Vanessa's Modern Bride

I had the easiest and most fun experience at Vanessa’s Modern Bride. Lisa helped me find my dream dress - and I didn’t even know that it was my dream dress! She was thoughtful, honest, connected us with a good seamstress for alterations and also was great during the bridesmaids dress process. Definitely recommend Lisa to help you find a dress, within a reasonable budget, that will make you feel so special on your big day.

To give some back story about wedding dress shopping, I had gone to one other bridal salon before going to Vanessas Modern Bride and it did not go well. The first stores dress selection was sub par and left me feeling hopeless. However all of that changed once I stepped foot Into Vanessas Modern Bride. When arriving to my appointment Lisa greeted my mother and I with such kindness and warmth I couldn’t help but feel comfortable around her. Her store was clean, organized, and so cute. After giving Lisa some details about my style preferences she pulled some dresses for me to try on. Let me tell you every single dress she had in the store was drop dead gorgeous. The ones I tried on matched what I had described and were above and beyond my expectations. Lisa clearly listens to her customers and is an expert at what she does. She was patient and understanding as I tried on dress after dress as I loved so many of them. Eventually I narrowed it down to 3 final dresses. She let me come back a few days later in order to FaceTime my friends in because of COVID-19. After the FaceTime call I selected my dress, and was so excited! Once my dress was selected she communicated to the designer on my behalf on some customizations I wanted done. I wanted to raise the back of the dress and line the front of the dress. I didn’t have to do a single thing. She left me feeling so taken care of and all I had to do was wait for the dress to arrive. If I ever had any questions Lisa was organized, timely, and detailed oriented in her work. Every interaction I have had with Lisa has been amazing. When my dress arrived with the custom changes, which by the way were perfect, she was able to help me select a beautiful hair piece and veil as well. With her guidance and her expertise I feel as if my dress was truly made just for me and I can not wait to wear it. I can not say enough good things about my entire experience with Vanessas Modern Bride. I encourage every bride to be to stop in this wonderful store.

Although my dress was gorgeous. Unfortunately have to give 1 star due to service/experience. My dress was ordered 1 size down from my original measurements and due to that when it came in it would just barely zip- I could not even walk or move. Lisa stated that it was no issue and the Alterations lady would easily be able to take some out. The whole alterations process was by far the most challenging, stressful and difficult part of the entire wedding process. I highly recommend if you do get your dress here TAKE YOUR DRESS TO GET ALTERED ELSEWHERE! The last thing a bride needs is more dress during this time. Due to COVID alterations had to be done at the lady’s house (Dorina). Dorina was a nightmare to work with. Extremely disrespectful from the start. As soon as I walked in I pulled out my phone to show her an inspiration picture of how I wanted to add cap sleeves to my dress and she sighed in disgust calling me a “millennial” and telling me to put my phone away. I told her the dress came in too tight and asked if she could let it out a bit so I can walk/sit in the dress and she basically said no she can’t that’s how the dress is is supposed to be form fitting. After leaving the first fitting I felt so discouraged and stressed I then went on to lose 10lbs in order to just try to fit into this dress. The second fitting I had to bring my mom along as back up and support and although I lost weight, the dress was still too tight to sit down in. After me and my mom spent 30 minutes arguing with Dorina she finally agreed to take it out a little bit. The whole payment process was very sketchy as well. She quoted me one number at the first appointment then tried to say she quoted me a different number when it came to the second appointment. Everything had to be paid in cash, no receipts or paperwork. Extremely unprofessional I wouldn’t even call it a business. My dress was beautiful and after losing 15lbs I was able to fit into it perfectly however this shouldn’t have to be the case when paying over $800 for alterations. I would have had a better experience at a dry cleaners and it would have been less expensive with comparable quality. Planning a wedding is stressful enough and the last thing you need is disrespectful, unprofessional vendors who won’t comply with your needs.

Lisa at Vanessa's was wonderful throughout the whole process. From the first time I walked in there to when I walked out with my dress she treated us with some much respect and care. She helped me narrow down to the perfect dress. Even ordered a second skirt when the color came out differently than when I originally tried on. I would recommend anyone who is looking for a wedding dress to go and see Lisa.

They were so wonderful to work with. From picking out the dress to the fitting and to pickup everything went so well. I always felt comfortable and taken care of. The team has so much patience and is very supportive. I never felt rushed and always felt like a bride. Thank you for my beautiful dress Vanessa’s!

