09/03/09

Made me a princess!

by ashybean22

My friend and I went into Charlotte's for an appointment during the sample sale. Our girl Rene took us to our private suite, asked me all kinds of questions about my preferences and brought me a gorgeous array of dresses. She even brought me a dress in a fabric I didn't think I liked to make sure we could really cross it off my list. We had a lot of fun together, she helped me feel like a princess, and I walked out the door with a dress... on my first day of looking as well! I hope to take my bridesmaids back for their dresses as well. I have every belief that they will take as good of care as my bridesmaids as they took of me. (unlike experiences I've had at the big box bridal store).

The only con was we had to take our shoes off and leave them at the front... my friend and I had a SATC moment and recalled the episode when Carrie lost her shoes at the party... thankfully that didn't happen to us, but I wasn't super excited about taking off my shoes at the front, though I probably could have taken them with me. ANd really, it was for the protection of the dresses, so it wasn't exactly a con.

LOVE THEM!!!

• Pros: Individual appointments
• Cons: shoes off!

08/04/09

Some advice ladies...

by hello27kitty

There are a few things you should know about Charlotte's before you go...

Bring pictures of gowns you're interested in and keep an open mind about what style will suit you.

Make an appointment about two days ahead and ask for Suzanne. She made everyone feel very comfortable and seemed to be as excited about my wedding as I was!

Bring your own slip and strapless bra. One of the drawbacks was the icky thing with belly button sweat on it that they asked me to wear. You may politely say "No thank you" to that and wear your own.

Remain calm. Although the staff is there to help you get the dress of your dreams, they are not your maids, therapists, or magicians. Treat them as you would like to be treated. Be nice.

I did go to a few other shops in the area with a general idea of what I wanted and what I was willing to spend. Reading all of the reviews on here made me a little nervous about going to this shop, but upon our scheduled arrival, we were greeted by two members of the staff very warmly and were politely asked to remove our shoes. The carpet is soft, so don't worry. We were brought back to the big dressing room in the back where there are several chairs, an enormous mirror, and a pedestal to twirl around on. After studying the clippings I brought in with me, Suzanne produced three gowns that seemed to be gorgeous hybrids of all of the ones I was looking for. I ended up getting the second one I tried on! The only negatives I had with this experience were these... The try-on undergarments are pretty gross, I think they should have a screen in the rooms where you can change into them (unless you 're really comfortable with your friends and family), and I would have liked it if they gave me a courtesy call about the status of the dress every once in a while while I was waiting for it to arrive. Overall I had a good experience and I would recommend this shop to my friends.

• Pros: selection, most of staff
• Cons: hours of operation

07/31/09

They went out of their way to help me!

by eafrench

I unfortunately was the victim of another bridal shop that went out of business without taking care of their customers. The people at Charlotte's worked with me to contact the manufacturer and try to get my the dress - even though they don't carry that brand! After that fell through because of the other store and the manufacturer, I decided to get a new dress and start fresh. Charlotte's went out of their way to help me find a dress that I loved and could get in time for the wedding. The new dress was even better than the first! I felt like a princess the day that it arrived and everyone came in to see me in my gown. I would highly recommend Charlotte's to anyone!