Lili's Bridal

I went to Lili's to see more Maggie Sottero dresses (planning on the actual purchase to be at Pebbles). They were having a sample sale only. They had a very limited # of dresses that were available to order. I only found one dress that I was interested in and almost left, but decided to try it on. It ended up being THE dress. It was well taken care of and very clean. The owner and employees were all very helpful and nice.

I recently visited the Lily's Bridal store in Tarzana, CA and wished I would have stayed away!! I would definitely recommend NOT giving them your business. Their selection of dresses is minimal to none and are over-priced. They sell gowns that need many repairs and seem picked over. The staff is also pressuring and talked me into purchasing a gown sized 12 when I am a size 2. Their moto was "we do this all the time." They kept repeating this over and over. I am sorry but a size 12 dress no matter how magical the person who alters the dress is, will not fit a size 2 body properly. They are very convincing and will make you believe they can alter ANYTHING, for a pretty price! Also, they will not work with you once you give them your money. I would definitely stay away from Lily's!!! Pebbles Bridal has such a great selection of gowns, all different makers, and styles. No high pressure and has many mirrors and fitting rooms for their bride-to-be's!! DON'T GIVE LILY'S BRIDAL YOUR BUSINESS!!
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I went to Lili's with one of my bridesmaids on a Friday. I have been driving over an hour to the bridal salons in O.C. and figured I'd give Lili's and Pebbles a try since they are closer to me in L.A. I phoned ahead to be sure they could take a walk in between 2 and 5pm. They said sure thing, and we were one of 3 brides in the store. I was able to use the large dressing room, and my bridesmaid sat very hapilly on the uber-comfortable couch.
While it did take some time to get started, I didn't mind because it was maybe about 25 min. during which time I was able to look around the store and found a couple additional gowns. Lisa even pulled a new gown from the back for me to try on since it was similar to one I was looking at previously.
The secret 'back room' I agree does not have the most flattering dresses, but for the price they had good designers and even with my unlimited budget [thank you mom] one of the $800 dresses back there was quite beautiful and I gave it a whirl. The samples they offer were well cared for, however some were a bit damaged and they agreed they'd be fixed prior to sale with no problem. While I agree, the selection is limited to a wall of new dresses [about 3 racks], the back room with 2 racks, and about 4 or 5 small racks of sample dresses, Lisa did offer to order in any dress I found that I might like. Also, since she brought a gown out for me, there may be more gowns kept in her back room - as is done at Sacks to keep some new dresses or expensive gowns safe in the back.
Lisa spent a good couple hours with me trying on about 9 dresses and offering good opinions on all of them. She even kept a vendor appointment waiting patiently while I tried these gowns on. To be fair, I could have been in and out in 30 min. and I offered to come back another time as well, but she made me feel comfortable and so we took the time to go over each dress.
As for the dresses, in the spirit of full disclosure I tried on a dress at a trunk show earlier this year that I quite liked and quite liked it and tried it on again at Lili's unintentionally - listed for $4200. I had forgotten about the dress, until I returned home and saw that it was in my dress list for $3800 another shop which held the trunk show, before the trunk show discount. That being said, the sample dresses were discounted and most other dresses were below $2000.
The second dress I ended up liking surprised her, and was one I chose myself from the sample rack. I did call the next day and asked for the name of the designer so I could e-mail my mom before having her drive up to look at the gown from San Diego. Unfortunately, the gown was not on the named designer's website [he listed collections to 2005] so I phoned back the next day. The tag with the dress number was gone so they were unable to help me. Lili's was also not listed as a vendor for the designer on their website, but it was explained to me that vendors have to pay for that honor or purchase a particular amount of gowns to be named on the site.
The woman who performs the alterations at Lili's was quite nice, as was Lisa. Unfortunately, I am a bit worried that the tag from the dress went missing and the reviews from this website so if I do purchase my dress from Lisa at Lili's I will def. bring all these issues up to them before ordering.

Easy to work with, dresses came in 1 month early, gave us a discount for ordering so many dresses....no complaints!

