Mary Me Bridal

I got my Maggie Sottero dress here and loved it! (PIB) They have a very nice shop with a great selection to chose from. My dress came in as planned, and everything was correct! I bought my dress right before a sale and they still honored the discount which was helpful! I also bought an over-priced veil there too- but they discounted that as well (although not much). I feel that their accessories and veils are over-priced, but it seemed like that is common in all bridal stores now.

I also did my alterations their too- and they do a great job!!! I was a little apprehensive because I thought I could go elsewhere for cheaper, but wanted to sick to the same place. In the long run it worked out because they only charged me for the big stuff, like taking my dress out an inch, pressing, bustle, etc. The little things I wanted I was not charged for, like moving the back panel, taking out the slip, stitching some of the details down more, etc. So everything worked out!

Overall, I had a great experience with them and thought they had a nice store. They were very easy to deal with and easy to keep in contact with about ETA's and questions that I had... Just make appointments so you'll have someone around to assist you!

- HMM :)

Mary Me was the third bridal store that I went to and I'm so glad that I followed the advice of fellow OC knotties to check out this store. The store has a huge selection of both bridal gowns and bridesmaid dresses all within one complex in the city of Orange. My bridal consultant Sue really knew her stuff. When she first brought out my dress I told her that it probably wouldn't look that great on my body type. She smiled and asked me just to try it on "just to see." Well, I put that beautiful dress on and there was no turning back. I didn't even want to take it off after she left me alone with it. I took my MOH and mom to come see it that following weekend and everyone agreed it was the dress for me. Sue offered me a great deal, so much so that I decided not to purchase the dress online as I was originally planning to. Plus the store held the dress for me prior to my alterations so I didn't have to worry about it being stored in one of my closets at home. Just a little note that when it was time for me to try on my dress when it came in, I wasn't treated as kindly as I was when I was first looking to buy the dress. I mean don't get me wrong, they weren't flat out rude, but I was given the dress in the dressing room and we had to go looking for a salesperson to help me put it on. Then when I wanted to try it on with some veils they told us just to go to the front of the store and pick out some veils on our own. I'm sure that's how it is at a lot of bridal salons that once they've made the sale you're not as important as when you first walked in. Which was fine me because i decided to take my alterations elsewhere.

I came here with 3 of my bridesmaids to try on dresses on a Friday afternoon in July. The place wasn't too busy and I was helped by a great consultant named Maria. She was super sweet and was able to pull some dresses (and let the BMs and I pull some, too) based upon the criteria I gave her (a-line, no pickups, some lace and/or beading, under $1k). She helped me get in and out of the gowns and showed my BMs a quiet place to sit (there was a little seating area near the alterations/dressing room we were using).

After seeing me feeling "blah" about most of the dresses that were pulled (I kept comparing each one to this gown I had tried on at Mariposa Bridal), Maria used her judgement and my reactions to the previous dresses to pull a gown that I would've passed over on the racks: Vernice by Maggie Sottero. I almost didn't want to try it on when she brought it over on the hanger.

I'm glad I did, though, because as soon as I walked into the lounge area to show my BMs, one of them actually *gasped* haha. Maria brought out some necklaces to see how they would go with the dress and got me a bolero to try on, too. I came back a few days later to show my mom the dress (I don't think she was too fond of it). Maria could tell my mom wanted to see other options so she pulled another gown for me to try (which I also liked, but not as much as the first).

After trying on the gowns, Maria showed me Maggie Sottero's size chart and took my measurements. She let me know what size would be best for me to order and didn't pressure me to make a decision. I will be back this weekend to place my order for my dress. I couldn't have done it without Maria's help!

--edit--
I was planning on ordering my gown here until I found it at a better price. Mary Me Bridal refused to price match (it wasn't an internet company, but a salon in NorCal) or even lower their price/throw in alterations/do anything to keep my business. I understand that they're trying to run a business and make a profit, but I was disappointed that they wouldn't budge in order to keep a potential client. Maria is still a doll, though, so that doesn't change my impression of her at all.

They have an EXCELLENT selection of the brand name wedding dresses, and also practically every bridesmaid dress that's in season and on the market. Unfortunately for us, this was the last store we visited to look for BM's dresses, because it had ALL the dresses we'd seen everywhere else. They also have a good selection of shoes and other accessories from mid to high end prices. (Their selection of hair accessories and jewelry is limited)

Their service is also pretty good. They know their products very well and are familiar with the different companies and their product delivery times. However, they don't come up to you if you're just looking around the shop, so make sure to be assertive about what you want and let them know if you need help.

Also--Make sure to visit during the week if you can, rather than the weekends. The place gets very very crowded!

Overall, they were a good boutique. I really liked the salesperson who helped me find my dress and the owner, they were both really nice and accommodating. The prices were great too. The only thing that's keeping me from giving them 5 stars is that the dress size they recommended I order was too large and I spent nearly $800 getting it fixed and also one of the tailors was not very nice, especially when I tried on the much too large dress that looked nothing like the sample I tried on with the clamps. Fortunately, the owner was there and she personally did the alterations to ensure I was happy.

I was very turned off by the pushiness/snootiness/rudeness of Mon Amie and thank my lucky stars I found Mary Me Bridal and Esther! They were able to get my Alvina Valenta dress and were the most helpful, sincere and honest ladies around! I can't say that I looked around too much because I already knew which dress I was getting, but they have great designers that they carry and their prices are not marked up like their competitors! Esther was also very helpful with me choosing which veil to go with my dress, etc. For a personal touch, you should definitely go there.

The saleslady that I met with to try on wedding dresses was very friendly and knowledgeable. In fact, she picked out a dress that I didn't really love on the rack, but ended up being THE ONE when I tried it on! She was just great to work with and I had tons of fun picking out my wedding dress.

The alterations department was a little disappointing. They were not as attentive or helpful as I would have liked.

Overall, I would definitely recommend others to use Mary Me Bridal. Expect great service from the sales department, and average service from the alterations department.

I had a great experience with Mary Me Bridal, especially with my bridal consultant Maria. Everyone there is very friendly and helpful. They gave good feedback on the different dresses and made me feel very comfortable. The alterations were beautiful except that they took one more trip than they really should have, which is the only reason I give 4 stars.