Elegant Bride

I cannot say enough good things about the Elegant Bride and Frankie! They are absolutely WONDERFUL and saved me both with my dress and my bridesmaid dresses.
I went to Davids Bridal to try on dresses, they had terrible customer service so I came to the Elegant Bride.
I was AMAZED at how nice and accommodating they were. I bought the first dress I tried on!
I made an appointment at David’s for bridesmaids dresses, but I knew that was a mistake, so I made an appointment for us at the Elegant Bride right after. They saved my butt again! They had the dress all the girls wanted, it was about the same price as other bridal shops and they were able to get it in a whole MONTH sooner than the other places.
If you are shopping for wedding dresses or bridesmaid dresses, DONT waste your time at other bridal shops. GO straight to the Elegant Bride, they will save you a lot of time and frustration!

Over a year has passed and to this day, I have not received 1 cent back from Elegant Bride — for both the dress that I never received — or for the alteration costs which Frankie had told me they’d cover (please see below review for details). I was able to get money refunded for the dress through my credit card company — I explained to them the situation so the BANK was the one who refunded me the original dress price. I called and emailed (probably over 20x by now, since my wedding was in May) and I get the same answer from Frankie — that she’s waiting on «the owner”/“the management» to approve my alterations costs. They’ve been having me wait for this approval for 8 months now.

This was the fourth bridal store that I went to and I found my dress here!!!
All of the dresses here are well-​made and gorgeous!!!
Jamie and Keilly were sooo nice and helpful– they came into the store just to accommodate my schedule during the holidays.
They were very patient while I kept trying on my two favorite dresses over and over again trying to decide which one was the one.
In the end when they knew I was having a tough time deciding they were very honest with me on the price differences and helped me make a decision that I do not regret one bit. Plus they knew that I really was leaning towards the one dress!
I love my dress so much! Plus they were super helpful with helping me find a seamstress in Oakland California to do the alterations (since I live in California).
Hooray!!! One step done! Julie

I wasn’t planning on even trying on dresses. My best friend (and maid of honor), and I happened to be nearby, and decided just to look at what they had in stock to see if we would want to come back later to do try ons. The ladies working there were able to fit me into a fitting room very quickly, and had me in tears shortly after that when I tried on the perfect dress. Thank you Jamie, and thank you, Elegant Bride for making my dress shopping quick, easy, and unexpectedly tearful!

Frankie was amazing. Made me feel so comfortable and was very patient with me. I actually found my dress there after searching numerous places and I got a great deal. One of my best wedding dress experiences by far.

EB was the first shop I went to when looking for a wedding dress and the experience was wonderful. Jamie and Lauren were fabulous. They found many options within my budget and dolled me up in veils and jewelry to help me see a complete look. I narrowed down a dress that I thought might be «the dress» and the girls were ready to bust out champagne! I wasn’t quite ready to make a purchase and wanted to keep looking. EB was great in the fact that they were not pushing for me to buy and were understanding and said «we know you’ll be back» — and they were right! Had the service continued to be this great through my other encounters than I most definitely would have ordered my gown from them and they would have 5 stars.
After continuing my shopping elsewhere, I made another appointment at EB to try the dress on again. When I arrived for the, the lights were on but the doors locked. I called a few times, even leaving a voicemail, and got no answer. Just as I was leaving a construction worker came to open the doors (EB is remodeling). He told me everyone had left a few hours prior. The guy ended up calling Franke, the director, who was apologetic and even offered a discount if I decided to buy my dress from EB. Strike one, of course, but I’m an understanding person and was still willing to give them a shot to make it up.
I went back the next day and Jamie was there with the gown ready. As it turns out, I had also found a dress by the same designer online that was extremely similar to the dress I was trying on. Frankie came into the store during the middle of my appointment. Had Jamie not been there to tell her who I was I don’t think she would have known I was the girl waiting outside the day before. I showed both of them the «other» dress and was told there was a chance they could get a sample for me to try on but that I would have to pay the shipping fees. They even agreed with me that it was silly to alter a gown to look a certain way when another gown was already out there, let alone by the same designer. I was a bit put off by 2 things: 1-​having to pay the $ 80 shipping despite the missed appointment and 2-​Frankie quoting me a couple hundred dollars higher than the initial quote I received. I realized my decision was between that one and the «look-​a-​like» dress I had seen online. Frankie told me she would call me the next day with additional information on if/​when she could get a sample dress in for me to try and how much it would cost. Needless to say, I never heard back.
It’s been well over a month and I have still not heard a thing. Meanwhile, I located the dress elsewhere, tried it on, fell in love with it, and have had the store follow up more than once. For such an important purchase, communication is absolute KEY. Even after they missed my appointment, no one from EB bothered to call to apologize or confirm my appointment.
EB was such a fabulous initial experience and if it weren’t for such poor communication and I would definitely have purchased from them. The last thing I want to stress over is not knowing if my dress has been ordered/​shipped, arrived in store, alterations are complete, etc. That’s unnecessary stress that no bride should have to deal with and it wasn’t worth the risk for me. I would definitely recommend EB to other brides to at least try gowns on because the initial experience was one of the best that I had. If EB can step up their game in the area of customer communication then they’d easily have 5 stars.

