About this vendor
Opening our doors in the Summer of 2010, Rena Elle Couture is a new, elegant bridal boutique in Maple Shade, NJ. Our boutique was voted one of the “Best of South Jersey” 2011, 2013 and won “Best of” in 2012.
Rena Elle Couture carries a unique selection for all occasions. Bridal, bridal party, mothers, prom, pageants for all ages, birthdays, cocktail, evening gowns, and so much more.
We invite you to visit and let our consultants at Rena Elle Couture be a part of creating a very personal and unforgettable experience for whatever occasion you may be celebrating.
Details
Dresses
- Bridesmaid Dresses
- Flower Girl Dresses
- Mother of the Bride Dresses
- Shower & Party Dresses
- Wedding Dresses
Fashion Services
- Alterations
- Dry Cleaning & Preservation
- Private Appointments Available
Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
3.3
out of 5.034 reviews
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Stay away from this place. We should have read these reviews prior to purchasing our bridesmaid dresses. Since I live out of the area, I went and got measured by a bridal boutique by my house, called and ordered the dress over the phone since and never received a receipt OR contract. They claim they don’t send receipts if you make a purchase over the phone but they were quick to charge my card the second I called. When the dress came in, dress sizing was so off (for all four of us) that we needed to order it in at least 2 sizes up for it to fit. We called to try to exchange and they have been so unorganized and unprofessional about the entire situation. First they wanted to resolve it and now they’re pretending like they don’t know anything. Just spare yourself the time and go somewhere else.
The team at Rena Elle Couture is unmatched in their bridal fashion expertise. They came highly recommended by multiple friends and from the moment we entered the boutique we felt welcomed and celebrated. The wide selection of gowns made it easy to find exactly what I was looking for. Arlene and her team were so encouraging while trying on gowns and were flexible and accommodating through every step of our wedding planning journey. Their seamstress, Maria, worked with me to fit my dress perfectly, making me feel so beautiful and confident in my gown. Overall, Rena Elle Couture provided us with the most amazing experience and was the greatest pleasure to work with.
WOW!! Best Customer Service!! The ladies of Rena Elle treat you like their bestfriend. I had a Covid engagement so my wedding had to be postponed for 1 year. However, the store stored my dress the entire time for me, even when it was done with all it's alterations. They even cleaned and steamed the dress when I came to pick it up the week before my wedding! Picking my perfect dress was so easy thanks to my sales associate malka and the seamstress who was graciously altered my dress after I gained a few covid pounds.
Wow. Horrible customer service. I called prior to July 4th to set up an appointment and specifically asked if I can bring 2 people, my mom and sister because of the COVID restrictions. Was told to call back after July 4th because their hours would be extended and I’d be able to bring both my mom and sister on a Friday evening only. As told, I called back after, gave all of my information and made the appointment for 7/17 at 6pm. On the day of the appointment at 2:30pm, I get a friend request on Instagram from Rena Elle Couture and then a message asking me to call. Was told the bridal attendant couldn’t stay after 6 and to come in at 4pm, which I couldn’t do because my mom is working. Then offered me the next day, which is a Saturday and that I could have 2 people with me. Why couldn’t I have just done that in the first place with scheduling on a Saturday? How did you not have my phone number down? Im sorry but this is just unprofessional. After I told them how frustrating this was, she proceeds to say “oh I know, sorry about that.” That was enough for me, I cancelled my appointment and will save myself any further frustration or mess ups from here. They didn’t seem to care anyways because they immediately hung up and removed the friend request off of Instagram. Bye!!
