Bridal Closet

I live in Baltimore and heard from a friend about this small yet very personable and efficient bridal shop in Vienna. As it happens to be, a beat friend of mine is getting married and needed dresses. We took the hour and a half trip to The Bridal Closet and were instantly hooked on the personal atmosphere and availability and knowledge of the staff on hand. We were given many suggestions on style, such as material, length, and color. The bride to be was also given one in one attention as she tried on several dresses. The patience if the staff is astonishing and they are willing to assist in any way possible. One thing I particularly liked was that you were able to look at styles that they may not have had in stock an had the option of ordering a dress specific to your liking, color, fabric, length etc. I most certainly recommend this shop not only for the helpful staff but for their selection of gorgeous dresses.

Posted 11/05/08 | Report Abuse

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My parents live in the Vienna area and I live in NYC therefore, after I got engaged my mother suggested I come down to visit so we could search for gowns together. Our first stop was the Bridal Closet - it ended up being our last too. I fell in love the the third dress I tried on and I could not believe how helpful and professional the staff was throughout the entire process. I can not wait till my wedding and my fiance sees the dress. I will be sure to send pictures to the entire staff. Thank you again for all of your assistance! You made the dress shopping experience amazing!

Posted 11/03/08 | Report Abuse

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I was extremely impressed with the knowledge of the staff and the focused attention I received. Not only were they patient and friendly, but also helped me select a beautiful wedding gown within my budget. They just knew what gown would work with my figure. All the girls in my wedding party also purchased their dresses from the Bridal Closet and everyone was equally impressed with their professionalism. If you are looking for a wedding gown or bridesmaid dresses this is the place to go!

Posted 10/07/08 | Report Abuse

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The staff was so friendly and helpful. I went in there without an appointment and Bev took the time to show me dozens of bridal gowns and even helped me choose new colors when the designer bridesmaid dress I liked didn't come in the shade I wanted. Definitely a great place to shop. Made the process much easier and I would recommend this shop to any bride!

Posted 10/02/08 | Report Abuse

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Yannina refused to assist with selecting the sizes of my Bridesmaids dresses. I'm not in this business, and I always have to have my everyday clothes altered. The alterations that my bridesmaids required cost as much as the dresses did, if not more in some cases! I blew off the first snippy comments, since I went in on a busy Saturday, but phonecalls and emails later were not so easy to forget. I've been married a year, and this is the only thing I'd change about my wedding -- To this day, it still gets under my skin.

Posted 06/11/08 | Report Abuse

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I had the best experience when purchasing my gown a few years back. My friend that was a bridesmaid in my wedding had purchased her bridesmaids dress there. She also loved working with the old staff so we visited again. This shop has always had great personal service. I was pleased to see that the new owner has kept the tradition. This shop is more of a boutique then a cattle call bridal shop. The first time visiting the shop I saw what we call a modern bridezilla. IT WAS NOT HER TURN to be served and she was having a bloody cow. This shop is known to be the nicest After reading the reviews for this shop I was LOL because this shop is known for their personal touch and proffesional staff. I'm sure many bridezillas have walked into this shop, sounds like a few have already by reading some of their reviews! If this shop is not friendly and proffesional you might as well stop shopping for bridal gowns altogether. This shop is one of the best shops in the area period.You can't please all the bridezillas...

Posted 02/16/08 | Report Abuse

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It is difficult to order the correct size dress from this store. For our bridesmaid dresses they carried only one sample size (size 10) and took no accountability for poor size recommendations that they made. The owner recommends sizes to you based off of your measurements and their size chart. This ended up being really inaccurate. Most bridal shops have at least similar dresses in a number of sizes for you to try on to get an idea of fit. I think that should this store pay more attention to customers and detail, that they would be alright. But after my experience (if u care to learn more read below) - I would not trust them.

Even though I am a size 5, their measurement guide placed me at a size 10. The woman recommended that I order either a size 8 or 10 even thought the 10 I had tried on at the store was enormous. Despite discussing my doubts with her, she reaffirmed that the dresses run 'big.' When my size 8 dress came in, it was huge. A smaller size would have fit better and cost a lot less in alterations. Now I have to pay a considerable amount of money in alterations and the store claims no responsiblility for their 'recommendation.'