I had an absolutely WONDERFUL experience getting my wedding dress, a mother of the bride dress, and 7 bridesmaid dresses at Vanessa's Modern Bride in downtown Arlington Heights, IL. Their service is excellent, the dresses are gorgeous, and I appreciated all of the effort Lisa put into making our experience fun, easy, and perfectly memorable. All of my bridesmaids ordered different dresses, and each girl loved her dress! We had a tight time crunch to work with, and all of our dresses were altered and ready with time to spare! I cannot share enough great things about the shop, the dresses, and Lisa!!

Vanessa’s has a lot of great dresses for good prices and a friendly staff. Everything went very smoothly for me, and I was overall pleased with my dress. However, I picked up my dress the day before my wedding and it was not complete as it should’ve been. There were loose strings, beads falling off, and a messy looking zipper. The woman suggested we take it home and fix it ourselves which I found entirely rude and unprofessional. For the price we paid the dress should’ve been ready for us in immaculate condition. I was also disappointed that she never once apologized for the inconvenience or unprofessional execution.

If you go to Vanessa's ask for Lisa - she was so sweet and knowledgeable, and made the experience that much better! Every dress she pulled out for me was pretty, I'm no expert in dresses, and felt like I was guided by a true professional. I felt wonderful in the dress I decided on and enjoyed the choosing process very much. Beautiful wedding gown selection, to say the least, with great service in a classy environment. We really had a blast! Can't wait for my dress to come in. Highly recommended!

I can’t praise Vanessa's enough for helping me to find the perfect dress for my wedding day! I had a hard time deciding between two dresses, and they were very patient and understanding. Amanda was great, everyone who came shopping with me absolutely adored her. I would highly recommend them to anyone in the area looking for their dream gown at a reasonable price! Thanks for the great experience ladies!

I would not recommend this bridal salon. The dress selection is slim and the prices are unreasonably high. Even with a $2,000 budget, I was told many of the dresses were out of my price range. A great sales associate makes ALL the difference at these types of appointments, but between my "limited" budget and being larger than a size 8, it was clear she was checked out and could care a less. I couldn't get out of there fast enough!

My wedding was wonderful, and now I finally got a chance to review my vendors. I loved working with Vanessa’s to select my wedding gown, my best friend and I both got our gowns here, and we were helped by a different consultant both named Amanda. :) My Amanda was lovely, she was patient, friendly and helpful, she picked out great dresses based on my body type, even though they weren’t what I originally wanted, one of them was so perfect it became my dream dress! It even came in quicker than expected! Alteration with Barbara went smoothly without a hitch. That’s huge according to all my friends. Be sure to make an appointment by phone, that’s one thing I’ve learned by my wedding gown search from many stores, you can’t just stroll in and expect consultants or seamstresses to be always immediately available. Vanessa’s was great! I recommended them to all my friends in Chicago and now you.

We had a most wonderful experience at Vanessa's. My family and I went to many stores to look for my gown, and we found it at the closest shop to our house!! They don't have racks upon racks of gowns to choose from, but each one I tried on there was so pretty! It's a smaller boutique, so we witnessed a bridal gown second fitting with another bride. Everyone was so relaxed and satisfied, and that to me is very important. Price was good, and customer service was friendly. We are quite happy! Highly recommended!!

Around Christmas last year was the only time I could come back to Arlington Heights, my mom, my two sisters and my maid of honor went bridal gown shopping! Vanessa's was one of our top choices in term of bridal salons to visit, having grow up in this area I have always admired their beautiful bridal gowns in the windows. We had champagne and such a lovely time during our appointment that we ended up canceling our next appointment and bought a dress there! Highly recommended for delicate lace dresses and a relaxed experience! We will go back soon for bridesmaids and my mom's dress.

I contacted this store interested in possibly making an appointment while I was visiting family in the area. This was the only time I was going to be able to go dress shopping with my mom. When they contacted me back, they didn't answer any of my questions, just asked if I planned on buying my dress somewhere closer to where I live. I told them that would consider purchasing from them, but I wanted to see what they had and see what my mom thought of the dresses. They told me they don't make appointments with brides who don't plan to buy from them. How can you know if you will for sure buy from them until you get to shop there?! So apparently you need to be from the area, otherwise don't even bother contacting them. I went to two other places that were both appalled by this store's attitude towards me.

This bridal salon is AMAZING! The staff was so caring when it came to finding my dream gown. I can't thank them enough! They not only helped me find my dress, but my mother's dress as well as my bridesmaids! What a great place. I would recommend/have recommended them to everyone I know. Thanks again!

Wonderful Wonderful Wonderful! Amanda was wonderful during both visits. The dress arrived as promised and did not require alterations - the measuring was excellently done. Thanks for a beautiful gown and a stress free experience!!

