Jaclyn's Bridal

I went to Jaclyns based on another PWers recommendation. I was tired of seeing the same old gowns over and over and I was told that Jaclyn's had a pretty nice selection. I had had great success with visiting shops during the week so I made an appointment for mid-week mid-day to avoid weekend madness. I arrived early to the appointment so it took them a minute to greet me when I got there. The consultant asked me what I wanted and I showed her pictures and she basically pointed me to their walls of dresses. The shop itself is pretty small and didn’t have the selection I had seen elsewhere but they did carry some new and interesting designers that I hadn’t heard of before like Bel Aire.

I was particularly interested in one dress, which the consultant set aside in a room for me. While I was looking for dresses, another bride showed up asking to move up her appointment time since she was already there. They were empty so she was allowed to come in with her mini entourage. The other bride mentioned that she was looking to actually buy a past favorite, so with a potential sale looming I was pretty much discarded after that. I don’t blame them for going after the bride that was actually going to buy something, but I would’ve appreciated that they called someone else from the back to help me. After a little while, I asked if I could try on the dresses I had set aside and someone from the back was finally called out to help me.

The lady was nice enough and did her best to clip me into the dresses but she didn’t do a good enough job to help me get a better idea of what they looked like. I realize that it’s hard to make a size 10 sample fit a size 2 girl perfectly but at other shops they seemed to make a better effort. I did appreciate that they had mirrors in the dressing room areas and that they allowed you to take all the pictures you wanted. I also liked that they kept the tags on the dresses and told you what they were and priced them out for you at the end of your visit. The new consultant found some nice veils for me to try on with certain dresses and offered some good advice and comments on the gowns. I didn't end up finding anything that was worth a follow-up visit.

Overall, I would only recommend the shop if you already live in the Santa Ana area. It’s small and the help and selection isn’t as nice as other places. It does get bonus points for being near the South Coast Plaza though so at least you can shop at the mall while you're down there. :)

Jaclyn's Bridal was the first place I went to try on wedding gowns. It was a very pleasant experience. The store is a little smaller, so their selection of gowns is limited, but the ladies who worked there were very nice and helpful. Some of the samples were a bit dingy, but overall the store was clean and cozy.

I went to Jaclyn's Bridal on a request from 2 people. I am so pleased I chose to use them. They were so wonderful! The owner, Mindy, was so nice and smart. Their store is small, so they don't have a huge selection, but they had exactly what I was looking for. I went with my soon-to-be step-mom-in-law, and she can be a very pushy person, and some of the dreses she liked weren't so nice, but Mindy could tell by my expression if I was happy or not, and she gave really honest answers. I didn't feel pressured at all, and I felt like my every need was attended to. I would highly recommend them!

After going to five other bridal appointments at different bridal stores, I finally found the perfect dress at Jaclyn's Bridal. Mindy, the owner, is extremely knowledgeable, has wonderful taste and knows exactly how to dress a modern bride.

I was looking for silhouettes other than the ball gown style and she had a wonderful selection. The store is intimate with a cozy boutique feel. Again, Mindy has great taste and you can tell that she only carries the dresses that she finds are the most interesting, tasteful and beautiful. I believe she can also order dresses from magazines that she doesn't have in stock.

Mindy went above and beyond and she customized my gown with beautiful, designer lace to make the cleavage area less noticeable and she added a subtle train onto the back to give my simple, beach dress some more interest. The alterations were flawless. I also bought a beautiful brooch and bracelet there (and I would have never expected to get my jewelry at a bridal shop but she has a great eye and really pulled the whole look together for me beautifully).

You can see my dress and happy day in the REAL WEDDINGS section of this website (it's the "Megan + Ryan" wedding in Malibu, CA).

My $2,600 total above includes the dress, lace and train, alterations and jewelry.