I have had a great experience at Lili. I have nothing bad to say about them, always helpful and attentive.

edited:

Sadly I have to update my review. And I really am sad about it. You can read my original review below. As the original review says, I had a fantastic experience trying on dresses. Picking up and paying for my dress was another story. They gave me a gorgeous large room to try my dress on (I had an appointment) and I decided to have my Mom look at mother of the bride dresses at the same time, since we had such a large room. I'm meticulous with things I spend a lot of money on, so I spent some time making sure the beading was good, no frayed hems or seams, no stains, etc. checking the zipper and all. i must have had someone come in at least 5 times to see if i "needed help." At last I told them that I was fine, but just needed to make sure everything was ok before i gave them the final payment. I asked an associate if I could see a bridesmaid dress because i wanted to give them more business and wanted to order four of them from them instead of online. she never got back to me. They had the nerve to say "we're busy. I can't" when I politelly asked again. EXCUSE ME?! You're WHAT?! Not to be a bridezilla, but I specifically mentioned that I was there to pick up my dress and wanted to place another order. This equals money in their pocket, so why the freaking attitude?? Not even a "we're so swamped, but give me a few minutes and i'll see what i can do." I was really disgusted when I was told that, on the last knock of the wall outside my room, "We are really busy and we need your room." Then I heard them saying that they don't have enough rooms today and a woman even came in and told me that "they are double booked and there are other brides who need your room." 30 minutes at the most I was in there! I'm generally very laid back but was appalled. I spent nearly $2,000 and I've been in the room for less than 30 minutes and you're dying to kick me out? It's not my fault you over booked yourselves. And I told them so. Seriously, etiquette people. This is a very expensive purchase. Excuse me for making an appointment and looking over the dress. When I left the room they were all staring and immediately went it to prep it for someone else. I said outloud, "yes you can have your beloved room now. i'm finished." They then had the nerve to ask me when i'd be back in for alterations. I signed the bill and said "never." So disappointed!

Old review:
I had the most fantastic experience at Lili trying on dresses. I will write a more detailed review of the whole experience later after my alterations and such, but for those of you looking to try things on, go to Lili. The key is to go right as they are opening. I went at 10 a.m. sharp (had an appointment) on a Saturday. Most brides want to go around noon, so for the first hour and a half, I had their undivided attention. I worked with Maria and she is fantastic! I told her that I wanted to spend $1,000 or less but that I'd be willing to go up to $2,000 if I just couldn't part with a dress. I tried on a ton and if I like a particular fit, she would immediately run out to the floor and grab another that was the same style for me to try on. :-) She was so good at finding something that fit and flattered my odd body-type (large bust, broad back and shoulder, a thick but well defined waist and absolutely no hips to speak of! i'm like an upside-down triangle argh!). I picked an awesome dress and couldn't be happier with it. And she helped me out with the price quite a bit too because she knew I had a budget. Fantastic experience. Not snotty, not pretentious. Made me feel special and beautiful. highly recommended.

I called ahead of time the day I went to Lili's Bridal, and the woman on the phone told me that there were no open appointments but to come in at a certain time anyway and they could fit me in. When I arrived, they almost turned me away, telling me that because I didn't have an appt that I could not try on dresses. I argued that someone told me on the phone to come in and eventually they let me start looking around. There was not a big variety of styles of dresses.
Overall, it was not a welcoming experience and the sales persons were pushy.

I was not impressed with Lili Bridal. Maria was amazing and made my experience much more worthwhile, but if she wasn't there it would have been miserable. If you do go to Lili, be sure to request Maria. I tried out many shops and just happened to find the dress of my dreams here, so I stayed put. The alterations on my simple dress cost $450, plus they charged an additional $175 to press the dress -- but I was told in the beginning that the pressing was included in the alteration charges. I ended up disputing the charge and Lisa 'absorbed' the pressing charges to keep me happy, which I am very appreciative of. I was quoted $350 in the beginning and it ended up being $450 because of 'extra' work. Look at my dress -- only minor beading at the top! Nothing fancy! Anyways, that part of my transaction was really sketchy and it seemed that they must increase the alteration charge a lot, as they were very vague about things.

I guess it's an okay place if you are looking for an 'okay' experience. The sitting area is drab (old couches) the fitting rooms are super small and the staff is not very professional in my opinion. They only have one pedestal to stand on with a full length mirror (they have two, but one is used for the alteration station). When I was there, along with 6 other brides it was so crowded that you had to wait in line just to get your turn at the big full length mirror. It's annoying to wait your turn when some brides stand there for over five minutes. When you're trying on three or four dresses, those five minute wait times add up and make it a less fun experience. They only have a few rooms, so be prepared to wait!! And be rushed!!!