The only reason this place is getting one star instead of none is because of the sale consultant I first met being helpful, reassuring and seemed genuinely positive, after that it all became a night mare. They care more about taking your money then protecting your investment and caring about you as the customer. My first issue with this place was the fact that I was told my dress would take 8 weeks to come in, after 3 months of not hearing anything I was told I was mistaken it was actually 8 months, NOT to mention I only got this response after I had to email them for proof of reaching out because all 3 of my phone calls were not returned. 8 months go by and my fiancé is in the service and we are told we need to move out of state, so I call to inquire where is my dress, another two calls not returned so once again I email, and finally get told it's another two months, A TOTAL OF 10 MONTHS for a dress in the store I was told 2 months. Well after going back and forth about taking off my new job to drive 10 hours to jersey I tell them to just ship it, which they agreed to cover the cost, but when I call to give the shipping address the woman tried to make me pay the $70 for shipping until I told her no I was promised free shipping. Then she states when she ships it she will call back with the tracking number so I can confirm it was shipped. SHE NEVER CALLS BACK. So once again back to email I email them asking for a shipping number which I'm given, when I looked it up to ensure my fiancé and I are home because unfortunately he is based in a very active high crime rate area I find out it was delivered the day before and left on my porch. Yet it wasn't there which I'm not even shocked it was stolen because unfortunately that is how Sumter SC is. What I'm shocked about is that something that was nearly $1500 was delivered without giving me a tracking number or REQUIRING A SIGNATURE. When I emailed them all I got was a very bland response of I'm sorry and we're looking into it. Okay but how does that help me. I'm out $1500 and I'm now rushing to find a new dress with 7 months until my wedding. NEVER GO HERE.
Gina g
If I could give more stars I would! Everything from picking out a dress to my final fitting was flawless. When I went in for my consult my family kept picking dresses out of my price range (they were excited) and my consult wouldn’t even let me look at them because she knew budget was a big deal for me. She recommended a dress I didn’t even want to try on and I fell in love! 4 hours after I bought my dress I discovered I was pregnant. I went into the shop a couple of months later and they were amazing and so supportive. They told me to take my time coming in for a fitting and enjoy my new baby, they would make my dress fit my new body. 3 weeks after giving birth I went in and their seamstress was amazing. She basically had 3 weeks to alter my dress on the bottom (the most detailed part of course) and WOW. I was blown away by how beautiful I looked in this dress. Everyone was amazing in this shop and I felt so special every time I went in. They were so attentive to me and made me feel beautiful 8 weeks after giving birth. Thank You to everyone! I felt like the most beautiful bride ever!
I could never thank the ladies at Rena Elle Couture enough! When my dress first came in, the company made it in the completely wrong coloring. I sent in my pictures showing the incorrect coloring and compared it to the pictures from the day I got my dress. While this had me SO scared and stressed. They reached out, had an ENTIRE new dress made and it was back in in half the time the first dress took. While this may have some people rating poorly, it was NOT their fault and the way they handled the situation was incredible and so helpful. They kept me calm and made sure to keep in touch about how long the dress would take and any information that I needed to know. They helped me find my perfect dress and helped make sure everything about it was perfect for my big day! Thank you ladies so much!
Hi fellow brides! I had been to 6 other bridal salons before coming across the bridge to NJ from living in downtown Philadelphia. Coming to Rena Elle was the best decision I had made in searching for "the dress". It was a nice to have the entire place to ourselves, search through the dresses in the entire store and have a personalized touch and the full attention of staff there. I would highly recommend this salon for their unique dresses, multiple sizing options and great service! I am recommending this salon to EVERY bride I know in the Philadelphia area and you should do the same. :)
My dream dress was at Rena Elle and I am so happy we went there. Prior to going to Rena Elle I had been to 2 other salons, one the customer service was awful and the other I didn't find any styles I loved. I was pretty frustrated and Rena Elle erased all of my frustration. They were on time for my appointment. You're allowed to browse all of the dresses and try on what you'd like. That should really be the standard at salons imo. I worked with Diane who was friendly, patient and helpful with questions. While I was trying on my dresses there was no pressure, just a helpful staff. I knew I found the dress when I cried seeing myself in the mirror, it was such a beautiful feeling.
After saying yes to the dress they explained what happens next. They were spot on with the timelines. I worked with Michelle as a seamstress and she made all the right adjustments for the perfect fit.
I had a an excellent experience there. I would highly recommend shopping here.
I found my dream dress here and the staff was very accommodating. They had the largest selection of blush colored dresses which is what I was looking for. I highly recommend them!
