Trudy's Brides

I went to Trudy's because it was the only store that carried the Henry Roth gown i wanted (and eventually purchased).

Lauren-Beth was my consultant and was very helpful and super nice.

I went on a weekday to avoid the annoying brigade that some brides bring - as in one time i was in there another time and one bride-to-be had 7 people with her - s-e-v-e-n!! There should be rules about that shit!

Anyway, back to my experience at Trudy's - Lauren Beth was super helpful and left me alone to soak in the image of me in the dress... That's the true test of great customer service - there is a time to be chatty and be "around" but there is also the time when you should leave your client alone so she can think and envision her own wedding as she's staring at herself in the mirror with "her" dress on. Lauren BEth understood this, and after 10 minutes or so, popped in to see if I had made a decision.

Overall, Trudy's is a great shop - it carries literally hundreds upon hundreds of dresses - for each price point and style. There is also a wide variety of veils to choose from and try on when you're trying on dresses.

This has been said before, but I hate the crowds at Trudy's. I wish they'd limit the amount of people one bride can bring in - it's so annoying having random strangers gawk at you while you're looking at yourself in the mirror trying to "have a moment".


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My BMs bought their Jim Hjelm dresses from Trudy's next door. Heather was the consultant and was helpful

Another great incentive at Trudy's is because I purchased my gown ther, my BMs were given a discount on their dresses. I'm not sure if they still do this, but at the time, it was a great deal!


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I decided to give Trudy's 3 stars b/c:
Pros:
+huge selection of dresses
+huge selection of shoes and accessories
+carries many bridesmaid designers/manufacturers

Cons:
-large crowds; there should be a rule about one person bringing in 7 people at a time!!
-most veils and accessories seem extremely overpriced
-other than Lauren Beth, most of the consultants are rude or seem too busy to even OFFER to help

I came to Trudy's because they are the only store in the South bay that carries Jim Hjelm. I worked with Mariko who was really nice and very helpful in helping me in and out of the dresses. I ended up loving one of the Pronovias dresses here.

The dress is very private and only books two brides at a time, so you feel like you have the entire place to yourself. There is also a bridesmaids store and a tux store nearby, which is very convenient for brides in the South Bay.

I have a mixed review for Trudy's. It was definitely the nicest in appearance of the bridal salon's I've been too, and certainly had a large selection, however I did feel a certain amount of pressure when leaving the salon.

The lady I worked with seemed very helpful and nice throughout the whole session, running and getting me dresses, giving me a large selection of price points and styles, etc. However at the end she told me the dress I liked most was "brand new" (i.e. 2009) and that she didn't know if the designer would continue this particular style since designers see how they sell first, and that the "trial price" it is at right now may change if they sell well. Basically saying that I should make my mind soon. So I take this in mind, tell her I have to think about it and look online, and get back to her.

I went online at home and the dress was from Fall 07!! I don't care that it's not brand new, but why lie? With the help of a fellow PW'er whose mother runs a bridal shop, I found out that what the saleslady told me was not true, that the idea of a "test price" is something she's never heard of, and that this particular designer rarely discontinues her styles.

But to the saleslady's credit, she nailed my style and found what is potentially "the dress." So for that dress alone I'm going to give Trudy's another try, but perhaps with Marika or Sheryl this time...

UPDATE 7/30/08: So I went back today and did end up meeting with the same saleslady. I clarified the fact that the dress was Fall 07 and she looked genuinely surprised. She stuck to the fact that the salon had just gotten it 3 months ago but said she'd check with Trudy. She came back and said she was mistaken, the dress was from 07, but stores didn't get it until 08, and they didn't get it until 3 months ago personally in the store because that's when Trudy decided to pick the dress up from the Fall 07 line. So that's the story with that. After the last visit, I called around for the price and the price they gave me at Trudy's was accurate. So in the end I found and bought my dress here. I definitely recommend weekdays or weekday nights. I had absolutely no problem with either the bridal or bridesmaid departments at these times.

Trudy's is definitely the store with the largest selection of bridal gowns in my area (South Bay). I've heard so many nightmare stories of bad service and rude saleswomen that I was a bit skeptical when I went in the first time. It was my first ever time going dress shopping, and I arrived without an appointment near closing time. They informed me quite nicely that next time, I should make an appointment but since another girl canceled, they could squeeze me in (which was a huge surprise!)

