Belle Vie Bridal Couture

I had a wonderful experience at Belle Vie. This was the 5^th store I went to and I found my dream dress! Patrick helped me find the dress, he knew exactly what would flatter my figure and brought me great options. They even let my family come in on Sunday to see the dress (when they are closed). So far I have had a wonderful experience!

Belle VieBridal is a great experience. I was taking care of from the moment I walked into the salon to the time I walked out the door. All the consultants listened to my opinion but also brought me things I had never considered. Ultimately this made for a great experience and I made memories that will last a lifetime.

I am not compelled to write reviews as I know they can be misleading but I assure you that this review comes only after significant turmoil. I found that the staff, especially the proprietor, to be less than genuine with veracity always in question. When pressed several times on undelivered promises we were told; «I cannot be held to the promises my employees make.» As a self employed professional, I believe that I AM held to the promises my employees make as I made the decisions to employ them as representatives of my firm. We received the dress 5 weeks later than promised, the alterations were not guaranteed and the scheduled meetings for dress pick up were ignored by staff. When we finally received the dress, the proprietor suggested that she had waited for us for the original pick up time but when we reported to her that we were indeed on time for the appointment and had checked in with the doorman who reported that the staff had left for the evening the conversation came to an abrupt ending.
My suggestion for every future bride is to seek out other TRUE professionals in Chicago as there are many more qualified and more honest than Belle Vie.

NOT TRUSTWORTHY. Not empathetic and doesn’t take financial responsibility for their lack of delivering the correct dress and leaving it to last month before wedding date, even though dress was ordered 9 months in advance and large deposit was given. Customer service is bad and owner would not respond to phone calls. Very upsetting to a lifetime planned dream that should have been happy and memorable for the bride and mother.

This place is absolutely horrendous! They are SO snooty in there and only care about making money and not about customer service or the experience at all. This was the first place I went to go look for my dress and left feeling disgusted by the way I was treated. I HIGHLY recommend you NOT go to this place out as there are much better bridal shops nearby to visit that treat you like a person and not like another sale. I recommend checking out Mira Couture or Ultimate Bride — I still haven’t chosen my dress, but they treated me great and had a great selection.

Well it’s been almost a year and while looking through the wedding album my daughter once again got upset about the treatment we received from Amanda and Belle Vie Bridal shop. Totally unprofessional and rude. She notified us the dress was not able to be made in early March. We had purchased it the PRIOR July! No way she didn’t know the designer went out of business. We even paid shipping of the dress that was never made! She didn’t even attempt to make it right. An offer of a sample at the same cost is an insult. Beware

Don’t buy your wedding dress at this shop. Like other reviews stated, they are super nice up front, but once they have your money — they don’t know you! They have you sign a contract as detailed as buying a house and in the end they are protected from absolutely everything and you are protected from nothing. Had my lawyer husband been with us, he would never have let us sign it. Their contract specifically stated my daughter’s gown was to be delivered during a one week time frame a month before her first fitting. Didn’t happen.
Since my daughter lives outside the U.S., I was the contact person. I called so many times and the phone would go to a message even on days the answering machine said they were open. No one would return my calls even though I left specific messages. They were absolutely horrible to deal with and they made this the most stressful part of our wedding. That should not have been the case at all. Kara, the Manager, never returned a phone call either. When you visit their website the owner makes a comment that she always meets the brides when their dresses arrive finished. That’s a bunch of garbage. We never met her, never saw her, never talked to her on the phone and as far as we are concerned she could have cared less about her customers. We made a huge mistake paying the whole amount up front! After hounding them daily, the dress came two days before my daughter came into town for her fitting when it was supposed to come a month before. Had it not been here, it would have been at a great expense to my daughter since she lives so far away.
Also, they forgot about her headpiece — I had to hound them about that as well even though it was ordered 8 months before the wedding. LIke her gown, it was made in the U.S., so we don’t know what the problem was there. I think they just forgot to order it. My daughter needed it for her hair appointment prior to the wedding and we ended up going into the shop and borrowing theirs when ours should have been in our possession already. The wedding was absolutely beautiful and the the bride was gorgeous, but the only awful experience during this whole process was Belle Vie’s unprofessionalism! Stay away, or find a dress you like and order it from somewhere else.