In the end, the bride was upset and the store did not offer to make any reparations for their bad recommendation. I asked if I could exchange and they said no. I asked if they would cover some of the alterations fee and they claim it is not their fault bc they do not 'provide' recommendations only 'show' girls where they fit on the sizing chart. I can give more examples of the owner's claims, but they are silly.

Bottomline- been in many weddings - this is not how it usually goes. If you do end up going here, do not listen to them on sizes and make sure you tell everyone in your bridal party that. Also - in general, be careful. This store has potential, but from my experience, if the store can find a way to skate around accountability, they will. In the end it may be more worthwhile to go somewhere where management cares to carry more than a size 10 sample dress.

Posted 05/14/07 | Report Abuse

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This little bridal shop is very nice. The shop owner is so friendly and very helpful. The prices are quite reasonable.
There are also lots of cute gift shops all along Church Street -- including a delicious frozen custard shop right across the street! This is the type of bridal shop you want to visit with your Mom and girlfriends when you want to make a day of looking for that special outfit and poking around cute shops -- just enjoying all the fun girlie stuff you think of when planning a wedding.

Posted 05/03/07 | Report Abuse

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I'm one of the bridesmaids for my sister's wedding on 4/28/07 and although my sis is a pain sometimes, Yannina and the staff at the Bridal Closet made the experience a good one. We tried on the dresses that my sister had chosen previously and came out with a totally different dress that was perfect for our shapes. Due to the fact that the three bridesmaids are all at least 5'7", it was great to have them treat us like queens.

We had such a great time that we modeled dresses that they wanted to see on a person for them. We had a ball. We had two fittings after the original measurements were done. The cost was great and the overall experience was great. Yannina and her staff treat you like family there.

Thanks Yannina and we'll send you your pics for your photo album soon. :o)

Posted 04/26/07 | Report Abuse

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A few of my friends had purchased their dress at the Bridal Closet. I was once a bridesmaid in a friend's wedding and purchased my dress there. I had a fun experience so went back a month ago after getting engaged. I was unpleasantly surprised. As soon as I walked in a lady was on the phone and didn't get off to greet me or help me. I guess it is under new management because it is not what it used to be. I would not recommend this shop to anyone.

Posted 03/14/07 | Report Abuse

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I enjoyed shopping for my bridal gown in this nice little shop! The service was great! It's the type of place I will definitely do my wedding!! The new owner definitely is nicer than the one before.I wish her the best!

Posted 03/07/07 | Report Abuse

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The new management is horrible. Rude, unhelpful, didn't have any time to help. Do not come to this store, it is a waste of time and they have an extremely limited selection!

Posted 02/10/07 | Report Abuse

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I came back to the Bridal Closet to refer a friend. I was surprised to see that it is under new management. The prior shop knew exactly what I needed and had friendly staff and great service. The new staff is not very helpful. They were unorganized and didn't know a thing about bridal dresses. To any of you that plan on going back to the prior Bridal Closet, it is no longer there. I would not refer this shop to anyone.

Posted 12/06/06 | Report Abuse

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Susie no longer owns this store. I purchased it in August and look forward to providing you with the personalized service that you expect when searching for your bridal fashions.

Many thanks to all of you about your comments regarding the previous owner. It helps me to focus on what you are looking for from a bridal shop!

Yannina Caliguire
New Proprietor
The briidal Closet

Posted 08/18/06 | Report Abuse

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After FOUR DAYS of trying to call the store and consistently getting an answering machine (during the hours they are allegedly "open"), I decided to just show up to ask if they even carried the Alfred Angelo line of gowns. The store is small and cramped, and has practically NO selection of gowns to look at. Yes, in this case, they are aptly named. They are a closet! And the customer service was less than desirable as well!