Megan Fickling Pearson
La Partie Events
www.lapartieevents.com

I had chosen a dress in a Brides magazine that I was sure I wanted. 2 friends recommended Jaclyn's bridal, so after a bad experience at another salon, I went. Mindy is the nicest and most knowledgeable person you will ever meet regarding bridal dresses. Not only did she have the dress I wanted, she helped me choose the right dress after the one I thought I wanted looked horrible on me. I must have gone at least 10 times before I purchased a dress. And Mindy was patient with me. I finally bought the dress of my dreams and did not pay as much as i thought I would. The dress was ready weeks prior to the wedding, so I did not have to worry. I think every bride should have the personal attention I received from Mindy and Jaclyn's.

I had the best shopping experience for my wedding dress here. It's boutiquey, but low key and small, and they carry a fantastic selection of well kept and maintained sample gowns in all price ranges. The owner, Mindy, was there that morning, and her attention and assistance made all the difference in my purchasing decision. Her observations about the style and cut of certain dresses and how they may or may not enhance or overwhelm my body type (small, very petite) were the most thorough and well-articulated out of the 6 bridal stores I visited that weekend. I didn't much care for the staged regimens at the other dress shoppes, where I felt herded and somewhat pushed and pressured to purchase. At Jaclyn's, I felt entirely at ease. And, yes, we did end up purchasing _the dress_ here. More to come on fittings and final delivery...

I went to Jaclyn’s Bridal in Orange County, CA to have my wedding gown altered & pressed. This simple request turned into a wedding nightmare. Please read and learn from my mistakes.

Jaclyn's Bridal promised to have my wedding gown alterations and pressing done one week before my wedding. Apparently their sewing machine broke, so they didn't have the gown ready until 2 days before the wedding! They didn't even offer to deliver it to me. I should have demanded delivery.

Once we finally had the gown we were horrified to find it was terribly wrinkled, and some repairs hadn't been made that I had specifically asked for! I was very upset because I trusted them, and I couldn't believe my gown was in such horrible shape with less than 2 days until the wedding. I felt hopeless because there was no time to make Jaclyn's Bridal fix their mistakes. My friend had picked up the gown and drove 60 miles to bring it to me at the wedding location. There was no time to take it back when the rehearsal and festivities were to begin the next morning!

As we looked at the horrible condition of my gown, my family noticed I was becoming extremely upset and told me to go home while they took care of everything. After I left, the situation got much worse, but I didn't know until recently because they didn't want to upset me even more before the wedding. Not only was the gown wrinkled with neglected repairs, but my veil was all tangled in the beading of the gown! There's so much more…

The most baffling part is that they permanently sewed the bustles through all layers of the gown! How could a professional bridal shop try to get away with sewing permanent bustles!? The whole point of the bustles is so the bride can walk down the isle with the train flat behind her, and tie up the bustle for the reception. Because of Jaclyn’s Bridal, I almost had to walk down the aisle wearing my $3,000 gown in the bustled position! I still can't believe they got away with this negligence!

My Mom ended up carefully removing Jaclyn's Bridal's permanent bustles (which were also crooked!) and sewed new tie-up bustles. Thanks to my Mom’s work, I was able to walk down the aisle with my train behind me.

At one of my earlier fittings, I noticed the hemline had some large kinks in it, and I requested they be fixed. They never fixed it! So my family tried to flatten the kinks with steam and then with an iron. It turned out that the cause of the kinks was sloppy stitching. So my Mom also re-stitched the hemline. In doing so, she found that the bottom of the gown was dirty! What did Jaclyn's Bridal do to my gown to make it so dirty?! Did someone wear it?!

The worst part is that my friends and family spent many late hours working on the gown on the two nights before the wedding. I had organized everything so they wouldn't have to do any work and could just relax and enjoy the pre-wedding events. Instead they were overworked and overstressed, and it's all Jaclyn's Bridal's fault.

Nothing can give back what my family lost because of Jaclyn’s Bridal’s mistakes. When I requested a full refund of $550, they refused. By sharing my story, I hope to prevent other brides from getting into a similar mess by hiring Jaclyn's Bridal.