Update: After reading the other posts, I wanted to comment that I was also told to order my dress in a size 14, when I tried on the size 12 and it fit fine. Seems a ploy of theirs to add additional alteration charges.

I went in on what they said was a busy day (Veterans Day) without an appointment. They opened at 11, and I went in at 11:04 and they were already busy, so the lady said to look around. I mentioned to the lady that I could come back later in the day, and she was very happy that I had offered, so I set an appointment for 2.

I worked with Lara and she was very helpful, no pressure. There was no one else in the store really at the time. She pointed me to some dresses I might be interested in, but I also just looked through some of the racks with my friend, so it was really nice. She dolled me up with a veil, flowers, etc. and while I felt it was kind of humorous, it was cute.

I found a few dresses in my price range that I'm planning to go back to look at again. I would recommend this place.

I went to Lilli's to try on dresses and did not have the great experience that some of the other posters talked about. I thought that the didn't have a lot of styles for me (I was looking for something simple, non-ballgown type of dress). The woman who helped us was also really pushy! I do think though that their sample sales rack has some really good values for those who are on a budget. I saw some perfectly nice dresses for $199!

Wow! I was so impressed with Lili's! I had previously had a very bad experience with another retailer in the same area. I like how you can make an appointment, and not have to "wait in line" with other walk-in customers. Maria was the best! She had me try on a lot of dresses, and then got me a HUGE discount for buying the sample dress. Along with the discount, they are cleaning the dress at no cost to me. I would highly recommend making an appointment early in the morning, during the week. I'm so excited about my purchase!

Lili's was the 2nd bridal shop I visited, and was the one that I purchased my dress from. I was very satisfied in the end, but the process was so painful that it almost wasn't worth it.

Maria was always very helpful and polite. My relationship with Sonia, the seamstress, was much more problematic.

Both Maria and Sonia insisted that I buy a size 12, even though I knew up and down that I would be losing at least 15 lbs. When my dress came in several months later, lo and behold, I was doing hula hoops with the size 12 it was so big. Sonia then charged me $350 for alterations, which seems like a lot, but I think is pretty standard. Anyway, when I came in for my 2nd fitting, the dress almost didn't zip! It was fine in the waist, but was far too tight though the chest and upper back. Worse, there was now a dreadful shelf of back fat that spilled over the top. I asked Sonia and Maria what they thought, and both insisted there was nothing to worry about and "no one would notice." I really couldn't stop thinking about the back of the dress, so I brought my mom with me early the following week to try the dress on again. My mom quietly and thoughtfully agreed that something needed to be done. Sonia became very defensive and angry, claiming that "nothing" could be done, and that the problem was with my body (!). At this point, I was feeling slightly hysterical. Sonia got really close to me and said, "No one will be looking this close - no one will notice!" I finally snapped and said, "Well, I have paid almost $3,000 already, and I will notice! I think I should feel good in my own dress!" The whole thing was just so unpleasant. Sonia agreed to make more adjustments for an additional fee of $150 (which she eventually waived). I wearily agreed, just wanting to get out of there.

The week of my wedding, I came in for the final fitting. The dress was perfect. Sonia created a soft V in the back, which mitigated all the aforementioned problems. Sonia was very pleased with the results. She stated that the dress should have been designed this way in the first place, and that all women who buy that dress have a problem though the back. I'm just wondering why she didn't say so in the first place, saving me (and herself) a lot of turmoil.

All things being equal, I would probably not send a friend or family member to Lili for their gown.

I had a great experience with Lili's. Everyone there is very friendly and helpful; even the people who were not "my" salesperson would come by and check things out...and offer help and support. They were also happy to stay within my budget. I just finished my third (and final) fitting, and can honestly say that the whole experience has been great.

My FI's co-worker recommended me to go to Lili's Bridal because she got her dress there about 5 years ago. After reading the comments here I decided to go. At first the saleswomen were really nice to me. They gave me permission to pull dresses aside to try on. The stores started to get really busy and finally one lady started to help me while she was helping someone else. I selected a few dresses that were sample gowns for sale and one regular priced gown. I told her that I didn't want to spend too much over $500. She told me if the sample gowns fit then I could probably make my budget. Take in mind I know $500 is on the lower end but if I find a great dress I will spend more. She looked at me and looked at the sizes on the dress and said that I wouldn't fit into a 10 cause the designers come smaller. I have tried on several other designer dresses and fit into a 10 perfectly. So I tried one on and yes it was a little snug. Then I tried on a sample gown and it was a little small. She wouldn't even let me try on the other dresses because she said they will all be too small. I seriously felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. They do have lots of sample gowns on sale for very cheap but most are worn in and in need lots of work.

