and was very helpful with getting into and out of the dresses. Our first sweep through the store left me with maybe eight or nine dresses to try on, and while I did not find The Dress on that first sweep, I did find a couple I liked. The staff member went out to pull a few more dresses for me to try on; I put one of them on and fell in love. I tried on what had been my #1 dress, and before she zipped it up, I said, "Nope, let me have the other one, that's The Dress." So we got me back into it, and I was over the moon. My friends agreed that my choice was the best (of course - they knew what they were there for! :-D ), and I signed the papers. All told, I spent 45 minutes in the store from walking in the door to walking back out. Their customer service was stellar. I paid half when I ordered the dress and the remainder when I picked up the dress. With the cost of alternations, my dress was about $1,150 - just a smidge more than I had planned to spend, and it was absolutely perfect. I loved working with the team at Minerva's, and I definitely recommend any bride in the area to check them out.

n area isn't like the ones you see on TV (no couches), but I promise you the service and selection more than make up for that type of experience.

hought I'd like it". They let me control my own appointment and it was great! I found a beautiful dress but wasn't willing to pull the trigger as it was the first place I had looked. After visiting other salons and many dresses later, I knew that was the one! Minerva's was very accommodating when I went back in and am so glad I got exactly what I wanted !

patient! I also had my dress altered at their sister store, Laces and Thread, and they made it fit me to a T! I got so many compliments on my dress saying how it looked like it was made to fit me - it was perfect! I highly recommend both stores!

ing to offer any remedy to the situation and could care less if you are unhappy. This day was supposed to be exciting and happy, but it turned out to be a very disappointing event. I would highly urge anyone to look for a dress elsewhere because the last thing you want to be worried about as a bride is whether or not your dress will fit or look good on your wedding day.

on to try it on again but I still didn't buy it. I came back the next morning to buy it and they were just as excited for me as I was! Payment and alterations were easy as well. I would recommend this place to everyone.

an A-Line gown, and when I mentioned this to the consultant, she said this would be difficult to find at any price point because most of their dresses were mermaids or ballgowns. This very much disappointed me as the other salons I went to had a variety of styles to choose from. The other thing that I found very problematic was that there weren't any real chairs for my parents to sit on to wait. They had these incredibly uncomfortable stools without backs. This meant that my father ended up having to wait in the car for a long time because the chairs were so uncomfortable. Even my mother started to get uncomfortable and just walk around. This combined with the fact that the lighting was quite dim made it difficult to discern what the dress actually looked like and led to a subpar experience. Again, I want to reiterate that the consultant did a nice job, given that the type of dress I wanted wasn't as common in their store, but for a bridal salon I found this to be surprising. If the staff at Minerva's is reading this: please invest in more comfortable chairs for your clients. It would be greatly appreciated.

I could only be in town a few times. I got my dress in time and it was affordable. Everyone at my wedding said it was one of the most beautiful dresses they have ever seen. Thank you Minerva!

al process of receiving my dress was an absolute NIGHTMARE. When my dress finally arrived (almost a month late, because no one could find it, although they were "sure it was around here, somewhere"), we took it to their alterations next door. Come to find out, the designer had mis-stitched part of the bodice, but they said they could absolutely and easily fix it-- nothing to worry about. Three trips to their alterations later, and it still wasn't fixed. Three days before my wedding, they finally took it seriously and got help trying to fix the stitching.... but it came out looking terrible and, since it was on my chest, it was VERY obvious. They tried to steam over it and put it into a fold, but to no avail. I was told there was nothing they could do, and I had to take it as is- since my wedding was now a few days away. Fast forward to the day of my wedding, and we're trying to still find a way to steam the obvious stitches into folds and hide as much of it as we can. A family friend was a seamstress and we find a way to hide most of it-- but after the wedding is over, I can take it to a seamstress here in Austin, Texas who has no problems and fixed it in a few weeks. During my wedding, by the way, my Allure gown ripped and the skirt FELL OFF while dancing. I contacted MInerva's after the fact, since they have to go through allure (a client isn't allowed to speak with allure directly- it HAS to be the vendor), and was told that since I took possession of the gown, I "was out of luck". ... SERIOUSLY? You'd like a $2600.00 gown would last more than one night. No one stepped on it. No one pulled it. The skirt separated and fell off... thankful my photographer and day-of coordinator has safety pins and could save me--- but almost every picture has obvious and glaring marks where the gown was safety pinned together and the gown's bodice was misstitched... my photographer can only photoshop out so much.... AVOID THIS PLACE. ZERO Customer Service. They'l take your money and cry "You took possession of it, too bad" if anything goes amiss.