I'm giving this one star only because of the consultant I was stuck working with!!!! Her name was Nora, if you're scheduling an appoint i suggest NOT WITH HER. 1st off everything I put on she told me this is the dress, made me feel like she was only interested in my money. 2nd off she was extremely standoffish in the dressing room. SO RUDE!! Which made me feel uncomfortable getting undressed, but the second her manager was around she was as sweet as pie again. SO FAKE! She also has no knowledge of bridal gowns, she couldn't answer simple questions like "how long does it take for a dress to be order?" I would give this store 5 stars because of the other employees who are kind and helpful, but unfortunately they allow a bottom feeder desperate for money to work there, so I will not buy from there! Needless to say Nora is horrible, and it's a shame the store has to take a bad name because of her. It's a shame we allow people like her in our country.
I am writing this review almost 2 years after I got my dress and alterations done at Rena Elle (Oct 2015 wedding); however, it is long overdue and my sister getting married last month reminded me that a review is well worth it. First, I will say my review is a true reflection of two people at the dress salon - the salesperson, Christina and seamstress, Marianna that did my alterations. I was not an easy client, I found a Stella York dress that I absolutely loved, but I wanted custom lace added to the bottom. When I called I wanted only to speak with Christina, because she clearly knows her business and always had the information I needed. Next, my custom dress would not have been possible without the extreme talents and miracle work of Marianna. Like your typical bride, I wanted to loose some weight before my wedding, and Marianna worked with me by allowing me the time I needed to drop a few pounds but she also ensured she got my dress done beautifully and on time. Marianna hand sewed the additional appliques that Christina helped me order to the bottom of my dress. Marianna created a custom work of art for me. Thus when my sister started planning her wedding last year, I insisted that she see Christina and also get a guarantee that the alterations would only be done by Marianna. Marianna is obvious the treasure of that store. And I am so grateful for her time and attention to not only my beautiful dress but my little sister's as well. I would recommend that anyone looking for a custom wedding dress to see Christina and make sure it is Marianna that is doing your alterations.
Scary similar reviews to other brides on here with their experiences with Marianna. Please do not go here for alterations, if you do, request Michelle for alterations, DO NOT use Marianna. What they don’t tell you at the store is that Marianna does all of the alterations from her home, which is apparently an hour away from the store, so she drives back and forth with your dress in her car every time you have a fitting, this in itself is a huge liability! At my first appointment Marianna was late and I waited in the store wearing my dress for 2 hours!! The second appointment I had, she forgot my dress at home AND she tried to pick a fight with me! Unfortunately I was at the mercy of Marianna and after she got into an accident (with my dress in the car), Michelle took over and my dress was not finished until 2 hours before my rehearsal, the day before the wedding. As far as the store itself, the dresses are beautiful and as long as it is not too crowded the girls working there will be nice to you, especially Diana. In the end the store tried to be as accommodating as they could after what I went through with the alterations.
Everything started out great... When I first went to try on dresses, it was a great experience.. We even decided to get my bridesmaid dresses here.. However, things went downhill fast from there.
My bridesmaid dresses were supposed to be here in February... No one was contacting me once February came around. I contacted them and my MOH contacted them. They were rather rude to my MOH when she called a second time to get a confirmation on where the dresses were. They told her that the dresses were just ordered.... They were supposed to be ordered in September so hearing that they were finally being ordered in February was upsetting. Thankfully the dresses came in plenty of time for the girls to have them altered.
Then comes alterations for my dress. After I went back to try on my dress, they told me that they would reach out to me two months before my wedding. They never called. So once again it fell on me to reach out to them. I finally set up my alterations. This is really where things got bad. Two out of three of my appointments the seamstress was an hour late. One of them she even tried to blame on me. She told me that the girls know not to schedule her that early. I showed up a few minutes early to my scheduled appointment and she said that was my fault that I had to sit and wait an hour after my scheduled time. My final fitting was a nightmare. I went in expecting my dress to be done (it was only 6 days until my wedding at this point). My dress was nowhere near complete. She did not hem the dress, take in the sides, or add the cups. Literally nothing had been done since I was in two weeks prior. My mother and I both left extremely upset that day. Christina was on the phone with my mom multiple times that week confirming that the dress would be done on Wednesday when I was scheduled to come back in... Wednesday I got a call from the seamstress saying that she didn't want anyone else to steam the dress besides her so she needed to push the final fitting to Thursday. However, this wasn't going to work for me. I got married in LBI and was leaving Friday morning. I had appointments for my nails and a spray tan already for Thursday evening. Once again, my mother talked to Christina. I was then scheduled to come in on Thursday at 1 pm. When I got there, the seamstress was not there, other people were steaming my dress, and the alterations were still not completed. Mind you we were two days away from my wedding at this point. My dress looked exactly how it did when I was there on Sunday, except that she actually added the cups. It was still not hemmed, it had pins in it that the girls were taking out prior to giving it to me. They even tried to give me the dress without having me try it on.