Good experience with Elegant Bride. We were told that the dress was being made in Spain, but of a wait, but arrived in time and perfect. My only negative is that they do not have an onsite alteration. This is difficult since we have now moved from the area. Regardless, Frankie and staff are very nice to work with.

I had a wonderful experience at Elegant Bride. The first time dress shopping I was very nervous and they made me feel extremely comfortable and welcome! After trying on a few dresses I left the salon with hopes of returning with my mothers veil on Sunday. We returned after going to a few other places with zero luck. We walked in they said the perfect dress showed up right after I left on Friday! I tried it on and said yes to the dress! This place is amazing and has wonderful employees!!! I highly recommend and can’t wait for my dress to come in! :)

I went to Elegant Bride on March 7, 2015 and I have to say it was the best experience. Everyone was so personable and helpful. Jamie and Frankie helped me narrow down my choices and really helped me zone in on what I was looking for. I had to wait a little while for the bridal appointment ahead of mine, but they made it a point to acknowledge my wait and accommodate me and my group.
I had a wonderful time at this shop and would definitely recommend it!
Thanks, ladies!

After reading wonderful reviews on The Knot, I decided to make my first dress shopping appointment at Elegant Bride. From the moment we walked in, they welcomed us and made us feel completely comfortable. The salon is very laid back and allowed us to take photos during the process, which is very rare. The experience was so easy and they popped a bottle of champagne at the end to celebrate choosing my dress. I would definitely recommend this salon to future brides looking for a relaxed, easy experience.

I would give this place 0 stars if I could.
Last year, I scheduled an appointment at elegant bride to try on wedding dresses for my wedding in June 2015. I was lucky enough to find a dress that I bought right off the floor and was able to take home the same day! My bridesmaids happened to be with me at the time and were able to find a bridesmaid dress that was perfect for them as well! We felt so accomplished and excited that day. My bridesmaids subsequently ordered all of their dresses by the proposed deadline (end of December 2014) and have been anxiously waiting for their dresses to arrive ever since. I have called the shop repeatedly since March to check on the dresses, only to be sent straight to voicemail. I have left countless messages, and for 3 weeks, I had no one even attempt to return my call. I finally showed up to the store unannounced the 3^rd week of March to figure out when I could expect the dresses. I was met by Frankie who checked her ‘system’ and told me that the dresses were scheduled to ship and would be in the store by the second week of April. Ok, fine. Why was it so hard to say that on the phone? When April 16^th rolls around and I have heard nothing, I called back into the store. I was told by Frankie when she checked her system again that the dresses were on the truck and on their way to the store to be delivered by ⁴⁄₂₀ at the latest. Ok fine, we are getting down to the wire with time for alterations but we can make that work. When I called back in on 4/​21, I was told by a different worker, Jamie, that my dresses just came in that day! Hooray! I wanted to hurry over and pick them up right away. However, I received a call back 20 minutes later that she was mistaken and the dresses that came in weren’t mine. Actually, she said my dresses weren’t even shipped yet! I received some story from Jamie about how they were still in production but were being rushed from the warehouse (wherever that is) once they were ready and that I would receive a call back to figure everything out. I asked Jamie why I had been told by Frankie numerous times that the dresses were en route, and Jamie seemed completely dumbfounded that anyone would tell me that because the dresses obviously had not been shipped yet. When Frankie finally called me back a couple days later (she couldn’t find my phone number and called my bridesmaids to try to find me– talk about a disorganized shop!!), she said she was planning to talk to the warehouse that day and get me an answer. Of course, 3 days later I had to call back into the shop when, again, I heard nothing from Frankie. At this time, I was told that there was no guarantee my bridesmaid dresses would be in before my wedding next month. Frankie said the best she could do is give me a refund and that maybe I could try to talk to David’s bridal about rushing some dresses out (talk about great customer service). However, when I called in for my refund, Jamie answered and was so confused as to how much I should be refunded because of lack of communication once again. Finally, they agreed to a full refund of the dresses. At this point, my wedding is a month away and I have no dresses for my bridesmaids. I am completely and utterly disappointed and dismayed at the disorganization, dishonesty and complete lack of transparency on part of this bridal shop. I caution any bride who is considering purchasing from this store. Based on similar reviews, there is a high likelihood that you will receive the same run-​around excuses that I did and will not receive your dress in time. I am just thankful that I already have my wedding dress in hand. BUYER BEWARE!

