Reviews
I originally fell in love with a
$7,000 dress. I knew I didn't want to spend that much money
on a dress to be worn for only one night. After shopping
around, I found Belle Saison. After trying on a few that I
picked out, Elizabeth picked one out that I didn't think I
would like, but tried on nevertheless. It was THE dress! She
had listened to everything I said and pulled the perfect
dress! Not only was it perfect, but it was under $1000 too!!
My mom and I were in heaven.
They have so many gorgeous dresses to choose from at such
affordable rates. They also have amazing sales packages that
give you discounts on your shoes, jewelry, veil, etc.
Granted, a lot of these are very expensive, but the discount
combined with the service makes it all worth it. I received
updates on the status of my order, when things were expected
to arrive and when they actually arrived... they were just
fantastic.
They even stored my dress for me up until the wedding date,
had it steamed along with my veil, and after the big day, we
dropped it off for them to clean it, press it, and
professionally box and store it so it will be preserved
forever. This is the best bridal salon in the Austin area!!
- LizzyandRobert 7/17/10
***
So,
I went for my first look-see to find a non traditional gown
for my wedding. Not having done this before, I had no idea
that bridal stores are closed on Mondays and that you need
an appointment to "walk in the door". Another shop that was
open told me (very rudely) that I could "look" at dresses
but not try them on without an appointment. After being
followed around and hounded while I was "looking" which made
me wonder WHY I couldn't try anything since this sales
person obviously had nothing better to do than follow me
around, I was ready to call it a day!
My friend suggested we try a bridal shop that she had seen
near Highland Mall, didn't even know the name but thought it
was worth a try. We walked into Belle Saison and were
pleasantly greeted, due to my previous experience, I
immediately blurted out "I'm sorry, I don't have an
appointment". The clerk laughed and said "no problem, we are
busy today (It was the Mon. after Christmas) but look around
and if you find something we'll make room for you to try it
on."
I found a few to try on
and asked for a room and without pomp and circumstance, was
given a fitting room hassle free and found the dress. In
fact, I found two! One for the wedding and one for the
reception!
It is frustrating that they only offer one size to try but
believe me, I asked friends and the other snotty bridal shop
and was told that is the norm. It would be impossible for
them to carry all sizes with the amount of dresses they
carry. For sample sizes it's usually a 4-6 and for regular
gowns I believe it's a twelve which in terms of wedding
gowns is a 8-10.
Overall I would recommend Belle Saison to others and my
friend who was with me, was so impressed with the price and
the no hassle shopping that she will be going back soon
hopefully to pick out her own gown! – Suzanne M.
***
Everyone was very professional
and polite. Kim helped me out tremendously because I was
clueless on what style of wedding dress would fit me well.
She was very personable and patient with helping me with the
search. After only a few dresses later, I found the ONE! To
be honest, I was more relieved than anything...Kudos to Kim!
– Crystal M.
***
There
are so many reasons to love being a bridesmaid. First,
there's all the money you get to spend on someone else's
"special day"--for presents, plane tickets, hotel rooms,
bachelorette parties, etc. Then there's the hours spent
trying to smile for photo after photo while your
dyed-to-match shoes are permanently disfiguring your toes.
And finally, of course, there's the dress. The dress that
every bride tells you she just knows you'll be able to wear
again but that hangs in the back of your closet gathering
dust.
Another fun thing about being a bridesmaid? Going to try on
dresses when you're in a different city from the bride. The
salespeople know they're not getting a sale--because the
bride typically orders the bridesmaid dresses from the same
shop where she got her dress--and wow, can they be
unhelpful.
Thankfully, that was not the case at Belle Saison. I'm going
to be in my seventh wedding in a few months (it's almost a
hobby by now), and I went there recently to try on a dress
the bride had picked out to see if I liked it. I walked in
and told the saleswoman what I needed, expecting a
dismissive wave accompanied by a "They're over there" grunt,
but instead, she walked me over to where the chosen
designer's dresses were stocked. When we discovered that
they didn't carry my particular dress, she suggested I try
on a similar one by another designer so I could see how the
style fit me. Impressive. They also seemed to have a pretty
good selection of dresses for bridesmaids and brides.
I'd definitely include this place on your list of shops to
hit if you're looking for a dress. When it comes time for
wedding #8, I'm happy to know I can go try on my bridesmaid
dress without fear of scorn. – Debbie R.
***
Belle Saison and Elizabeth took
my dream as a little girl and made it reality! I could not
have asked for a more beautiful dress, much less a hassle
free purchasing experience. Elizabeth works wonders with
brides and their entourages. Overall Belle Saison had to be
one of my best wedding planning experiences and I would
definitely recommend them to everybody! (especially
Elizabeth) – alibet 5/1/10
***
Belle Saison totally saved my
wedding! The first bridal shop that we went with in Houston
went out of business, and Elizabeth at BS in Austin was able
to get the exact dresses that we had previously ordered for
the bridesmaids and at a better price than the first store.
She did it all by phone since we lived in Houston. She and
all the staff at BS deserve all the high reviews that they
get. Fantastic. – Mroongs 1/2/10
***
Belle Saison was very easy to
work with. I worked with Briana, who endured my
indecisiveness with much grace and patience. She helped me
to select my Maggie Sottero dress after visiting about 6
bridal shops and trying on at least 50 dresses. Briana was
able to select dresses for me to try on according to my
taste and body shape.
I also bought my bridesmaid dresses and shoes here, which
was a very easy and affordable process. I highly recommend
their bridesmaid packages. – Sarah 7/18/09
***
I went to 6 different salons
before this one, I was completely frustrated with the whole
process. Briana was great, I ended up buying a dress she
suggested that I didn't know about. The salon is just the
write combo of comfort and elegance. You are not on your own
like David's bridal but they are not "on top of you" the
whole time like Alfred Angelo. Nothing broke or fell apart
on my dress, it was ready quickly after cleaning and I was
very happy with the salon. – April and Clay 3/9/09
