La Boutique Des Brides

I tried on a couple of dresses here on a whim - was killing time on a holiday weekend, pricing dresses and getting a lay of the land. I tried on a dress that I saw online and one that Hilda suggested, and ended up going with Hilda's pick! I didn't think I'd find THE dress on my first outing ALONE, but I just knew it was the one. I wanted to sleep on it before buying, but Hilda did the hard sale and talked me into putting down the deposit - she's a business woman after all. I have no regrets, I love my dress and came in $500 under budget, woo!

Though, I do have complaints about the alteration service, hence the 3 three stars. Not only were the services pricy, but the bustle work was shoddy. They only included the top layer in the bustle and used really flimsy hooks, so my bustle came undone during the reception - esp after my coordinator stepped on my dress. She tried fixing it with safety pins, which came undone while I was dancing and poked me all night long, so I ended up having to hold up my train while dancing - needless to say I was pretty miserable :(.

To make matters worse, I had a second reception the following weekend and had to wear the dress again! And had to find a tailor and dry cleaner to fix in time. Luckily, I found THE best bridal shop in San Diego, these people were a dream come true. They fixed my bustle (used sturdier, clear buttons that worked perfectly) for only $80, finished the same day and found dry cleaner specializing in wedding dresses, and even offered to drop off the gown for me - 2000 Dreams Bridal (in San Diego) saved the day - check them out: http://www.2000dreams.com

Ugh...might possibly be one of the worst vendors I've encountered yet.

FIRST...this place is impossible to find. It seriously is a giant underground labyrinth in the Jewelry Mart; I felt like Minos wandering around in search of the Minotaur. I finally found the shabby little shop (and that's with the help of two bridesmaids). I walked in and the place was BURSTING full of gowns. There weren't that many at all; the shop was THAT small. The owner of the shop, Hilda, was a very pushy saleslady, foisting dresses onto me that I clearly told her I didn't want to try on.

For example, I tried on a dress with a detachable train that I detested, and I immediately wanted to take it off, but she insisted on having my walk around in the cramped space to try to convince me that the dress "moved well". The dress also had a low back, so she reached down my dress, yanked out my bra, and shoved in a couple of cups. I was TOO MUCH in shock to even register that my privacy had been completely violated.

It so happened, also, that the appointment before me came late, so it was both me and her trading dresses back and forth since we happened to like the same ones. After having the girl in the changing room across from me ask for the dress I tried on for the 3rd time, I had enough. Hilda saw that I had lost interest and pretty much just left me to change out of the giant dress and hang it up myself.

Fortunately, this was the only bad experience I have had with bridal shops. Don't even waste your time here.

Hilda IS La Boutique de Brides and she is wonderful! We had been all over looking for dresses, never finding the right one until we stumbled on La Boutique de Brides. Hilda knows her business well, which says a lot. She has a collection of beautiful wedding gowns, most you don't see in the chain type stores, and her prices are reasonable for the quality of the dress you can find here. I will surely recommend La Boutique de Brides to every future bride I know. They will not be disappointed!

Working with Hilda at La Boutique des Brides was a great experience. It is a very friendly atmosphere, and they are no nonsense when it comes to ordering a gown. They will tell you exactly how much time you will need, and exactly what kind of alterations they will need to do. Everything is laid out for your up front, so there are no surprise costs, etc. They did a beautiful job preparing my gown for the big day. They only had to make a couple minor alterations and steam/press the gown, but what they did came out beautifully. They have a great selection for the small location, and it was just much more low-key than other bridal stores I went to. There was no pressure to make a decision quickly, and on top of that their prices were much more reasonable than what I saw elsewhere. That is the beauty of working with a small family-run business. I highly recommend their store.

No frills shopping, but Hilda was able to find me a dress at half the cost of all the high end boutiques. You won't get the service of those high end boutiques, but you'll get a beautiful couture dress for under 2k. Shocking given my expensive fashionista tastes... .

This store was actually one of my first wedding dress shopping days. So, I of course wanted to shop around. But every time I would find a beautiful expensive designer gown at a fancy boutique, I would go back to see the dress at La Boutique, and it was still my favorite and half the price.

I got so many compliments on how beautiful my dress was. Thanks Hilda!

I got my engagement ring there so I was used to the crazy maze of stores. But it's still super hard to find a needle in the haystack of Jewelry Mart and Gift Center. Eventually though we found La Boutique des Brides. I have never seen a tiny store so jam packed with wedding gowns.There really weren't *that* many - it was more about the size of the store. And unfortunately, the place was already also packed with future brides.

I was able to quickly leaf through all the dresses on my own, and my mom and I considered leaving at that point since I hadn't seen a single dress I liked and I hadn't been helped yet (despite my appointment). But then the owner saw us, and really wanted to help. Well, sort of wanted to help since she nearly brushed aside my clippings of dresses while I explained what I was looking for. (Instead of showing her pictures of 8 dresses I liked, I basically got through 1.)

She led me to one of the two changing rooms, which are like closets with mirrored sliding doors. They were roomier and more private than most bridal stores, but I didn't like that there was a guy just outside, and often the door was left ajar.

The owner found one dress that I did like - an antique lace number that she said was cheaper and better made than a well known $3000+ designer one. I will say, it did look that way based on the picture of the designer dress. It still wasn't quite what I was looking for though, and no other dress interested me in the slightest.

The owner is European and speaks in an accent and tries to be as helpful as she can. She would call me Kathy and my mother, "Mrs. Kathy's Mom." That cracked me up so I'd start calling my mom that from across the store when I needed for her to come over.

Number of Dresses: C-
Quality of Dresses (Did I Like Them?): D
Strapless Bra Quality: B
Cost: B
Dressing Rooms: B+
Service: C
Understanding of My Taste: D+

This is a very small boutique. I got my bridesmaids dresses there (5 of them, by Alfred Angelo). They took a long time to arrive in the store after they were ordered (3-4 months). However, she did give us a good price on them - better than I could find any where else.

my dress was GORGOEUS!! and it didnt' have to cost an arm and a leg. i wanted something simple and light - but with style and flair. i got that in spades in a delicious silk shantung dress designed by Paloma Blanca. the environment of the salon is very un-bridal - and outdated - so don't expect any chi-chi day of gown shopping here! but helga is a gem (if a bit pushy at times) and once i was able to yay and nay a few styles - she nailed the gown and that was that.

alterations seemed high - but given the cost of the dress, i suppose i can't complain!