Hi All! I hardly write reviews for anything, but I'd like to tell you my experience with my wedding gown because I'm so grateful. My sister had her wedding three years ago and her used another bridal boutique in the area and it was awful! Her dress didn't come in until the last minute and she had to juggle her schedule so much to get it fitted! And she didn't feel like she got the support she needed from that dress shop through the whole process. I was so lucky that I fell in love with a gown from Vanessa's and the rest was smooth sailing. No stress for my dress! I loved it when my special ordered gown came in, and by gosh it was the right size(the sample was a tad small) and it looked gorgeous! There was plenty of time to get my ensemble together and the ladies at the store were so helpful, never pressure selling but patient with every detail. :) My mom and my sister(and her sweet baby) had great time at each fitting. We were out to the door all smiles and that worth a great deal to me! My dress fit perfectly on my wedding day, we had no trouble with the bustle(unlike with my sister's dress) because our seamstress Sylvia was so nice, and she made sure we learned how to bustle my dress with its eleven ties! I had my dress organically cleaned and preserved with Vanessa's and it is now safe in my closet with fond memories. This whole experience has been wonderful! Thank You Vanessa's!

Worst experience I ever had. The assistant didnt do anything. I tried on a dress and she sat behind the table drinking her Starbucks while I am standing there trying to hold my dress up. I had to ask her to assist me with zipping up my dress and she acting like I was bothering her. I left after the 3rd dress. I would never buy anything from here and would NOT recommend anyone to buy anything with this horrible service!!

My experience at Vanessa's has been nothing short of fabulous. The dresses are gorgeous. The staff is polite, helpful and genuine. They answered all my questions without being pretentious or evasive. We didn’t buy first time we were there because I had another bridal appointment at a different store, but I had fallen in love with one of the dresses I tried on and came back to buy it. Throughout the process I wasn’t pressured to buy on the spot like at some of the other stores I’ve been to. The overall experience was very pleasant and fun. I have also met Vanessa’s seamstress Sylvia, have seen her working with a bride for her bridal gown fitting while I was there. I’m excited to be working with someone so nice myself! In the future, I will absolutely recommend Vanessa's to friends and family.

After going to a big-box retailer, a high-end consignment store and a boutique, I didn’t think I’d find a dress that matched my vision. But Vanessa’s is what a wedding gown shopping experience is meant to be like! For the first time in months they actually made me feel happy about my wedding. The other bridal stores I visited in the Chicago area were operated like an assembly line, they are designed to make you feel like nothing special kind of bride. The ladies at Vanessa’s truly understand what a girl needs in order to choose the right gown. Amanda really listened to me—even when I wasn’t sure what I wanted. After working with consultants at other stores who only heard “tulle” or “mermaid,” it was incredibly refreshing to work with someone who listened and offered choices that met my unspoken needs. I loved how laid-back and chill the experience was, Vanessa’s Bridal turned my horror-filled wedding dress shopping experience into the happy, relaxed affair that I had hoped for!

My wedding gown shopping experience at Vanessa's was as good as it gets! With only four month between my ordering the gown and my wedding, I thought it would be a stressful experience, but happily it was not. Vanessa's customer service really made a difference, they knew me by name every time I called and updated me on the status of my gown. My beautiful bridal gown arrived exactly they way they promised and on time! The seamstress was nice and accommodating with my schedule when it was time for fittings, the whole experience was great. Thanks Vanessa's and the nice ladies who work there! We are coming back for my sisters.

I LOVED my wedding dress and received so many compliments on it. However, the process was very stressful. There were many things that were ordered incorrectly the first time or not ordered at all. My bridesmaids dresses were ordered incorrectly the first time, but luckily we had about a year before the wedding so they were able to re-order and the dresses were perfect the second time around. Overall the staff at Vanessa's is very helpful and patient, but it was a very long process to get everything that we paid for. I would definitely recommend Vanessa's because of the wonderful staff, but make sure you are very specific about what you want them to order and double check everything ahead of time.

I loved everything about Vanessa's, not only did I get my dress but we got the brideslaid dresses there too! I really appreciated all of Lisa and Beth's help picking out dresses and Dorina is THE BEST for alterations. Thanks to this lovely group of ladies, I looked perfect (and so did my wedding party) on my May 12th wedding, THANK YOU!

I first heard of Vanessa's from a good friend who had gotten her wedding dress there. She couldn't tell me enough how wonderful they were and what beautiful dresses they had. She also told me about the deal that they do is you buy on your first visit you get 15% off!!! She told me I should visit Vanessa's last because she was sure that I would find my dress there. And I DID!! I visited 5 other bridal salons before Vanessa's and I can tell you I saved the best for last!! I was so happy with my dress and their alterations department is the best. Dorina is so wonderful and she makes sure that you love everything every step of the way!!! Pay this place a visit!!

