Brides of France

Loved this store. My mother, sister, and I made this our last stop on the first and only day we went bridal dress shopping and were very impressed. We went to the Edina location and were very impressed by the staff and the selection of beautiful dresses. The only line they carry- La Sposa- provides beautiful couture dresses that fit wonderfully. You can tell the quality of the dresses are top-notch, and while they are a little bit pricier (the prices look to range between $1000-$2500 from what I saw), they are definetly worth it. It is a small boutique and when we first walked in, I was sure we weren't going to find anything, but ALL the dresses they carry are so beautiful, even if the selection is smaller, you will still have plenty to try on. I worked with Jill and you could tell she loves her job and loves to play dress-up with her clients. I have been in there several times with friends to show my dress and they have always been inviting. I very much love my dress and can't wait to wear it. Go any day but Saturday and you will probably be the only one in the store, where you don't feel rushed or akward to show strangers the different dresses you try on. Staff truley made us enjoy dress shopping for the first time all day- thank you so much! Would recommend you to anyone!

I ordered a bridesmaid dress from Brides of France. They measured me and recommended that I get a size two, which, according to their measurements, should fit off the rack. The salesclerk assured me I would need little to no alterations on it. However, when I received the dress four months later, the dress was WAY too small! Too small to even be altered by a seamstress I met with. We checked the manufacturer's website, whose sizes were two sizes different from BOF's. When I called BOF to see what could be done they were extremely rude. The woman I spoke to, Bonnie, told me I would have to order, and pay for, a brand new dress as well as the rush. It would still take about five or six weeks to get in, which was not enough time before the wedding. Then I told them that I had gone off their measurements and that this was their error, they refused to replace or even return the dress because, as the manager claimed, "I don't know what website you were looking at, but it matches the store's measurements." She basically went on to say that it didn't matter and wasn't their problem if the dress didn't fit. She then hung up on me. Brides of France's main purpose is to get people dresses that fit! It was their mistake that this dress did not fit me, they offered terrible, extremely rude customer service, and wouldn't help me resolve the problem at all. When my friend, the bride, went in to speak to them, she also received rude customer service. They also lied to her about what dress they recommended I get, even though she was there and remembered the conversation the same way I did. They also refused to release or even show us the measurements they took for me and the store's dress measurement chart.

Brides of France was great to work with and had many different accessories to chose from. They also have a fantastic onsite seamstress that is very easy to work with and did a great job!

The second I walked into Brides of France, I knew I was in for a treat. I was there with female family members and we were the only ones in the store. Both shop girls were attentive, fun, knowledgeable and friendly. I even ended up hiring one of them as my photographer!

The dress I ended up buying is one I would NEVER have chosen for myself off the rack, but they really knew what they were doing getting me to try it on. It is so unique and I've had the most compliments about it - I love it! Overall we were very pleased with the experience and would definitely recommend to other brides!! Ask for Amy Raddatz (at the Uptown location) - she is fantastic! (and a BRILLIANT photographer - see my other review of her...

My dress was stunning - and I am still receiving compliments. Brides of France is the only place in town that carries La Sposa gowns, if that is your style, and they are definitely worth a visit!

Very helpful in finding just the right dress for me. Their professionalism and genuine kindness towards me and my needs without knowing exactly what I wanted, was something that I'll never forget. This was a once in a lifetime chance for me to find the perfect dress for my personality and they found it for me. I couldn't have been happier!

I fell in love with La Sposa dresses online and Brides of France was my dream come true. I visited all of their stores on my first dress hunt...they were by far my favorite stores and lines of dresses. They definitely have fun with you, and dressed me up in more dresses, flowers and veils than I imagined. A very fun experience. I didn't find "my" dress the first time, but their 2011 dresses were right around the corner. I saw the dress on facebook and made a bee-line for the Richfield location. They are all so complimentary and make you feel like the princess you want to be. Sharon, of Twin Cities Bridal Alterations, met me at the store twice for alterations and did a fantastic job. She also steamed and kept my dress until I was ready to pick it up 2 days before the wedding. Brides of France even helped my mother in law and sister in law sneak a present out of the store...a beautiful brush, comb and mirror set that I fell in love with while checking myself out in the mirror. All around wonderful experience!!

I first went to the Edina location, where one owner told me I HAD to try on a certain dress. I had been to probably 5 other stores and tried on a TON of dresses and felt good about a few, but not dead certain about any. I had to try on the dress at the Uptown location because they didn't have a sample at the Edina one, and when I went there to try it on, she was dead on. It was perfect for me, and I had that moment where I knew it was my dress (a moment I didn't really "believe" in).

