Something Special For Someone

I want to thank Something Special very much for helping me find the absolute, most perfect dress for me. Thank you Lynda for staying later than normal my first day there. Thank you Marta for altering all 3 of my dresses perfectly, and thank you Irene and Lisa for getting all the details in place. Without all of you, I don't know how possible it would be to have such a stress free process as I did there. The name ""Something Special"" definitely suits all of you. Thank you all again!\r more

They should be ashamed of the way their owner Irene acts towards customers once they have paid in full. I cannot believe that a place that made me feel so special when I bought my dress, made me feel so used when it was time for my alterations. From not allowing me to wait for my family members to arrive at the fitting, to her icy demeanor and rude attitude when my mother called to talk to her the next day? Irene was despicable. When I complained that I did not think my back looked rights, Irene said ?put my jacket on over it so nobody could see my back.? Then denied it when my mother complained that it was a poor choice of words ? basically calling us liars. When I voiced that I thought I had too much cleavage I was told that the dress could not be raised any higher ? and that ?when you look down at yourself it always looks like you have more cleavage? even though I was looking straight in the mirror. Again, shame on you. The seamstress and Irene suggested more crinilin in the front because they did not want to take the dress up ? and when I said I did not want my dress to be poofier, I was told that was it. Then Irene went as far as to suggest it was my idea. I had never heard of crinilin before. The experience was HORRIBLE!!! DO NOT BUY YOUR DRESS AT THIS STORE ALTERATIONS ARE A NIGHTMARE because once they have your $$$$ they don't care about you anymore!! DO NOT be fooled by the demeanor the first time - read other reviews as well this is a COMMON problem at this store. I am so upset by the way I was treated. I would have looked like a trashy mess!!! My new tailor fit the dress to me like a glove - and all the issues Something Special refused to listen to me about were immediately resolved at the new place. I feel so bad that I recommended friends to this store! more

THEY RUINED MY WEDDING DRESS! Bought a beautiful, and expensive dress, along with gorgeous jewelry from Something Special- but the ALTERATIONS WERE AN ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE! My dress ended up WAY TOO LONG and HALF OF MY BOOBS WERE HANGING OUT BECAUSE MY DRESS DID NOT FIT PROPERLY! My wedding photos are evidence that I spent my entire wedding day trying to tug up the top of my dress- in an attempt to cover my chest, and to keep from tripping. In fact, when dancing with my father, I had to kick out both the front, and back, of my dress with every step- to keep from tripping. My brother finally came onto the dance floor to rescue me- and held up my dress as my dad twirled me around. It did make for a funny moment, the 3 of us awkwardly dancing together, but I'm angry that my dress did not fit- and that my problems with my dress were very obvious to all of my guests, not to mention embarrassing and uncomfortable for me! My wedding was a few months ago, and I'm finding it almost impossible to find a decent picture of myself. Not only was I upset on my wedding day, because of how I knew I looked in my dress, but I continue to want to cry of embarrassment every time I look at my wedding pictures. I had to resort to a long-shot of my husband and I, to send out with our thank you notes. I had tried on the sample dress and was told that I needed to place a special order. Frankly, I thought the sample fit fine. The length was perfect, and my chest was modestly covered- with no cleavage showing. Still, they insisted I needed to order a larger size for the bust area- and that the dress would come in 2 pieces. I thought it best to listen to these bridal ""experts"" and ordered as they recommended. The dress took 9 months to come in. ?I returned 2 1/2 weeks before my wedding to begin alterations. My weight had not changed an ounce, and I certainly hadn't shrunken in height! ?Although I had used a 3"" pair of their shoes for measurements, my dress was 2"" too long- even with the taller 4"" shoes I ran out to buy after my first, disastrous fitting. Their solution? Completely change the dress style by adding multiple petticoats- which DID NOT solve the length problem and still left me with a dress which was too long! My dress no longer fell gently to the floor, skimming my waist and hips. It was now a poofy nightmare! ?MUCH WORSE? My strapless top EXPOSED HALF OF MY BREASTS! Despite tearing apart the bodice, re-seaming, yards of elastic, and different bustiers- they were incapable of fixing it despite 4 return trips for alterations! ?I cried many tears in the days before my wedding because of this nightmare, but had no choice but to wear the dress. Lesson learned? Do not buy from this shop unless you do not need alterations! My comments are truthful, honest, and accurate. The jewelry I purchased was gorgeous, and so was the sample dress I fell in love with. My unhappiness and complaints are directed to their alterations department and their customer service. (Many of my interactions with the owners mirror poster Chris's experience.) Please, do yourself a favor and do not purchase here unless the dress you try on fits perfectly off-the-rack. The purchase of a bridal gown is, for most of us, a once-in-a-lifetime event for a once-in-a-lifetime special day. Something Special took away a very important part of my ""special day"". P.S. I posted this comment on another site, but the owners flagged it so many times it was removed. They obviously monitor all negative website comments, as evidenced by their response here to another post. Fortunately, they will not be able to accomplish that here and my comments will remain as a warning to other brides. more