en though they were all over the place and carefully selected dresses for me that perfectly embodied the thoughts that were in my head. We tried on dresses multiple times and she was so patient and caring throughout, giving genuine and very beneficial opinions. The dresses were stunning and very well kept. Truly, LaRai made an already great experience that much better.

off the rack. We were extremely impressed. She picked two more dresses based on what I liked and I ended up picking one of the ones she found in the back. She was extremely helpful and definitely knew her stuff. I went in there not thinking I would find my dress but I chose it that day! First place I looked and I was in love. It helped I knew a designer that I loved about 99% of her dresses. But I would recommend checking this place out. They have tons of dresses to select from and even give options on adding sleeves to strapless dresses. I will update my review when my dress comes in and how the rest of the process goes but overall I have been extremely happy so far!

me and we pulled a few dresses for me to try on. Our consultant was very easy to work with – she asked me what I wanted and I told her that I wasn’t sure – but I know what I didn’t want. My fifth dress was it and it was absolutely beautiful – looked far above what we paid for it. I loved that the store didn’t carry any dresses over $2000- it allowed me to look freely without fear of picking something out way above my budget. My biggest fear about trying on dresses is that I’m a bigger girl (Size 12-14 on average) and I feared that I wouldn’t find anything that made me feel beautiful. They had a very nice selection of plus size dresses (although, mine ended up not being in that section) – and I didn’t feel overwhelmed at all. I didn’t need any alterations aside from a bustle – which was $18…but I needed 6. The girl I dealt with in alterations We wasn’t the most pleasant – but I didn’t have to deal with her but two times. They communicated well and let me know an expected ship date from the designer as well as a delivery date. It came in early and they call to let me know! I would highly recommend the store – no cookie cutter feel to the dresses and small enough to let you feel comfortable and a large selection of stunning gowns that look far above their prices.

very angle of the dress, plus fit any family members who may be shopping with you. I went shopping for my gown late-morning on a weekday and we basically had the store to ourselves, which I enjoyed. My gown arrived on time with no issues or flaws. It was a very nice experience. I also had my dress tailored at the alterations shop next door to Minerva’s. I had my dress hemmed, bustled, and added straps. The alterations were beautifully done, but I had trouble keeping my bustles secure on my wedding day. I had several people try to button me up before and during the reception with no luck, so I ended up holding my dress in my hand toward the end of the reception because the bustles would fall out anytime I sat down or danced. Still, I would recommend the shop because of its convenience next to Minerva’s.

without an appointment (on a Friday). My consultant, Camille, was great. She was really sweet and wasn't pushy at all. The salon was relatively small but they seemed to have a good selection of dresses in a nice price range. I didn't end up purchasing my dress here, because I fell in love with a Sottero & Midgely dress at a different store (and Minerva's doesn't carry that designer), but my experience at Minerva's was great.

they never took ownership for the mistake (which was made by their management, NOT an inexperienced sales person). I contacted the designer who was appalled and helped me re-rush my custom length dress. Thankfully, my dress arrived and was ready 5 days before my wedding. Minerva's did give me complimentary alterations which were sloppy and ineffective (my bustle never stayed up) and a veil. The dress I selected was beautifully made and worth the price somewhere else (Allure).

make sure u go in early!

had been so nervous. She put me at ease and helped me find the dress. I went to a few other stores to be sure and then decided on a beautiful dress I had tried on at Minerva's. We set an appointment to go try it on one last time and order. When we arrived at the appointment, the person on staff was incredibly rude, snapping at me asking me what I wanted (and tole me Christine was not available, which is something they should have called me about). She could not find the dress and made me deeply uncomfortable. The sample size 6 fit me perfectly with the exception of it being too large in the shoulders. We ordered the dress. Months later, right around when the dress should have arrived, I called to ask about the status and was told the dress had come in but they hadn't gotten around to telling me yet (this is one month before the wedding, so there was a time crunch). When we went to pick the dress up, I tried it on and it no longer fit. The buttons down the back bunched up and looked absolutely terrible. They blamed this 100% on the fact that I had gained too much weight and said that letting out the hips would fix it. I did not believe this. We went to the alterations company owned by Minerva's. They let out the hips and the dress now fit perfectly around the hips but the back still bunched. The seamstress said that there was something she could do to a seam that would definitely fix it. We came back for another fitting and the dress still bunched up in the back. The seamstress continued to act like it was fine. Eventually I ended up just wearing the dress like that because she said there was nothing else she could do to fix it. So we were sold a defective dress and told it was because I was fat.

and I had her try them on so I could see it on a person and not just a hanger. When my sister had my dress on I knew it was the one I wanted and could picture myself in it.

