Bridal Desires

Very discouraged by my recent experience at Bridal Desires. I’ve been to 3 other bridal shops in the area and this one was by far the worst in terms of selection and service. The consultant was nice enough at the start. She asked questions, suggested dresses and accessories, but her service level dropped drastically when she realized I wasn’t finding what I wanted. The recently remodeled shop is pretty, but the walls don’t go all the way to the ceiling and it’s very noisy and difficult to hear the other people in your party. Also because of the walls, I could hear my consultant and another employee gossiping about me in the back. My consultant was listing off all the things I wanted in a dress (I assume justifying why she wasn’t making a sale) and the other employee replied «And her budget is only $XXXX!?» For the record, my budget is healthy according to the research I’ve done, especially since I am looking for something simple. I haven’t experienced a problem at any other store or had a hard time finding dresses that fit in my budget. It was pretty insulting and not very smart as my change room backed directly onto where they were talking in the back. Also, because of the lack of full walls you can smell employees microwaving their lunches. Trying on bridal gowns and the smell of last night’s pasta don’t really go well together.
Another problem (at least in the room I was in) was that there is only a mirror in front of you and one way back in the change room behind you. There is no good way to see the front and back of the dress. I’ve never seen this at another bridal store. Furthermore, the pedestals are not secured to the floor in any way (more like stools just placed there) making them very hazardous when you’re stepping off in big, long gowns and heels.
At the end of my appointment, my party and I stayed to look at the mother of the bride dresses. My consultant made no attempt to say goodbye to me to close the appointment. I had to go back and find her to say thank you. Even though she could probably tell that I wasn’t buying a dress, it’s still good practice to make sure the customer leaves with a good feeling. They could still recommend the store to their friends and family or shop their for bridal party or mother of the bride dresses – two things I definitely won’t be doing.
If you are looking for places to buy a dress in Durham region, I would consider shopping elsewhere. There are lots of other nice stores and boutiques with much more professional service and better selection.

A small shop. Lots of beautiful plus size dresses.
The workers are nice.
Bought a dress for a wedding here. Reasonable prices.
I recommend it.

I had an appointment on Tuesday, August 12, 2014 at 6:00PM. I did not end up purchasing my dress here even though there was one dress I said I was 95% sure about (5% can go a long way!), but I really want to let everyone know how wonderful my experience was with them! I was drawn to this store as all their reviews on Unilocal,Google and Facebook were all positive (everyone on Google gave them 5 stars!). Bridal Desires is definitely a hidden gem in a back corner of a plaza in Ajax (it deserves to be more visible!!). I didn’t expect it to be so fancy and cute when we stepped in! We came in way earlier than expected as we were trying to avoid rush hour traffic. Maggie at the front desk was very welcoming when we came in. The weird thing is that they make you take your shoes off so that you don’t drag dirt in and get it on the wedding dresses. They do offer slippers, but I would’ve brought my own if I knew. I didn’t have socks on so I opted to walk around bare foot.
We asked Maggie if we could look at dresses for bridesmaids while we were waiting for the rest of our group, and she was very helpful in showing us an album of swatches from different designers and then showing us the beautiful dresses they had in stock. She was very knowledgeable and patient with us as she let one of my bridesmaids try a couple of dresses on.
My consultant was Kashika, whom I have heard all good things about in the reviews, so I was definitely excited. Kashika was knowledgable herself and super nice! I had a great time working with her and really appreciated that her patience never broke even though there were times when I was being indecisive and was sure she would break, even just a little. But Kashika was so understanding and knows how important it is for a bride to find the right wedding dress. I tried on 5 dresses in total, including a ball gown style, which she knew I’ve never tried and was staying away from. But she believed that brides should try different styles at least once. Even though I knew a ball gown would not do for a destination wedding in Mexico, it was absolutely beautiful and made me feel like a princess, so I was glad I got to just see myself in it!
Kashika was amazing at completing my look by taking the time to add belts, veils, hairpieces & jewelry. She even did simple styles with my hair but it looked gorgeous! My team of mom, aunt and 2 bridesmaids loved everything Kashika did. The only thing was that the fitting rooms are tiny and you’re expected to put the dresses on by yourself, which can get tricky, and then call the consultant for the zipping/​lacing up. Kashika was always nearby and would check up on me often so I only really had to call for her once or twice. The fitting room at least had a mirror and chair so I’ll give them that! They have a beautiful 3-​way mirror and pedestal for you to stand on when you come out and you’re allowed to take pictures, which is super helpful for the decision-​making process!
I definitely recommend checking out Bridal Desires for wedding dresses. They have lovely and affordable collections between $ 1,400-$ 2,000 and they even have a clearance sale rack with dresses that are only a couple hundred bucks! Their bridesmaids dresses are also really nice and I’ve read great reviews for them as well, but I am personally opting for dresses that are way cheaper than the average $ 150 – 200 since I am having a destination wedding. All in all, wonderful service and beautiful dresses — you won’t be disappointed!