Belladonna Bridal Galway

mollymolly2

I just wanted to share my experience with Belladonna bridal.
I bought my dress with them, and I love it, but my experience with them was terrible.
When I went in first they were so nice. The lady brought 5 dresses into me. Was honest when some didnt suit. I told her going in my price limit was €1700 max but would like to see lower price ones first.
When I tried on my third dress, that was it. The cliche happened. It was my dress. Then she told me it was €500 over my max.
I was devastated so I tried on cheaper ones. In the end nothing compared. So I bought the one over my price limit.
Something I now think is a very cruel but clever sales manipulation.
Anyway, I cam back the next week to put the 50% deposit down. When I was leaving the sales woman told me at any stage during the wait for my dress to come in, I could go back in to try on the shop dress with any shoes/underwear/jewellery I might get to see it it suits.
Twice I rang up to try shoes with the dress( and pay the balance). Twice I got told by the horribly rude and snotty blonde lady that they were booked up. I explained I didnt need a sales person that I just wanted to try shoes with my dress. She said no. Nothing for 3 weeks. So I said ok and asked for a Saturday afternoon ( I have a daughter and mornings are too bananas to leave. It suits better to wait after nap time). She said no, the only appointment she would ever give is 9.30 am for 'old' customers.
So I never got to try my dress with shoes. Then when it arrived in to collect I couldnt go ( at a wedding) so asked would the week after be ok, and they closed for 2 weeks so it wasn't, which is fine but the weekend after they opened was my hen so obviously I couldnt go. She gave out to me, actually said 'so let me get this right, youre too busy to pick over the next month to pick up your wedding dress?'
I did go in the weekend after my hen and pick it up.
I love my dress. Its beautiful. But as soon as my 50% deposit was paid they didnt want to know me until it was time to pick it up. €2200 is so expensive and I just think its unacceptable that when someone parts with so much money that they couldnt find 15 minutes on a Saturday that suited me. And they didnt have too, because they had a 50% deposit so I wasnt going anywhere. The appointments for potential customers are more important, which is awful.

I love my dress and I cant wait to wear it but I just felt like sharing this experience because there should be no negative memories surrounding this at all.
They have a beautiful dress collection. But for the cost and experience I wish I went elsewhere. I will not be recommending them.

dudara

Moved to the Wedding forum, which will be better suited to your experience

dudara

toadfly

I didn't buy my dress there but had nearly decided on one I tried on there. Wouldn't have bought from them anyway as they are so pushy I can't bare that. Sue was the lady I dealt with and god she wrecked my head. There should be no need for them to come into the dressing room with customers.

I ended up going with Elegant Touch in Castlebar and they couldn't be nicer to deal with. Even offered to come in on their closed day as that was the only one that suited me to travel to them. Couldn't ask for nicer.

irishlady29

I to did not have a pleasent experience with them. I found the lady to be very pushy and gave the impression that she was very very "busy" so felt rushed. I could'nt get out of the place quick enough!

mollymolly2

irishlady29 wrote: »

I to did not have a pleasent experience with them. I found the lady to be very pushy and gave the impression that she was very very "busy" so felt rushed. I could'nt get out of the place quick enough!

You know now that you say this, There was only one other woman there when I had my appointment. But 3 sales women were buzzing around like lunatics.
Plus the woman at the desk. They really did act so busy.
I wish I had of researched places more before I went for appointments or had the sense to leave like you.
Which is why I hope some good comes from this thread.

Gatica

I'm sorry OP that you had such an unpleasant experience getting your dress. The lady shouldn't have given out to you for not being able to come in or not given you time slots just because you'd already bought the dress.

I bought my dress from them and couldn't have been happier with the experience. I had no idea of cost or budget so just described the types of dresses I'd like. I pointed out a few and tried them on, I went back and forth between two dresses and then realised I really loved one of them.
I only had to put a 100 E deposit. They were having a sale, plus when I requested certain changes to the dress, it dropped price by another 500, which I was delighted about. I got all the changes to the dress I wanted, at a far better price that I would've thought possible and the lady I dealt with was really helpful, her name's Tina. I went back to make payments on the dress regularly, which wasn't an issue for them or for me. On two occasions I just popped in with family to show them the dress and the girls were helpful and brought out the dress to have a gawk.
I had to go in 2ce before pick-up to check the length, the veil and the final fitting of my dress before I collected it. I made appointments a few days in advance and just made it happen at time slots they had available, which was during work lunch hour or just after.
I went there because two of the girl I know got their dresses there and loved the service. I must admit I liked the help with putting on the dress and the privacy of the fitting rooms.

I think they're booked out on Saturdays weeks in advance, easiest way to get in is to take whatever time slot they have or book weeks in advance as well.

mollymolly2

This makes me happy that you had a lovely experience but it also frustrates me more.
I was offered no such services. I asked about removing the jewels from the empire line and the sales woman told me they don't do alterations so I would have to find someone else.
I didn't want a veil but that was my 'free gift' and there was no discount alternative.

I was also told that until I paid 50% of the dress price (deposit) they wouldn't order it for me.

When did you buy your dress? My sales woman was lovely but she really didn't offer me any of those things and I would have taken them. As I'm paying someone €300 extra to do them.
And I didn't mind her coming into the dressing room either. But warning would have even nice. I would have been prepared instead of being almost naked and a women just landing in beside me.

Gatica

I can completely understand wanting a bit of privacy putting on the dress initially before someone jumps into changing room with you.
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to rub it in your face that I could make changes... Just so you know the modifications are up to the dress provider, not the shop. They called the dressmaker and enquired whether it would be possible to do. It was a dress by "Forget me not". At the time I don't think they were as well known and did modifications. When I was picking up the dress they told me it was lucky I requested changes when I did as they no longer do custom changes.
I still had to pay 200 to another seamstress to do the final alterations. While the dress was provided with the cup-sleeves I had requested, they were not attached, so I had to get a seamstress to do those for me. And the length was not quite what I thought it would be, so had to get that fixed too.
The policy on deposits for the dress may as well have changed since. I ordered the dress early spring 2011. I know that it wasn't ordered for "manufacture" until most of the deposit was paid and within the last 5-6 months. btw, my photographer's new contracts also dictated that you had to pay in full before the wedding, whereas when we signed ours it was only 50%. I think many suppliers are starting to require more up-front payments due to the economy and fast-changing circumstances of their clients who may end up cancelling or backing out.

seosamh1980

I tried on dresses in there too and out of about 10 bridal shops it was the one I ran out of, I tried 3 dresses in 25 minutes, and I only stayed that long to be polite. As soon as we arrived we were uncomfortable in the place, and it was the only shop where I had no choice but to have someone in the changing room with me. I tried on about 40 dresses over the course of my shopping and the 3 there were the only ones I had to have a babysitter for in the changing room, the rest all just said "Shout when you're ready" and zipped them up. The assistant bossed me about, telling me where to stand, don't walk over there, stay there, etc. It was horrible.

I read on another forum that a woman was told there that the dress she had on would be perfect when she dropped a size...she was a size 10 and had no intention of losing weight.