The staff here are amazing and couldn’t have asked for a better experience saying «yes to the dress»! Amanda and my stylist, Sarah, were extremely helpful and the process was very easy. They were patient, honest, and kind. I’ve tried on dresses at other places but nothing compares to their attention to detail. I left Belle Vie today feeling excited and confident that I will look fabulous on my wedding day. Thank you Belle Vie!!!

If I could give more stars, I would!!! I had an over the top wonderful experience here. After going to a number of stores to look for a wedding gown, I came to Belle Vie (where a number of my friends found their gowns and raved about the service and experience). Alexi helped me find a dress — she is incredible! So sweet and thoughtful, she really listens to you and makes sure that she brings options that are flattering and what you are looking for. She was fantastic! Amanda, the owner, is bubbly, sweet and wow does she know her stuff. Between the two of them, I found my dream dress and ordered it.
I loved the experience — Amanda and Alexi were helpful, warm and spent time listening to me. I was relaxed and happy and loved the process! I cannot recommend this place more highly!

After purchasing my daughter’s wedding dress, and receiving it one month after it was promised, we ran into problems with fittings done by Amanda’s very highly recommended Birmingham, MI seamstress. We received ZERO help from Belle Vie when the following happened: seamstress used BROWN thread to make easily visible alterations AND she sewed a HUGE bow on the back of the dress unsolicited! REALLY?!? We were left to solve the problem ourselves with 10 days to wedding and no one to fix the dress! Sure, they sell you a magnificent dress but once your check clears, they are unresponsive and unhelpful! If you shop at Belle Vie, know it’s at your own risk.

I have been to 10 stores searching for a dress. This was by far the absolute worst experience of my search. I went in on a Saturday and didn’t find anything I loved. The owner convinced me to come back on a Monday, as they were getting new dresses in within my price range. So I go back downtown to try on these «phenomenal gowns». Before I try them on I say, «please let me know which ones are in my price range, I don’t want to try on anything I cannot afford. My range is 2−5K.» She replies, «Don’t worry, we will make it work.» So, the appointment goes on and I try on some exquisite dresses. About 8 to be exact. My sister was with me. She acted as my bridal consultant helping me in and out of the dresses as the owner absentmindedly ventured in and out of my dressing room while calling me baby, sweet heart, and other random terms of endearment. The owner would gather all the consultants to «come and see how wonderful she looks» and the women who worked there would saunter in and say «wow» unenthusiastically as if they have rehearsed this process a zillion times. It was a sales strategy that I could read into all too well. So I am done trying on dresses, and I turn to the owner and say, «so how much are we talking for the three dresses I am loving?» Without making eye contact and mischievous grin on her face she lets me know that the dresses will run me between 8,000 and 9,000 dollars before alterations! HUH??? Did I not tell you my budget maaaax is 5,000?! She tells me to tell my mom, who is generously paying for my dress, to reorganize our wedding budget so that I can afford the dress «of my dreams.» Excuse me? No, I am not asking my wonderful mother to spend an extra $ 6000 dollars on a dress. The owner shouldn’t have put me in those gowns in the first place. She was COMPLETELY DISRESPECTFUL of my budget. She conned me into trying on these dresses by hiding the fact that they were waaaaaay out of my price range until the end. I would never recommend anyone go here unless you want to give your money to a fake nice sales lady who would tell you that you look «phenomenal» in a burlap sack, and then try and sell it to you for $ 8,000. In retrospect, I should have seen this coming as she forgot my name, then mispronounced my name, then wandered in and out of my appointment, called random associates in to try and make me feel special, and then conned me into loving dresses I could not afford. Yuck. She may run a bridal business, but she is a scheming saleswoman that I now see right through. Do yourself a favor and don’t even book an appointment at this place. If there was a zero star option, I would have selected that. One star is generous. There are so many wonderful bridal salons in Chicago, and Belle Vie is NOT one of them.

We had the most amazing experience at Belle Vie (and found the dress!)
This was the first place we visited for the big search, and ended up going back after visiting several other places. Taylor (my stylist) and Amanda (the owner) were so incredibly helpful. They were super knowledgable about the dresses and designers I was trying on and I never felt pressured in any way to make a purchase.
The most amazing part of this experience was getting to bascially design my own dress. I know that that is really dependent upon which designer you go with, but I loved how Taylor and Amanda helped me customize my dress so it had EVERY last detail designed the I wanted. I didn’t have to compromise on anything. If you’re looking for a dress that is completely yours and for individuals who know the business inside out, look no further. Belle Vie is top notch and I’m so grateful they made the wedding dress shopping experience so easy and fun!!!

