Bridal Gallery at MacGregor

07/04/2008 Posted by leen04

Please, PLEASE read and consider this review before doing business w/the Bridal Gallery. The bridal gallery has a nice selection of gowns, a bit overpriced & a lovely store layout. After I purchased a gown, the customer service seemed to decline markedly. When I went back into the store for fittings and alterations, I often would have to wait around for someone to assist me. When someone did come to assist me, she was usually also helping other customers as well and was often unavailable if I needed assistance. Another reason that I would NEVER recommend doing business with this shop is b/c one employee tells you one thing and another employee tells you something different. This happened regarding the date that the dresses were to arrive at the store as well as in regards to when the dresses would ship out to bridesmaids. The owner of the store seemed obstinate and down right rude. The store assured me that my bridesmaid dresses would be shipped and almost 2 weeks later, the dresses were still sitting at the store!!!!! The explanation from the owner was that I was misinformed by one of her employees & she made no definitive motions to correct the wrong. To top it all off, she continually interrupted me when I was trying to speak to her over the telephone and then hung up on me because I was not satisfied by her lack of response to her company's error. To say the least, the owner of the bridal gallery is not well versed regarding how to meet the needs of her customers. Truly, I have never, ever encountered more rude, disrespectful treatment from a business owner. Planning a wedding is stressful enough. You don't need vendors treating you w/disrespect to top it all off.

Pros: good selection, nice layout of store, decent store hours

Cons: AWFUL business practices, rude attitudes, little to no response to store errors

06/05/2008 Posted by carebear8201

I recently ordered a bridesmaids dress from this boutique for my cousin's wedding. I am located in Charlotte, and called in my measurements in by the appropriate time. Never once did the lady I speak to on the phone address the size of the dress that was being ordered for me, even when asked. I stated my size of dress that I normally wear and that was that. So several months later when the dress comes in, I have a size 10 when I am a size 4. Never did I or would I authorize anyone to order me a dress that is extremely too large for me. I called the store immediately and left a message with the owner's daughter who told me that there was nothing they could do, but would have the owner, her mother, call me the following week. Well of course she never called, so I played phone tag with her until I finally did speak to her and let her know the situation. She was VERY RUDE and adament about not helping me and not taking responsibility for her stores mistake. Would not even discount my alterations for the dress, even though 12 dresses were purchased from her store in this bridal party alone. Not only was my order incorrect, but another bridesmaids dress was ordered and delivered 10, yes 10, sizes too small. After fighting tooth and nail to have this mistake corrected which was entirely the stores fault, although blamed it on the buyer, did they order a new one but did not promise it would be here on time. They did not however offer me this "luxury". This was an AWFUL experience. I would rather make my own dress than deal with these unprofessional, unethical and downright scam artists again. I will be reporting them to the business bureau and the Attorney General. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

Pros: NOTHING

Cons: EVERYTHING

05/31/2008 Posted by hardysgrl7

Manu, the owner/seamstress owns the one in Caryand one in Raleigh by the same name. She is a nasty woman who didn't want to do what i told her from the beginning. When i questioned her on her poor work she immediatley got defensive and started yelling at me. She threatened to call the police after she told me she wasn't going to do anything for me or give me a refund. I eventually got a partial refund which wasn't nearly enough. I paid $200 for a beautiful dress that she massacred. But I was told it was my fault because "she didn't think i was wearing the skirt correctly" but never checked to see if i was or not like she should have as a seamstress who "alters 300-400 dresses a year". I assure you all that i do know how to wear a skirt, she just doesn't do good work. It is about an inch and a half too short on the right side of the back of the skirt, and is not even sewn in a straight line. The girl working there even said when i showed it to her that it looked horrible. And when the owner/seamstress was yelling at me the other girl who works there looked at me and said she was sorry i was being treated that way. So if the workers are telling me that, then there's something wrong there! When she was walking back into the store with me and my 11 month old son behind her, she tried to slam the door and knocked into him with it! She's completely off the wall! I just want my money back and i don't think i'm going to get it. It's a shame too, because i was going to bring her more business, but now, certainly not.

Pros: none

Cons: Everything about it, pricey, nasty, and not a good seamstress

03/28/2008 Posted by SouthernSweetheart

I have friends who have worked and have shopped here. The owners treat their employees just like their customers. HORRENDOUS! The owner is rude, unethical, lacks customer service and basically should not be in business. The other reviews stated on this website about the owner of The Bridal Boutique and The Bridal Gallery at MacGregor are all true! Save your time and money and go somewhere else. It is well worth it!!

