In my hunt for the perfect dress & bridesmaied dresses, I visited MANY bridal salons & although I did not purchase from any of these, I still wanted to share my opinions on the service I received when browsing & trying on dresses:
Eva's Bridal - B: I encountered friendly help and they had a nice selection. I give the B because they rip tags and this mattered to me since I knew I would purchase online. I bought a bridesmaid dress here in the past with no problems (I had alterations elsewhere due to poor reviews)
Beratti Bridal - B: This salon had a nice selection, but I felt they oohed & aahed over anything I tried on which made it difficult to know if anything actually stood out. I also got my back clamped here - ouch! I liked that you didn't need an appointment.
Savvy Bride - B+: Very friendly & great selection. I would have given an A, but it is so hard to get an appointment. They book about a month out on weekends. And, when I booked a weeknight with my girls (some coming from 1+ hour away), they ended up closing due to predicted snow (that fizzled out before it got here) and when I called to reschedule, I didn't get any type of "squeezing in" or courtesy for their cancelling on me and had to basically "go back to the end of the line." If not for this, they were great! Also, they responded to my email requests (if they carried certain styles) whereas others did not.
Bliss Bridal - A: I walked in without an appointment and was shown around. With a small budget, I didn't have much of a selection (these are pricier). They did try to keep within my price range and when I found a dress I really liked that was $200 more than my budget, she said they would sell it to me for my budget amount (it was a sample - as is). It was still a stretch so I didn't, but I appreciated their willingness to meet me part way.
Heim's - B+: Another tag ripping store with an enormous selection. They were always helpful & friendly and let me browse & try on without appointment. I did actually order a bridesmaid dress here years ago with zero problem and a discount since our whole party ordered together. They don't get an A for tag ripping.
Bridal Sweet - B: Nice store owner, very small selection. I made an appt on short notice & got in. They were helpful in saying what wowed them and what was just 'ok.' I believe they only carry 2 bridesmaid designers - a small cute shop to visit if you like the couple designers they have.
Bella Bridesmaids - B+: Very nice staff, but very pricey gowns. I wasn't willing to spend $2-400 on bridesmaids, but they carried different brands than your typical boutique (pricier ones). They required an appointment & I got in with short notice.
Miss Ruby - A: Very nice staff. Great selection of bridesmaid dresses. I went back here numerous times, usually without an appointment & was always helped. When I wanted an appointment one weekend, they squeezed me in on short notice though they weren't looking for bridesmaids that particular weekend.
Zita - B-: Their website advertised a designer I was interested in, but when I got there, they didn't have any in yet and said they were coming and the complete collection would be in within a few weeks. I went back and was disappointed that they really only had about 8-10 styles and not the whole collection. The owner was very friendly and helpful - this was at their new location.
David's Bridal in Greenfield -
I really hate this store for how they treat people. I came without an appointment and was given a rolling of the eyes and was told I needed one. When I asked if I could make one, they said someone could help me in 45 minutes, although there were dressing rooms empty and staff mulling about. I elected to browse. On another visit without an appointment, no one confronted me at the door, or offered at any point to help me. I selected some bridesmaid dresses and headed to a fitting room. Halfway through trying them on, someone finally noticed me and freaked out that I didn't have someone with me and said they needed to get someone. I kept trying on dresses, and on the very last one, someone finally showed up and asked how it was going and then left (so much for NEEDING someone). They are so rude here - I hope I never have to purchase anything here. It's a shame no one else is as competitive price-wise.
Vera's (Madison) - C - I was very disappointed by the size of their bridesmaid collection for how large and known their store is. They only had a few designers too.
Brandi's Bridal (New Glarus) A: Worth the drive! Friendly staff & enormous selection. They disclose designers & helped me put together a color scheme by pairing dresses together.
Apollo Bridal B: All I did here was take a walk through - they have a nice selection, though I didn't try anything on. Looks like you can arrive without an appointment.