Bella Bianca Bridal Couture

I purchased my wedding gown and veil from Bella Bianca. I purchased the dress the end of January and it came in the end of August. My wedding was this past November. The store is nice, good selection and prices are okay. My only thing was alterations. It was estimated at $250 for the bustle and to add cups and to take it in slightly by the chest. The $250 ended up costing me over $500 and I already spent over 4k for the dress and veil. The alterations lady said that they measured the waist too low so that is why the middle part of the dress was wrinkling up. So they had to bring up the waist. That was an extra expense that I wasn't expecting and it cost a lot. Also another thing is after the dress was steamed, the lace part still didn't look smooth and even. This was a big concern with my Mom through the whole process and they said that once the dress was pressed, it would look better, it still looked wrinkled. Perhaps it's the material, but they should have warned me about that being a problem with lace. I did get a lot of complements on my dress which was nice.

I had such a great experience with Bella Bianca. Not only did I love trying on dresses, but I felt so comfortable with the staff each time I had to go in for alterations. They were great with communication and always called me with updates regarding my dress and accessory order. I also feel like they had a range of price ranges and sizes, which didn't make me feel uncomfortable at all. This is a great couture boutique that makes every bride feel special.

While it may be a bit stuffy at Bella Bianca, I found my dress here and they were nothing but professional and accommodating. Did a great job on alterations. My only complaint would be that I went during a trunk show, and they were very pushy about that designer's dresses- I wouldn't recommend visiting the store during a show, unless you want to be limited on what dresses they "let" you try on- I had to push to try on the ones I wanted to.
I'm also not a fan of not being able to point out the dresses you want to try on- The consultant goes and gets them for you- A waste of time.

Overall, a good experience here and they have gorgeous...

I went into Bella Bianca with an idea of what I wanted for my wedding dress, a sweetheart A line gown. Melissa and Natalie helped me out as I tried on a few dresses. I was in betweeen 2 gorgeous gowns, and 1 was exactly the style I wanted but didnt have enough bling for what I was looking for, and the other had all the bling I was looking for, but was not the sweetheart neckline that I wanted. They suggested that they could take the dress that had all the bling I wanted and recreate the top of the dress where they took off the mesh and swarvoski crystals and made the top into a sweetheart neckline and sewed all the swarvoski crystals back on. I went in for a few fittings, and they were able to recreate the entire top of my dress within 3 months. Their seamstress is unbelievable! She was sooo amazing, she listened to any concerns I had, was very gentle and delicate, and every time I went back in, she just amazed me with her talent! I would highly recommend them for anyone looking for a wedding dress. Their selection is incredible, and they are all sooo sweet to work with, and again their seamstress I cannot say enough about how amazing, and wonderful she is!!

The bridal salon has a look of dresses to choose from and the girls that work there were really helpful. I never felt pressured to make a purchased or rushed through my appointment. The dress was probably more money than I wanted to spend, but that was my fault for all the changes I wanted and the belt I added.

The best part about this place was the seamstress. She was FANTASTIC. I went it for 3 fittings and I have to have my dress taken in almost 6 sizes in the waist. She understood my body and the way the dress would fit the best. My dress fit perfectly on that day.

The only negative type comment I would have, is that the seamstresses are only available on Tuesdays and Thursdays which was difficult with my work schedule.

The Rivini dress I ended up choosing was the very first dress I tried on, but it was about 7 stores before I ended up at Bella Bianca. There were a few dresses I tried that had a similar style and cut to the Rivini dress I ultimately ended up choosing, but I kept coming back to the Rivini dress. My appointment went probably half an hour past closing time, but rather than shooing me out the door, almost all the workers sat around and provided compliments and feedback on the dresses I was trying on. They were so incredibly nice and helpful, not to mention knowledgable about the dresses. As we were leaving, my sister mentioned the Rivini dress to my sales associate and she told us that they were about to have a trunk show for Rivini in the coming months to introduce their line to the store. I was ECSTATIC and made an appointment during the trunk show and requested the dress I wanted. After trying the dress on for the second time, I was sure it was the one. The reason I docked them a little for value is because the dress cost $600 more than where I originally tried it on; however, w/the discount given since it was during the trunk show, it ended up being around the same as the original store. I was more than happy to give the commission to the girls at Bella Bianca because they were so great to work with. They definitely carry higher end dresses and the selection isn't huge, but the dresses they have are truly beautiful and great quality. If you have somewhat of a higher budget, I would definitely recommend checking out Bella Bianca.