Pros: Selection of Gowns

Cons: The owners, unethical, lack of customer service, dishonest

02/05/2008 Posted by hemik8

My best friend and I went into the Bridal Gallery one Saturday to try on gowns for our upcoming weddings. The store was empty and we were immediately greeted and shown around. After that 2 or 3 people tried to "help us" until a few other people came in. Then they dropped us flat. Despite that, we both found designer gowns that had been discontinued that we loved. Mine had a big grease stain on the side of the skirt about halfway up. The staff assured me that it would come out and the dress would be cleaned if needed. "Manu has sent a dress out for full cleaning" they said. I tried to work with them so I could afford this dress. Manu wanted me to pay for the dress, the cleaning, and for her to re-secure beads that had come loose due to many women trying this sample dress on. Her reason was their cost of the dress. I don’t believe that for a moment. I ended up buying the same dress NEW on eBay delivered to my door for the same price she was asking for the dress alone. The staff is pretty good but management is only in it for the money. It’s really a shame.

Pros: Parking

Cons: Management!!

11/08/2007 Posted by carab1125

i first purchased my gown here when it was under different management. they offered great service and honest prices. but under the new management, it has been anything but a good experience. they increased their alteration package prices and wouldn't honor the original price i was quoted in writing. they are understaffed, and all the times i've been in there under the new management i've either felt rushed or have been left waiting for long periods of time for service. the new owner is evasive and short when asked questions, especially if something is wrong. i dropped off my gown in april to have it cleaned and preserved. loooooong story short, it took me 6 month and repeated phone calls with no answers to get my dress back. when i asked for a partial refund, i was told no. i cannot tell you what a bad experience this was overall. i would never recommend the bridal gallery at mcgregor village to anyone. avoid it if you can!

Pros: none

Cons: horrendous service and customer care

11/08/2007 Posted by navyncsu

I had gone to the Bridal Gallery with my best friend to look at dresses three years ago and the service was fantastic. They were very personal and helpful. I moved away the year before my own wedding, so I bought my dress in another state. I got married back in NC, so I asked the Bridal Gallery if they could do the final pressing of my dress and veils immediately before my wedding. They were very nice and accommodating about that. The problems began when I went to pick up my dress. They told me that my veils had arrived with a tear in the longer one. I know this is absolutely not true. It had a few pearls and Swarovski crystals sewn in near the hem, which could tear the material if you weren't careful. So I purposely checked it for tears when I picked it up initially. I know it went to the Bridal Gallery just fine. But it was my word against theirs. Thankfully the tear was small and I doubt anyone noticed. My dress was a lot worse. They had the cathedral train all pinned up and refused to take it down for me to examine the dress because it was too "difficult and time-consuming to let it down and pin it back up." I made a huge mistake by believing them that it was perfect. My dress had silk covered "fake" buttons from the top of the back down the train. One of the button covers was gone, and it exposed a very ugly brass-ish button underneath. It was in a prominent place on my lower back. I called them the week after my wedding to see if they could find it or send me a replacement since I was sending my dress to charity and wanted it to be perfect. They agreed to look for it and call me back, but never called me again. I was horrified when I let down my train the morning of my wedding because of all the wrinkles. I had a steamer, but it didn't help much. I ended up having to iron my dress. I was so angry. Of course they denied any wrinkles and there was nothing I could do. I don't think they pressed it all. Their customer service is awful.

Pros: Ambience, selection, quality

Cons: Customer service

10/16/2007 Posted by charlottemaine

The Bridal Gallery at MacGregor was very disappointing. Not only are their dresses very overpriced (our bridesmaids dresses there would have been $185 vs $120 at another boutique), but their service was horrible. They were incompetent and you got the impression that they were more concerned with protecting themselves with their policies than enhancing your day and practicing good business. The owner was hard to understand and easily irritated. I would not recommend them to anyone- if you are forced to go there, keep in mind how much you could save by going elsewhere- their service definitely does not demand the extreme markup. Disappointing.

Pros: None.

Cons: Snooty, unhelpful clerks, very high prices- I wouldn't shop there again...

07/27/2007 Posted by ccameron04

I recently visted Bridal Gallery for the last minute details of my wedding. I was not aware of thier location when I got my gown, but my future mother in law found her dress there and asked if I would come with her to look at veils and headpieces. They have an amazing selection! I met the girl who helped my future Mother in law figure out color to order so she would coordinate with my bridesmaids and my mom's dress. She was so nice and even helped me find a veil, headpiece and shoes, eventhough I didn't get my dress there! After talking to her, I found that they recently moved into this new (and Very spacious) location in Macgregor and had added all new inventory. I really enjoyed my experience and would definitely reccommend this place!

Pros: Beautiful new location, huge inventory, nice staff

Cons: nothing i can think of

01/04/2007 Posted by silverfox11

i was pleasantly surprised by the time and attention that the staff at Bridal Gallery gave me, even without an appointment. The person I worked with was kind, helpful and gave constructive advice. She helped me realize that it was helpful just to try dresses on that I wasn't crazy about because they looked completely different on the body rather than on the hanger. Even when i didnt get a dress immediately, they were still helpful every time i returned. Most importantly, I took my mother there to look for a dress before i got mine and unlike every other store, they actually paid attention to her! Very good service!

Pros: wonderful staff, selection and location

Cons: none!