B Ella Bridal Co

I purchased my Paloma Blanca wedding dress from B Ella Bridal in Ann Arbor Jan. of this year. As with most of the other comments my first impression was all right. (Not great by any means.)
I was told the delivery date would be at the end of May giving the dress three weeks to be delivered before my Mom had gotten a ticket to fly up to get the dress with me. (I was told it would only take two weeks to be delivered) When the date was nearing I called to get an update regarding my ship date. Catherine was VERY nice and handled things well. She told me that she would call me back on the following Tuesday with a ship date. I did not hear from the store for the rest of the week until the following Saturday when I had to call back myself (Ok it is wedding season so I understand a day or two) The dress ended up getting two day shipped and getting there the night before I needed to pick it up. I know that getting the wedding dress done on time was not B-Ella's responsibility, that is all Paloma Blanca. (Another company I would never recommend going to!)
So, I tried on my dress, loved it put it back in the bag and went home without THOUROUGHLY inspecting it. Dumb of me to think that had already been done. The next day I was so excited to look at my dress again. I opened the bag and took the dress out to inspect all the intricate beading that I had paid $600.00 extra for. Thinking that because it was all hand done it would be perfect. As I am looking the dress over three beads fell into my hand. Under even more inspection my mom and I saw that there were MANY beads either loose or falling off. We had to tape the beads to the dress to make sure that the pattern was kept consistent. I e-mail Paloma Blanca directly and was told that they did not deal with the public. I then called B Ella and again Catherine was more than accommadating telling me that Brittany would call me back. After not hearing from her for a few days I called them again. Brittany was very reasonable and told me that she would call the rep and see if she could get some answers. She told me that it would only take 15 minutes to fix and that I could come into the store. I live four hours round trip from Ann Arbor. It is absolutely outrageous for me to spend all that money in gas to only have something take 15 minutes. I took it to a seamstress and it was estimated that it would only cost $35.00 and a whole lot longer than 15 minutes to fix. I agreed to pay the $35.00. At this point I was too fired up to call anyone at the store so I had one of my bridesmaids call. After talking with my bridesmaid Brittany was still not willing to spend the $35.00 to fix the dress. So in the end I am going to have to pay to fix the dress. (It is too long of a story to get into much more details.)
In all of this mess I understand that B Ella does not feel that it is their responsibility to fix this for me. I agree, that is why I contacted Paloma Blanca in the first place. After thinking more about it I realized that I never directly paid Paloma, I paid B Ella. At that time it became their responsibility to take care of me "the customer". It seems so silly to get so upset over $35.00 but as most brides know those little $35.00 start to add up. I can gaurantee you that $35.00 means much more to me than it does to them. To me $35.00 is worth customer service. B Ella has lost much more than that. I have now turned two people away from dealing with B Ella. It is my suggestion that no one purchase a dress from them or a Paloma Blanca dress. What a shame what ever happened to customer service? It must be a dying art.

Posted 09/15/09 | Report Abuse

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I had the worst experience ever!
I bought my dress at The B Ella bridal in Northville which was great. The ladies were very helpful and nice and I was happy, customer service perfect! Then i went to the one in Ann Arbor for my fittings The customer service was horrible,you get an attitude, the seamstress was totally incompetent. They asked me to pay upfront for the fittings and i understand now why. They did a horrible job. I had to bring my dress to another seamstress afterwards and she was shocked by the poor job they did at B Ella, in Ann Arbor.
DO NOT GO OVER THERE FOR THE FITTINGS!

Posted 09/04/09 | Report Abuse

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I love this shop. It's comfy and has a great selection of dresses. Everyone is always nice , polite and always wiling to help! I would recommend this salon to anyone who wants a great dress at a Great Price! They have tons of bridesmaids dresses too! Very Cute Bridal Salon!

Posted 07/02/09 | Report Abuse

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The Good: B. Ella Bridal has a great selection of reasonably priced bridal gowns. The salesgirls were also very helpful, and did what they could to help me pick dresses that fell within the budget I was comfortable with. I also had no issues scheduling my fittings.