I got Sheila as my sales associate and she was AMAZING. I gave her my vision of a wedding dress and right away, she started pulling out half a dozen gowns for me to try on. They were all beautiful, as if she knew exactly what I had in mind. She also took the time to make me feel comfortable and clipped the dress perfectly so I could see what it looked like in my size. Another plus: Trudy's lets you take PICTURES.

The second time I returned and got another associate, who wasn't as helpful as Sheila, but far from rude and condescending. She just wasn't as attentive, and didn't have as much of an eye for what I liked, but she was still very helpful.

All in all, it must be a hit and miss, depending on the associate you get. But I recommend SHEILA. :D

Trudy's was recommended to me by a PW member. It is located almost 2.5 hours away from where I live so I ended up taking off work and went on a Tuesday at 12. There were a ton of dresses in a mix of different price ranges. I had a great experience w/ Marika. She was very helpful and listened to the look I was going for and also had advice that helped aid my decision on what looks good on my shape etc... The following Sun I went with my mom and grandma to show them "THE" dress. The store was busy that day, but I never felt like I was being pushed out of the way or rushed. We were allowed to take pictures as well. We even found out that the dress I wanted was available in my city at another bridal store, but we liked Marika and our experience at Trudy's so much that we ordered it through them. We purchased the dress during a promotion going on at Trudy's...with that I ended up getting a large credit towards any item in the store which covered a huge part of the accesories and reception items.

I got my dress about 6 months after (Jan 20th)which they said is how long it would take. I was a little bummed though to find out it had come in the beginning of Dec and I didn't get a phone call to tell me...but overall great experience...Highly recommend :)

After asking former brides and cross referencing reviews, I went to Trudy's. It was my first stop in bridal gown shopping and I didn't know what to expect nor what I wanted. I wanted to go to a shop that had a very large variety of dresses and that is what I got.

I made an appointment for a weekday and they assigned me to Karen. Karen is awesome! And this is why, she has been at Trudy's for 5+ years so she has a lot of experience in understanding what the bride is looking for w/o having to go into much detail. Considering I was one of those semi-clueless brides who hasn't barely picked up a magazine about gowns this was definitely a plus for me! She wasn't pushy at all, she listened a lot, even when I wasn't talking she was very observant of the look on my face when I put on a dress and remembered it!

Now I haven't actually decided on my dress yet but after trying on 30 gowns in one day, my top two contenders are the ones I've tried at Trudy's and were chosen for me by Karen. Great service!

**edit to drop rating down to a 3 from a 4 star**
Although, I had received extremely great service from Karen at Trudy's Brides. I was completely disappointed(and out a pretty penny) when I used one of their referred seamstresses!! Admittedly I hadn't done too much research on seamstresses in the Bay Area and all the ones I did know of were booked far in advance and I had received my gown a month before my wedding. Trusting in Trudy's I went with one of their referred seamstresses AND actually had 3 fittings with her and still felt like something was not right. (I'm a bride, not a professional seamstress). Going with my instinct and not knowing any better I paid the lady and took my gown somewhere else. Lo and behold, I find that my instincts were on point. My new seamstress has even mentioned that alot of Trudy's brides go to her after they've gone to one of their referred seamstresses!

Trudy's Preferred Seamstress list need an audit desperately.

*This review is on off the rack dresses*

Trudy's saved my wedding, I have to say.

I purchased my gown at La Belle Elaine's in Seattle. The dress took 4-5 months to ship, and they told me that even though I lived in San Jose, CA, it wouldn't be any problem. Well when the dress arrived and I tried it on, it didn't zip up and there's about 3-4 inches of gap! After days of talking to that shop I realized they won't do much for me since they're not local, so I started looking for another dress while the wedding is less than 30 days away.

Trudy's has an amazing selection of off the rack dresses! Sheryl was the girl that helped me find THE dress I'd like. She is easy going, has great knowledge about dresses and could give me her honest opinion when I asked for it. She and other people at the shop heard me complaining about my original gown and they offered to measure my gown to see if the dress was cut incorrectly. The store owner and Sheryl even helped me decide if I should pursue the Seattle boutique for recourse. It made me feel so much better knowing that someone in the bridal industry actually CARES about their bride, unlike the salon in Seattle.