NO NO NO NO NO!
I will say we had a good first experience here but it definitely ended there.
I’m a bridesmaid but my friend also ordered her wedding dress from here… They were super attentive when we came to look and we ended up ordering our bridesmaid dresses from here in December. We were told to order by the first week of December for them to get in with PLENTY of time for a Mid– June wedding. It is now the end of April… Our bride was told by one employee the dresses would be here this week… Upon calling to see if she could pick them up she was told by a different employee THEY HAD NOT BEEN MADE YET?! On top of that, they continually call ME thinking I’m the bride, even though I have corrected that twice now and so has the bride. This is a nightmare! Not what a bride should deal with so soon before her wedding! Thank god her wedding dress is here! We are now formulating a Plan B since there are serious doubts our dresses will be here in time. I would avoid this disorganized shop!!!
Note: I do realize that the shipping/​dress making is out of their control… but the issue is the lack of communication and the different stories we have been hearing. Honesty would have been much appreciated.
4÷29÷15 update: Our dresses are still untraceable… Was told like the girl below that they «had not made it through customs»…We weren’t even aware they were being made out of the country… we were originally told they were «on the West Coast». Long story short, our bride cancelled our order today, as we were told they would likely not get here until June 5^th (one week before the wedding). We have ordered Henkaa dresses (convertible one size fits all dresses) because it is now almost too late for alterations. This is a bride’s NIGHTMARE!!!

Elegant Bride was more than amazing. Frankie and Jamie were awesome. Elegant Bride was my first bridal shop experience in finding my «perfect» dress. Frankie and and Jamie went above and beyond to make me and my family feel at home and comfortable. I am pretty sure I have found my dream dress. I will definitely give them a shout out to future brides to be. Thanks Frankie and Jamie!

I went to Elegant Bride during an Allure trunk show. Prior to this, I’d tried on everything at David’s Bridal that even looked remotely okay and I hated everything. I left so frustrated and discouraged and feeling like if I had to go elsewhere for a dress (like a boutique), I would be spending thousands of dollars.
The ladies in the shop are an absolute delight. I went in there with an idea of what I wanted. One of the girls, on a whim, told me to try on this one dress that was on a mannequin (but not what I was looking for). I put it on and OMG — it was the one. What was even better is, it was completely within my budget. They also offer a discount on veils/​accessories if you get your dress there. I’ve recommended Elegant Bride to every single bride-​to-​be that I’ve spoken to.

elegant bride was FANTASTIC. I had such a wonderful experience. Frances helped me find the perfect dress and we had a blast doing it. I came to them a little beaten down from Wendy’s bridal. I had such a bad experience at Wendys I was nervous to look at dresses again. Frankie did such a wonderful job listening to what I was looking for and taking my body shape and budget into consideration. She pulled about 7 dresses for me that were all absolutely stunning and in my price range! She let me try them all on multiple times, walk around in them, and take pictures. Her advice was so helpful and encouraging throughout the entire process. Even though my budget was low and I was looking at samples she gave me her undivided attention. I truly felt like a princess! So happy I went to elegant bride!

