Bridal Galleria

I worked mainly with Jean who was super sweet and very helpful when picking out dresses. I went here three times, once for the normal dresses, and a second and third time for a Monique Lhuillier trunk show. If you buy your wedding dress on your first visit, you get a free tuxedo!

The normal try-on with Jean was not the most pleasant dress shopping experience. She was very sweet, though there was a lot of time spent inbetween dresses and I was waiting around. I didn't like how I wasn't able to see what dresses they had to offer.

The Monique Lhuillier trunk show was a much nicer experience. All the dresses were laid out and I was able to browse and select the ones I wanted to try on. Jean and the Monique representative were very helpful in figuring out what I like and what looks good.

I have heard that the service is hit or miss, but I had a wonderful experience with Jean and everything in my dress order went smoothly.

5 stars for Jean
5 stars for Monique trunk show
5 stars for the overall experience

I came with my FI here to see some of the dresses and offer my "opinions" which I'm sure were *carefully* taken into consideration by her. It was a preliminary trip (one of many she would take) so we figured it would be ok if I saw her in the dresses since she probably wouldn't pick them anyway.

A lady named Jean helped her try on dresses. I thought she was really nice and gave good advice (but what do I know?). My only complaint is that the rooms are kind of cramped.

Wedding Dress Review:
I was very hesitant about going here initially based on some bad reviews. This was the 4th bridal salon I visited and have loved every minute of my experience/experiences. Kim is my rock star. I would not have found my dress had she not recommended that I try it on. She also isn't fake and gives you constructive advice on the dresses. I really hate when bridal associates blow a bunch of smoke up your butt instead of being helpful.

I went here for the Lazaro trunk show. I went alone, which made it very hard. They are open on Sundays when they have trunk shows so luckily I brought my mom back the next day and we purchased the dress. They were very patient with me as my mom made me try on the dress 4 or 5 times. They even took pictures and emailed them to me since I didn't have a camera.

I had a mixed experience once my dress came in. Kim was again awesome, but another girl who helped me almost let me leave with my custom hem dress being too long. Thankfully, I went back and Kim corrected the situation. My dress was sent back to Lazaro and was completely remade.

I did all my alterations through Bridal Galleria as well. I must say Carmen is amazing. We tweaked the dress 4 times to get it just right. She even adjusted the length on the sides of my dress, which involved moving up the trim and adjusting all of the embroidery.

I agree the service can be hit or miss, but if you work with Kim you are guaranteed a great experience.

Other notes:

They carry most of the top designers and are consistently having trunk shows. I highly recommend frequenting their website for upcoming shows.

They also validate which is always a God sent!

Bridesmaids Dress Review:
They really don't have the biggest selection. They do carry several designers, but I don't feel this is your strong point.

I only went here once, and it was for a Monique trunk show. I thought everyone was nice and honest. I don't know if their normal dresses are worth checking out if you have higher end taste.

I went to Bridal Galleria in the middle of September, more than eight months before my wedding. I was helped by Haily, who, as soon as she found out my budget (around $3000), expressed surprise that I was considering ordering my gown with them. Haily continued to treat me in a condescending way, as if my gown budget placed me immediately in a position below hers. I was interested in a particular dress by Alvina Valenta, which miraculously fit exactly within my budget, but Haily kept insisting I try on dresses that cost double my budget. I must admit though, she listened well to what I described to her as my style and brought dresses that I really liked.

However, my overall experience was unpleasant - I was made to feel unworthy of the Bridal Galleria's lofty and wealthy clientele. Haily tried to convince me that I am running really late in ordering my gown. This was one of the first places I had visited, so I asked how ordering and alterations work, and all she said was, "ordering a gown is like buying a car, or a house - you sign a contract." In short, I was very disappointed by the service and attitude. Although the Alvina Valenta dress was the one I wanted to get, I refused to order it through the Bridal Galleria. I ordered it at the Unique Bride in Burlingame, where Mary's service made all the difference!

I didn't think she was snooty. She was very helpful. Jean was very attentive as well and very pleasant. All the employees here are very kind and helpful. I came for the Monique Lhuillier trunk show and they were absolutely gorgeous.

