Schaffer's

istened closely to what I wanted. In addition to letting me pick out dresses I was interested in trying on, she brought me a dress that she thought I would like from my descriptions. The dress she brought me was the one I ended up purchasing. The dress was beautiful and everything I hoped it would be. I didn't think I was ever going to find a dress that made me feel bridal and beautiful, but those worries disappeared when I tried on The Dress. I cannot rave enough about Mikaila; she was so kind and intuitive, and she made the whole process a breeze. The only reason I've given Schaffer's four stars is because of the experiences I had with their alterations department. Upon arrival, my dress required significant alterations, and, especially in my first alterations appointment, I felt very unheard. I had to repeat what I wanted several times and felt like I was not being understood. Communication was the biggest barrier in my situation, and it caused me a lot of undue stress leading up to my wedding day. Everything turned out well in the end, and the dress was perfect after the final alterations, so the lost star here is for the extra stress. I would absolutely recommend Schaffer's to other brides, and I would even more strongly recommend Mikaila specifically.

ow what I wanted. Their professional, patient, and knowledgeable staff helped answer all of my questions as well as helped me navigate the whole process. They were up front about prices of various dresses and helped me stick to ones in my budget. I ended up finding a dress off the rack that I loved!

like love at first site and I didn’t have to spend an arm and a leg to get it. They have a wide range in price and style which made this a perfect store for me! I recommend Schaffer’s to every bride!

s my second marriage, so I was unsure what I really wanted. Chelsea was so great to work with. She listened to what my ideas were, looked at the pictures I had saved on my Ipad and then showed me at least 20 dresses in the budget that I indicated, 19 of which I liked! She knew the inventory so well and was patient and also fun to work with. Also, they stayed open late one night so my daughter could help me decide on the final selection. Lastly, they recommended an alterations specialist who was quite gifted. You will not be disappointed if you trust this salon for your dress. (Also, it is fun to celebrate in Old Town after you find your dress!!!!) Highly recommend!!!!!

ure I felt like a queen, to ripping out the zipper to put in a new one and add real buttons, to making sure it was absolutely perfect when I picked it up the day before, I have no complaints! The dream dress experience! Veil was also from there and was amazing.

er, Schaffer's employees never rushed me and gave me lots of time to find the right dress for me. The alterations process was smooth and the seamstress was understanding with the feedback given. The alterations held up and the dress looked gorgeous on the day of. The favorite thing about Schaffer's, beyond the selection, was their flexible hours - I often work late and appreciated their wide availability.

look around. They also have a ton of selections for each price point, so you can shop exactly in your budget. Mikala did such a great job helping me find the perfect gown based on my style & fit! The alterations are on the higher end - though they do a GREAT job. We added some custom alterations to help make my dress even more stunning that it already was and they did such a wonderful job - received so many compliments on my dress!

re in West Des Moines then pay another shipping fee to have it shipped to our home in Missouri. We spent a lot of money at the store for them to add this charge to us. We were not told this upfront. Horrible customer service.

f us) enjoyed being able to browse the dresses, and select ones to try on. My attendant found the dress I ended up buying based on what I told her about my style and price range. Since I ordered my wedding dress here, I was able to get the bridesmaids dresses at a discounted rate. Very happy with communication and speed of shipping. Both the wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses arrived well ahead of schedule.

idal party's dresses and suits here, this is one of the best wedding decisions I've made. First of all, every time I walk in, they know my name and almost all of my wedding party's names AND get my account pulled up even when I have not made an appointment. This makes the whole process so much faster and feels so welcoming. They are incredibly friendly and so easy to work with. When I originally came in to find my dress Joanna was patient and helpful as she helped my bridal party and me navigate their huge dress selection. My mother loved that they only take you to the dresses you can afford and once they get a sense of your style from the ones you have tried on, they go find others for you. That's actually how I found the one! Hal (the suit guy) made sure to get my husband and his guys great suits and even ordered extra free of charge for those guys that he was worried were in between sizes. I never write reviews but I love this place and it is like night and day from the other bridal stores I have been to. I would recommend Schaffers to anyone looking for a quality dress shop.

g. Buying a dress is a lot of pressure in itself, so having pushing saleswomen makes it worse. Megan was the opposite of that and exactly what I needed! She let me browse dresses, ask questions, and have time to myself as I went through the process. She made it feel like my choice, not being pressured into choosing one right away. I am so thankful for that! I chose to have my alterations done at Schaffers as well. I understand they are two separate entities. The Schaffers employee that facilitated the fittings was very helpful! She helped convey my vision to the team and help get it done correctly. Even had them make alterations on the spot so I could take it home that day! The actual alterations though, I would not recommend. After the first round we did, it had to be completely re done. And, my bustle, which was at 10 points throughout the dress, lasted about an hour into the night. I had two pieces in tact after the wedding.