The Bad: The seamstress is always extremely busy, and the alteration space in the back of the store is small, not easy to move around in, and is missing a standmuch of the time she spent sprawled on the floor in an attempt to pin the dress and determine where it should fall. I felt less than confident that the things we discussed in my appointments would be remembered and carried out correctly. After the last fitting I noticed a slight tear in the tulle on the outside and was assured that shed tack it down so that it didn't get caught up and tear more at the wedding. I mentioned it to the salesgirl before leaving, and was told 'I'm sure she'll remember.' She did not--my mother fixed this the night before the wedding. While fixing this, my mother noticed another tear in the tulle in the front which should have been noticed during the pressing of the dress and fixed in the store, but was not. I'm sure that the seamstress here is very talented and has lots of experience, but the bottom line is that it appears as though she's so overscheduled most of the time that certain things may not be remembered or done correctly.

The Ugly: As I went to put the dress on hours before the ceremony we discovered that the zipper had come entirely out of its track. This is unfixable without putting it back through a re-threading machine. Upon closer inspection--both by us on the day-of as well as by multiple professional seamstresses following the wedding--we discovered that it was not installed properly. It was sewed into the dress at the bottom in an incorrect manner, and didn't have any sort of finishing with a metal tip at the top. My mom and bridesmaid ended up sewing me into my dress. Afterwards we consulted other professional tailors about this, and they were not only appalled at the job that was done, but taken completely aback at the price that my mother told them that we had been charged. None of our calls were returned by the owner of B. Ella. We have since taken the dress to a trusted tailor who is fixing the zipper in order to make the dress wearable, after which we will be taking it to a professional cleaner (as my sister bought her dress at B. Ella as well and found that it took an incredibly long time to get her dress back after being cleaned).

The Bottom Line: If you buy a sample, inspect every piece of it. Take notes on what you'd like done, and ensure that everythign is written down. This store is great for looking, but if possible purchase from a different store. If you do purchase from here, my recommendation is to have it altered and cleaned elsewhere.

Posted 06/16/09 | Report Abuse

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Wow !!! What a terrific experience !! After marrying off our 3 sons, this was our only daughter. We went to several bridal salons and were SO IMPRESSED with the selection of gowns, veils and accessories at B Ella's on Plymouth Rd. in Ann Arbor. The staff were nurturing and full of suggestions providing styles that were well within our limited budget. Brittany, Catherine, Kiyana and Nasrin (the talented and creative seamstress) were extremely helpful without being overbearing. The team's sincerity created a stress-free experience during the selection, fittings, alterations and purchase. This extended even after hours when the shop was supposed to be closed and some employees had family members waiting to give them rides home. We were definitely not rushed and knew that they were putting the customer first. If we only had another daughter or two, we would definitely, without hesitation go to B Ella's Bridal Shop !!! We loved the whole process from beginning to end (and the caring and knowledgeable employees, too).

Posted 05/28/09 | Report Abuse

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I had a great experience shopping at B.Ella in Ann Arbor until the sale was final. They had a great selection of dresses and were very helpful up until the buy. Afterwards, I was not impressed. Actually very upset. I'm writing this months after my experience to ensure that I am not writing out of emotion. I was extremely disappointed with their seamstress, not only NOT professional, but also she did a horrible job. If I can save just one other bride from heartache, I will be so happy. The dresses are beautiful, and decent prices, all I can recommend is either shopping around to close the sale somewhere else, or DO NOT get your alterations done at B.Ella in Ann Arbor. I was lucky enough not to have ordered my bridesmaid dresses there, I couldn't imagine the stress that would have brought. Like I said, I am writing this months after my wedding, it has still been on my mind! Good luck brides!!

Posted 03/09/09 | Report Abuse

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Do not bother going to this Bridal Salon if you want customer service. Go if you like waiting for the store to open 20 minutes past its' posted time, waiting until they complete multiple phone calls, and being considered a nuisance even if you are the ONLY person in the salon. My experience was unacceptable and when I brought it to the managements attention, they let me know that they did not need by business! As the mother of the bride it was the worst experience. I caution everyone, beware and on guard to be insulted. The customer is not right, B Ella is. I did find a wonderful local alternative that carries the bridesmaid dresses my out of town bride is looking for. B. Ella has work to do!

Posted 11/11/08 | Report Abuse

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i loved my experience with b. ella bridal, specifically, the owner, brittany. brittany is a plus sized girl like myself, and truly understands how hard it is to find a unique and beautiful wedding gown that is not a "fat girl" dress. i'm getting married in paris in april 2009, and was looking for something couture in a plus size. after looking all over michigan, chicago, and even los angeles, it was brittany in ann arbor michigan that pulled out a fabulous winnie couture dress for me to try on in a size 20. unbelieveable!

my dress is hot, i feel fabulous. brittany literally picked out my dress, held my hand, made my headpiece, and even helped me try on endless undergarments with my mermaid gown.

i am sooooooooooooo grateful to brittany and her assistant, catherine. they were always glad to see me, always there to answer my questions, and always made me feel like i was going to be a gorgeous diva on my big day in paris!

nevermind the haters, you have to go and see b. ella bridal!