The Brides of France women are quirky, fun, eccentric and excited to let you play dress up with their great selection of new and vintage accessories. So I actually ended up buying a veil and awesome headpiece there as well. I did not use them for alterations, as I thought their alterations gal was too pricey (still do!). But I was overall extremely happy with their service.

I purchased my wedding dress from the Brides of France Edina location, and could not have been happier with the dress or the experience! Jill was wonderful to work with and she was not a pushy sales person at all. I felt like she took the time to help me find what I liked and let me make the decision on my own. After finding the dress, I left and looked a couple more places, and ended up coming back to purchase it. We purchased three items to get the 15% discount: the dress, veil and earrings. I can't begin to explain how perfect my wedding dress was and how well it fit. I never had a moment of regret. Plus, the La Sposa gown I purchased was so well made and structured that it did not require any additional undergarments like a corset, bra or crenolin. That is all built into the La Sposa gowns, and I think you end up getting superb quality for the price you pay. Granted, the alterations rang up a little steep, but it was all worth it in the end. I just can't say enough good things about my dress and my experience at Brides of France!!

I really liked the "idea" of Brides of France but unfortunately my experience didn't quite match up. I ended up debating between a few dresses, one with a very unique neckline, another sweetheart and the third straight. I felt a bit pressured and ended up buying the straight neckline one, which isn't quite what I wanted with the promise that their alterations lady could change it. Well it turns out she couldn't. I also felt pressured to buy some very nice, but very expensive vintage jewlery and a huge veil. All of which I ended up consigning back to them and losing more than $400. The have no return policy and even though I left the dress at their store, and then wanted to return it, I couldn't. So I ended up having the wrong dress for my wedding. It still is my one regret.
There dresses are really beautiful though and very unique and comfortable. I just wish I would have taken my time with the decision more, not felt pressured and really understood there no exceptions return policy.

The dress I got was a phenomenal deal, and totally bautiful. They are not really able to save things for you if you want to go somewhere else, and no returns allowed.

I purchased my veil from Brides of France, once I discovered that my bridal gown boutique wanted to charge $260 for a plain, one tier, cut edge veil.

The staff at Brides of France are wonderful! They were kind & very helpful. I ended up saving nearly $200 for a custom-made 52" veil that wasn't even available at the other shop.

I would recommend this shop to any bride or groom!

I purchased a 2008 La Sposa gown from Brides of France in Uptown. This dress was gorgeous, women gushed over it, my husband loved it, and it made me feel amazing! My one complaint about my experience would be that it was a sample dress, obviously marked down from the retail value but still a little out of my budget which I communicated to the saleswoman. I went online to drool over it one more time the following day and it was their "White Sale" with every dress marked down 20% I immediately called and put a deposit down now that my dress was $192 less! I was a little disturbed that the woman saw me the day before wanting and ready to purchase the dress and failed to mention that the NEXT day it would be in my price range! Oh well, it has made for a good story, it was a great dress and I would recommend looking through their things just don't expect the best, or most honest, service.

Brides of France is a great place to stop if you're open to consignment shopping. I was able to find my wedding dress for $150! They do not require appointments, you just drop in, so you might not be the only bride there, and may not receive the personal assistance you get when you make an appointment at a bridal salon. The dress in the store is the only one they have so there is a chance if you don't buy it when you're there, it might be gone when you go back.

That being said I had a good expereince with Brides of France. The staff looked through the dresses with me, eventhough they were also helping another bride at the same time. I would recommend stopping in when you're looking for your dress since you never know what you're going to find!

I wasn't terribly pleased with my experience at Bride's of France in Uptown. I was open to the idea of a consignment gown, and thought that that was what I had purchased (and why the tag was removed from the dress). I was told to get it that day or it would be gone. I got it, and when I got home and looked up the dress website from the dress straps that they hadn't removed, I found out I had bought a bridesmaid dress for the price of a bridal gown (in short, overcharged about $100). I actually was open to the idea of a bridesmaid dress because I wanted something simple and affordable, so they wouldn't have needed to pull that. I also felt like the hairpiece was overpriced, but that seems to be the industry norm. Same with shoes, so I didn't get any from them.

Six weeks later I had to call to ask if my hairpiece had come in since I hadn't heard from them. It had the week before, but no one had called. The young woman working when I came in apologized and seemed helpful. So service seems to vary by who is working.

They do have great accessories and I got a nice broach that I wore on the back of my dress. Overall, go check out the accessories, but do your research on dresses before going in so you don't get overcharged.

This was a great place to go. I went to David's Bridal and it was like a cattle call. At Brides of France you receive personal service and your not just a number. They had beautiful dresses at good value. A great selection plus-size dresses too.

I was able to find a beautiful plus size gown off the rack that fit me perfectly. I was very happy with the service I recieved with the store, so my fiance and I chose to return to rent his tux, and his groomsmen's attire.

