After months of shopping exclusively at Saks for a dress and coming up short, I stumbled upon Panache in Beverly Hills. I knew I wanted a dress that was modern--no lace, no beading, no bling--and timeless. Panache had the dress of my dreams, an...d I absolutely lucked out when it came to their inventory. They have a huge range of gowns to choose from, so much so that I can almost guarantee any bride could find something stunning that fits both her budget and style there. However, my positive experience with Panache went south thereafter. At my first fitting, their seamstress pricked herself while she was pinning me, and bled all over my silk dress. I looked down in horror, and tried to ask her to stop pinning me so I could get out of the dress, but unfortunately, she did not speak any English, and no stylist was in the room with me to oversee the process. The seamstress came back and started aggressively rubbing the fabric, only making it worse. Finally, after trying to politely resurrect some high school Spanish and then loudly asking for some attention from a stylist, their manager came in. She got the dress off of me immediately, and asked that I wait while they tried to remove the stains. 30-45 minutes later, the stains were mostly gone, but the fabric had warped due to the treatment to remove the blood. I absolutely understand that accidents happen and I do not fault the poor seamstress just trying to do her job, but the handling of the situation was not what I had paid for and come to expect as a customer of a high-end salon. I came back to my next fitting, optimistic that the warping would be addressed and the stains would be lifted. There were still minute areas were darkening in the fabric were visible from the blood, so they insisted they would try again. Worst of all, my dress was too tight, so much so that I could literally not sit down. I began to break down and cry. I should add, I did not have the joy of having my mom or bridesmaids with me for these experiences as I am new to LA. Their manager proceeds to inform me that it is my responsibility to ensure that I can sit, stand, and dance comfortably, which I do understand to be fair. However, to be alone in a dressing room with a seamstress who does not speak English and with no stylist, I wasn't entirely sure what questions to ask, what to expect, and how to navigate this process. I left the salon extremely disappointed at not one but two bad experiences. My mom called and spoke to the manager, who thankfully and amazingly became empathetic and offered to prioritize my dress fitting so it would perfect the next time. Finally, at my last fitting, with all my fingers crossed, it came together! I would say to be very clear at the outset about your expectations with this salon, and don't be afraid to stick up for yourself if you don't feel you are being treated well because they will step up and deliver ultimately. Brides spend a fortune on their dresses and deserve experiences that are special from A to Z.