Posted 11/08/08 | Report Abuse

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Poor business ownership. I ordered a bridesmaid dress on the phone and paid 50% of the "total" price. At pick up, I expected to pay the remaining 50%. However, I was charged an additional $25 for a rush order that I did not ask for and was never informed of until pick up. It was only when I inquired about the amount being more than the 50% balance that I was even shown the $25 written on the invoice. Which, by the way, did not even say it was for a "rush" order. Very deceitful. I would have expected a polite apology for a misunderstanding, but none was given. I would not recommend B Ella. Was a bridesmaid in Oct. 08 and had better experience elsewhere.

Posted 11/04/08 | Report Abuse

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I just spent the last 15 minutes reading the reviews that have been written. My wedding is in one month and I have had nothing but a wonderful experience at both the Northville and Ann Arbor Stores. Everyone was helpfull and gave me the attention that I needed to select a dress. They were NOT pushy and are not theives by any means. Since I ordered my dress on the first day that I came in they gave me a discount off of the original price, along with a discound to all of my bridesmaids and my soon to be mother-in-law. They are very professional and yet personalble. My soon to be mother-in-law waited to order her dress (2 months before the wedding) and put a rush on it which cost money to do so. When the dress did not arive in the time that it was supposed to the staff refuned her money immediately and will alter it on location for her. We all understood that it was not B. Ella Bridals fault that this happened but they were very helpful with fixing the problem. I would highly recomend B. Ella Bridal to Everyone that is looking for a dress.

Posted 07/02/08 | Report Abuse

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I was extremely happy with my experience at B. Ella. I had found my dress at another shop that was far away, and they were able to locate it for me. I went in several times with my mom, bridesmaids and other friends to get opinions before I purchased the dress. They were very accommodating and patient. After I had ordered the dress and it was there for alterations, they were very accommodating when I came in several times to try on the dress when I got my hair run through done, and with several different veils. When I picked up the dress three days before the wedding I had lost some weight. The owner of the shop and employees were extremely helpful in their suggestions for alterations that needed to be made. The seamstress stayed later that evening so that I could take my perfectly fitting dress home that night. I would recommend this shop to ANYONE!! Thank you for a great day, B. Ella!

Posted 05/28/08 | Report Abuse

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I was so grateful for the positive attention I received from Catherine and all the staff at B. Ella Bridal. They were excellent at what they do. They even stayed after the store closed for me. They were so knowledgable and gave great advice. They were not in any way pushy. I felt like I knew them forever and I felt so comfortable with the entire staff. Their prices were great, too. I would definetely recommend B. Ella.

Posted 04/14/08 | Report Abuse

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i had the greatest experience at B. Ella Bridal! They were very friendly and helpful. i had searched all over the country for a specific dress by winnie couture and i couldn't find it anywhere. I walked through the door, told Catherine that i was in love with this dress but couldn't find it, she picked up the phone and within a week i was trying on the dress i had been searching for!

I can't say enough nice things about the salon and staff, they made my day and i would recommend them to everyone!

Posted 04/02/08 | Report Abuse

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This really was truly a unique experience. My mother and I had been to almost every bridal salon in the metro detroit area. Nothing really seemed to stand out to me or capture my attention. This was until I ventured out to ann arbor to visit B Ella Bridal. Right from the first moment I opened the door I knew I would find the dress I had been looking for. The store was so elegant and posh.Evan the music was fun. Nothing like I had seen prior.The staff was extremely helpful, patient, and creative with me. The dress selection was unbelievable. From the most simple gowns, to the most beautiful creations I had only seen in high end bridal magazines.I felt so at home with the staff , as if I had known them for years.After trying on a dozen or so dresses over the coarse of about a week( w/ the help of my maid of honor of course)I found the perfect one.It's a work of art.They also took care of all the accessories that I was having trouble with.I would highly recommend B Ella Bridal for anyone who wants the quality and attention they would expect while shopping for there special day.

