Eva's Bridal in Oak Creek...anyone been there???

tigger75

Hi!

I received an email from Eva's bridal regarding a sale they are having...according to their website they claim to have a large variety of gowns. I'm a plus size bride and I'm just wondering if anyone has been there and what the service was like??

Thanks!

hardlyhannah

I've only been their when I was a bridesmaid - I wasn't crazy about how they handled the service (several of us in one dressing room) - but they did have a large selection of dresses.

StephJean83

I also have only gone there as a bridesmaid. There were only 4 of us including the bride and we had 2 dressing rooms. They were nice and had a large selection of dresses. My sister was the bride when I went but she suggested I go to Amelishan Bridal in Hubertus. She has been there for more recent weddings she has been in and highly recommends them.

Andama08

I went in September and it was my first stop for my bridal gown. The first gown I tried on I fell in love with. Unfortunately I wasn't ready to purchase that day so I asked who the designer was so I could keep a list of dresses I liked. The woman helping me refused to give me the name and style of the dress unless I purchased it. I left out of the store dress less and immediately went home to their Eva's online website. I searched through each designers webpage and found the dress! 3 weeks later I went to Savvy Bridal in Brookfield and purchased the gown and also received 10% off. They have an OK selection of dresses but I wasn't to happy with giving them my business with my personal experience.

tigger75

That is how Amelishan Bridal is, they don't allow you to know who the designer is of the dress unless you purchase it. I also heard that they don't allow you take any pictures either which I don't understand...how am I supposed to remember what I look like???

hardlyhannah

I was able to take pictures at Amelishan. They say you can't on the website but when I got there I made a comment like 'Oh, I can't take pictures, right?' and she said no - go right ahead.

tigger75

I guess it depends on who your consultant is at Amelishan...I was not allowed to take pictures when I was trying dresses on. 

I'm not sure I want to go to Eva's regardless of the sale they are having, it doesnt seem like it will be a good experience. Plus their website doesnt tell you what lines of dresses they carry so I have no idea what I'd even be going to look at. 

callieotto

I went to Eva's last October as my first trip for wedding dress shopping.

 

My thoughts:

-They have a good selection and the service COMPLETELY depends on who you have helping you. I had a girl who it was her first day and she was the sweetest thing.

-I called ahead of time to ask if they were able to accommodate my size (the dress I ended up ordering is a size 20)

-I had an employee who wasn't even helping me make a rude comment to my mom about how of course the dress looked good in the picture, the girl was a size 2 or something like that. My mom informed her she was saying how good I looked and the employee walked away. It wasn't a rude comment towards me exactly, but when you have a plus size girl trying on a dress you don't make comments about size 2's. Period.

-They run a 20% off deal every year around Sept/Oct/Nov. You donate food (great cause!) and get 20% off.

 

-They let me take pictures. Just do it in the dressing room when they aren't in there. Even when they were they still let me do it anyways.

 

-If you have to stay in the Milwaukee area I highly recommend Stone Manor Bridal in Cedarburg. They are smaller, but have a TON of dresses and were so nice about me needed a bigger size. I was so worried I would not be able to try on many dresses because they wouldn't carry a larger size. I tried on the 8s, 10s, 12s and even though they were no where near fitting, they just  held them up and I could still try them all on. And they were SO NICE and made me feel so comfortable. I didn't want to only have to try on the ones that they had in my size.

-My ABSOLUTE FAVORITE is the Bridal Event in Appleton, WI. That is where I ultimately ordered my dress from. They have a great plus size selection and in general, they have a HUGE selection of dresses. Around fall they run a 20% off deal which I used. They were so accommodating in letting me try all sizes on and they are so nice and have the best prices.

tigger75

I did call and spoke to a lady named Carrie, she seems nice but older, not that age matters. She said they have about 30-35 dresses size 18 and above so I guess there is a decent selection. I'm hoping they will let me go into the room alone, just because I dread the idea of having someone in there with me...I really don't like undressing in front of other people. So I guess this means I could sneak my own pics?? 

I have seen reviews for the Bridal Event in Appleton...and honestly if I have to drive 2 hours to find the perfect dress I'm ok with that...I just really have a fear that I won't find what I'm looking for, and I really don't even know what that is. I need a consultant who is going to take my ideas and find dresses that may look good on my shape...the only place I went dress shopping before left me to find everything myself and gave me no input what so ever

callieotto

@tigger75

 

Feel free to email me at callie@firstcomeslovetheblog.com (this is the email I use for my blog)

I was petrified going into dress shopping. Nothing anyone was going to say really made me feel better. Email me and I'll give you some more tips!

tigger75

@callieotto - just emailed you! Thanks so much for all your help!