al and helped me to find my dream dress (and made it fit perfectly too!)

she was so much fun and made me feel so relaxed. I had already tried on quite a few dresses before we made it to Schaffer's and I was pretty frustrated with the previous Bridal Salon. Allison joked around me with, made me feel so relaxed and listened to what I wanted in my wedding dress. I knew we had to go back there for bridesmaid dresses and she helped me put all of those together too. The alterations at Schaffer's were so easy, they listened to my thoughts and truly took them into consideration. I couldn't have asked for a better Bridal Shop!

her time before making my big “say yes to the dress” visit. They have the wedding dresses broke down into sections based on budget, so I didn’t even have to rummage through the ones out of my price range. Everyone I worked with throughout the whole process was so kind and helpful. Alterations were a breeze. I went in for an initial pinning, went in a second time when things were altered but not finalized to fix any issues, everything fit perfect and they finalized my dress! Went to pick it up the week of the wedding and length and everything was amazing for day of wedding. We also worked with Schaffers to rent tuxes (through Skeffington’s). They were so helpful to let me know which guys needed to still come in for measurements and when the rentals came everything worked perfect. They had sent us normal ties for the ring bearers even though we had ordered bow ties, I brought this to their attention (picked up ring bearers outfits Wednesday before wedding) and they said no problem, we will get the correct ties to you by tomorrow. And they got us the bow ties by Thursday afternoon! They made everything a breeze and would highly recommend!

st alteration, the dress was taken in 4+ inches at the waist and neckline, when it fit PERFECTLY during my fitting and did not need to be taken in at all. They did adjust it and I came back a few hours later to make sure this was remedied. However, then they told me after the final alterations, the dress could simply be picked up by a friend who lived in the area ( I live over 3 hours away). Considering how terrible my first alteration was, I did not trust this option and wanted to try the dress on for myself. However, when I called to make an appointment, I was met with complete disrespect and appalling customer service. I explained that I live over 3 hours away and could only come on a weekend due to my work schedule (I am taking time off for the wedding and honeymoon....in reality who has EXTRA time off near their wedding) and was told that Sundays were not an option as a seamstress was not available. I explained I simply wanted to try the dress on to ensure it was properly altered before paying the rest of my alteration fee (almost $600). After several conversations with VERY RUDE staff members, I was finally told I could come in on Sunday but no staff members would be available to assist as they were booked. When I arrived, there were 3 staff members sitting at the desk and NO CUSTOMERS in the store. While waiting for one to retrieve my dress, I listened to the other 2 discuss how they would make various comments to a customer coming in at a later date/time when she tried on a dress so that she would "finally buy it." Then when I tried on my dress and found it again to have poor fit, the associate made AT LEAST ten plus comments regarding how she wished she could help me with a seamstress present. I continued to tell her I had no other options (my wedding was 12 days away), and she continued to express how she was "so frustrated at the situation" but yet continued to state she could not help me as there was no seamstress. I finally paid the balance to be able to remove my dress from the store and found another seamstress to fix my dress in time for the wedding. AFTER this happened, I found many other reviewers with similar situations....basically they are great for you to buy the dress, but then everything falls apart and they offer VERY POOR service and will not accommodate your schedule at all. I would not recommend this location to anyone.

I experienced at Schaffer's was anything but a "big store" experience. My bridal consultant (horrible with names so sorry!) was great with my enthusiastic family and made the day so much fun. At all the other boutiques I had felt pretty in dresses but never felt quite like myself- all that changed at Schaffer's as I picked the third dress I tried on. As soon as I put the dress on I knew I was done. We even got the bridesmaid dresses picked the same day! Some reviews have spoken poorly about the alteration process at Schaffer's but I had nothing but an all-around great experience. My dress was made entirely of small patterned sequins and you somehow couldn't even tell it was altered. Definitely recommend giving these guys a try, thank you for making me feel beautiful at my wedding!

omen took a ton of time to go out of her way and listen to what I want and even plant some new creative seeds! Highly recommend. Also has a great selection.

:)-- and she was very patient with my family and me. I really appreciated that. I am pretty indecisive and I never felt pressure. She ultimately encouraged me to retry on a dress that I ended up choosing. As for the alterations, they turned out so much better than I could have imagined. I knew I needed some work done to my dress to make it my dream. I trusted Jeneka and Chi and I am so glad I did. They were worth every penny. A special thanks to Jeneka as she made me feel so special and important every time I went in-- that's how every bride should feel. My dress was not an easy one to bustle but I literally cried after seeing how wonderful of a job they did. Not to mention, all of their accessories are stunning. I loved my earrings, veil, and hair pin. Love these guys! I feel like I gained friends in the process. They were professional yet so much fun! If you are looking for the perfect wedding gown experience, Schaffer's is a MUST go. Thank you so much for everything ladies!!

