Seattle Wedding Dress Specialists

bespoke, couture wedding gown made with heirloom and imported fabrics to be preserved under Seattle Wedding Dress Specialists' care in March and was given an estimated 6-week turnaround. Understandably, this process may be time-consuming, and I wholly trusted their ability to deliver their promise after speaking with Will Erstead, one of the co-owners. The total cost for cleaning and preservation was $898.54. Half of the cost was to be paid upfront, and the second half was to be paid upon pickup. I expected a general update at the 6-8 week mark, but after hearing radio silence, I attempted to call multiple times (goes straight to voicemail, with different messages); left voicemails that were never returned; sent emails that were never returned; sent messages via Instagram (since their post comments are disabled); and had my partner drive by to check on the status. I was filled with dread and anxiety, thinking the worst when I never heard back -- was my dress damaged? Was it stolen? Why wasn't anyone answering my inquiries? The website instructs customers to schedule an appointment to pick up their dress, charging $50 even if their dress is not ready. I showed up without an appointment on the one day that I saw someone in the storefront. I waited for an appointment to finish up and expressed my concern that I hadn't received any communication from the business. Hearing my dismay, the customer in front of me was concerned about the timeline and asked Will about timeline expectations. Will placed the blame on their storage box vendor and did not address the business's lack of communication and failure to meet customer expectations. I asked to see my dress before it was boxed up, and Will hurriedly and covertly boxed it up in the back. I repeatedly asked to see the dress and once again addressed my concern about the business's poor communication, and not once did I receive an apology. Will unboxed my dress, only for me to see that there were stains on the hem of my dress, a broken silk button from the back of my gown, and pleats from my silk chiffon train flattened out. The gown did not look like it had undergone any professional cleaning, and I cannot be completely assured that it had undergone any preservation. It felt like Will had hoped I wouldn't see the damage. SWDS would benefit from improving communication, setting realistic expectations, sharing updates on progress or challenges to build customer trust, and taking full ownership of their mistakes. If there had been any challenges or roadblocks that kept them from delivering on their expectations, I would have understood entirely had it been communicated. Instead, I was left to wonder, agonize, and expect the worst. When I was reunited with my dress, I was aghast by the condition of my gown. For many of their customers, a wedding gown is a timeless, priceless treasure that has been entrusted under Seattle Wedding Dress Specialists' care. They have done a great disservice to me, and while I was offered a refund for their failure to meet expectations, I cannot recommend their service to anyone. I implore you to consider finding an alternative business if you wish to have your wedding dress cleaned or preserved. This review does not apply to their alterations service, which I did not receive.

nd descend stairs in a long gown. She was also able to alter my gown afterwards to make it wearable for other occasions, and getting my gown cleaned there was an added bonus.

of, but two things are keeping this review at three stars: 1) When I first dropped off my dress, their wedding specialists weren't in, so I was told that I would receive a call with a price quote first thing the next day, and that no work would start until I received that quote. I didn't hear from them, so I called late in the afternoon and again was told I'd be contacted the next day. Same thing happened again--no call, and no quote. The next day I happened to be running errands nearby so stepped in and they were finally able to help me in person. Everyone was friendly, but I shouldn't have had to chase them down for this. 2) When I went to pick up my gown, I noticed that a lace bolero jacket that I had specifically called out when dropping the dress off was not with my other items. Apparently whoever checked me in did not include the jacket on the invoice, so it was missed on the packing checklist. A 15 minute frantic search ensued, and thank goodness the jacket was found at the bottom of the garment bag that I had used to drop off the dress. All in all, everything turned out fine, but I will definitely not be using National Dry Cleaners to clean and preserve my dress.

paid more to have my dress professionally preserved. It is recommended to make an appointment when dropping off the dress for a short consultation, inspection and going over the options. The cleaning/preservation was also ready quite a bit earlier than the planned finishing date.

silk gown with no embelishments. and one separate sash. they first quoted me at 250. the manager wasn't there. but i said that was far too much. they held onto the dress and the manager called after the weekend to offer a better price. 125. still high for cleaning one dress. i asked them how much it costs to clean a simple silk gown that isn't a "wedding dress". they said 48!!! so a scam basically, because it's for a wedding and you want your day to be perfect. i went to pick it up and while waiting to pay my premium 125., i noticed that the watermarks were now more visible (even through the blue plastic bag!). i mentioned this to the staff checking me out. they claimed they didn't notice the stains. i mean it was too different colors! i noticed it while standing 6 feet away and under blue plastic!!! i was calm, and asked them to work on it a little more. they said they would try. and they did, which is why they are getting one star. but remeber they did try to pass it off to me at the register dirty. hoping what? that i would take it home before noticing? be wary brides. know what you are getting for your money. No one at this cleaners was ever able to tell me why they generally tack on a 200. upcharge for a wedding dress. I'm tired of this industry standard that when the word "wedding" is in the title of the item it's automatically going to be priced way higher.

ec of dirt was gone, and it was flawless after that. The girl at the front desk was a little scatter brained, originally she tried to make my p/u date after my wedding (after we already discussed when i woudl pick it up) and then when i was picking it up, she dropped it on the floor. Not in a bag or anything. But it was fine, and I think she was just a bit flustered.