I visited Elegant Bride to do some wedding dress shopping for my future sister-​in-​law. I had never heard of Elegant Bride before but it exceeded our expectations! Frankie helped us and she is a gem! She was informative, fair, funny, excitable and treated us all very well! The bride couldn’t have been more happy with the dress and with the customer service. Frankie gave the appointment all of her attention and even popped a bottle of pink champagne for us when the bride announced that she had found ‘the dress’. Shopping for a wedding dress at Elegant Bride turned out to be a special, relaxed and fun experience for everyone involved! Thank you Frankie!

Elegant bride was a wonderful experience. Frankie and Jamie were so kind and helpful. Neither were overly pushy about the sell. They allowed my family and I to walk around the store and try to decide what we were looking for. After they noticed my style they too helped by picking some dresses. They were both very helpful in assisting with the trying on of the dress and were very knowledgable to the right undergarments for the different dresses and accessory pieces. Was a wonderful experience and would definitely recommend.

I had the most wonderful experience with Elegant Bride when I bought my wedding dress. I was very hesitant when dress shopping — mostly because I’m not a fancy dress kind of girl, in fact, I didn’t even plan on buying an actual wedding dress, until I went to Elegant Bride.
I lived right down the street from the shop so I figured why not make an appointment, I’ll try on dresses and probably find nothing I like. I had already been to David’s Bridal and hated everything I tried on. I went with my mom and my best friend, when we arrived there was actually another appointment running over so we did have to wait. I will say the wait was kind of nice because it gave me a chance to look around the store. I found one dress I wanted to try on right away. When Wafa (the owner) came out I told her I wanted to try that dress on and she picked out a few more based on my body and the fact that the wedding was in July.
I tried on a couple of the dresses and wasn’t too impressed, until I tried on the dress I picked out. I fell in love. It was definitely out of my price range, but I couldn’t stop smiling while I had it on. Wafa immediately knew it was the dress for me and started getting accessories for it. She was really understanding when I told her I would have to think about it since it was so pricey — though in the end I bought it.
During the whole process Wafa was amazing. She was patient and listened to what I wanted — probably because I had very strong opinions about how I wanted to look. She even let us pay for half the dress up front and we paid the other half when it came in. I had also found some beautiful jewelry that I wanted to buy but wasn’t sure about spending that much money. My mom, unbeknownst to me, called Wafa (who knew exactly which set it was) and was able to pay for the jewelry over the phone.
Even after writing all of that I still can’t express how amazing the experience was. If it wasn’t for Wafa and the gorgeous dresses at Elegant Bride I would have had a much less amazing wedding day.

Let me walk you through my Elegant Bride experience: when you walk in, someone will greet you, more than likely the owner (Wafa). Wafa will ask you all about you wedding: the time of year, what kind of dress you imagine for yourself, what you like about your body, etc. Chances are, Wafa will walk you around the store going directly to specific dresses (which is impressive) and tell you why she thinks this one might be worth trying on. She’ll watch you closely while you react to the dress on the hanger. You probably will not pick any of these dresses. I didn’t.
From there, you will get whisked (whisked, I tell you!) into the back to try on the first batch of gowns. You don’t have to totally strip down in front of a stranger, which is a welcome change. However, you may feel that Wafa has made her mind up about your event (for example, my wedding is in May. Wafa was not really taking into account that I wanted to add a sleeve to my dress because «it’s spring! No sleeve!») and what you want may or may not play into what she has in mind for what would be perfect for you event. It could be kind of weird when other people come in the store.
My advice: bring someone with you who you trust and who knows you and your style well. At times, I almost felt like I couldn’t be firm enough with Wafa about what I did and did not want. If you like lots of personal attention and lots of opportunity to try different things, this could be the experience for you. It was not for me, however.

I wish I could give this place 3.5 stars…
Wafa, the owner, was wonderful and very passionate about bridal gowns and fashion. She definitely knew what looked good on my body without even getting naked ;) She didn’t really allow me to pick gowns that I liked, and sort of pushed me toward satin when I wanted lace. I see why, the satin is very demure and classy, but not what I wanted. The gowns are definitely pricey, which made it difficult for us to find something we like and that was affordable.
She set the mood by turning down the lights and letting the bling on the gowns sparkle. She also has gorgeous veils there… so check them out before you go elsewhere.
EB was a classy, lovely place, I just didn’t find anything for me, but I’m certain many girls do. So give it a shot at least :)