, nothing too crazy. The staff was very friendly and accommodating each time that I went in or spoke with them over the phone. They were also flexible in working with me on price to fit my budget and setting up payment options.

extremely nice and never pushy. When I finally did find a fantastic deal on an Allure floor model dress, the shop cleaned and pressed it for me, then shipped it to my home in Tampa for less than $25. This is not a shop to pass up!!!

expensive. You may want to consider other alternatives for alterations.

round...

er "Minerva's Bridal" to all of our brides. We knew it would be no surprise that she would offer us the same amazing service that she has for so many of our brides! From the moment I walked in to the last minute alterations on my dress your staff was amazing! We did not feel rushed our bullied into buying a dress we did not really want which really meant a lot to me as when I shop I do not like to be persuaded and typically want to review several options before making a decision. To all the brides out there still looking for a Dress ....trust me when I say this Minerva's will not disappoint!

dream dress :)

loyee took 30 dollars off for that. That made me happy. Overall, i'm so happy with my wedding dress.

f the line from Allure and ship it to me in California. I had it by mid-December!

e I was comfortable. I actually bought a dress that I thought there was NO way it would look good on! They made the process very easy. They have dresses to fit a range of budgets, and they did not try and "up sell" me when I told her my budget (as another boutique did).

the dress, and don't like telling you the name of the designer whose dress you're trying on. I specifically went to try on Maggie Sottero and some of the ones I tried were not hers, so I wanted to know which ones were and weren't when I was trying on and got a little push back about it. But either way...I still got the perfect dress that I was looking for! And their seamstress next door was great! Thank you!!!

DON'T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS, YOU MAKE A FOOL OUT OF YOURSELF. SHE HASTILY SHOWED ME A FEW DRESSES. ONE OF THE DRESSES HAD A $1200 PRICE TAG. MIND YOU THEY ADVERTISE THEIR RANGE IS AROUND $600. I ASK IF THAT WAS THE ACTUAL PRICE OR THE IF THERE WAS A SALES PRICE? SHE SAID SHE DIDN'T KNOW BUT WOULD GO FIND OUT. WELL 15 MINUTES LATER SHE IS JUST SITTING AT HER DESK IGNORING ME TRYING TO LOOK PRETTY. MY FINACEE GOT VERY ANNOYED AND WANTED TO LEAVE. SHE NEVER MADE EYE CONTACT WITH US AGAIN OR ASKED ME IF I NEEDED FURTHER ASSISTANCE. I ENDED UP ASKING ANOTHER SALES PERSON FOR HELP AND SHE WAS VERY ACCOMODATING. I FOUND A DRESS AND HASTILY MADE THE DECISION TO PURCHASE IT. I FELT VERY UNCOMFORTABLE AT MINERVA'S. I SHOULD HAVE JUST LEFT THE STORE! BECAUSE WHEN I GOT HOME I WAS ALREADY REGRETTING IT. THEY HAVE A NO RETURN/NO EXCHANGE POLICY. WHILE WE WERE IN THE STORE ANOTHER WEDDING PARTY CAME IN AND SHE WAS ALL SMILES AND SOOOO HELPFUL, AND WAS NEVER A FOOT AWAY FROM THEM. EVEN THOUGH THE DRESS WAS LESS THAN WHAT I WAS TRYING ON. MY FIANCEE IS HISPANIC, AND I AM MULTIRACIAL. THE OTHER BRIDAL PARTY WERE CAUCASIAN. YOU CAN COME TO YOUR OWN CONCLUSION. I KNOW THEY LOST A GREAT DEAL OF BUSINESS FROM MY BRIDAL PARTY. I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND THEM. THE MANAGER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I BET THEY LOSE A LOT OF BUSINESS BECAUSE OF HER DOWN THE NOSE ATTITUDE. I WILL NOT WEAR THAT DRESS EVER!!! AFTER I GOT IT HOME, I REALISED IT WAS NOT ME. NOT EVEN THE COLOR WAS GOOD ON ME. I WILL SELL IT ON EBAY OR DONATE IT TO GOOWILL. I WILL BE PURCHASING FROM DAVIDS BRIDAL. I RECEIVED EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE WITH NO PRESSURE AND THEIR SELECTION IS EXCELLENT. THEY MADE ME TAKE PICTURES IN THE DRESSES I LIKED TO GO HOME AND THINK ABOUT IT. MINERVA'S ALSO REMOVE THE DESIGNER LABELS AND PUTS THEIR OWN NAME IN THE LABEL, SO YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT DRESS YOU ARE GETTING FROM THE IN STOCK DRESSES. MINERVA OR JIM OR WHOMEVER IS CHARGE, YOU NEED TO HIRE CUSTOMER ORIENTED MANAGERS WHO ARE ABLE TO WORK WITH CULTURALLY DIVERSE GROUPS OF PEOPLE! I CAME TO MINERVA'S TO BUY A DRESS. NOT TO BE TREATED LIKE I AM INFERIOR.

