Houston Bridal & Formal

10/15/09

Shop here, buy elsewhere

by mandiwinter at Citysearch

Shop here if you want to try on dresses in a beautiful environment .... But buy your dress from somewhere else and save yourself some frustration and some money.

Wait! (you're thinking right now) I want to have a person to talk to if something goes wrong! And I'm willing to pay a little more to make sure if I have any issues that they'll work with me to make it better and leave me feeling good about the experience....

... and there in lies the problem. The owner of Houston Bridal, Robyn, does not seem to care about making her customers happy or giving you clear guidance if something goes wrong with your order from her shop.

We bought bridesmaid dresses from Houston Bridal after trying on an identical size and style dress in the salon. When the dresses came in, they were too short and too tight. When Houston Bridal was contacted regarding the issue, the response was that we were incorrect, that the dress that we tried on in the store was a larger size (as if we were making this up), but if we wanted to bring our dresses in and/or try on the dresses in the store again she would see what she could do. At this point the dresses were already being altered and the wedding was closing in, so we opted to complete the alterations. Instead, per Robyn's request, we sent in photos of the issues with the dress.

After the wedding, again per Robyn's request, I went into the new salon with my dress and one of the other bridesmaids' dress that also had the same issue. At that time, I tried on the dress that we had originally tried on to prove the point that the dress in the store was a perfect fit and that the dress we received was at least 3" shorter and several sizes smaller (and we're talking a size or two smaller). Robyn agreed that something was strange and agreed to again contact the designer and informed us that they are typically very willing to work through these types of issues.

After not hearing anything from Robyn for several weeks, I had to contact her again at which point she said she wanted to talk over the phone.... perhaps to not document her accusations that we had somehow altered the dress to be too small and too short to try to take advantage of her?!? Really... I have nothing better to do than manipulate small businesses. She then requested that I send her an itemized receipt for the alterations that I had done on the dress.

Before I could even send her the receipt, she sends me an email stating that the designer can not do anything to compensate us because he didn't get to see the dress before it was altered (ok, fair enough) and that she agreed and that Houston Bridal would not do anything to compensate us either. What!?! After over a month of her asking us to take pictures, come to the store, bring in all the dresses, get an itemized receipt, call her back, wait on her responses... it goes on and on. Why did she opt to drag it out this long? I don't disagree that we should have found a way to get the dresses to her before they were touched by alterations (it's a logistical long story). If she had told us that then we would have accepted that and moved on. The issue here is that she didn't and she continued to waste our time and make the issue much worse.

Bottom line - Houston Bridal never bothered to take our measurements and verify that they had given us accurate guidance when we ordered the dresses from their store after trying on their sample dress. Somewhere along the line something went wrong and Robyn was too indecisive to make a call one way or the other and instead drug the issue out for almost two months. So, like I said, shop here because it's convenient and pretty. Buy your dress somewhere else and save some money because you're not buying service here.

• Pros: Used to be in a very pretty historic building
• Cons: Poor service, unclear policies, indecisive management

11/21/08

Best Atmosphere for a bridal shop!

by shelleycollins1 at Citysearch

My entire experience from start to finsh was wonderful with Houston Bridal and Formal Gallery. The service was tremendous. It was like having your closest friends helping you every step of they way. The whole experience of selecting your gown down to your shoes should be a magical experience....and mine was with Houston Bridal and Formal Gallery! There are so many options in the city of Houston....but this is definitely a unique place in style and service.

• Pros: easy downtown location, timely service

08/04/08

Be treated like the princess that you are when prepairing for your wedding!

by SJCSTEPHANIE at Citysearch

My experience at Houston Formal & Bridal Gallery was wonderful. Make sure to make an appointment before you go so you can have a consultant?s full attention when trying to find your perfect dress. The day I went to look at the gowns at the bridal salon was so surreal to begin with and then trying on gowns in this beautiful historic mansion made it even better. There are many, many gowns to choose from in all designs, colors and styles. They have a very large selection of bridesmaid dresses, flower girl dresses and shoes. I also wanted to add a sash to my dress in the specific color of my bridesmaid dresses and they were able to order my special request without any problems. The consultant?s are very knowledgeable in the different materials; styles and what can or cannot be done to the dresses. I have been to Alfred Angelo and David?s Bridal and my experience?s there were not where near comparison to Houston Formal and Bridal Gallery.