Not as friendly and personable as you would like.

Bella Bianca was my first stop in my search for a wedding dress. I wasn't sure what to expect from the dress shopping experience but I can say that the staff at Bella Bianca made my experience unforgettable! The staff has been very nice and easy to work with. I tried on several wedding dresses and never felt rushed or that my opinions were annoying anyone. Kelly, who was helping me, really paid attention to what I like and brought in gowns to fit my taste and budget.

Bella Bianca was great! I was a walk-in and got helped immediately. The dress selection was great, lots of dresses and accessories in lots of price ranges. The salon is nice, they had refreshments during the appointment, and we got champagne when I picked my dress (nice touch). I am from Iowa and the salon was great about keeping my dress for me until I could get back to Chicago for fittings and such.

The best part of this salon is the alterations department -- the woman who did my alterations was amazing! The bodice had to be let out, hem done, and bustle put in. I figured it would take at least two fittings to get it exactly right, but she managed to let the top out perfectly on the first try.

I highly recommend this salon if you live in or around the...

All I can say about Bella Bianca is that it was OUTSTANDING. The level of service went beyond my expectations. When I went there looking for my dress, it was the first place I had gone to. Never having tried on any wedding dresses, the staff was more than helpfull as I was trying to figure out what exactly I wanted. In the end, I bought the dress that the owner of the salon picked out for me to try! Also, since I purchased my wedding gown there, they gave my bridesmaids 10% their dresses, which we also found there. I absolutely loved my experience at Bella Bianca and would recommend it to any bride.

I cannot say enough great things about Bella Bianca. From the first time we walked in, to the last time I walked out, they were amazing. I worked with Candyce and she helped me find the perfect dress. She listened to what I was looking for and never once tried putting me over my budget. There was no pressure, just like shopping with a good friend. And of course the dresses are stunning.
I also had my alterations done there and the dress turned out beautiful. Luckily I didn't need much altered, but what I did have done was done beautifully and quickly.
I definitely definitely recommend Bella Bianca if you want the bridal gown shopping experience you've always dreamt about.

I purchased my wedding gown from Bella Bianca, and I am so happy I did. As I read horror stories of other brides who shopped at chain stores, I feel fortunate that I made my choice to buy where I did. My dress came in plenty of time for my wedding, and the alterations were done in-house by a very talented seamstress. The girls who own the shop as well as their employees are friendly, and not at all pretentious. They make you feel right at home, and are constantly making sure that you are satisfied.
The day that I was due to pick up my dress, they had a power outage that affected most of the area. The owner of the shop called me personally to tell me that the power was out, and made sure that everything would still be perfect, no matter what! This made me sure that they are an amazing business that really understands how important weddings are to a bride.
I was so happy with my experiences that I also selected my bridesmaid dresses there.

I LOVED my experience here. Prior to my visit to Bella, I had visited several Chicago Bridal shops (on Oak Street) and had terrible experiences.

The good stuff: you get to look at the dresses and pick out what YOU want to try on! I cannot stress enough how important this is. In other shops, I was subject to the taste level of the person picking dresses out for me to try on! I found that to be a waste of time. It also made dress shoping tense and uncomfortable.

I LOVED the sweet and comfortable feeling of this shop. They know the business and treat you with respect. I will say that I wound up spending more money than I budgeted for but that was my choice...no one was pushy.

My sales person took time with me and made me feel special. At the end..we celebrated with some champagne!

I was so discouraged at first (Oak Street) and wish I would have gone here first.

It is worth the drive...

I did not get my gown here but they did have a gorgeous selection and the sisters were really great. The boutique itself is beautiful and spacious. Melissa was my consultant and she gave me amazing ideas on how to complete my wedding day look and was very creative when it came to finding ways to customize a gown without breaking the bank. Unfortunately, when I went to try on dresses I had already had my heart set on another gown but had I been there first I think I would have bought one of their Ines di Santo gowns. Melissa also went beyond just the regular bridal gown advice and was able to give me good advice on selecting a wedding planner so I really felt I got a lot out of my visit there.