Christina kept saying that they would do anything to make it right. However, I told them that I did not trust them or the seamstress to touch my dress at this point. I left with my dress in hand, in tears that night. The whole process starting with the bridesmaid dresses was a nightmare.
Looking at pictures, I am still upset with how my dress fit the day of my wedding. No bride should have to feel that way after all of the money that went into the dress and alterations.
I would NEVER recommend this store to any bride, bridesmaid, or even just a girl looking for a prom dress.
After a 6 month wait, the dress that arrived was VERY wrinkled, extremely scratchy, had holes in the lace, and looked as though a 6 year old made it with a bedazzling kit. Not a 1500 dress. I was in tears & they tried to convince me it would look better/ordered after some $1000+ in alterations.
The was so terrible produced dress that after seeing images the store associstes, the manager, and dress vendor/manufacturer Offered a refund. We didn't know this was an option. We thought wow they really are trying to work with us. This is so great. I was assured this was entirely possible and probably necessary. The seamstress then told me the in store model dress for the stores & manfactured dress you order are produced to different standards.
I was then verbally told that if the vendor agreed to it, I would be issued a refund. I felt relieved leaving the store that day. I would at least not have to wear that terrible dress. In the next two days, I got a call,again assuring me, saying everything was fine and the vendor agreed to a return for my situation. I would be issued a refund in 10 days. I was so happy that my big day would be saved. Several days later the store called mentioning the vendor returned the money, and some $100+ would be kept by the store. For the most part the cost of the dress from the manufacturer was given back in full. This was Ideal for all parties.
A week later I received another call from an unknown employee telling me that they usually don't issue refunds, so they were not sure they could make this happen. This blunt and borderline angry staff person then told me, that all previous interactions with the other employee were not representative of the company. I asked how is that possible as she was the senior employee in the store. I was then TOLD, she was a store lower level employee. I was TOLD that somehow this employee, who fully aware of the situation & her authority, could not give permission for this. I was told that it needed to be cleared by upper management.
Lastly, I was reminded that at the beginning of this process the receipt I signed said something to this effect. You can imagine the anxiety, rollercoaster, injustice, and sheer panic that was now going through my mind.
We returned to the store & requested someone, who could sign to the effect of what was stated on the phone about the return & recinded offer, but she said NO one in the store could do this. The manager, who called 2 days priors were suddenly on maternity leave, the owner, only other person who could help, doesn't keep regular hours in the store, and lastly, the other manager doesn't work that day at all. We asked if we returned over the next 5 if this would be possible.They said no. What kind of business is this?
We HAD to get both our credit Card Company & Lawyers involved & wait 3.5 months to Finally be issued the promised return that the store tried to pocket. What STORE doesn't have a refund policy? What store gets the goods, returns them, gets the refund from a manufacturer, and pockets the customers money???? What kind of "bridal store" does this to Worse a bride to be?
Do not PURCHASE ANY DRESS FROM HERE! They do not guarantee their products are as pictured. When it boils down to it, they do not understand that verbal contracts are in fact Legally binding. And you will end up more stressed, out of money, and dressless unless you get a lawyer.