Sheryl is simply outstanding. Not only was she warm and professional, she was very sympathetic about my situation and was as angry about my original dress as I was! And I trusted her taste on dresses 100%, without a doubt.

I had a great experience at Trudys. I worked with Diane and she listened to what I wanted, was sweet and patient and never pressured me.

I was apprehensive about my appt. because I had heard from others that Trudys likes to through a little "attitude" but that was not the case at all during my appt. I would suggest going on a weekday if you can. The weekends are a bit of a madhouse. Try not to bring too large of a party with you as well. I think most areas can accomdate 3-4 friends at the most, comfortably.

They have a great selection at every price point and have the most designers than any bridal salon in the south bay and I'm pretty sure I've been to them all.

Good luck!

I went to Trudy's this past weekend. I was very packed with people in the front of the store. Karen was the sales associate that helped me. She was good and attentive. The backroom she gave me to try on gown was very personal. I felt very important.

This bridal store has a wide range of wedding gowns from high-end to low end.

I grew up in Campbell, and as a little girl, I would walk by Trudy's window and dream about the day that I could go there to buy my wedding dress. I remember when I first walked in when I was younger and saw the most beautiful bride trying on her dress. She stood on the pedastal against the three way mirror... glowed like mad, and it was truly what dreams were made of.

When I finally did get engaged, Trudy's was one of the first places I went. I had been to Bay Area Bridal with a few friends and tried on an assortment of dresses so I had something to compare my experience with. I don't know if I had too high of expectations, but it was not at all like I imagined. While the service was great, and my bridal consultant was very kind, I felt like all of the dresses I tried on looked the same. The only dress that I did like at Trudy's however, I got at Bay Area Bridal during a sample sale for 60% off the price Trudy's quoted me.

All in all though, they did give me all their attention and were not at all pushy so customer service was good. They also allowed me to take pictures while in the dress. I just wish the consultant gave me more of a selection. The only dress that I ended up liking, I picked out myself because it was sitting near the dressing room.

So nothing grand, nothing bad... I really can't complain.

I, too, have mixed reviews about Trudy's Brides. Before I went there, I had heard great reviews about them. I didn't have a good experience in the brides section. It was very crowded and even with my appt, I still had to wait. I did have a private area in the back, whereas some other brides were in front of everyone, so that was nice. I don't think I was able to choose what dresses I wanted. I had to tell the salesperson what styles I liked and what my budget was and she went and picked dresses for me. Eventually, it seemed as though she wasn't able to find me anything I liked so my bridesmaids and I left disappointed.

We went to their Special Occasions shop next door and had a great experience there. My BMs and I were able to look at many styles, try them on and pick out color swatches with the assistance of Jessica. I made sure I saw her every time we went back for the bridesmaids. She helped me order color swatches so I would have something to show my florist. She also sent me a thank you card.

I had a really good experience with my mom buying her dress from Trudys. The salesperson was really helpful, nice and professional. However my experience trying to get bridesmaid dresses there was HORRIBLE. The staff was rude, unhelpful and pretty useless.

I called almost a month before and scheduled an appointment. When we arrived on a very busy Sunday, they didn't have my appointment in the book, but immediately said, "Don't worry, we'll get you in, no problem." I think they saw the look of horror on my face. ;) They paired me up with Kathy and immediately got me into a fitting room.

Kathy was wonderful, she nailed down my style in 5 dresses. We bought the 4th dress I tried on. Bought the matching veil that Kathy suggested. I hadn't planned on buying a veil. As a bargain bride, I was going to order online, but it matched the dress perfectly, and mom fell in love with it.

We also bought dyeable satin sandals there. I love sandals, wear them all the time. But a couple weeks later had sandal regret. When they arrived I tried to return them, but I was told I'd have to pay a restocking fee and buy another pair there for the same or higher price. I passed.

We also ordered the bridesmaid dresses on the same day. Heather was our helper in that department, she was awesome! Very attentive, and helped confirm orders a couple weeks later when I was making sure a BM had placed her order. Those dresses arrived very quickly too.

I highly recommend Trudy's because they were very friendly and took care of me right away, even after they couldn't find the appointment, and everything arrived early. The restocking/exchange scenario is a rip-off, although not uncommon at bridal shops.