Had a horrible experience... the dresses were expensive, to start, and all the bridesmaids were ordered at least a size too large for them, so they all ended up spending over $125 for shotty alterations. Some of the girls felt like they were being pushed to buy the shops undergarments, and when they complained about the way the alterations were done, felt ganged up on and told they were perfect when they obviously weren't. The owner, Irene, was very condescending to us on the phone when we called to check on the status of our order, and this was just a horrible experience all together... Don't waste your time! Go somewhere that won't push you to buy and will be grateful for your business! more

I went here because this was where the bride whose wedding I was said I could order the dress from. First, the seamstress who made the alterations didn't actually alter them correctly. She took the easy way out -- trying to add darts instead of actually making the dress smaller. Then, when it was still too large, she said I must have lost weight. I had to go back for YET ANOTHER fitting. It was a week later, and this time the dress was too small. She accused me of having gained weight (in less than a week). Furthermore, the women who own and manage the place are disorganized and rude. I was running late for the rehearsal dinner (because they had messed up the dress so many times), and the woman followed me out to the parking lot, screaming that I hadn't paid. Untrue. I had. After walking her through the issue, it became clear she had no idea who I was and was looking at the wrong record. The long and short of this is that you whether you are a bride or a bridesmaid, you deserve a better experience than this. I can't believe they stay in business. Cons: bad customer service, lazy/unknowledgeable seamstress more

I had such a bad experience at Bijou Bridal in Paramus. They changed the prices on the dresses after I set my appointment for the bridesmaids to come in. I called Something Special for a Bride and they let me come in and look at the dresses myself for the girls. They were so helpful! They also had a great selection there too! I ordered my bridemaids dresses and my mothers dress through them. My mother went for the first fitting this weekend and it went very well. The lady did an excellent job on making the dress fit lovely! They also let my sister look at dresses with the help of Linda. I don't know why they get such bad reviews, but I am very happy with their services there. Like any other place you have to be nice and NOT a bridezilla! Remember you make their job fun! Then you in return will have a great time and service! They are very helpful and were willing to work in the price range that I gave them. Just be realistic with the price! It is an upscale place, but with great selections of dresses! Pros: They are so helpful more

I absolutely love Bridals by Something Special. I called them after they were picked as one of the ""Best of"" in theknot's 2008 Magazine. Before I went, I read a couple of bad reviews. I didn't' know what to expect when I went because of all the mixed reviews. I was greeted by Lynda and ever since she has been so helpful with everything. I'm the type of bride who needs to see and try everything and Lynda has allowed me to do that. I've been able to see some dresses in other stores and she has even called designers to get the dress that I wanted to try on. I simply cannot say enough good things about this bridal shop. Absolutely go to Something Special - you won't regret it. more

I did not listen when I heard negative things about ""Something Special"". I wish I had. My mom and I decided to use them because they were a local, family-run business. I seriously regret that decision! When we ordered the bridesmaids dresses, they told us we would definitely not need a rush order and that they would be in with plenty of time to spare. They took more than 18 weeks to get my bridesmaids dresses to me, when they said it would take no longer than 10-12 weeks. Then the owner tried to blame my mom for not placing a rush order! We barely got the dresses in time for the wedding, and my bridesmaids were having alterations done the day before the wedding! It was a nightmare. On top of that, they were very rude to both me and my mother on multiple occasions. The shop owner, Irene, was especially rude to both of us. We also had to wait around for a half hour one Saturday morning because they didn't show up to open the shop at 10am as it was advertised. They have a LOT to learn about customer service! Pros: Decent selection. It's also nice to find a local town shop. Cons: TERRIBLE customer service!! The owner, Irene, was especially rude and hard to work with. more

A large selection of sample-sized bridesmaids dresses (I was there looking for my sister's maid of honor dress). Knowledgeable, friendly staff, well-lit dressing room with ample changing and modeling room, very helpful with choosing style and fittings. By appointment only, but they are quite good with working with you to get you in when you want! Pros: fabulous personal service, great selection of dresses and designers Cons: only sample sizes, and only one color of each dress (though they do have swatches of other colors!) more