Good experience until we paid for our dresses. We brought 3 bridemaid dresses and one wedding dress. We ordered everything in Jan and were told they would be back April 19, 2017. That date came and went. Serveral bridesmaids called the shop for information on their dresses and there calls where not returned. I called myself as the bride and was told oh I have your friends number, but I didn't get a chance to call back, at this time it is now three days later. My wedding is May 20, and my bridesmaids dress did not come back until the second week in May. Then we were told they could not even do any alternations and they were supposed to do alternations on my wedding dress. I also went to two dress fitting and was supposed to get corset made, the lady cancelled on me once and then made a appointment at 5:30 which then she called back and changed to 7pm. I show up at 7pm along with 5 other people waiting on dresses. The ladies in shop had to call the seamstress several times to make sure she was coming in,there were so many people waiting on her. My dress still was not done, another lady wedding dress was not even there and they told her to come back Thursday. Absolutely the worst service ever. They offer no solutions to the problem. I will never recommend them to anyone and will be submitting a claim to the BBB. The best day of my life has been ruined by them,not to mention two days before my wedding I need find someone to fix my dress... Then they did not even give me the scarf to my dress. Not a professional company all at...
I went into store which I drove 9 hrs to get to and from to I am also terminally ill an daughter has epilipsy leaving us not to happy when I got home with used shoes and 2 different sizes contacted the store manager 4 days ago and still heard nothing back and I had to contact store again I spent over 588$ you would think you would get better service.. I want my money back for the shoes and a new pair for all the aggrevasion I have been through since the 6 April 2017 or call me at 519 534 5493 thanks Laura
I had a great experience with Rena Elle. I walked in alone without an appointment and really just wanted the opportunity to look around and get a feel for what was out there. I wasn't pressured by anyone, it didn't seem like they were super busy so they just told me to take out any dresses and hang them up if I wanted to try them on. After a completely overwhelming experience at another bridal salon I needed a laid back sales experience where I felt like I was in control. My Mom ended up meeting me there and picked out a dress for me to try on that I had overlooked. After Diane, my excellent sales rep, helped me into it I had a complete bridal moment. Alterations were easy and even though I'd packed on a couple of stress pounds, they were completely able to accommodate me- at the same quoted alteration price. My seamstress Maria was very nice and talented. I recommend them to everyone, my Mom get her dress there as well and they were great with her as well.
Scary to read so many reviews so similar to my own experience......
I purchased my dress and had it altered at Rena Elle. Finding a dress with the saleswoman Diane was great. She was helpful and made suggestions. However my experience steadily declined from then on. When I found the dress I wanted, the seamstress Marianna came in to make recommendations. Though she was friendly, she made several mistakes over the months I had to work with her. My first fitting I brought my MOH to see my dress, we arrived at Rena Elle but Marianna didn't have my dress there. She "thought it was still in the shop" but it was at her house. We changed our plans to keep this appointment only to be turned away until the next weekend. The second fitting Marianna was 20-25 minutes late. The third fitting Marianna was OVER 45 mins late. There were prom girls waiting for their appointments so she must have been even more late for their appointment. I was scheduled to get my dress on the Wednesday before my Saturday wedding but when I went to pick up Wednesday she STILL had work to do. She told me to pick it up Friday instead. At each fitting we reviewed what still needed to be done but unfortunately when I picked up the dress Marianna had not put ribbon on the inside so the beading didn't itch me. The night before my wedding I had to spend over an hour putting ribbon where Marianna said she was going to put it. Thank goodness we weren't doing a rehearsal dinner. NO bride should be fixing her own dress the night before her wedding when she has paid a professional good money to get it done!
While waiting for Marianna to arrive for my third fitting, my mom asked to speak to the manager, Christina. She said she would speak to Marianna and then speak to my mom again. After I picked up my dress my mom spoke to Christina again who said she would "work with us" because the seamstress experience had been so disappointing. That was in May. Christine has never called again.
AND my mom had to stop at the store ON THE MORNING OF MY WEDDING because my cups weren't in the bottom of my dress bag (let alone pinned to my dress....)
The selection of dresses at Rena Elle is great, especially if you are looking for something a little different like mine. HOWEVER DO NOT use them for your alterations.
