Shop here if you want to try on dresses in a beautiful environment .... But buy your dress from somewhere else and save yourself some frustration and some money.

Wait! (you're thinking right now) I want to have a person to talk to if something goes wrong! And I'm willing to pay a little more to make sure if I have any issues that they'll work with me to make it better and leave me feeling good about the experience....

... and there in lies the problem. The owner of Houston Bridal, Robyn, does not seem to care about making her customers happy or giving you clear guidance if something goes wrong with your order from her shop.

We bought bridesmaid dresses from Houston Bridal after trying on an identical size and style dress in the salon. When the dresses came in, they were too short and too tight. When Houston Bridal was contacted regarding the issue, the response was that we were incorrect, that the dress that we tried on in the store was a larger size (as if we were making this up), but if we wanted to bring our dresses in and/or try on the dresses in the store again she would see what she could do. At this point the dresses were already being altered and the wedding was closing in, so we opted to complete the alterations. Instead, per Robyn's request, we sent in photos of the issues with the dress.

After the wedding, again per Robyn's request, I went into the new salon with my dress and one of the other bridesmaids' dress that also had the same issue. At that time, I tried on the dress that we had originally tried on to prove the point that the dress in the store was a perfect fit and that the dress we received was at least 3" shorter and several sizes smaller (and we're talking a size or two smaller). Robyn agreed that something was strange and agreed to again contact the designer and informed us that they are typically very willing to work through these types of issues.

After not hearing anything from Robyn for several weeks, I had to contact her again at which point she said she wanted to talk over the phone.... perhaps to not document her accusations that we had somehow altered the dress to be too small and too short to try to take advantage of her?!? Really... I have nothing better to do than manipulate small businesses. She then requested that I send her an itemized receipt for the alterations that I had done on the dress.

Before I could even send her the receipt, she sends me an email stating that the designer can not do anything to compensate us because he didn't get to see the dress before it was altered (ok, fair enough) and that she agreed and that Houston Bridal would not do anything to compensate us either. What!?! After over a month of her asking us to take pictures, come to the store, bring in all the dresses, get an itemized receipt, call her back, wait on her responses... it goes on and on. Why did she opt to drag it out this long? I don't disagree that we should have found a way to get the dresses to her before they were touched by alterations (it's a logistical long story). If she had told us that then we would have accepted that and moved on. The issue here is that she didn't and she continued to waste our time and make the issue much worse.

Bottom line - Houston Bridal never bothered to take our measurements and verify that they had given us accurate guidance when we ordered the dresses from their store after trying on their sample dress. Somewhere along the line something went wrong and Robyn was too indecisive to make a call one way or the other and instead drug the issue out for almost two months. So, like I said, shop here because it's convenient and pretty. Buy your dress somewhere else and save some money because you're not buying service here.

My entire experience from start to finsh was wonderful with Houston Bridal and Formal Gallery. The service was tremendous. It was like having your closest friends helping you every step of they way. The whole experience of selecting your gown down to your shoes should be a magical experience....and mine was with Houston Bridal and Formal Gallery! There are so many options in the city of Houston....but this is definitely a unique place in style and service.

This is such a romantic bridal shop. The historic building makes it a nice experience. The salespeople here will become your friends, they are very generous and they are young and knowledgeable. Robin and Spencer are great help and are great about calling you back and making sure everything is taken care of for your wedding. Whether you just get bridesmaid gowns here or get your dress here, you will not be disappointed. They have quality dresses that make it worth what you are paying.

As soon as I walked in I loved the feel of this place and the beautiful dresses, however, the woman helping me get fitted for my bridesmaid dress was rude and apparently did not know how to take measurements! She insisted on a size 16 for me, even though the top literally fell off. I left the store irritated and ended up buying the same dress in a 12, from another store, and it fit perfectly. Love the store, just beware of their suggestions on sizing.

I went to Houston Bridal Gallery on the recommendation that "they treat you like a bride should be treated." I must say, this was not the case. It was by far the worst service I had ever experienced in a bridal salon.
-The undergarments had holes in them and were torn. I'm guessing this was from brides putting them on alone since there wasn't any assistance with dressing.
-The dresses were ripped, had broken zippers and missing buttons. Again, I'm sure this was because brides are forced to put on the dresses and take them of without any assistance.
-Although appointments are required, they must overbook or not know how many dressing rooms are available because there were way too many people there. There was 1 mirror for 5 brides.
-Overbooking also caused short staffing. Once I got into a dress alone, I had to walk into the middle of the salon, totally exposed, in order to get zipped or clipped. Then I had to wait for a mirror.
-Once my mom unzipped me, I had to pull the dresses off any hang them up.
-The only time the sales girl saw the inside of my dressing room was when she came to get dresses I had tried on so that other girls could try them on.
-I saw a dress that a friend of mine had worn. I commented TO MY FRIENDS that I did not like this dress; the sales girl asked who the bride was and I would not tell her. She went to the ordering books, found the bride's name, and came back and asked again. Very unprofessional.

Every other bridal salon I've been to has had 1-1 staffing (sometimes 2 staff/bride), dresses that were in much better shape, total assistance with dressing, and 1 mirror/bride.

I do not recommend Houston Bridal Salon. The same dresses can be found elsewhere.