WOW! All I can say is I was married in February of this year at 30 years old and went through Annette's for all bridesmaids dress, flower girl dress and my wedding gown! At first I was like oh my what did I get myself into, I had never had ... ...read more

I am 27 years old and getting married on May 27, 2012. Since I was a little girl, I knew that I would visit Annette's for some element of my wedding, ever since purchasing my first flower girl gown at the shop when I was 5 years old.\t\n\t\nJean is kind, thorough, professional-- and really knows what she is talking about. The place has been in business since before I was born-- and for good reason. Jean is a master seamstress who was classically trained in areas of the world known for their craft, and each product that I have every purchased from her shop has been exceptional quality with skilled alteration quality. The shop has an authentic feel to it, unlike the "big box" bridal shops that make you feel as though you should be leaving with a gown and loaf of bread.\t\n\t\nI would estimate Jean to be nearly 80 years old. She is about 4'9" in height, a curved spine undoubtedly caused by decades in front of a sewing machine, a thick accent, and a slight case of "getting old"-- she forgets things, but with a gentle reminder, she remembers and laughs it off. For those of you who feel it is necessary to judge her based on the fact that she is an elderly woman who is losing her memory should be ashamed; Her quality of memory has no correlation to her quality of work and service.\t\n\t\nWhen I walked in to look at bridesmaids dresses a few days ago, Jean was very friendly and cordial. When I showed her a picture of the Alfred Angelo design that I wanted, she asked me to go to the dress rack and check to see if I recognized it. I had no problem with this, as the same thing has happened at Yvonne's, Angela's, and David's: I was told to look myself, to which I gladly obliged. As an aside, perhaps this is what is really wrong with everyone else's experience: Stop acting as though everyone should cater to you just because you are "The Bride" or "The Bridesmaid". The world isn't going to stop and bow just because you have a ring on your finger.\t\n\t\nI looked through the dresses, recognized the one I wanted immediately, and had my Maid of Honor try it on. Jean asked her bra size, she replied that she does not wear one, as she is very thin and, well, doesn't need to. After looking at the dress and my MOH, Jean came in with a 34-B strapless bra and told her to try it on. What an excellent insight!! The "wrong size bra" that others complained about showed me exactly what the dress would look like when it was fitted to my MOH's body-- and helped her fill out the top! Yes, Jean "felt her up" a bit-- but, jeez girls, get a grip-- she's a seamstress! When I was measured for my dance costumes, prom gowns AND wedding dress (at Yvonne's) I was "felt up"-- it's part of getting a proper fit. \t\n\t\nJean sat with us for over an hour while my MOH tried on the dress, went through color swatches and catalogues. Jean helped us pick out complimentary colors for my girls-- and even suggested that a certain pink would match better against my ivory dress. She was amazing, and very helpful. \t\n\t\nI have made a few follow-up appointments since. Although Jean does not necessarily remember me by face, she remembers exactly who I am as soon as I give her a reminder of the dress and wedding location. After all, she is around 80 years old-- you would do the same for your mother or grandmother, or an elderly friend. ...read more

I was recently married and had purchased my designer dress at Annette's Bridal. The owner, Jean, a professional seamstress in the trade for over 30 years, did a meticulous and beautiful job on the fittings and alterations. \t\nHowever, I do caution you: Jean seems to have advancing dementia and requires frequent reminders; she repeats herself frequently and would often forget what I had said moments before. She was also exacting and stubborn (would not give me a swatch of the dress as I had requested). I had heard from her staff that she was tempermental and read the poor reviews of her shop after purchasing my dress, so I was really very nervous about doing business with her, afraid that something would go wrong.\t\n\t\nUltimately, with patience and firmness, I got exactly what I wanted from Jean. Her staff, especially Bernadette, are absolutely wonderful and skilled in their own right. My dress was perfect (although after some hard dancing my bustle ripped, but that's my fault!) \t\nThis shop is a relic of a bygone era, and she clearly is skilled, and I imagine that they won't be in business much longer due to her cognitive problems. I would say, though, give her a chance, take a look at her dresses....you may find THE ONE there, as I did. ...read more