I have to say, I had a really good experience with Rena Elle Courture. I am a bigger girl and was please to find sample sizes I could try on that weren’t Plus Size models, which are too big for me up top. When I ordered my dress, I paid in full and by doing so, got 20% off a beaded belt that I ordered. Surprisingly, the dress arrived from the manufacturer in record time (less than 8 weeks) and they held the dress for me until I was ready to come in for my first fitting (4 months later). I was crazy and ordered my dress a size smaller than I should have, thinking I’d lose enough weight to fit in it. Dumb move! The bottom fit perfectly, but there was no way the top was going to close, even with me losing some more weight. Their seamstress, Marianna, was amazing and immediately came up with a plan to fix the situation. She removed the zipper and transformed the dress into a corset back. It looked beautiful! Marianna was working on my dress up until I picked it up 2 days before the wedding. It seems to be her M.O., which is probably a good thing since I saw several brides in the shop who kept losing weight between fittings so Marianna had to keep taking the dresses in. One other thing, when the belt I ordered along w/ the dress finally came in from the manufacturer (a week before the wedding), it was the wrong belt (we checked the order and the manufacturer screwed up). The manager, Christina, was really great and was willing to substitute a different belt or refund the money for the belt. It turns out the dress looked better w/o the belt anyway so she refunded the money. I really appreciate that they did that.
After visiting two other stores, my sister and I made a last minute stop at Rena Elle which I found online. We called ahead and they were able to quickly accommodate us. I was planning a smaller wedding and was not looking to spend more than 1200 on a dress. While another store had acted like my budget was obscene, Diane (pretty sure that was her name) was very nice and suggested several dresses within my budget. While I tried on dresses she created a calm, comfortable atmosphere. She was not pushy or overly opinionated. Even when I found my dress, I did not feel pressured into buying it but did so instead because I really loved it. I purchased a beautiful Allure dress that different and unique for less that 800 dollars. They gave me a great deal and since I paid in full, I received a 50% discount on my veil. The only disappointing experience with Rena Elle was alterations. Marianna herself was very cute and nice. I enjoyed working with her and she did a good job. However, the price of the alterations seemed very high. When I came in for my first appointment she told me she could not even estimate the cost until she let the dress out a little (this should have been a red flag but everything else had gone so well with Rena Elle that I went with it). After that, she added cups and hemmed the dress. In total they charged me 425 (with the cups for free because Marianna missed an appointment). That was more than half the cost of the dress - which fit pretty well to begin with. In the end, I was happy with dress and received a ton of complements. I would recommend Rena Elle but recommend going elsewhere for alterations.
I walked into Rena Elle Couture and felt so comfortable with the smaller and clean boutique feel as compared to the other stores I visited in the area. Kristina greeted me and after telling her I had no idea what kind of dress I wanted, she went right to work and pulled a number of dresses for me to try. One of the dresses was a drop waist/mermaid style dress that, with my short height, I thought would look terrible on me but it looked amazing! I however had just started my dress search and didn't want to commit. Not once did Kristina ever put any pressure on me to buy and was very professional and personable while I was there. I loved the personal service and attention I received while there. It was one of the reasons why I ended up coming back to purchase my wedding dress there. When my dress came in months later, I had my alterations done by Marianna who did an amazing job!!! She created a sweetheart neckline, removed a strap and altered the dress to fit my large bust, short height and waist perfectly. Marianna is truly dedicated to her work and the brides she works with. Even though she was suffering from a cold, she came to the shop to deliver my dress for my appointment and stayed to make sure it was exactly how I wanted it. During one of my alteration appointments, I tried on a couple of veils from the racks but didn't like any of them. Kristina was working that day and saw me trying veils on and went and picked out a veil from the rack that went perfect with the dress, which I ended up loving and purchasing. All in all, I had a great experience at Rena Elle Couture and can't say enough about the excellent customer service I received, not only from Kristina but from everyone I encountered during my visits there.
I bought my dress off the rack here on clearance for a VERY affordable price for what the dress was worth originally. I had their alterations department restructure and fit the dress to me (it fit around my lower half but the bust was huge and I wanted the dress strapless, but it had sleeves). The salon was always clean and organized and the staff was very pleasant. My dress turned out just as I had wanted, but it did slide down a bit even after multiple fittings. Nothing a little body tape didn't fix though. There were a few mix-ups along the way with my appointments not being kept and the dress not being ready enough to try on even though I had an appointment, which was frustrating, but overall I had a great experience.