I LOVED my experience at Trudy's. However, I should point out that I only went on weekday evenings, NOT on weekends. My consultant, Sheryl, was awesome! We talked for a bit about the kind of wedding I envisioned, themes, etc. Then she told me the vibe she percieved from me and the type of dresses she thought I'd be going for. She hit the nail on the head! Every single dress she bought out for me trumped all other dresses I tried on at other shops. Not because the dresses themselves were that much "better" persay, just that they screamed "me" more. She worked with my budget and only brought out dresses that were well within budget. None of this trying to get me to spend more business. She never pushed me to buy right away, and even let me have some time alone with my "posse" to talk things over. I ended up staying there for about 1hour and 45min even though many brides have said they've been kicked out after an hour. All-in-all, I loved my experience there, and I would definitely recommend this place to other brides with the disclaimer that they should request Sheryl (or I heard Marika is good, too) and only go on a weekday. Apparently, weekends are a madhouse.

I went on a weekday, and the consultant really had a lot of time to give to me and was very gracious. They had an amazing selection and I tried on many beautiful dresses, but I needed time to think things over. The consultant did not seem happy that I wasn't going to make an immediate purchase. I finally decided to go back to buy the veil, so I stopped in on a weekend and brought my mom and sister--AWFUL, AWFUL! I was just there to make my purchase, but no one wanted to help me, neither was anyone friendly or helpful. I actually felt like I was a bother and unwanted, so because of the poor service, I left without buying the veil. I went to David's Bridal instead.

As a few people have mentioned, they can be snobby at first. Then once they get ya going, the process is much more enjoyable. We had Marika as our consultant and she was prompt and humorous. You might be able to find a dress cheaper somewhere else though I can honestly say: all in all I had a good experience here. Everyone loved the dress.

This place is seriously jam packed with dresses, accessories, and brides waiting for their appointments. There are multiple changing areas and multiple posing podiums with mirrors for the peanut galleries to ooh and aah over your dress.

I was pretty happy with Cheryl and Karen who helped me on different trips with dresses. Cheryl found a fab light gold colored Maggie Sottero which I would never have picked by seeing on the rack, but really helped me on the right track. Trudy herself pressured my mom a little too much to buy her Mother of the Bride dress there in several months, which was pretty ridiculous since my mom told her she lives 600 miles away.

Their shoes are overpriced like everywhere else (their dresses are, too, compared to stores with the same dresses), and they include some variations on the wedding show like ugly white satin sneakers and white fuzzy slippers, but if that's the way you want to go by all means...

Number of Dresses: A
Quality of Dresses (Did I Like Them?): A-
Strapless Bra Quality: C (I complained and got a better one)
Cost: D
Dressing Rooms: A
Service: B
Understanding of My Taste: B+

*VERY* busy on the weekends and on weeknights! The dressing room is basically a tiny box with a curtain. They carry pretty expensive dresses here, and schedule everyone back to back and kick you out right when the next girl gets there.

I shopped wedding dresses here which was ok but the dress I bought (elsewhere) was EXACTLY what I kept describing and the clerk at trudy's didn't show it to me.

I shopped with my 2 local BM's here for their dresses because they have such a good selection and the service was really good. I had to go back 2-3 times to coordinate color because I had 4 different girls in 4 different designers and then I tried to coordinate the colors and they were very helpful with the process. The 2 dresses ordered from here arrived as expected.

Ordered From Trudy's Brides August 10, 2004) It's a Maggie Sottero!! I loved my dress and I got great service from Marika at Trudy's Brides!!

Be careful when you walk into this place. They are foremost a business and it's all about making the sale. So it's great if they help you find your dream dress. They are a huge well known bridal salon and they are supremely aware of it. They also have a good eye. But take your time. Don't feel pressured. And perhaps do not make this your first stop in your dress search. They usually only allow you to try on a certain number of dresses for one hour only. They are very strict with time because they are in the business of selling. Very efficient. They know what they are doing. Just be prepared for the hard sell and the snobbery.

I was almost afraid to go to this place because I read some negative reviews about on yelp. I had a really positive experience here and end up buying a Jim Hjelm sample for less than 1/2 price! My sales associate was very helpful and did not act negatively when I told her my small budget and desire to buy a sample dress. I end up with a stunning dress at a bargin price!