and made us feel welcomed and helped me so much with the fit of the dress. Due to her wonderful attention to detail she was able to corset the wedding dress I had previously tried on and did not like so much so well that I fell in love with the dress once I saw the correct way it should be worn. I bought the dress that day and wore it on my wedding day and my husband loved it!! So grateful she was able to make me realize that dress was mine :)

ot all my hair assecories and veil there, overall I was satisfied with the process. They did my alterations and the dress looked great.

e store for 30 minutes. Something told me to go back to Minerva's and check them out. I ended u finding my perfect dress in perfect timing (I thought I was going to have to custom design my dress). And from there the wonderful relationship started. Everytime I was in town over the next several months I would go to the store and try on my dress. The employees never fused or should any annoyance. Instead they were wonderful and accommodating as if it were my first time in the store. Even after I picked up my gown they were friendly and accommodating when I brought it back for steaming. And even now with my gown preservation. They made the entire experience wonderful and effortless.

ame in the dress was too long. The wedding shoes I had bought, and been measured with, were 3 inch heels, but when the dress arrived I had to find new shoes that were 4 1/2 inches tall. I was very disappointed because it had taken me so long to find the perfect wedding shoes and I had spent a lot of money on them which I then could not return (not to mention standing all day in 4 1/2 inch heels was not fun). Also, when they measured me they told me to order the dress 4 sizes larger than the one I ended up ordering. The dress came in and fit perfect and needed no alterations, but if I had ordered what they were telling me I needed I would have had to do a ton of alterations which would have been very costly, so I recommend being cautious when it comes to their measurements. Lastly, I had a very difficult time coming in to pick up my dress. The only days they would allow you to pick it up is Monday through Friday and I was not able to go in during that time due to work. They seemed very frustrated and were not very helpful when I did come in. Although it was not the perfect experience, it was the only store that I found dresses that I liked so I would still recommend checking them out.

lled with the dress I picked and felt like the expertise of the ladies there played a big role in my decisions.

Minerva's and saw that they not only had a full service but also an outlet location. I visited the outlet on a Saturday afternoon, and although there were many customers I still felt very comfortable looking without feeling pressured, yet I also had the personal attention I needed when trying on gowns. The manager welcomed me and explained to me that the gowns in this shop are typically styles that have been discontinued at their full service salon, so they have been marked down half price (or more!) and sent to the outlet. I picked four elegant dresses, all under $500, and ended up buying the third one I tried on. It was truly meant to be; they told me that dress had just come in and that no other brides had even tried it on! It fit like a glove needing no alterations, and was in PERFECT condition. I felt like a princess on my wedding day and everyone RAVED over how gorgeous my dress was. Only a few close friends and family knew that I had only spent $400 on it, even though it looked like a million bucks! The other nice thing is that if you buy a dress at the outlet and it DOES need alterations, you can go to the full service salon and they are just as happy to work with you. Don't miss out on this amazing wedding dress option!

weeks went by, tried on several other dresses at other locations, no luck and had bad experiences with people trying to just put me in dresses that I did not like at all. I felt very pushed also at other locations. I went back to Minervas and put the dress on - Fit like a glove! My experience with dealing with them was great overall. The women there helped me out and matched my accessories to the dress perfectly. My dress had to be made, took about 4 months to make it. I went and tried it on - fit great! I only had to take in a little on the top with the seamstress next door to them - and they were great too! Only two complaints that I have is that I never got an call or email from them when my dress arrived. I had to call them and then they told me it was there and they said they had called and emailed me. Also, when I had to make appointments to go in, I never got a call to confirm the appointments (which is always a nice reminder) and then one time I had to change an appointment and they didn't even have it in the system. Otherwise - the staff is very helpful and super friendly!

credibly helpful in my dress search and ultimately it was her who found my perfect dress for me. The alterations department was great with customizing the details I wanted to change on my dress, and I had an overall great experience. My bridesmaids however also went through Minervas for their dresses and had an entirely different experience. The payment/delivery/alterations of the bridesmaid dresses were all incredibly difficult.

ould reccomend Minerva's to everyone who is looking for something different, but not crazy expensive. .

ling to see me. when I corrected her and said 500 she directed me to the "discount rack" and told me to help myself but no one was available to help me. I have never felt so terrible about a place ever before. I will never recommend this place to anyone unless I dislike them as a person.

sizes too big! So adding alterations put me way over budget but the dress did look really beautiful on my wedding day.

what I liked and brought me dresses that were exactly what I liked. They were not pushy at all and helped me find my perfect dress.