I came here to check out one of the trunk sales they were advertising on their site and the designer site. I called four days in advance to book my appointment for 6 p.m., as I work across the county until 5. The person on the phone told me no, 6 was too close to their 7 p.m. closing time so they'd have to do it at 5:30. Whatever, I'll just leave work early. I also asked the woman over the phone (who told me the sale items were already in) if they had any of my sizes available for the trunk sale, and she was on the phone with me listing the sizes close to mine that were there. I heard the hangers moving on the rack and an attendant was reading off the options, so they were there for sure.
When I got to the store for my appointment there were three attendants and a seamstress in the dressing room, all attending to a model there for their fashion show the next week. I got their attention, filled out the necessary forms and was told to wait for the attendant. 10 minutes later a second person came and said the attendant was too busy for me, and that she would help me. Meanwhile the rest of the staff of the store were sitting around the fitting room hanging out with the model for their show.
I asked for the trunk show dresses, and she showed me a rack with 8 dresses on it, all in sizes that were way too big or way too small. The few i touched seemed pretty dirty too. By this point I was pretty annoyed. The attendants were rude to my mom who got there before me, I left work early to be here, and I was waiting around until almost 6 without even looking at a dress. When I actually got to the dresses they didn't have any! I tried to explain the conversation that I had with the attendant four days earlier and the attendant just brushed it off and said they didn't get a lot in and began pulling dresses from other designers. So I left and let them go back to worrying about their model and fashion show.
TL;DR: Leaving work early, battling Friday night traffic and then getting totally blown off by a store with no selection.
I had the exact same problems as the other bride who reviewed Rena Elle on this website, it's almost crazy reading her review and seeing the similarities. I found that the staff at Rena Elle were friendly and accommodating until they got your money! (with the exception of Diane, I agree with the other review that she is the only truly nice staff member there). I only had a problem with one vendor for my entire wedding and the vendor was Rena Elle. I purchased my gown here because they were the only place that carried the designer I liked nearby. When I purchased the gown we were told that we would be given half off of the veil if we paid for the gown in full. My mother was paying for the gown and we were debating if we should pay in full to get the veil half off. Kristina, the manager, said she would give us the gown half off if we just gave the down payment of 60% instead of paying in full. GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING! She did not honor this when we came back 6 months later. She finally said "Ok I'll take your word for it", then increased the price of the veil saying "oh the veil is actually $400" when we were originally told $200. Prior to this I had found a color I wanted the bridesmaids to wear and once again Rena Elle was the only place nearby to carry the "color of the year" radiant orchid. I was told in December that the color was available, but being that it was the color of the year for 2014, when I came in with my bridesmaids on January 3rd the color was no longer available. Everyone had already been sized, so I just decided to settle for a similar color. I was ok with the change because it was still a nice color, but I think they should have been aware of this change! THEN, I scheduled a fitting. I got there at 4pm and was told my fitting wasn't until 5pm. I figured I probably made the mistake (maybe) so my mom and I sat in the car outside of Rena for an hour waiting for the seamstress. She arrived at 5:20pm (late) and took another bride before me! I could have gotten the time wrong, but they should have never double booked appointments and they certainly should have taken me first! I ended up sitting in my wedding dress for 45 minutes waiting for the other girl to be done her fitting. I was there from 4pm to 7pm, my whole day wasted. One final note, if you are shopping during prom season at Rena Elle, you might as well be a ghost. Prom dresses and teenagers in pageants trump brides at Rena Elle. In the end, the dresses were all beautiful (although my bustle did break). I give no credit of the beauty of the dresses to Rena Elle (they just sell them). I certainly would take more careful consideration if I had to choose another dress shop. It was a very uncomfortable environment after all of these issues. Advice: Don't settle for the first place you go to. If you expect to be treated like a bride, don't go here. Once again, get everything in writing!
I thought that the alterations were a little high, but perhaps my estimates were not realistic. The seamstress was wonderful, but it was a little inconvenient and frustrating that she was only available a few days a week.
I chose Rena Elle because they had some good reviews and they were able to get the dress that I wanted delivered to their retail location. Except when I worked with Diane (who is fabulous), my customer service experience was a total nightmare.