Posted 03/19/08 | Report Abuse

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I had been to almost every bridal salon in michigan, and had even gone to chicago to look at dresses, but no salon was like B. Ella. The shop is so pretty, i love their music, and they have so many gorgeous dresses!
It took me forever to pick out a gown...I must have tried on 100 dresses, and was so embarassed that I couldn't make a decision, but my salesperson was very patient, and was always nice when i would come in to try on my favorite dresses again and again. Only at B. Ella would they stay late with me when my mom finally drove from out of town to help me choose a dress.

I loved that B. Ella is a family team, they all work together, and even when they're busy, they take the time to zip you up or help you out. I ended up with a beautiful Pronovias gown that I can't wait to wear! They also have a million bridesmaid dresses, and i'll for sure be headed back for my girls' dresses!

Thanks, B. Ella!

Posted 08/09/07 | Report Abuse

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I can't say enough things about these wonderful, kind, helpful people. When David's Bridal ruined my gown in alterations, I called bridal salons crying. My wedding was in one week. The Ladies of B. Ella Bridal, specifically Catherine, who searched her entire inventory to find me a dress within my now very (very!) limited budget. Catherine found me the perfect dress, got me a great deal, and even convinced the seamstress to hem it for me and create a bustle. Even the owner, Brittany, was involved, sewing bustle crystals on and steaming my dress herself. I was able to pick up my dress the day before my wedding, and I loved it even more than my first dress. They even steamed a bridesmaid dress for an out of town bridesmaid for me at the last minute! It wasn't even their dress! B. Ella Bridal saved the day, and my wedding day was perfect!

Posted 08/09/07 | Report Abuse

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I would like to address the reviews left here. Although anonymous responses have been left, let me assure each of the posters that i know exactly who they are, and let me assure our future customers that each of these concerns have been addressed and corrected. In at least once circumstance, i find the review to be wholly unjustified, as the entire issue was a misunderstanding on the customer's part. B. Ella Bridal is my passion. I have worked for several reputable and not-so-reputable bridal shops in southeastern michigan, including a large chain. From these experiences, I have built bridal shops that i am exceedingly proud to work in and own. We are friendly, knowledgeable, and well stocked in stunningly beautiful and unique merchandise. We promote an inviting experience for customers, we are laid back, never stuffy, always comfortable...sometimes even with our shoes off! My staff and I work very hard to accomodate each and every bride's wishes, make bridesmaids comfortable, put mothers of the bride at ease. We are not perfect. Mistakes do happen. We ALWAYS communicate with our customers to reach a pleasing resolution. I will say, however, that during the months of April and May, I was not able to personally handle customers, as my mother and co-owner was gravely ill and spent two months in the University of Michigan Hospital. This was a devestating time for our business. Customer issues and concerns of course arose in my absence, and were aptly handled by senior members of my staff, at my direction. Customers asking to speak to me directly were informed of my mother's illness and that I was not easily reachable, nor was I able to contact people directly from the I.C.U. It saddens me that even though these circumstances were made plain to customers, still they feel the need to post negative reviews of our store that we work very hard to maintain. It makes me angry, however, that a few of these reviews are sensationalized in order to draw attention. Never has any member of my staff been unapologetic. Never has a memeber of my staff refused to help or remedy a customer issue. I am very proud of my staff, and if ever i find a member of staff to be sub-par, or conducting themselves inappropriately, they will be released from employment. I also understand fully that planning, or being involved in a wedding can be a very stressful, emotional time. Very often it is easy to feel overwhelmed and disappointed when you are attempting to plan a picture perfect day. We have certainly had brides, bridesmaids, and mothers become upset, and we always make every attempt to please them so that they are happy once the event takes place. There are however, on occasion, customers who are never satisfied. We work very hard to accomadate brides on a budget, brides with very little time to plan, brides who are unsure about what to wear and when to order, etc. B. Ella Bridal goes the extra mile. It is unfortunate that the happy customers don't write reviews, for if they did, the negative reviews would be crushed under an avalanche. What remains the same is that 50% of B. Ella Bridal's business is by referral. B. Ella Bridal is sought out by bridal designers around the world to showcase new and exciting bridal lines because of our exemplery style and service. B. Ella Bridal is proud to have brides travel from all over the country, and even internationally, to shop in our stores.B. Ella Bridal will continue to grow, to strive for excellence, to impress you with our diverse inventory, to service you in selecting the perfect dress for every occasion. We will always be proud to ask......are You a B. Ella Bride?

