07/28/09

Amazing experience!

by happybride10

She is amazing! I completely trust her. She knows what's she's doing and will not steer you wrong! Worth the drive and the money!

• Pros: A dressmaker not a tailor!
• Cons: none!

04/24/09

Awesome Lady!

by mbyers

I called her in the morning for help with my Mother of the Bride dress. She was able to fit me in the same day. She made my dress fit perfectly. There wasn't anything major to do so she fixed the dress while I waited. The small things that she did made a huge difference....she knew exactly what to do. We had the nicest chat while she worked. It was the best experience. Her fee was half of what I expected.

Now... for all of you that say she is rude.... Here is the deal.. she doesn't tolerate rudeness. So I am going to guess those who complained were rude first. Don't miss out on this lovely lady!!!

• Pros: Great ability and a kind person
• Cons: zero

09/06/08

quality service and attention to detail

by cheybear

Dottie Valentine now works out of her home. Yes, she is opinionated as others have said. BUT this is because she has a design degree and she truly has an eye for detail and what would look best. She spent 4 hours with me in total on our two visits. I purchased my gown at Carolina Bridal and Dottie made the alterations. Her attention to the detail I needed in my dress was superb. Dottie knows what she is doing when making alterations. I highly recommend her. I was open to her suggestions and they actually made my gown look fantastic on me! For the bride who knows what she wants, Dottie will do it and for the bride who needs help deciding, Dottie has a great eye and will steer you in the right direction. Don't be afraid to speak up- I wanted a particular bustle and she made it for me. She also took the time to re-sew my buttons on the back of the dress as they had a strange gap in them that didn't look "just right". Her prices are more than fair. I believe I lucked out by finding Dottie! For all you brides out there, good luck and I hope that you have as good an experience with your alterations as I did!

11/08/07

just strange

by carab1125

it's a small little shop so it doesn't have a huge selection. but instead, you're suppposed to look through a bunch of binders with pictures of dresses and then order one you like w/o trying it on first. so strange.

i didn't pick up on the rude attitude others have mentioned, but it just wasn't the shop for me.

• Pros: location
• Cons: small selection

07/17/07

This store is Amazing...Highly Recommended

by octbride

The owner of this store is very forward, to say the least. But, she does so with all the best of intentions. She is passionate about her work and service she provides the ladies that visit her shop. I went in looking for a specific dress and they did not have that dress available for me to try on; so the owner recommended another dress that was similar. I LOVED IT!! The next day she stayed open an extra 2 hours so my parents and maid of honor could see my dress and try on MOB gowns and bridesmaids? gowns. I never once felt pressured or rushed or insulted by the owner during any of my interactions with her. I think this store is a hidden treasure in Raleigh and I would recommend it to anyone.

• Pros: Great Service, Remarkable Prices
• Cons: Store is small and crowded

03/26/06

These people were so nice

by jcity220

I didn't find the dress that I wanted. They have a small selection in the store to try, however, the people here were the nicest of all the places I went. I would highly recommend at least stopping by to see what they have.

• Pros: great service
• Cons: small selection

01/23/06

I thought it was just me!

by barefootinthesand

I got my wedding dress there almost a year ago. The owner never seemed to be able to remember my name or that I had made an appointment. She was abrasive and rude. I ended up getting a really good deal on a dress, and the alterations were superb, but the attitude left me not wanting to recommend anyone I know go there. When I told her (prior to purchasing the dress) that I wanted to think about it... she was almost to the point of argumentative with me.. asking me WHY I had to think about it. And oh yeah, she was very smug and almost "I told you so" when I went back to get it. It was just a miserable experience and had I found a dress I liked better someplace else I would have gotten it there.

• Pros: Good Price, Alterations
• Cons: Attitude

08/12/05

I took a chance...and boy was I mistaken!

by mssocial

I got over the attitude as mentioned by most of the reviewers because I felt the experience the owner brought to the table surely meant the alterations would be outstanding. Afterall, her store information states that it is not unreasonable to expect to pay a lot for quality alterations. My gown alterations were almost $200 which included 3 bustles (2 of which broke the night of the wedding causing a 3" tear in the top layer organza) and slight take up of the bottom of the gown - no lace or detail to work around. Bridesmaids gowns were not up to par and the tuxes didn't fit appropriately - even though she measured the men herself. Two of the gowns were not ready until the week of the wedding. Those issues along with the poor attitude really took away from the magical moments of that aspect of the wedding planning.

• Pros: Small, Independantly-owned, Flexible Hours
• Cons: Quality, Pricing, Attitude

08/04/05

Without Her I Would've Been Lost!!

by bsjosie

True, the owner has a very opinionated way of choosing dresses for you, but that's because she knows her stuff and if you are going to look ridiculous in a dress she's not going to allow you to purchase it from her without giving you a little grief. She put me through about twenty dresses in like and hour and I hated every one. I came back and we went through some more, and BOOM! I found the one. Frankly I am glad she was opinionated enough, unlike some big name bridal shops that don't seem to have time for you with a million people running around. If you like personal attention and someone with years of experience, this is the place to go.

• Pros: Very Reasonable Price, Lots Of experience, Very straightforward

07/12/05

Steer clear

by cefin

I experienced the same overbearing attitude of the owner as the other review mentions, although I did take away a few ideas of what I ended up looking for in a dress to complement my body (at other shops). I did not buy my dress there thank goodness, but unfortunately my mom did. My mom needed a smaller size but the owner pressured her into buying the dress that came in the shop, so my mom ended up paying for alterations that cost almost as much as the dress. The alterations were also not ready on time. It was just a frustrating experience. If you do go there, you must have the attitude to stand up to the woman.

• Pros: nice selection
• Cons: pressure from owner, alteration costs