I have heard many mixed reviews about Trudy's. It's a very hit or miss place.

I personally had a wonderful experience with them and a lot had to do with my sales consultant Lauren Beth. From the beginning she was super nice and attentive and not once tried to rush me into buying anything. She sat down with me and listened to what I wanted, then brought out some dresses and was just as happy as I was when I finally found the right one. I scheduled my appt. on a Saturday morning and there were not many people.

Despite the difficulties of getting an appointment on the weekends and the shared mirrors, I actually had a good experience at Trudy's. I really enjoyed working with Sheila. She was incredibly patient, knowledgeable, friendly, humorous, and honest. I appreciated that fact that she wasn't pushy and was very honest about which dresses were and weren't flattering on me. That's rare, especially since these stores are very commission driven. Sheila's a gem and I would highly recommend working with her!
Oh and they also allow you to take pictures as well.

i went to trudy's a few weeks ago and it was PACKED! not enough sales associates to help me & it really got overwhelming.

overall, the do have a very nice selection.. just be prepared to go here *whew*

I give them 3 stars, only because they have a HUGE selection of wedding dresses. Other than that, the customer service really sucks. The woman who helped me was really nice, but eveyone else was so snobby. I did eventually purchase my dress there though. And when I went back to pick up my beautiful dress, it seems like..because I bought my dress already, they didn't need to make me feel special anymore. =(

I had a great experience with the bridal section of Trudy's. I had a dress in mind, contacted the shop and found out they had it and in my size! I tried it on and loved it, and I came back once with my mom to show her before purchasing it. Karen was awesome, very mellow and no pressure from her which is how to get a sale from me!

However the bridesmaid dress shopping was a very different experience. I of course, in an effort to take advantage of the discount since I brought my dress there and maybe make things easier, wanted to get my dresses from there. I brought in my two maids of honor and was introduced to Joseph, who between disappearing on us and being snotty was just more annoying that anything.

We left the shop and I went a couple other places, one being Elegant Lace in San Jose. There I was told again I could do a fabric change - a B2 dress in Belsoie fabric. After going home and sleeping on it I decided I wanted a B2 style in a Belsoie fabric was what i wanted to do.

Now I drove down to Campbell to Trudy's to place the order and with a young gal (can't remember her name) who told me firmly that there was no way to do the fabric change that I had wanted. That threw me for a loop. I went home and called Elegant Lace to and the sales woman there told me that she was looking at the book and it said it right there in black and white that it was doable for a fee.

I called Trudy's to ask for them to confirm it and got snotty Joseph again and was told that the woman I talked to when I was in the shop had "worked here for a long time so I'm sure she knows what she's talking about." I asked him to check for me which he concede he would leave a message for someone to call me on Monday. End of day Monday I called the shop, got someone else who said they would find out. Guess what?! They CAN do the fabric change after all.

Well. Guess where I ordered my bridesmaid dresses - Elegant Lace.

So love them for bridal, not so much for occasion.

I went to Trudy's after going to 4-5 bridal salons. I bought my wedding dress at Trudy's because it had the dress that I was looking for and at the right price. My consultant was Lauren W. She was really nice and helpful. Lauren was also full of energy and very bubbly. Like everyone said, Trudy's is extremely busy on the weekends. However, I never felt the crowd. Lauren and her assistant was extremely attentive to me and my needs. I came in a second time to try on the dress before I bought it and both times I left the store happy with the service that I received. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Lauren. Every time I call Trudy's, whoever answers the phone was always extremely helpful and answered all my questions. I also bought my second dress (my evening gown) at Trudy's. I came back about five months later looking for another dress to wear during the reception. I found the dress that I was looking for. This time Courtney was the person who helped me since I was looking for the dress at Trudy's Special Occasions. Courtney was also really helpful. I came at the end of the day on a Saturday. It was quite pack since there were a lot of teens looking for a dress for prom. Even though it was so busy, Courtney was always around when I needed her. I found the dress that I was looking (after going to A LOT of bridal stores) and bought it. While I was paying for the dress, I received 15% off because I bought my wedding dress at Trudy's Bride. I was very happy to get some sort of discount since all of you will know, having a wedding is very expensive. I HIGHLY recommend Trudy's to anyone who is looking for a wedding or special occasion dress. The service that I received was impeccable.