easy to work with for alterations for my dress. Just an overall excellent experience!

ointed in the quality and cost of the alterations. My alterations didn’t hold up through pictures (before the ceremony even started) and my concerns were brushed off when I mentioned that I was worried that the bust of the dress wouldn’t stay up and my fitting appointment. I wish I would have been more firm and demanded that they add straps.

ylist Megan was AMAZING. She had one in mind that would be perfect for a beach wedding and she was right. From start to finish they were super accommodating to my large group, I brought 10 people! :) Megan was patient as I tried on many dresses, but in the end, came back to the one she had picked for me to try. It was the most beautiful Hayley Paige dress for the beach. I received SO Many compliments on it. Then came the fittings...they made sure it was absolutely perfect and made sure it would travel well. But not only did they help with my gown, they did 10 bridesmaid gowns & the guys' ties. They made the process so enjoyable and I would highly recommend them to anyone!

ted with how I was treated. My guests and I were shuffled in and out in under half an hour in spite of trying to put on several dresses. I had very little help with trying on the dresses and my attendant was distant and not very friendly. It was an awful experience, and definitely not the way I expected to be treated at such an establishment.

esses for sale and I found “the one”. Our assistant was very nice and helpful. The shop was beautiful too!

ooth and any concerns I had were quickly addressed. Everyone I interacted with was friendly and helpful. I couldn't have found a better dress for my wedding day.

was the absolute best! She got emotional right along with my mom and sister-in-law! Throughout the fitting process I worked with the same seamstress and consultant the entire time! I thought that was so nice..it was really nice to have someone other than my mom know what my dress looked like every step of the way. She remembered what it looked like each time and was able to give me genuine advice!

pictures of me in the dresses were very helpful. I actually end up buy a dress at a different store. It was a dress that was a maybe at first but after going back and looking at pictures of myself it in, I realized I did love it. To be honest, I wrote off Schaffer's because I couldn't remember what the dresses looked like.

s were on time and the alterations were skillfully addressed and completed. Accessories were suggested with discreetness and confidence of capturing the look the bride desired. Overall, a great staff with customer service at the top of their list.

in too large in many areas (I have a small chest and big hips), and I anticipated taking it in. They made this process simple, and they didn't rest until I was happy. Alterations were very expensive, however––I paid $1,800 for my dress, and nearly $600 in alterations alone. I had a bit of sticker shock, but I needed a TON taken in all around the dress, and I understand that's time-consuming and expensive. Great shopping experience, but be prepared financially for alterations if you want them done right––which I felt Schaffer's definitely did.

eaned and preserved. The woman I spoke to recommended Noah's Cleaners, who proceeded to RUIN the delicate lace overlay and the bustle hooks. I brought the dress back to Schaffer's with specific requests for them to repair the lace frays, loose buttons, and replace the hooks. I also asked for the dress to be pressed, since I was concerned that the cleaners had shrunk it. I went to pick up today? The ONE piece of lace they "fixed" looked like a high school home ec student basted it...it's lumpy, uneven, and the thread is way too thick. They didn't even touch the rest of the frays OR replace the hooks AND (and this is really the kicker), they actually LENGTHENED the hem rather than pressing it as I specifically requested. In so doing, they ripped through the netting overlay on the dress to resew the lining on, so now where there had been hidden delicate eyes for the bustle buried in the lace, there are three huge ugly loops poking through the holes they made in the netting. I spent over $2000 on this dress, and they managed to make it impossible to feel good about handing this down to my daughter one day. Beyond that, Jennica had the gall to be frustrated with ME that I didn't want them to "fix" it again (like I would EVER leave this dress with them again), and refused to take ownership or responsibility. She even refused to acknowledge the employee who referred me to the dry cleaner, saying they don't make referrals and I should have known better because the dress shouldn't be cleaned. THEN DON'T SEND PEOPLE TO A CLEANER!! Or at least own that ONE of your employees did this and therefore should be held responsible. I should have happy memories surrounding this garment, and should be able to give it to a daughter or friend with joy. Instead, I'm out two grand for something I might as well take to Goodwill. So disgusted with the lack of regard or customer service. Once they get your signature on that contract, say goodbye to any semblance of care or consideration.

esses by budget and letting the customer pick what they want to try on. I did alterations through the shop and the process was seamless. If I had a concern I could call and it would be fixed by the time I was in for my next fitting. They also took in my dress for me last minute because I lost weight over the summer. The staff was wonderful, I'd definitely recommend them!

ery attentive. The dressing area makes you feel like you have the whole store to yourself. Best of all, I never felt pressured and was able to easily stay in my budget due to the way the store is setup. I cannot recommend Schaffer's enough!!

kept within my price range. Unfortunately I didn't find anything that really wowed me, but the service and selection were fantastic!