ADH0906

I had a pretty terrible experience at Eva's...  I ultimately got my dress from Bliss Bridal in Brookfield, but also had amazing service at Savvy Bride (Brookfield I think?) and at Images of Racine. 

At Eva's, we stood at the counter for several minutes while the ladies finished their gossipy conversation.  I am absolutely not interested in letting the consultant pull dresses for me (without allowing me to look with her) but Eva's pretty much gives you a rolling rack and lets you do all the heavy lifting...as in, they walk away.  They didn't ask my budget once, and made zero recommendations.  The dressing room was SUPER small and there were no chairs outside, so my MOH got squished into the dressing room corner.  The last person's dresses were still hanging in the room, and it was pretty dirty.  They do have private mirrors within the rooms, which I liked. 

I had heard that they didn't tell you the designer from another review...  for the record, this was the only store that I went to that did this.  All of the nicer stores were completely upfront.  I asked my consultant the designer of a dress just to see, and I got a super long explanation that they can't tell you the designer because of how competitive the wedding industry is.  It was such a horribly appointment... laughably bad.  I didn't find their prices to be less than other salons, and I know Bliss offered a discount if you buy a dress on your first appointment.  I think Savvy Brides had a similar offer? I was working with a $1500 budget, and managed to come way under at Bliss. 

For the above poster that is anxious about the appointment:  both Savvy and Bliss had mirrors within the private dressing rooms, if that helps.  I didn't particularly enjoy letting strangers dress me, but some of those dresses are a serious undertaking to get on.  In hindsight, I wish I had taken a short dressing robe with me, because there is sometimes a lag between undressing and stepping into the dress (while they take it off the hanger, etc).  A good bridal consultant will make you feel at ease, even standing in your undies while discussing your venue!  I hope you have a great time! 

valatia

a few words of warning with Bridal Event: Watch the sizing charts for your brand, they WILL order a smaller size to force alterations.  This happened to me and it was an absolute mess.  Also, they don't take appointments, so I suggest avoiding weekends.  I have been there several times as a bridesmaid, and was a lot less than impressed.  Having worked at David's Bridal, I felt David's was better, honestly, and I'm not a huge fan of David's. 

I have had good luck with Bridal Elegance in Kaukauna, and have also heard good things about Edith's in Fond du Lac.

tigger75

Well...I did visit Eva's on Friday. I wanted to see what selection of dresses they had to offer and see what the pricing was for this big "sidewalk sale" they were having. It wasn't really worth going...they had one small section of plus size gowns and out of the 30 they had, most were in a size 16-18 so it wasnt even possible trying them on. What really bothered me was how they cut the tags out of all the dresses so you don't know who the designer is! To me that is deceiving and their ploy to get you to buy only with them. I was not impressed. 

So the search goes on...where to go and find a dress. I am hearing mixed reviews of alot of the shops so I'm not really any further in finding a place to go then I was before. *shrug*

muenginerd

I just bought my dress at Savvy Bride in Brookfield.  I wasn't planning on buying a dress this early, but they are close to work and I've used them before for bridesmaids. 

We couldn't of been happier with the service and I was really happy to stop shopping then and there.  I'm plus size too (street 18, ended up ordering 22).  The consultant did a great job fitting plenty of samples that weren't plus size.  She was very knowledgeable about designers, who allows customization who doesn't, and what alterations can change in a dress.  There was absolutely no pressure to buy and I had to actually ask her to place an order.

They do have a slightly smaller selection than some other stores but also operate on a loaner program.  If there is a dress you are looking for, call ahead to see if they can get it into the store for you.

mcybela18

I had an awesome experience there! They have beautiful dresses for a reasonable prices! Also, might be going back to look at their bridesmaids dresses.

wilfert14

I had a bad experience at Eva's, but everyone has different experiences everywhere.  I see people say they had a bad experience at Amelishan and I LOVED Amelishan.  I could also take pictures.  Also, every dress I tried on had the designer name on the tag.

On Eva's I have gotten 2 bridemaid dresses there-terrible service both times. and tried on bridal gowns.  Lack of sizes is a turn off.  However, my sister-in-law had a good experience.

Again-everyone does have different experiences everywhere.