Houston Bridal Salon Experience

As a newly ENGAGED girl in the bridal business (yay!), I decided I would blog about my experience as a bride planning her wedding. From finding my dress & veil to finding vendors, etc. 


Let's start with the best part - THE DRESS


I was SO excited to try on wedding dresses. Even though, yes I do try them on at work for "research" purposes - how am I supposed to tell a bride how it looks and fits if I've never worn it myself? Makes sense to me :)


I wanted to go with my mom and my soon-to-be mother in law, so I got right on making my appointments! Most higher-end bridal salons will request or require appointments, so be sure to call. Here are some things to ask on the phone if the information isn't given:


1. Starting price point of their gowns. {Who wants to try on things out of her price range?}
2. Length of appointment. {Most range between one hour to an hour and a half. This is important if you are scheduling more than one appointment that day}
3. Will you be working one-on-one with a consultant? {It's nice to have personal attention!}
4. Do they allow pictures? {Not completely necessary, but some salons don't and this takes some people by surprise!}


I made appointments at the "top" bridal salons in Houston: Joan Pillow, Ivory Bridal Atelier, Casa de Novia, and Mia Bridal Couture, and have prepared a short review of each.


Joan Pillow:
Located in Highland Village Shopping Center on the second level. Parking was somewhat difficult, but I managed. I was the first appointment of the day, and my consultant was late to work, but again I managed! They have a really pretty atmosphere at the store, and the owner and namesake (Joan) did make an effort to stop by my appointment and say hello :) The store carries some high end names, but really the dresses there weren't for me. I liked a few things, but didn't feel the need to go back. Also a con: their phone number isn't listed on the website! I thought that was strange. I found their facebook page though, and it was listed there.


Ivory Bridal Atelier:
Located on the second floor of West Ave shopping center. Parking there was not a problem at all since there is a huge parking garage or metered parking too. It was a Thursday, and I was the only appointment in the store which was nice. Really classy atmosphere - crisp and clean. Wood floors and white walls with the white dresses looked great! I was greeted by my consultant, Ronit, who is also one of the owners. I found some great dresses there, and was allowed to take pictures which is nice. I had my own private dressing area with a huge mirror and a couch where my mom could sit. My consultant didn't really explain anything about the dresses to me, but for me it wasn't a problem since I knew a lot about the ones I was trying on anyway! One thing I was disappointed in is what I would consider "false advertising" - the website says the bride and her company will "enjoy a glass of champagne and selection of petit fours and mini cupcakes" which I was not offered. Boo! Overall a fine experience.

My private dressing area - beautiful!

Inside the store

Casa de Novia:
My GPS didn't register the street name, which was a HUGE problem for me since I am beyond directionally challenged. Luckily my phone knew right where I needed to go! Parking seemed to be available only on the street, but there wasn't a problem finding a spot. Other than the outside being fairly cute, I was so unimpressed with this store. They have high-end names, but again really nothing that I was drawn to. My consultant was not mean by any means, but she was very aggressive and at times rude to my mom & FMIL which was of course a huge turn-off. I tried on some dresses just because we were there but would not have bought anything from the store. Even if I found something I really liked, I would be hesitant to spend my money in there. The lighting was poor, the mirror situation (kind of important when you're buying a wedding gown) was just a mirror leaning against the wall that my consultant had to hold upright when I wanted to look full-on at myself in a gown. What? Bizarre. I didn't use the whole hour that was allotted for my appointment, and it was on to Mia Bridal Couture.

Store Front of Casa de Novia

Gown Display

Looking to the left from the front entrance

Mia Bridal Couture:
Disclosure - I am biased. This is where I work. I know that we have beautiful gowns at Mia. I know that we have a beautiful store. I know that we have fabulous and friendly consultants. But I didn't really KNOW all of those things until I compared them to the other stores in Houston. We. Are. The. Best. The lay out of the store is fantastic because there is great lighting and ample mirror space to see the gowns. Bonus: there was a Kenneth Pool trunk show going on, so we had the gowns in fresh from the runway! Of course I picked one of those. My consultant was the most adorable, knowledgable, and friendly of all that I worked with that day. Even though she knew I knew everything about the gowns, she explained in detail to the ladies who were with me which no one else had done. I found a fabulous veil too! I could not be happier with my decision :)

View from the front door

View of the sitting area in front of the mirrors

I hope this was helpful! Happy Wedding Gown Shopping!