I came to Trudy's because I heard good things about their selection of dresses -- in terms of their range of styles and price-ranges, they were excellent and I highly recommend going in as part of your comparison shopping as long as you set your expectations about what this place is and isn't. My sales consultant was fairly helpful, but a couple things conspired to make me dock them a few stars...

1) I arrived for my appointment on time and had to wait around nearly 20 minutes for someone to help me. Things just seemed very disorganized, and I could only spend so long checking out their selection of crystal jewelry and personalized ring pillows and knickknacks in the front...

2) I felt like I was being given the hard sell. I started by trying on a dress I had tried on elsewhere and liked, one that was well within my budget. I thought that setting that precedent would signal enough about where my budget was, so we didn't say anything about price range until the fourth or fifth dress. By the time I decided it was high time that I explicitly announce my (very reasonable) budget, before things got too carried away, I was met with an "OH! Well that changes EVERYTHING!" The next dress I tried on looked like a sack of potatoes and had this horrible petri dish lace pattern on it, even though one of the very first things I said was that I didn't want lace. I'm no expert on gowns but I also wasn't born yesterday, and I didn't appreciate being treated like a total sucker.

Trudy's was the 3rd place I visited. The other two bridal dress stores didn't have the selection that Trudy's had.

Having visited Trudy's (while I was a bridesmaid) and remembering how busy they get during the weekends, I visited on a weeknight - to bide some time waiting for my dinner buddy and just to see what was out there. Since it was slow, I was able to book an appointment with Sheryl.

After filling out a questionnaire, Sheryl and I talked about my budget, what type of dress I envisioned and where the wedding was. Although the venue wasn't set, we did discuss the other two along with potential venue spots. Sheryl came back with 5 dresses and I ended up ordering the 4th dress, a dress made by Pronovias. Sheryl nailed my style within those 5 dresses and saved me hours of shopping. :)

Originally my fiance and I planned to marry in late 2008 but we ended up setting an August 2007 wedding. Sheryl and Trudy's staff made sure I had my dress in time for alterations.

Great service and knowledgeable staff.

Even though I’m sure this won’t help out with the San Diego reviews, Trudy’s Brides in San Jose, CA was amazingly helpful in assisting me to find my perfect dress. I walked in thinking I knew what I did NOT want and walked out with the PERFECT dress – that fell almost into those “I DO NOT WANT THIS” standards. They just knew what would fit my body and my simple, yet classic, taste.

I'm going to start by saying...the person who fitted me (Cheryl) had the upmost patience, and even missed her lunch break for me. I had 15 women with me and they accomodated us without a grumble. They have the best selection of gowns; they have the reputation of being expensive, but as long as you tell them your budget they will work within it. The Trudy of Trudy's Brides is always there on the weekends, supervising and making sure you are taken care of. She's a little nutty, but very nice. I loved trying on gowns here...and I am not fond of trying things on. I got my gown, tiara, and veil AND my bridesmaids gowns here, and if I had it to do all over again would do the same.

Trudy's Brides is a cute, clean store. A dress consultant first discussed what styles I envisioned for my wedding dress. Then she picked out dresses for me. The woman I worked with was very nice and receptive to hearing what I liked and disliked about each dress. She did not pressure me to buy and seemed very knowledgeable. I would recommend visiting this store for a pleasant wedding dress shopping experience.

I looked so many places for my wedding dress and Trudy's was the most attentive and most personal bridal shop I visited. They have a huge selection of dresses in every price range. Some how right when I walked into the store, the employer knew which dress designer would fit my body perfectly! It was so relieving to finally find a dress! The shoe selection was not the best, but the dresses were an A+.

I was disappointed in my treatment at Trudy's. They had a few dresses for me to try on. The salesperson was somewhat helpful and did listen to me about the type of gown I wanted. They seemed uninterested in going any extra steps once they realized I was not going to buy on the spot. I ended up choosing one of the dresses from them and ordered online at half the price.

We were ignored pretty badly here at first, but as soon as they realized I made an appointment, they came over and complimented us with their words and attention. After a few minutes they became complete sweethearts, which I admit, was hard not to love. I definitely ended up liking my dresser, Marika. They showed me every dress I wanted and were really good about matching my personality. I was even allowed to take photos. The only this is that they are pretty pricey but the dresses are gorgeous.