First and foremost, I have to start by saying that Simply Bridal was not the type of bridal salon where I expected to find my dress at all. My original dress expectations were of a totally unique, bohemian type dress. I'm super labor and earth-...friendly and,so, I expected my dress to be eco-friendly and made in America. Unfortunately, this made finding the right dress next to impossible.
One day, on a whim after seeing an ad on Facebook, I called and scheduled an appointment. This lead me to my first clue that this salon was special- they were able to give me two appointment options the very next day! Clue number 2 came when I asked what I needed to bring in terms of underclothes, shoes, etc, and I was told that they had bras to fit the different styles of dresses and heels in all sizes. Perfect! There was nothing I hated more than showing up to a salon and being told to bring a strapless bra, only for that bra to be totally useless for a dress with an open back/ unusual straps/unique detail that made the bra totally bulky and irrelevant... but, of course, trying dresses on without any underclothes totally changes the shape of the dress on your body. Anyway, moving on...
When I showed up (alone, mind you. I was so convinced that this wasn't the salon for me that I decided to let my girls sit this one out) my stylist, Arielle, was super sweet and attentive. You could totally tell right off the bat that she knew what she was doing when it came to dressing a woman for her wedding day. Unlike other salons I had been to previously, and not that my experiences were horrible or anything, everything with Arielle was totally comfortable. She made pleasant conversation while she was helping me into the dresses, making it feel almost normal that a stranger was helping a nearly nude me into a giant gown in a tiny space.
Two gowns into it, I found my dress. But, of course, being my indecisive self, I still wanted to try on all the other dresses before I made my choice. Then I wanted to try "my dress" on again... and then again... and then again! ... And Arielle laced me in and out of this corset dress every single time with nothing but the sweetest and most encouraging demeanor.
I couldn't fully make up my mind until my bridesmaids saw this dress, and the salon was kind enough to fit me in early morning on an already fully-booked Saturday.
Ultimately, I ended up ordering the dress, and am now just counting the days till it arrives.
The only reason I gave the quality 4 stars is because I am of the understanding that these dresses are manufactured in China and, if you know me or read the beginning of this now-far-too-long-and-I-totally-apologize post, I am not into mass-produced products from countries with low labor standards.
However, given that I found a dress I couldn't stop staring at myself in, I think the trade-off was well worth it.
Thank you, Arielle! Thank you, Simply Bridal!