Hi..I loved the dress I got at this store! It was the Marisa 815. I ordered my dress early and it was suppose to come in a year from when I ordered it. When I kept calling the store a year later they kept saying my dress wasn't in yet and they would get back to me. I kept having to call and it took 2-4 times and 1.5month later to finally get my dress. When I went to pick it up and try it on once more they gave me a hard time since I wasn't having my dress altered there. The store was switching owners in the meantime and this made things complicated. I even got a call two weeks after I picked up my dress telling me my dress was in....hmmmmm the store must have been very unorganized to have not realized they had already given me my dress.

I enjoyed working with Vanessa. My dress turned out beautiful and near perfect. However, the shop has new owners and the "personal" boutique feel is a bit lost. Had I encountered their service my first visit in, I probably wouldn't have bought my dress there.

My initial experience at Vanessa's was GREAT! Vanessa was friendly, energetic, and knowledgeable. However, by the time my second fitting came along, the new owners had taken over and it was just wasn't the same. The new owners just don't seem as friendly and excited about helping you with your wedding dress. During my final fitting, when my mom and maid of honor came along to learn how to bustle the skirt, the new owners and the seamstress were arguing with a man right in front of me. It totally ruined the experience of a final fitting and it was just quiet and awkward when he left. It's definitely not the same since the new owners have taken over and I would be hesitant to send a friend here.

Working with Vanessa and Donna was amazing. My sister had bought her dress at Vanessas a few years before, so I was hoping that I could find a dress there as well. I unfortunately am not the most decisive person and so it wasn't nearly as easy for me to decide on a dress... I had gone to a bunch of places for a dress (and I mean a bunch of places) and found a few that I thought were very pretty and many that I thought should be burned... I couldn't make up my mind and what was once a joyous event (trying on dresses) had turned into a chore that was never ending... So, I decided that since I had such a great experience at Vanessas and had so much fun there and felt so comfortable, that I would purchase my dress through them. What dress, we did not know, but if we had to flip a coin between a few, that is what we were going to do. :-) It almost got to that. After many sleepless nights, and a lot (and lot) of patience from Vanessa, her team and my mom, I picked a dress. The whole process with Vanessa was amazing to the point where I debated about whether or not I should invite her to my wedding. Yes- this is how much I liked her. I kept joking with her on how much she is going to miss me and although she may secretly think I am a lunatic, you would never know it. We laughed a lot and they helped me out A TON!!! I like to work with people who I am comfortable with, and I want to give my business and money to people who deserve it. They made the experience what it should be. The store may be small but it is classic with a lot of charm, just like Vanessa who is always dressed like she walked out of a Neimans Catalog. She is a pleasure to work with and my mom and I are going to miss them. They were wonderful and at the end of the day, I ended up loving my dress!! ~Hillary

First off when I was at Vanessa's there were no dresses in my size. I wear a size 8!!!!!!!!! Every dress she showed me was a 2 or a 4. There was 1 dress in a 6 that I tried on. As many women would; I became so self conscious and even cried after leaving the store. The she kept pulling trumpet dresses for me. I have big hips and hated how they look in that style. I told her I did not want to try anymore trumpet dresses on. So she kept pulling more. I felt like she just wanted to rush me out of there and was not listening to me. She did have beautiful gowns, just only go here is you are a size 2 or 4 or have the biggest self esteem in the world.

Vanessa's is the best place to go. Dresses are a little more expensive, but the selection and quality are the best. The people there know their stuff! They are honest about what looks good and what doesn't. I wanted to add lace and beading and were very accommodating to what I wanted for my dress. The alterations were spot on and my dress fit perfect! Highly recommend!

I ordered my dress from Vanessa's and it was absolutely beautiful! After reading some reviews on how expensive people thought they were, I decided to make an appointment anyway. I found the perfect dress and something in my price range. They are extremely helpful, especially since I had to plan my wedding in Chicago, all the way from Florida. I was extremely pleased with Vanessa's Modern Bride.

I bought my wedding dress here and I absolutely love Vanessa and her mom. Their store is so cute and the selection of dresses is different than what you find in a lot of places, even though it's the same brands. I love that they give you a slip and corset bra to put on while trying on stuff so that you don't have to walk around naked like at a lot of other shops. I love that since it is a smaller shop, they know me by name and remember all of the details of my wedding each time I call or go in. I have never had to share a mirror or wait in line which is such a nice feeling when trying on such an expensive, important thing to you. Am very happy with my choice to buy here!!