Posted 08/07/07 | Report Abuse

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I would not recommend this store to anyone. I found the staff to be incompetent at best, but more likely dishonest. I paid an extra $45 for my bridesmaids dresses to arrive by a certain date and when I called to arrange a pick-up time the store unapologetically said that the dresses would not be there. They became very confrontational and demanded that I pay an additional $55 more for the dresses to arrive by the date we already agreed on. I felt like they were holding the dresses hostage for more money. At that point I had already partially paid for the dresses so I was stuck with dealing with this business. They seemed friendly at first, but I would recommend that brides stay away if they don't want deal with extra payments and headaches close to their big day!

Posted 07/06/07 | Report Abuse

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I bought my wedding dress at B. Ella Bridal and was initially extremely pleased with the experience. The dress was very well-priced. The staff was exceptionally attentive; in fact, the girl working in the store the day I went in selected the dress I ended up buying for me to try on (I would never have picked it myself). I had no problems with the alterations process, either--everyone was polite and did what they said they would when they said they would.

I do however have two problems with this store that would prevent me from ever recommending it to anyone. The first is minor: The seamstress was unexpectedly unable to press the top layer of my dress, which required me to steam it myself. I wasn't able to do this and so I lived with the wrinkles. It wasn't a huge deal since the dress was not excessively wrinkled and the under layers were all pressed.

The second issue is that I prepaid $60 in shipping charges for 4 bridesmaids dresses to save my maids the extra cost of paying to ship their own dresses from B. Ella to their homes. Then, after I paid this money, we ordered the dresses from a different shop. I have not had my money refunded. Worse, I am told that Brittany Blase is the only person in the shop authorized to respond to my request for a refund. I have been leaving phone messages for her since January, and I left a written message each time I went into the store for a fitting including my name and multiple phone numbers. I also made a trip into the store after my wedding with a copy of my receipt to leave another message for her, and have now sent her two letters requesting she contact me about the matter. There has been no response whatsoever. The girls in the shop are apologetic and kind, but claim that only Brittany can help me. Brittany, meanwhile, has never once been in the store when I've been there, and never once been there when I've called, and of course, she's never responded to any of my messages. I think it's atrocious that the customer service here is so poor that after seven months, an unknown number of phone calls, four in-person visits, and two letters I have gotten not a single response. I feel that i have been robbed and that Brittany is not responding because she thinks it won't be worth my while to pursue the small amount of $60.

Don't buy anything at B. Ella Bridal--they're thieves, and if you ever have a matter that must be dealt with by the owner (Brittany), you might as well throw your money away because she won't deal with it. It's worth the peace of mind to go someplace that cares about its customers.

Posted 06/21/07 | Report Abuse

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I bought my wedding dress from B. Ella and while I love my dress, I would hesitate to recommend the shop to friends. The daughter, Brittany, is standoffish on her "good" days and downright rude on her not-so-good days. The rest of the staff is indifferent. The mother helped me pick out my dress and is the only person on staff who was friendly to me. I'm not the kind of person who needs to have her hand held, but this was a large and important purchase for me. I paid quite a bit of money for my dress and I would have liked for the owner and the staff to have been a lot nicer to me. Instead I was treated like an inconvenience or just downright ignored - maybe B. Ella figures they don't need any more business, so don't bother them...

Posted 06/02/07 | Report Abuse

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When I originally visited the store, the staff was very friendly and helpful. I selected a wedding gown, that would require altering in the bust and was told it would be NO problem and they would be able to take care of it. Once the dress came in, I was called in to go in for my first fitting. I did this, and the seamstress looked it over and said she wold take it in the bust, and then scheduled an appointment for next month, when my alterations would be finished. I returned a month later to discover that they would not be able to take in the bust and there was nothing they could do. We are still in the works of somehow fixing my dress, with the wedding being only 2 months away. They are acting as though it is my problem and they did nothing wrong!!

Posted 04/20/07 | Report Abuse

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This is a small hidden bridal boutique north of the U-M North Campus. It is owned by a mother-daughter pair and they are very helpful. They carry a smaller selection but the dresses they do have are by some middle-end designers (i.e. Demetrios not Vera Wang) and are GORGEOUS. The owners and their staff are very, very helpful. They will be honest when something looks great and when it doesnt. Because it is a smaller store you will get more personalized service. They offer a discount on MOB, MOG and BM dresses if you buy the wedding gown there. I tried on one I loved but it was too expensive. They remembered I liked it and when they were getting rid of their samples, called me to offer it at a discounted rate and threw in a free hem.

Posted 08/23/05 | Report Abuse

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