Natalie C(Bride)

I went to Brides on Thorndon to try on wedding dresses, I was very disappointed, I was passed from sales girl to sales girl as they were busy, I didnt feel special or important at all, they didnt help me to decide what to try on, like asking what sort of neckline I was looking for etc, what can be quite a daunting experience went from bad to worse unfortunately. The second sales woman I had was very nice though, a shame really.

Sharon(Bride)

I have to say that I was a bit nervous about going to Brides on Thorndon to look for my dress - I had heard some not so nice things (mainly summed up in the other reviews on here) but I was pleasantly surprised. I was booked in with Sue and while I don’t think she had been there very long, she selected a few dresses for me, including one that was so far from what I thought I wanted, but ended up being ‘the one’. She seemed to know what would look best on me without a lot of direction from me.

Sue and the rest of the ladies I spoke with there were great - the only downside I found with them is that a couple of them can be a tiny bit pushy when it comes to accessories - but hey, they are in sales, of course they’re going to want you to buy your veil, jewellery etc from them also. If you have something else in mind for accessories then feel free to say so, I didn’t feel like it was held against me that I was only buying my dress from them.

I absolutely loved my dress and the straps made by Aurea (sp?) were just gorgeous. I marked them down slightly on professionalism only because when I went in for a second fitting (and had left work early to do so), they hadn’t actually started any of the alterations because my dress had been moved from where it had been put a week before. So there’s room for improvement in their processes, but I was able to go in the very next day and the hem had been raised and straps created within that 24 hours!

I do wish they would allow you to take photos - I’m not quite sure what the point of this is as if you were going to get someone to make a knock off for you there wouldn’t be an issue finding an image of it online. Perhaps I could have asked once I had put money down for my dress or once my actual dress arrived, but I didn’t see much point by that stage - it really would have been more to see how I looked in it in photos.

I think at the end of the day, you get back what you give - if you go in there with a positive and open attitude then you’ll get that back and you’ll be more likely to have a good experience there. As a bride in the midst of planning, I also had to remind myself that while I was keen to have a new ear to bend about dramas with venues, guests etc, that they would have to hear this from half a dozen brides every day - so don’t expect them to be super enthusiastic and keen to learn every detail of your wedding - this is their job and I can’t imagine how boring it would get to hear the same things from people everyday and be expected to sound excited about it.

I would totally recommend Brides on Thorndon - just remember that most people are a lot more motivated to get online and write about a negative experience - I’m sure there’s a lot of ladies out there who have also had positive experiences here.

Nicky(Bride)

As with the reviews below, I too had a not so nice experience with Brides on Thorndon.  The initial consultation was rushed, though the staff member I dealt with found me the perfect dress - a design I would never have considered initially, so I felt the knowledge of what works for different people was great.

I wanted the dress and expressed that at the time, but wanted my mum to see it before putting any money down - especially as my dad was putting money towards it, but my mum was in hospital and was due out the following weekend.  I was told that that was fine and they would put the dress on hold for me.  I also asked whether the $50 consultation fee would be deducted from the dress upon purchase, I was told yes.  When I came back to show mum the dress, I put a 50% deposit down and was told that because I didn’t purchase the dress on the day of the consultation it wouldn’t be deducted from the price.  I was referred to the manager who was very scatter brained and made me feel like she was doing me an extremely huge favour for reversing the charge.

I just felt that for the money I was spending in their shop, I would expect much better customer service.  Sales consultants in Principals where I purchased bridesmaids dresses were more excited/interested about my big day than the staff at Brides on Thorndon.

Penny(Bride)

I would say that it is very sad that Brides On Thorndon have a monopoly over the Wellington market. They do have the best range of dresses in town, but sadly this seems to have made them complacent about their customer service, which is terrible at best.

When I first tried on my dress, Jill who runs the place offered me 20% off if I made my mind up in two weeks. When I went back 10 days later she pretended to ‘forget’ she had offered me the discount, and when I ‘reminded’ her she put it through but acted as if she was doing me a huge favour, which I found incredibly unprofessional and made me very uneasy.

The woman who altered my dress did a good job but there was some serious miscommunication about what was to be done. I had straps which were meant to cross over at the back, and button in so that you could remove them as and when wanted. When I went in for my second fitting they had been chopped and sewn in straight down the back, which was never discussed or requested. They were no longer long enough to cross over as designed (and as pictured on their website) and they had to be re-made from scratch. I will say that they did a good job of remaking them, but it certainly was an inconvenience and made me very nervous. They also made the bodice far too small and it had to be taken out again.

They try to move you through like the place is a train station, and when I went for fittings I was hurried because staff had buses to catch. I wouldn’t have minded taking annual leave to be there at a more convenient time for the staff, but this should have been communicated. They shouldn’t accept fittings near the end of the day if this is a problem for them.

Getting your wedding dress right is important to people. Annual leave is no problem; being hurried during an experience which ought to be one of the funnest of your life is not. Especially when this results in mistakes being made to your dress. This was definately not a fun experience for me, which was sad because my dress was beautiful in the end.

They also don’t allow you to take photos of dresses you try on, which I found petty and unnecessary. It can be difficult remembering which dresses look good on, and I certainly don’t think people would want anybody to see them in their dress before the big day so I don’t know what they’re worried will happen to these images. It is especially irritating when you have just paid $50 to try the things on.

Most of the staff (except for their latest addition) are rude and unhelpful. They look down their noses at you, have no idea what you want, and are terrible at replying to emails. It took me four emails before I got a satisfactory answer out of them about what my alterations were likely to cost. There are lots of hidden costs. I have heard a number of horror stories about them from other brides and vendors around town.

I find it incredible that they don’t have more respect for their customers when people walk into their shop 9 times out of 10 intending to spend thousands of dollars with them on one of the most sentimental items they will ever buy. I guess the good thing about Brides as a clinet base is that you don’t have to aim for repeat business, and most of their clients probably have no idea what to expect - having never bought a wedding dress before!

Overall very sad about this as all the other vendors I dealt with (flowers, hair, venues) were so respectful, friendly and eager to please you on the biggest day of your life. There are so many stress factors when planning a wedding, you really don’t need the people you’re paying to add to that. I would recommend going here to get an idea of what looks good on, and then go find it on the internet for a quarter of the price and have a tailor adjust it for you!

Welly01(Bride)

After looking around Wellington for wedding dresses, Brides on Throndon def have the best selection. However there customer service is not much to be desired. If I could’ve got my dress from somewhere else I would have. They charge $50 to try on 5 gowns, and they say if you buy a gown they will take that $50 off the dress…what they omit to tell you is you have to decide that on the day if you want to $50 back. All the staff i dealt with could not be bothered and wanted you out as quick as possible. They advertise that they hire dresses but when i asked if they did this they said no. When i decided on my dress I asked the sales assistant if i could have some of my train cut off, and she said yes. When my dress came in the dress maker said this was not possible, then after a long time of saying this is what i wanted she said ‘well i can do it but it will just take ages’!!! They also had lots of hidden costs. Unimpressed with service but they do have the best dresses in Wellington.