my dress was just right. I felt on top of the world when I walked down the aisle because I had the dream dress and was marrying the dream guy.

dn't make our wedding party pay for anything), and we got ALL of our tuxes through Schaffer's. So, it is safe to say that we spent well over $5,000 with this store. You would think that after spending all this money and using them for all aspects applicable, they would return their customers with sincere appreciation. NO!!!! INSTEAD, THEY WANT MORE MORE MORE $$$$$$. TOTAL SCAM. THEY WILL DO ANYTHING TO GET MORE AND MORE MONEY OUT OF YOU. If your dress budget is $1500, plan on spending $3,000 for additional costs that they UNETHICALLY sneak in!!! When my bridesmaids came in to get measured for their dresses, Schaffer's had them order alarmingly larger sizes than what they usually wear. My size 0-2 girls were instructed to order a size 8 or 12!!! (Seems made up, but I promise you, it is not!!). My size 6-8 girls were instructed to order their dresses as large as a size 16. SURPRISE! If you need a size 16 (which my bridesmaid DID NOT), Schaffer's requires that you pay an additional $50 for the larger size. They THEN "suggest" (aka persuade) you that all bridesmaids over 5'7 feet tall should add on an additional 2 inches in length to their dress, which ALSO COSTS MORE MONEY. Conveniently, a majority of my bridesmaids were 5'7 or taller. We began to notice a trend here, so I called to ask why my bridesmaids were ordering such large sized dresses. Multiple employees, including the store manager, Lyssa, assured my mom and I that they were "simply following the 'manufacturer's recommendations' and not to be alarmed, that the number on the dress didn't mean anything." The dresses would "match up with the actual measurements that Schaffer's took of my bridesmaids." WRONG WRONG WRONG. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE 8 BRIDESMAIDS DRESSES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LARGE ON MY BRIDESMAIDS. There is no way that all 8 of my bridesmaids lost 4-5 sizes in weight over a 4 month course of time. SO GUESS WHAT??? Schaffer's wants to now charge us over $150 to alter EACH bridesmaid dress. And that extra 2 inches they added on? THE ADDED ON LENGTH WAS ACTUALLY 4 EXTRA INCHES. We know this because we had to find another alterations lady to help us fix my dresses a few short weeks before our wedding. There is NO WAY that that manufacturer recommendation is that off. This is a known ploy by Schaffer's and it's owners to get more money from their customers. There scam is simple, have customers spend $150-$200 on bridesmaid dresses, measure the bridesmaids, order 2-6 sizes larger than what the bridesmaid is, have the bridesmaid realize the dress is way too large, then charge them RIDICULOUS amounts to have THEIR MISTAKE fixed. As you can guess, the EXACT same situation happened with my wedding dress. Except, they have you come back for 2-3 dress alterations and use these "fittings" as opportunities to charge you for more money. Each time I made an appointment, they would inform me of the charges they "foresaw" me having to pay at my next appointment. Each charge was anywhere from $150-$300. If I would of had all my wedding dress alterations with Schaffer's, I would of spent another $700 on ONLY ALTERATIONS.

son was incredibly friendly and helpful. My dress and veil turned out exactly how I always had pictured them. I would highly recommend this bridal dress store as a the first stop for any bride in the Des Moines area. I didn't even need to look anywhere else because everything I wanted to try on, they had.

Most of their dress selection seemed to be over $1000 and alterations cost about $300 on top of that. It was fairly pricey but I felt worth it for the occasion and service.

and they wanted to charge me over $700 to get it down to the size/fit needed. They also wanted to charge me for a garment bag for the dress, and don't offer any wedding dress preservation. I loved the girl who helped me, but everything after that I was pretty disappointed!

the dress. It was very busy and thought it was too much for me. My mother in law and aunt both got teary eyed and said it was a PERFECT dress. When I went to the distant mirror I loved it! I tried on a veil and tiara and fell in love. Since i purchased within 24 hours of trying it on I got a discount as well as a discount on the veil and tiara. I did not like however that I could not take pictures before buying to help decide that night if it was the best choice for me.

o them). It was WAY cheaper than it otherwise would have been. They also made any corrections to it that had happened such as a tear in the lace or loose beading. The only thing that happened that I didn't know was we had to take it and pay for it to be dry cleaned in the middle of them fixing it. I had assumed they were going to do that but apparently not. Either way I got a good deal, but make sure to ask about that beforehand if you are going to buy a sample (still worth it) just so you know your total cost.

bridesmaids dress shipping also! Really recommend them!

rack within my price range. I also was disappointed that I couldn't take any photos of the dresses unless I committed to buying. The appointment was limited to 90 mins is I felt rushed. I did find a beautiful veil here and came back and purchased it the following day but purchased my dress elsewhere.