Warning: Don't use Helene Bridal

vitacarminis

Ladies,
Wanted to warn you all ... I am a bride with a seriously small budget and I wanted my girls to have a dress that looked cute and wouldn't cost them over $100.  We picked a super-cute dress from an online retailer, HeleneBridal.com.
They had a lot of good reviews and when I did some Google searching, I didn't see that there were many bad reviews out there.  In fact, I don't remember buying any.
The dresses came.  They looked pretty different from the dress that we ordered, and ... they didn't fit.  One of the busts we ordered was supposed to be 34 inches.  It arrived as a 31.5 inch bust.  That's just ridiculous.
You can see pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vitacarminis/collections/72157624776770201/
So now I'm having to battle with them to get some kind of refund.  They're just saying, "Oh you measured wrong.  Take it to a tailor."  Ugh.
So ... don't buy from Helene Bridal.  Don't buy a knock-off from a shop in China.  It's not worth the hassle and the risk.

opalsky007

Thanks for sharing, and sorry you're dealing with this. You may also want to post a reviewin our new vendor reviews section--see my post titled "Want to help other brides? Share your reviews!" for a link.

Since I imagine you're short on time and cash right now, I'd suggest going to a department store and finding some cocktail dresses. There are some great deals to be had, and you save time and money any time you take the word "bridal" out of the title. Alternatively, you could just let them pick out their own dresses, or wear ones they already own. Most girls already have an LBD in their closet, so that could be a quick fix!

Cleo7

I'm so sorry you have to deal with this! 

I second pp's suggestion that you look at department stores.  In fact, J Crew has a dress that looks fairly similar to the one you had intended to get, it's called the silk taffeta Lorelei, here's a link:

http://www.jcrew.com/wedding/Wedding_Bridesmaid/dresses/silktaffeta/PRDOVR~11922/11922.jsp

It doesn't look like they have the exact color you were planning to use, but they have some good neutrals that should do the trick.  In my experience, J Crew's shipping is pretty quick, and they have a great return policy (excpet for final sale - no returns there). 

Good luck!

vitacarminis

Thanks so very much for the suggestions!  I will post this in the vendor section, and also check out some department stores!  I hate how much more complicated things become when you add the words "wedding" or "bridal" or "bridesmaid" to it!  So silly!