We knew we wanted a quartet, but I was very wary because being a musician myself, I was really concerned about the quality of sound and being a bride on a budget, I was naturally worried about price. Alicia was the main contact person I had corresponded with throughout the entire time. She was very nice, and after listening to their video clips on myspace, we decided to book Organic String Quartet based on what we heard (together and in tune) and their reasonable price. We signed the contract, sent the deposit and waited for our day to arrive. The day before our wedding, my bridesmaid asked me if I knew they would bring their own music stands - since I did not know, I asked her to give them a quick call and find out (turns out they do - it is standard for them to provide stands FYI). However, it also turned out that Alicia (the main contact and I assume the first violin) had a last minute emergency and had to find a sub for our wedding the very next day. This was disconcerting on a few levels. 1) I never received an email/call from her to let me know of this change - had my bridesmaid not contacted them to ask them a general question, we would not have found out 2) This change will definitely affect the overall performance (rehearsal time, and just the cohesiveness of the usual quartet players vs having a sub). There was really nothing I could do except to hope, pray and try to focus on the positives.

Our big day came, and the one positive was that they were on time. But they completely butchered the most important song - the classic "Here Comes the Bride." I had to force myself to block out the music as I was walking down the aisle as to enjoy the moment and not cringe or make too many faces (although some were documented in our photos). It was so blatantly bad, it was even obvious to an untrained ear that something was off, let alone to both my husband and I who knew music (and all my music major friends) and heard all the mistakes; one musician was off (moved on to a different section) and, not only were they out of tune, they were out of sync. This made me very sad, disappointed and slightly angry. They were nice people, but overall, this was not what we paid for - and how can they mess up on such an important song? Thankfully we didn't hire a videographer, so I can try to let this horrendous moment fade - the rest of the songs were decent at best.

She was 50 minutes late. And she barely apologized. I told her I had rushed back from work to make it in time, and she completely dismissed/ignored my comment. I had wanted to say she could've texted me that she was going to be late so I could finish more work, but she only called when she was already late saying 5-10 more minutes. i waited for another 30 minutes to get another call saying almost there. Another 10 minutes she finally shows up. No apologies in any of these conversations.

To be fair, she did pay attention to my sensitivities and was more gentle with the make up application. And she was for the most part sweet, but she selectively listened. I told her I didn't want certain things, and she did some but didn't budge and totally didn't recall at all on others. LIke wanting my eyeliner on 1 portion of my eye, not wanting the top line too thick, or even my eyebrows too dark. I felt bad for asking for these changes, but in retrospect and to think of it now, I am the bride and the paying customer. She also didn't bring her full set so I wasn't able to see various looks; I only had 1 look w/ no tweaking despite my questions/comments.

Bottom line to my fellow brides, she was 50 minutes late, and regardless if you are from LA or not (and she is an LA native), there's really no excuse. And she didn't even think to waive the travel fee; I feel like that's the least she could've done. Tardiness in general is just disrespectful not to mention unprofessional. Somehow her time was more valuable than mine? I felt like I wasted my money, and had to suffer the annoyance and discomfort of trying to be pleasant and polite even though the situation was just frustrating.

We've only had our tasting so far, but wanted to say it went well. Joleen is very sweet, and while my review may be totally redundant since everyone's been raving about her, I feel like I had to write and agree. Selections were very tasty and we're really really looking forward to seeing and tasting it! Thanks Joleen!

My first trip to Pronovias (flagship in NYC) was fabulous. Despite a late start (they were running 15-20 minutes late), the experience was wonderful. They were personable (I met one of the managers) and I actually (after searching for a while) found a dress that had beautiful lace details (while being affordable). My sales rep told me the lace was made in Italy and they would naturally order the dress from Barcelona, Spain. I was sold on the lace, because I am very sensitive to the softness/feel/texture of the fabric as I have allergy-prone skin. And although I was just in NYC for the weekend and was to return to LA the next day, I ordered it. Fast forward a few months and came the day the dress was to come in. I was undecided if I was to fly back to NYC to pick up and try it on, so I had told my sales rep that I would call to let her know if I wanted it shipped or not. After leaving 2-3 voice messages, I finally reached her to go ahead and ship it. As I had to email my credit card number to her, and a rather large sum was to be charged to my card, I told her to email me the grand total (including shipping, since she didn't tell me the exact figure). Lo and behold, without receiving any emails, I see a charge to my credit card. It's not too much to ask, in any transaction, to be told beforehand how much money was to be charged. I was extremely disappointed b/c I specifically asked her to send me the grand total figure before the charge, but it was not done and I had to find out for myself via my online banking. I left 2 more voicemails to inquire why the lack of communication, and still has not heard back from her.

But, after all that, this last part is the most saddening and frustrating. I received my dress, and immediately, it looked off. The sample I tried on had heavier and softer lace, but once I felt the lace on this dress, I knew it was of LESSER QUALITY. I looked in the linings and everything was polyester (nothing said Italian lace as it was told to me). Worst yet, it said it was made in China, and not Spain as it was previously communicated to me. I don't have anything against things made in China (we all know a huge % of things are made there and generally made well), but my rep told me they made all their dresses in Barcelona, Spain. Maybe they shipped from Spain to China then to NYC, but that just doesn't make sense on multi-levels. Bottom line, the lace and quality of the dress was completely a 180 from what I tried on in their store. The one quality that sold me on the dress, is now completely void in the dress sitting in my house. Naturally, I called to inquire, but only got another assistant lady who said she'll try to get a manger to speak to me.

I apologize for such a lengthy review, but I really wanted to make sure other brides don't go through what I'm having to deal with - chunk of money gone, not the same quality dress, and no customer service whatsoever. I am still waiting.

I wanted to update and say they have refused a refund that I am entitled even though the merchandise received was not as advertised and promised. I've already shipped the dress and veil back and I only can hope they will do the ethical and right thing. Thanks!