Where do I begin. Belle Vie went above and beyond our expectations. We met the owner, Amanda, in the elevator on our way in and we immediately felt at home. Sam was our bridal consultant and was incredible. I felt like I was in the dressing room with an old friend. They were respectful of my tastes but gave thoughtful insight when needed. I highly recommend Belle Vie to anyone looking for the perfect wedding dress and dress shopping experience.

Too stressful to deal with those unresponsive people who do not explain or execute and deliver what they promised. They’re nice until you buy the dress. Belle Vie was the first bridal boutique I went to in search for my perfect wedding gown. Erika — who apparently already quit — was my stylist. She was very friendly, let me go through dresses and helped me pick 5 – 6 dresses to try on. I went to other boutiques such as Vera Wang, but I in the end came back to Belle Vie to buy the dress on the same day. Up to this day, things were good and I left for home happy. This was 11 months and two weeks before my wedding.
Then things became not so good.
1) Their communication is horrible. As some brides-​to-​be commented, they are super slow in responding your calls or emails. It took me about several months just to get a veil invoice/​order confirmation.
2) They do NOT execute what they promised to do. My dress was delayed and they do not explain.
As I noted earlier, I purchased my wedding dress 11.5 months prior to the wedding. When I bought the dress, the stylist told me that the dress should arrive at the boutique 2 months prior to the wedding, and that is what the original invoice and order confirmation showed. But because I was going to have the dress shipped to out of state address, I asked the stylist to change it so that the dress would come 10 weeks prior to the wedding. She agreed, and she changed the invoice to reflect that.
Fast forwarded in time, about 10 weeks prior to the wedding, the owner called me to tell me that the wedding gown is on time — «the dress is getting complete now, and the dress will arrive at the boutique on ⁶⁄₁₅ — 8 weeks prior to the wedding.» Umm I thought the dress was supposed to be delivered 10 weeks prior, not 8 weeks? I called the owner only to hear that the gown is on time, and we still have enough time. Ok so I hoped the dress would come 2 months prior to the wedding.
Reason why I wanted the dress earlier is because I was changing my career which was supposed to be the peak season right around my wedding. And I knew I would only be able to go to a seamstress for the latest slot of the day. As I wanted to book those alteration appointments when the seamstress has many slots available to choose from, I wanted to start early.
8 weeks prior to the wedding, I got a call from the owner again to say «your gown is on time, it is just getting complete. The dress will go in to quality inspection and it will be shipped. It should arrive around June 30-​July 4.» I addressed that she had told me and left a voicemail that the dress was getting complete 10 weeks prior to the wedding and arrive 8 weeks prior to the wedding! But the owner just told me «oh delivery window means dress completion window.» Since When do people use term delivery window to refer to production completion date?
The dress finally came right before 4^th of July. As I expected, when I went to the first alteration, the seamstress didn’t have many evening appointment slots (which is the entire reason why I wanted to have the dress early) and my final appointment needed to be earlier than it probably should be.

And We have a DRESS!!!
AMAZING EXPERIENCE.!!
All the girls are so welcoming
And very helpful.
Amanda will help create the vision you are looking for and make you feel like the princess! We cancelled all other bridal fittings for the day, no need to go anywhere else! Thank you Belle Vie!

Bought my wedding dress here after a long day of options! It was an amazing experience, great variety of styles and everyone was super helpful. Amanda the owner knows her stuff and just wants you to be you but in the perfect dress! Highly recommend.

Purchasing a gown at Belle Vie Bridal Couture was a magnificent experience. Amanda and her bridal staff helped the love of my life find the dress of her dreams. We have been to many bridal salons in many cities looking for the perfect couture dress for my love to walk down the isle, and it’s clear that Belle Vie is by far the best bridal salon in the Midwest. The selection of designs Amanda has hand picked to present is vast and impeccably timeless. The most stylish brides in Chicago shop at Belle Vie, and I am happy to say that my bride is now one of them!