They were helpful in us picking out what we wanted, but once they had our money the communication fell by the wayside. While everyone had their measurements in in plenty of time the tuxes did not arrive until a day before the wedding. It was a bit of a nail biter, but they did arrive and required no alterations. However we did have to call them every few days to see if they had arrived yet. When each of the guys went in to try on and pick up their tux the clerk was on the phone each time making personal calls. She got off to help one groomsman when he walked in, but completely ignored my fiance and the other groomsmen until she finished her call. Unimpressive to say the least.

All in all it was a decent experience. I am still pleased about finding my dress there, but am glad I didn't end up ordering a dress from them since the continued tuxedo service was less than stellar.

Service was GREAT...

I bought a vintage pearl necklace and custom jewelry sets for my bridesmaids here. Their staff were very responsive, browsing through catalogs of jewelry with me to find something that would work for my bridesmaids and when nothing I found was exactly what I wanted, they gave the information of someone else who would make custom jewelry. I ended up getting something from the catalog anyhow, but it was great to have the option. The selection of vintage jewelry is impressive as well. The necklace I got is three strands of pearls, and I paid $85 for it. The price was high, but I fell in love with the necklace. All in all, I would recommend this store, but be aware that if you are going in, you are going in to spend some serious cash.

I love my dress. Brides of France is the only local shop to carry the La Sposa brand that I fell in love with. But my experiences at the store seemed to differ depending on who was working on a given day. Some of the staff was very warm and welcoming and some were a bit more standoffish and seemed almost uninterested. Sometimes I felt like it was fun to shop there and the staff really wanted me to try on some dresses, and sometimes the staff scolded me for mishandling the dresses and I felt like I was rushed out of the store.

I felt that the prices were competitive and I was able to order my dress during a special and receive 5% off. I thought that the seamstress that works with their store did an awesome job (really awesome, actually), but she was so expensive. Alterations increased the price of my dress by upwards of $400. If I had known about the price of the seamstress beforehand, I may have gone somewhere else for alterations.

Overall, I have been pleased with the quality of my dress and the quality of the alterations, so I think it was worth the price tag.

I love Brides of France. They have the most unique dresses around. I can't stand going into places like David's Bridal where all the dresses look the same. I needed something different for my wedding and I got it all at Brides of France. They only thing I did buy there was my shoes (had my heart set already on a pair of sandals with rhinestone that go around the ankle and tie with a bow in the back). I would recommend any bride to check this store out. There is a going to be a unique dress in your budget!

My dress expierence was great, however the brides maid dresses were a disaster. Half of the dresses came in with crooked seams and had tobe sent back.

Found the dress of my dreams! Had a tailor that fit me right in the store-very timely. Great tux selection, too. My husband got his attire there- total one stop shopping. Plus got to visit with like-minded brides- very contemporary/hip/unique, not the same-old, same-old. A lot of my artist friends have found their dresses at Brides of France.

I walked in on a whim one Sunday and walked out with a wedding dress on Monday!

I was not planning on buying right away, but Natalie at BoF was very helpful and pulled out a dress I wouldn't have picked out for myself. "The Dress" ended up being so uniqu, beautiful and flattering (and needing NO alterations, how great is that?) that I had them hold it overnight and I picked it up the next day. I got SO many compliments on my wedding day - no one had seen a dress quite like it before.

I would highly recommend the Brides of France. Also, a good time to buy is during their annual sale (I believe it's in January) when they take 20% off all dresses. I bought a consignment dress that originally retailed $1200, consignment price was $600, and I got it on sale for $480.

I absolutely loved working with the women of Brides of France, loved my dress, and enjoyed the shop. I bought my dress, veil, shoes, and handbag there.

The only thing I did not like was the seamstress they had me work with. She charged over $300 for minor alternations and the bustle, which broke less than an hour into the reception.

I loved Brides of France because of the variety of dresses packed into one little store! The staff was very helpful in finding a dress that I loved. They even recommended trying on a dress that I really wasn't looking for. They offer new and used dresses at a very great cost. In the end, I ended up buying a dress that at first I didn't want to even try on. Once I put it on.....I loved it! It was "the one!!" The dress had been previously bought at a different store, but was never worn. I was very pleased with the service and quality of my bridal dress vendor!

Loved this place! It would have been a bit too pricey for us (because of the
gown that I wanted) but, it's a family-owned business and they have 2 shops-
one in Minneapolis, and the other in Edina. We went to the 50th and France location
in Edina and it was wonderful. They have consignment gowns and then the designer
gowns they order. The staff were so friendly (even to our planner) and accomodating,
and the gowns are so high quality. I was very impressed by their knowledge of the
actual design and make of each gown.