(My dress hasn't arrived. So this is a review on my experience so far.)

I bought my dress there, when they had an Alvina Valenta trunks show. I've read some bad reviews on this place, but I personally LOVED my experience with them. I worked with Shonna, who was very very sweet, genuine, patient, and knowledgeable. I LOVED her! I did have to wait around for a few minutes in between some of the dresses because it was a trunk show and there were quite a few customers. So sometimes I had to wait for another bride to be done w/a dress. I think this was more the featured designer company's "fault" since they were the one providing the show's inventory and there was only one sample for each design.

I found my fabulous dress that day, *tears*, but needed some time to think about my decision. So they gave me till the next day to make the purchase. Shonna told me I didn't need an appt if I decided to go back, so the next day I just showed up, and was able to get serviced pretty much immediately. The lady who took the measurements and processed the transaction and paperwork was also quite pleasant and helpful. Oh, I didn't have any problems with their dress rooms, I actually thought they were quite spacious (more so than most of the salons I visited) and clean. Since it seems to get mixed reviews, if you go there I'd recommend you to ask for Shonna.

I went to Bridal Galleria and I had a very wonderful experience with them, especially with Hailey who was very helpful throughout this once in a lifetime wonderful moment. I was very nervous since you always hear about these horror stories about vendors and most importantly problems with your dress. Very early on in my wedding planning I had researched online to find the perfect dress and vendor/boutique for me. And I had come across my dream dress which is an Alvina Valenta which was just off the runway and not even for sale yet, but I was on a budget so I had to keep that in mind as well because we all know how expensive weddings can be. So I continued researching and found that Bridal Galleria was having a trunk show for "Alvina Valenta" so I made an appoinment and as soon as I walked into the boutique I knew this was the place where I was going to purchase my dream wedding dress. And let me just say Hailey was extremely helpful and friendly that both me and my mom instantly loved her! I tried on many dresses but once I tried on the dress I had initially went for I knew it was "The Dress" which was only expressed with tears of joy. I felt right at home with everyone there, I couldnt believe what a wonderful experience I had everything went smoothly and everyone there was so friendly. It was the perfect enviroment for such a perfect moment because all of us know how important that is too. You should not have to go through any drama when purchasing your dress (it should be a beautiful moment), everything should be perfect and that is truly what I experienced at Bridal Galleria. And I could have not asked for a better attendant Hailey was a gem, she truly made the experience one that I will cherish forever. I got the dress of my dreams with only very fond memories to go along with it. Thank you Hailey! And I would strongly recommend Bridal Galleria!!!

I bought my dress and veil from Bridal Galleria, and they are doing my alterations as well. I originally went during a Monique Lhuillier trunk show by mistake. Jean worked with us and was so nice. We saw lots of other dresses, not just the Monique Lhuillier dresses. She worked within our budget (which trust me, is on the lower end of some of the gowns there), and I never felt pressured. I didn't end up buying a dress that day.

I went back to Bridal Galleria three times after that, each time Pascale helped me. She is fantastic as well -- super patient, and really nice.

I went to all the regular places in SF to try on dresses, and had the best service and found the best selection at Bridal Galleria. I ended up getting my dress here. Going for the 2nd fitting in a couple of weeks! Hayley helped me at my 1st fitting and also helped with my veil purchase. She's fantastic as well!!

i bought my dress from bridal galleria and have mixed feelings about my experience. i absolutely LOVE my dress and think the store has the best variety of dresses out of all the stores that i went to (and i went to many many salons in SF). my dress arrived early, they were very good about getting me in for alterations and completing them quickly. that being said, i have to admit that my overall experience with the staff was a negative one. each time i went there, i felt i was being rushed. the woman that helped me was nice to me, but very rude to my FMIL, and the other women that worked there were extremely rude and condescending. i think that choosing your dress and the whole wedding gown experience should be an exciting and happy one, and the people that work at the store definitely don't make it so. if i hadn't fallen in love with my dress, or i could have found it elsewhere, i would have preferred to have bought it somewhere else. but they get the job done, and if you have tried all other salons and can't find your dress, then this salon may be worth your time to check out. i would leave it last on your list... the service is much much better elsewhere.