Carriage House Weddings

This was not a good experience at all. The owner was rude and not helpful. I arrived for my appointment 10 minutes early and she obviously was not happy about that. After telling her my budget was between $2,500 and $3,000, she kept trying to put me in dresses way over my budget. I didn't like her, her dresses or her attitude. I would not recommend this place to anyone. more

Carriage House was great -- very accommodating and nice selection (window displays were beautiful too!). The stylist shows you dresses once you have given her a description of your ""bridal style"". You are given a large, private dressing room and even champagne if you want! There are many options to tweak dresses (if you love a dress but want a different neckline, etc.), and the stylist is very helpful. I did not find my dress here, but did find a close second! Would definitely recommend to a friend. more

A tremendous burden has been lifted since I visited Carriage House Weddings last Saturday! I'm getting married in October and just like all other brides, I wanted to find my ""dream dress"". I visited a few places prior to going to Birmingham but I just couldn't find ""the one""...I was getting a little stressed and discouraged and began to think I was being a little too picky. However, I also knew that this was certainly a time when being ""picky"" was okay. I was told that I would know when I've found THE ONE-and I found that at Carriage House Weddings. My mom, aunt and cousin went with me for the weekend and we had the day planned out-I had an appointment with Caroline that morning and then I had another later that afternoon with a couple of stops in between at other dress shops. I have to say that this was one time I'm SO thankful those plans were quickly changed! A cheerful Caroline greeted us at the door and proved to me why this store is so successful--she made us feel right at home and she listened to what I said. I had not had great experience with prior stores because the salespeople seemed to have their own agenda. With Caroline, she got a feel for what I was envisioning in a wedding gown and we went to work! My mom spotted a gown on the rack that fit the exact description of what I had in mind...Caroline led us to the large dressing area and pulled in extra chairs for the family and from there it all fell into place. I tried on that gown and I KNEW that was it. I loved it, my family loved it, Caroline loved it...and I know my future husband will love it! \r Even better- I made a final decision on my bridesmaids gown as well! Caroline was so accomodating and made sure that I was very happy with my decision and she has worked with me since then (and it's only been two days) by contacting my bridesmaids and taking that work off of me in gathering measurements, payment, etc. \r We left there an hour later with both my wedding dress and my bridesmaids gown chosen and we were all looking at one another in amazement and wondering what we were going to do with ourselves the rest of the day. Not to worry...Caroline pointed us in the direction of a fabulous restaurant where we could enjoy the beautiful day and reminisce about the awesome experience we just had (and the fact that we just bought the first gown I tried on that day). This whole experience was absolutely amazing and I only hope that other's reading this review are just as fortunate as I was. Even if you don't choose the first gown you try on, or even if you have to go back and take a look at other gowns there, you will definitely walk away with the comfort of knowing that Carriage House Weddings strives to make this a wonderful experience and they want you to know that this is your day...and you deserve to feel like most beautiful bride ever! Pros: Exceptional customer service more

When I first started looking around Birmingham at Bridal Salons, I knew I wanted to visit Carriage House for the designers they carried. But when I went, I was impressed by more than the great gown selection. My mom, sister and I were escorted into a large private room where I was asked what kind of gown I wanted. Then my mom, sister, the girl who was helping me, and myself all went out and picked out dresses that we thought would look good on me and would fit into what I wanted. Not only was the girl helping me great at customer service, but she was also very knowledgeable about the different gowns available. She was so kind and let me try the dress I chose back on three or four times!!! And my appointment went over an hour and I wasn't rushed out or anything! The staff at Carriage House made finding a dress easy and perfect! I don't know what the other two comments were referring to about the customer service. My experience was wonderful and I would recommend this shop to anyone who was looking for a wedding dress in the Southeastern region. Pros: Great Customer Service, Gown Selection, and Atmosphere Cons: Hours of Operation more

I contacted the Carriage House because I heard that they have the prettiest dresses in Bham. I contacted them through the website and I sent an email to request an appointment. I'm originally from Bham, and I wanted to look for a dress with my mom while home for the holidays. I received a response from Caroline: nothing available around Thanksgiving, so I suggested some dates around Christmas. She never got back to me. THREE WEEKS LATER, I emailed again and this time she referred me to one of the associates. Lindsay was equally communication challenged, though in a different way. She was overeager: after an email at 5pm, she sent me another one the next morning at 830am. Understanding that I had to confirm schedules with my mother, I assumed that she'd give me at least 24hrs to respond! Amazingly, this bridal salon is not open on the weekends and apparently closes at 2pm...not very convenient hours. They say you can make an appointment outside of the posted hours, but they were very unhelpful and uncollaborative. When we did finally get there, they had a poor selection of gowns. The gal who helped us was extremely knowledgeable about the store's merchandise and seemed sweet, but she didn't ask what I wanted in a gown; she just said, ""why don't you look around?"" I would have loved to have some guidance as far as general price for different designers, textures, styles for different times of day, etc. Part of the fun of planning a wedding is the experiences that go along with it, especially looking for a wedding gown with your mother. A polite, but unengaged salesperson is just not the kind of experience that contributes to a positive atmosphere and ultimately, the sale of a $3000-4000 gown. I will definitely not recommend this shop! Pros: some pretty dresses Cons: willingness to work with customers more

Ok, I am rating the Carriage House based SOLEY on Customer Service (since that is what sells a product anyway). Let me start off by saying that your wedding day is so important. When it comes to that perfect dress, you definitely want to be able to take your time and work with someone that is willing to give you all of their attention. You will NOT find that at the Carriage House. I walked in for my afternoon appointment to find a small selection of designer gowns in a crowded room with two other brides there at the same time. Weaving in and out of friends and family made it very difficult for me and my mother to painlessly look at the dresses without feeling pressured. Also, because there were two other brides there, seeing all of the dresses simply was not possible. If I THOUGHT I liked a gown, I had to grab and rush it to my designated room. Next, the women that work there are not personable at all. They did introduce themselves, state the designers that were offered, and that was it. Once you were in your room and ready to change, they did ask questions about location, time, etc of your big day but shouldn't that have been done BEFORE you look through the gowns? They are supposed to be there to help, right? While I cannot say that I was treated badly I can say that it wasn't the experience that I should have had at a bridal store that has gowns from 2,400 and up. The staff was, simply stated, stuck-up and cold. They focus too much on volume over seeing what is really important to a bride. Time was also such a focus there; forget staying much over an hour! If you are looking for exceptional service with personal attention and GORGEOUS gowns, go to The White Room in Helena, AL. Great location and the woman that work there know how to treat their customers. THE ONE STAR IS FOR QUALITY OF GOWNS, NOT SERVICE! Pros: Great gowns and great location! ONE sales lady was a sweetie! Cons: Lack of comfortablilty due to small rooms and cold staff. Focus too much on time. more