Well my experience at Lili's was not bad but not the place for me. I'm a budget bride and their best kept secret "back room" had like 20 dresses in it and were not very pretty. Everything else was at $1200 or above. It took someone 20 minutes to make their way to me and see if I needed help (they were not even busy). It just wasnt a very welcome experience.

I did end up going to Pebbles as well and they were friendly, helpful, and have great dresses.

I had an excellent experience at Lilis. Maria was a doll to work with as was the owner, Lisa. The dress I found was stunning and I loved wearing it. The staff at Lilis are very attentive and helpful, they did an amazing job.

i went there about a month or 2 ago looking for my gown. they were very nice hence the 2 stars. but, i tried on a dress that they had in a dark ivory/beige-ish color and wanted to see it in white. the price tag was just over $1,000 - my budget was $750. They told me they would see what they could do to work with me and lowered it to $800. I got excited thinking wow, they really try to work with you. But, being I wanted to see how it looked in white and they didn't have a swatch or picture, there wasn't an immediate way to show it. They don't disclose the designer's names on most of their dresses so i had to rely on them for info. Well, I'm not sure if this employee was trying to help me intentionally, but she gave me the designer's name and style number for the dress so that i could look it up in white. I got home, googled it and the average retail price for the dress was half their initial price. So though they were "cutting me a deal", the $800 was about $300 over what almost everyone was selling it for. Needless to say, I didn't go back.

They have the best selection of bridesmaids gowns and some great wedding gowns too. The salespeople are so creative, they gave me like 5 different kinds of veils to try on with each dress which really makes a difference in the way you see the dress. I just found my dream dress and I can't wait for my wedding day!!!! :lol:

Lili Bridals helped my dream come true. I brought in my Grandmother's wedding gown that she wore in 1936 to Lili Bridals. My mother and I thought the dress would not work, yet I had always dreamed of wearing it. Lisa from Lili had the eye to see that with a few alterations, I'd be wearing my Grandmother's gown! This shop is truly amazing!

My experience at Lili Bridals has been a family affair -- my mom has been shopping at Lili for years, buying many of her formal gowns and some of her favorite jewelry. My sister-in-law bought her wedding gown and all of her bridesmaids dresses and jewelry there. When it was finally my turn, we of course went to Lili Bridals. My experience was just as great as can be....I got a GORGEOUS corset gown in a champagne color and bridesmaid dresses in a beautiful green for my Spring wedding. I didn't have any delivery issues, and the entire staff is wonderful. Sonya altered my dress to perfection and I felt beautiful on my wedding day. Everyone just LOVED my dress!!! If you want a wonderful and stress-free experience, go to Lili's!!!

I went to Lili's first because I had always seen them on Ventura as a little girl. I walked in and they had my appointment time wrong. The consultant said she would be with me shortly and that I should look around. I knew I wanted a lace gown and another bride, who was being helped by the consultant at the same time, also wanted a lace gown. My mom and I had 4 gowns that we had picked out. The consultant came over and asked what I was looking for. I told her I wanted a lace gown. She took the gown I had in my hand and said, "The other bride is also looking for a lace gown. I'll give the ones you picked out to her first and then you can try on whatever you want." I couldn't believe that she would treat me like that! A consultant is supposed to make the bride feel like she is the only one in the room!

If that weren't bad enough, a junior consultant came into the dressing room with me to help me with the dresses. I had trouble getting a dress on and she said, "Here's the problem: you're tiny up top and big on the bottom." Again, unbelievable! I looked at her, as I got dressed (with 4 more gowns waiting to be tried on) and said, "After 25 years, don't you think I know that already without someone pointing that out to me?"

I went from there to Pebbles. For future brides, who don't like being insulted to their faces, I suggest going there. Then, I bought my dress on ebay after trying it on at Pebbles, but I loved the people at Pebbles so much!

I can safely say after my fourth visit to Lili's they are stupendous.

I had the best time as a bride with Lili's Bridal. They made me feel comfortable and confident about my gown choice. We also were able to find the bridesmaids and mother of the bride dresses, shoes and accessories all at Lili's Bridal.

Shannon Jefferson Nelson 2004