I still get all emotional when I think I might never get to work with the wonderful ladies at Bella Bianca again... so I need to have all my girlfriends get married soon so I can bring them there. From the first day of trying dresses to my fittings and pickup days for veil, dress, and jewelry I was so taken back at how wonderfully awesome and courteous the service and friendly faces were. I would not have found my dream dress if it were not for the owners of this shop because I would not have tried on certain dresses. The were knowledgeable, trust worthy, fun, caring, and just plain awesome. Thank you all!

One of the most important parts of the wedding is the dress. Do yourself a favor and avoid any of the frustrations and headaches with snotty sales women or discount bridal stores and go straight to Bella Bianca. I worked with Candyce who was amazing to work with. Words cannot express how helpful she was in helping me find my wedding dress and wedding accessories. I purchased my gown, veil, necklance, Angela Nuran shoes from there. Bella Bianca is the best bridal boutique in the area. Their staff is extremely friendly and helpful. Brenda, in their alterations department did an amazing job on my alterations and also was able to take it in one last time as the date got closer. Their boutique is extremely clean with a great layout. They have a ton of dresses and accessories to try on. I refered a couple other brides there and they ended up getting their dresses there also. Bella Bianca was also recently featured on Platinum Weddings earlier this spring. Candyce, Bridget, and the rest of the Bella Bianca staff will take good care of you and even if you don’t find the dress they provide you with a great experience. Thank you girls for making my day so special. I’ll miss you now that my wedding is over!

I got my bridesmaids dresses here, and the whole shop was amazing. They are extremely friendly and helpful from beginning to end. It's a smaller boutique shop and they really take time to help you, never rushing. They have many designer lines of dresses (mine were by Dessy) and they offer very competitive prices.
They also did the alterations in the month before the wedding on the dresses, and they turned out great! I definitely recommend this store!

Natalie and Melissa--the owners of Bella Bianca--were the best and most helpful sales-women I could've asked for. They are so helpful and accomodating; I went to a ton of bridal stores, and none of them came close to comparing to Bella Bianca. Everyone there is super nice, and only wants you to be 100% happy with everything. For a couture, designer store, their prices are very reasonable, and when you add the customer service on top of that, no other store can compare. I loved them and their selection so much that I got my dress, veil, headband, earrings, necklace, bracelet, clutch, and shoes from them. I also got my bridesmaid dresses there, and my mom bought her dress, clutch, and shoes from there as well.

All of our orders were placed immediately, delivered quickly, and I was notified as soon as they were in. They called to check-up on everything periodically, helped in any way they could, and were genuinely great people. I took a year and a 1/2 to plan my wedding, and by the end of the process, I really felt like I had become close friends with everyone that worked there, and we all exchanged tearful hugs when I picked-up my dress three days before my wedding.

Bella Bianca is the only bridal store I would ever recommend.

I had a wonderful experience at Bella Bianca! I called ahead with some questions and got such a great, nice, understanding response from Melissa. Both Melissa and Natalie and their staff create an environment that is helpful and comfortable. I had been to some other places looking for dresses and when I got to Bella Bianca, I thought, now THIS is the experience I had hoped for when looking for my wedding dress! They have beautiful dresses and were very helpful in finding one that was amazing for me – just what I was looking for in a dress.

They were also flexible in taking an appointment with my mom and me on a day that they don’t usually do fittings since my mom was coming into town. They have nice hours – a couple of nights they are there later during the week. They were also happy to answer some random questions about guys’ shirt colors, etc. – very helpful!

The alterations were great – and they were very flexible with a few last minute changes.

Overall, it was a fantastic experience and I would recommend anyone!

I had the joy of marrying Melissa to Travis. Natalie, her sister, was right there by her side. It was one well organized wedding. Melissa was a joy to work with.

I was at the grand opening celebration for Bella Bianca. What an impressive venue.

I can't tell you about the dresses, it's not my area of expertise. But I can tell you about the kind of people the owners are. I highly...