The ladies at Belle Vie are amazing! Alexi and Kara were both joys to work with. They help me find the perfect dress by tweaking an existing dress so it was unique to me! Could not have asked for a more perfect experience. They were very open about the whole process which helped and just made me feel incredibly comfortable the entire time. Amanda, the owner, also stopped by both times I visited to help – very hands on environment, which was great. You should definitely make an appointment if you’re considering dress shopping!
Update 3÷12÷16: I’ve moved then from 5 star to 4 star because of the service I received leading post-​purchase. Alexi continued to be great, including sending me a handwritten note with a swatch of my dress halfway through last summer. But then a couple of weeks before my est arrival date (about 8 months after I purchased my dress), I received a call saying my dress was on the next shipment and Kara wanted to schedule a tentative viewing. Great. I was supposed to then hear from them when the dress arrived to set an exact time to come in but there was radio silence for over a month and I found myself 1.5 weeks out from the tentative date and I couldn’t keep that entire day open anymore. I called in and the girl who picked up the phone told me my dress hadn’t arrived yet and that she had no idea when it would be (I didn’t catch her name). I told her we were already past the est. arrival date and she said «oh it’s always +/​-​2 weeks from the est. arrival date so this is normal.» When I told her I was worried that I’m only 6 weeks away from my wedding, she said that as long as I start alterations a month before, I would be fine. But I was going out of town for 2 weeks (which I originally planned thinking it wouldn’t conflict at all with my dress fittings) and then my dress was late. So I didn’t know if I should keep my tentative appointment or risk being 3 weeks out when I started alterations (note: the fine print in the contract says starting alterations within 5 weeks means you’re subject to rates at time and a half). After hearing the person I spoke to was very back and forward with whether I should keep my appointment so I just did because I still had 1.5 weeks for the dress to arrive before my trip. Again, they were supposed to call me after that happened but again, radio silence.
2 days prior to my supposed appointment, I started getting really really worried at the lack of communications, especially reading through all the mixed reviews on Unilocal (that have appeared AFTER I purchased my dress last May). I emailed my stylist, nothing. I realized I was supposed to call the office manager – no one picked up so I left a vm. No call-​back. I emailed her, nothing. The lack of communication and visions of having to buy a new dress caused me to really panic so I decided to just show up 2 days later for my appointment and speak to someone in person (I live about 30 min away so couldn’t go sooner). LUCKILY the day before my appointment, someone I’ve never heard from in their sales department called me and said my dress has been here all along and they thought someone had told me. «Wait, what? really?!» Needless to say I was relieved but also annoyed that the person I spoke to just a week prior said she had no idea where it was. It’s bad enough they never called me when it arrived but if the person answering the phone doesn’t know the right answer, she could have asked someone who did, transferred me or anything other than make it seem like «oh I don’t know, maybe just wait and see??»
So net net, everything turned out fine but it was very very stressful. The lack of /​mis-​communication probably puts them at a 2 or 3 star but since it started off so perfect, the dress was exactly as I ordered, and their in-​house seamstress today (Vera) was fantastic, I figured an average of 4 seems appropriate. It’s hard because you have to pick your boutique at the beginning when many boutiques’ service are great. Then you’re at their mercy even if the post-​purchase process is hit or miss. And what do you do if they have your dream dress and then there’s the possibility of a stressful 2^nd half of the journey? Everyone continued to be nice (the ones who I saw and spoke to) so I didn’t run into any issues of rudeness like the others. Plus I’m lucky my dress turned out great. I guess for such a high end boutique that started off so strong, you would think post-​sale service should never be a concern. They should consider creating a more organized communication or double-​checking system in the future so they don’t stress out already stressed brides, especially since crunch-​time can get so intense…

We LOVED Belle Vie!!!
We spent 2 hours here trying on dresses and they were some of the best 2 hours of wedding planning/​our lives! They were beyond helpful, kind, patient, and such a joy to work with.
We had help from so many wonderful ladies, but Erika kept with us and made our dream dresses come true!!! She was so diligent– she would not give up despite my picky taste and really understood my vision!
We were a party of one bride and some single bridesmaids — and all of the single bridesmaids already know where they’re coming when it’s their turn to be the bride!

I emailed them for the first time about 2 months ago to schedule an appointment and inquire about a specific dress — never heard back.
Emailed them again a few weeks ago and actually received a response a few days later. After I replied back the same day, it’s now been nearly 2 weeks and I haven’t heard anything. This is ridiculous. Don’t put your email address on your website as one of your contact methods if you never intend to follow through with communication. Other bridal salons and even couture houses in Paris respond within 24 hours. Such a disappointment.