Posted 06/22/06 | Report Abuse

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I actually joined this site just to leave a review for the Bridal Closet. They made what could have been a real headache very easy for my bridesmaids and me. As soon as my bridesmaid and I walked in the door, we were greeted cheerfully and assisted immediately. When we ordered her dress, Suzie (manager) personally called the dress manufacturer to see if a rush order was needed (luckily it wasn't needed, but I didn't know it took 10-12 weeks for bridesmaid dresses to come back). She then was just as helpful the next day when my other 2 bridesmaids and I came in to order their dresses. If your bridesmaids order their dresses there, you get 15-20% off accessories purchased there. When I came back a month later for a headpiece (it was very unique), she ordered it for me and called when it arrived. Again, the service was excellent. I am going back a 3rd time to get my earrings for the big day -- with a discount!

PROS: Great service, excellent attitudes.
CONS: Not open on Sunday. (Everyone needs a break, though, right?)

Posted 06/18/06 | Report Abuse

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I just got married in November and I purchased my dress, bridesmaid dresses, invitations, veil and ALL of my accessories from The Bridal Closet. I had been to so many other stores but The Bridal Closet had everything that I needed in once place and the prices were awesome and their merchandise was trendy yet classy. Two of my bridesmaids (or maidens :) )...also got some stuff from there and that's how I heard bout' this store. Weird that you all had such bad experiences there - mine was amazing. The customer service was so personal - I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS DIAMOND IN THE RUFF TO ALL OF YOU BRIDE-TO-BE'S...

Posted 01/06/06 | Report Abuse

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I went to the Bridal Closet to get the bridesmaid dress for my sister's wedding. From the moment I walked into this shop the sales lady was rude to me. She asked me to wait and not look around until she could help me. (She was not with any customers and she was not on the telephone). After a few minutes I went up to her at the counter and told her I needed to just order a bridesmaid dress. She told me that she'd already told me to wait. After fifteen minutes of waiting, and again there were no customers in the store and she was not on the phone, she finally asked how she could help me. I again told her that I needed to order a bridesmaid's dress. After I told her that I would be having the alterations done elsewhere the employee was standoffish and rude. She explained that the fit would be better if they did it, but I insisted I wasn't having the alterations done there. She then told me she "wasn't responsible" if the dress didn't fit, although I told her she was responsible for measuing me and makng sure we ordered a dress that should fit, except for alterations. I would not go back to this store only because of this one employee.

Posted 11/10/05 | Report Abuse

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They have less-than-charming attitudes towards those with lower price ranges... Although I eventually spent over 2K, I had intended on spending under 1K so I focused on shops that were nice about me wanting the low range of prices. Either way the staff wasn't very helpful at all and I couldn't find the type of dresses we were looking for.

Posted 10/30/05 | Report Abuse

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This was another bridal store I visted a few weeks ago for a friend. The woman working that day, Suzie, seemed way too busy for us even though we had an appointment and at most, there was 1 other customer there at any given time. Her attitude seemed to change when my friend said she was just looking for ideas. One time, she didn't even help my friend into the dress!

Posted 08/30/05 | Report Abuse

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I have never been treated so rudely be someone in a customer service field ever. I ordered my tiara from there approx 3 months before my wedding. It came in early and my mother picked it up for me (which was my mistake). When she brought it over, it was pearl and rhinestone-I wanted only rhinestone to match my dress. I called her up and at this time Suzie was quite helpful. She agreed to exchange my pearl and rhinestone tiara for a plain rhinestone one. Approx 2 weeks before the wedding I called to see when it would be arriving. She said that she hadn't ordered anything because I hadn't come in and that I had wanted the pearl and then changed my mind. When I disagreed with her (I had made my phone calls from work and others overheard) she actually started yelling at me. She talked over me and would not let me get a word in edge wise. When I said that I was hoping we could work something out that would be good for both of us (an even exchange) she said that she had never had such a rude customer and hung up on me! I ended up getting something different (and cheaper) for my hair but I still have this tiara sitting in my dresser because I do not know what to do with it!! I refuse to go back there!

Posted 08/25/05 | Report Abuse

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