The seamstress, Marianna, was highly unprofessional, rude, and did not have the work that I asked for completed on time. She messed up two of my appointments and blamed the second one on me (she lied and said it was an hour earlier than it was.) At my "final fitting" I found that she did not finish the hem on my dress and this was a little over a week before my wedding. I told her I could give her another day to do it because after that, I would not have any time to come back and pick it up (I'm 20 miles away and had other vendors to work with.)
She blew up at me and said I was asking for "new changes" which I was not, and then she canceled my appointment when I was supposed to pick up my dress. (She was also very sarcastic with me and I left Rena Elle practically in tears).
I tried to deal with the manager to let her know the situation and so she could remedy it and the few times that she was responsive, she basically told me there was nothing she could do. So, less than a week before my wedding, I had to scramble and cancel plans I made to accomodate Rena Elle, instead of them working with the schedule I gave them.
After I FINALLY got my dress, I was told that the manager would call me to try to resolve the poor treatment I received. Guess what? She never called me.
The place is overpriced, there is zero customer service from the management, or respect for oral contracts, and this vendor made my wedding planning experience extremely stressful. I do not recommend this vendor. Diane was an excellent consultant and I think she should open her own bridal shop and not be associated with this poor retail experience.
I have to say I had a wonderful experience at Rena Elle. I haven't bought my dress from them yet (I'm going shopping one more time to be sure it's the one), but I definitely plan on it.
From the moment I walked in, I felt good about this shop. It's open and clean and the dresses are displayed perfectly.
Christina was helping me and she told me to just walk around the store, find what I like, and we'll try it on.
I'm a curvy girl-- and having just come from Jay West in Haddonfield where they told me I could only try on the dresses they had in one closet-- Christina telling me to just pick whatever I wanted made me feel so much better.
She just explained that we would try each dress on the best we could to get an idea of what it looked like.
I had a great time! I felt beautiful and special the entire time I was there-- and I found a gorgeous gown!
Plus, Rena Elle's prices are much better than other shops. They carry great designers, too-- Pronovias & Allure are two of my favorites.
I highly recommend the selection and staff at Rena Elle :)
The dress I decided on I found at Rena Elle, the only place that carried it. The shop itself had a boutique feel- not a ton of dresses but the dresses they had were very unique and beautiful. I tried on about 5 dresses went back to re-try 3 of them. The shop communicated with me every step of the way, and staff was friendly and professional. They did not push me to buy the dress but let me try on as many times as I liked. I ended up getting my bridesmaids dresses and my mother's dress there was well. The only drawback was the alterations. You have to pay in cash only which is very inconvenient, and they did not go a great job with the bridesmaids. They had belts which snapped in the back and none of the belts fit the girls correctly. The cost was reasonable but I felt they could have had more attention to detail. Besides this, I would definitely recommend Rena Elle to a friend.
The ladies over at Rena Elle Couture hooked this bride up! My dress was beautiful and looked amazing on my wedding day. I dealt mostly with Corrine but any time I called the ladies there were knowledgeable, helpful, and super accommodating. The seamstress was also great. She worked with me to make sure my dress fit perfect on my big day and was super warm and friendly. All in all, the ladies here know their business and take great care of their brides!!
Rena Elle Couture is about an 2 hours from where I live, but I loved the designer "Stella York" and they were one of the only shops that carried this line.
Corinne was helpful and knowledgeable and made the experience fun and memorable. We were not rushed at all, even when it was busy. Also, at other dress stores, the salespeople were pressuring me to choose because I was "cutting it close" to get the dress before my July wedding. I did not feel like this at all at Rena Elle. They have a great selection of dresses and I regret not getting my bridesmaids dresses here also.
Marianna, the seamstress, can do ANYTHING (I wanted the neckline cut into a sweetheart and the back cut into a low 'v')and the dress really "fit like a glove" the day of the wedding.
I absolutely loved my experience with Rena Elle, all the girls who work there are so nice and extremely helpful. They are very accomodating and they have a nice selection of dresses to look through. My mom found her dress here as well and she got so many compliments on it! Thank you Rena Elle Couture!!
I loved my dress. I didn't want to take it off. :). Rena Elle shop was amazing. I loved how you can look through the dresses with ease and had a lot of choices. The prices were great and the boutique shop atmosphere was excellent!
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486 Route 38 East, Maple Shade, NJ
Rena Elle Couture
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