Williamsburg Bridal & Formal

""My bridal party and I went here to get our dresses for my wedding and it was fantastic. The measurements they took for my dress were absolutely perfect, when the dress came in it fit like a glove and no alterations were needed. I decided that I wanted to add lace straps to my gown and they were able to order extra fabric from the dress maker to make sure they matched. I got so many complements on my dress :o) \r My bridal party and I all live outside the Williamsburg area and the store definitely made accommodations to make sure any fittings worked into our schedules. The staff couldn't have been more helpful. I would recommend this store anyone!""\r more

I have used Williamsburg Bridal for two of my daughter's weddings (two years apart) and couldn't have been more pleased with the results of each of them. The first one was pulled together in about eight weeks (thanks to Uncle Sam) and the owner and staff could not have been more helpful finding her a dress and getting it altered in time for the big day. I work in Richmond and she lived in Virginia Beach and they were very accommodating meeting us in the evenings to work with our schedules. She was beautiful, the dress was stunning and it fit her to a tea. We couldn't have been more pleased. My second daughter had a few more months to pull her wedding together. The results were the same -- she tried on a few different dresses and finally the perfect dress was pulled for her and she cried and said ""yes to the dress"". Again the staff and seamstress worked with our schedules and everything was stress free. My daughter was gorgeous. I also purchased both of my mother of the bride dresses at this shop. We received personalized service for each occasion and would recommend this shop to anyone.\r more

Ellen is absolutely wonderful! She is so helpful and is willing to assist you no matter how many questions you may have! As a wedding planner, this is who I recommend to many of my clients. I finally had the opportunity to work with her as the bride and I was equally impressed. Ellen has the innate ability to make you feel at home and knows exactly what you need. She will let you try a couple different directions when you are first trying on dresses and once you realize what style you are looking for, she knows exactly what to pull. The prices in her shop are also very affordable. Go take a visit...you will not be disappointed!\r more

Williamsburg Bridal & Formal could not have provided a more perfect experience for this bride-to-be. I found the wedding dress of my dreams upon my first visit to the store and encountered nothing but the highest level of professionalism and enthusiasm in all my subsequent visits and communication with Ellen and the staff. Not only does Ellen provide a beautiful selection of gowns and accessories, but she exudes warmth and is truly invested in her clients' happiness. She even cried alongside my mother and I when I found The Dress!! I must make special mention of their seamstress -- altering my delicate illusion tulle dress was no easy feat, yet she went above and beyond in producing a finished product that looked beautiful and fit like a glove. I highly recommend Williamsburg Bridal & Formal!\r more

I came in with my mother and sister to get a dress at the last minute and Ellen fixed us up with everything we needed. She was the best thing that could have happened to us. We recommend her for all your bridal needs.\r more

We really enjoyed our time here! We were first time bridesmaids and they made the process so fun and easy. Thank you Williamsburg Bridal!\r more

Ellen was so accomodating and great to deal with. The wedding was in Williamsburg but most people were not in town. The dresses and tuxedos were beautiful!!\r more

Great job on everything from bridal gown to bridesmaids to tuxes!\r more

You did an amazing beautiful job for my daughters day!\r more

Great service! Just made me (bride) feel so at home. They were very honest and extremely accommodating and helpful. I am truly grateful for the wonderful experience she has provided me with, making my whole wedding experience even that much more special!\r more

Wonderful experience! Everyone was fantastic! They were so kind & spent ""time"" with us!\r more

You did an amazing, beautiful job for my daughters day!! :)\r more

Ellen just made me (the bride) feel so at home and comfortable. She was very honest and extremely accommodating and helpful. I am truly grateful for the wonderful experience she has provided me with, making my whole wedding experience that much more special!\r more

THEY ARE TERRIBLE. Good selection, but horrendous service. -Rarely answer the phone. This is a huge problem any time you want information or to make an appt. Two of my girls needed to finish paying off their layaway, and they ve both been calling for weeks. Only one girl has been successful, and the other one even double teamed by having her boyfriend call as well. -Will tell you to be quiet you when they do answer. She interrupted me repeatedly, but then got testy with me when I tried to ask her a question when she paused. (They are INCREDIBLY rude on the phone, and I also work in retail where we deal with orders on a daily basis) -Both myself and one of my bridesmaids was informed at one point or another that an order was LOST. Turns out it wasn t, they just can t keep records straight. -They only call one person in the bridal party to let you know when the order is in, and it s not even the bride. This created a lot of confusion because my girls are from three different states. -They don t pay attention to your file saying who is in your wedding party--they just LOOK AT THE COLOR OF THE DRESSES THAT ARE IN. The saleswoman kept giving me information from someone who wasn t even in my party, just because the dress was the same color. -They have no checkout process for the dresses. Anyone could walk away with a dress you paid for because of my above comment: they don t keep good track of the wedding party. When I expressed this concern, the saleswoman told me that normally they come in groups, so we don't do anything."" Save yourself the stress and hassle. They aren t worth a dime. more

My daughter ordered a custom bridal gown from Williamsburg bridal and the entire process has been a huge disappointment. We choose this shop because they offered a custom fit Casablanca wedding gown.To our dismay when the dress arrived 7 months later her custom gown is over 2inches too short. The owners solution to this problem was to have the gown steamed, they could take the hem down..which by the way the hem is less then 1/4 inch of fabric, or they could sew additional fabric on the bottom to create a border. Last but not least the owner recommended she wear a totally flat shoe. We could not seem to make the owner aware this is not what we ordered or what we paid for. The whole point of having a custom made gown is so that it came fitted exactly to my daughter's 4'11 in frame. How on earth can a bride only 4'11 possibly have a gown too short. All I wanted was for the owner to admit they had taken incorrect measurements, apologize and refund the amount of her 950.00 gown in full. Instead we were told we should give her a chance to correct their mistake. My daughters wedding is in 2 months and we do not have time to keep returning to her shop for more and more alterations trying to make the dress ok. OK is not good enough. Why should we have to give her a change to make all these adjustments when the dress should have arrived as promised by her, her staff and the Casablanca website. My daughter should be allowed to choose her own shoes without the owner dictating what heel height she can wear. Instead of the sign in her shop stating no refunds no returns, it should also disclose that they routinely order your gown too short. Then as the consumer you can make a informed decision. If you want to let the store have total control over your wedding gown and that your opinion does not matter then I would recommend this store otherwise I would have a tape recorder when you arrive so you can get all the details of your purchase before you hand over your credit card. more