Prevue Formal and Bridal 5500 Grossmont Center Drive, La Mesa, CA 91942

"I'm not sure why this shop has such high reviews, maybe I was just an unlucky customer, but I doubt it! I bought my wedding dress a few months ago here and overall, I found the experience to be pretty awful. Buying your wedding dress is something you plan on only doing once in your life, and you would hope for it to be a lovely experience. If you say "yes to the dress" here don't expect anything nice like a glass of prosecco or anything like they do in other shops. Instead, I was brought to the register and asked by the staff to "fill out a survey on the screen" which was just a tipping option. I went back a couple of months later to fit it on with my sister who was visiting from another country and hadn't seen it , and there was another bride to be fitting on dresses so I wasn't helped, and awkwardly stood in the corner trying to fix my dress myself with my sister who was totally confused as to why no one was helping, and why we were passively shoved in a corner. The whole experience was so deflating, I cried after I left the shop. I went back to try on different dresses- because I wasn't sure if I hated my dress or just hated how I felt at the time due to the way I was treated. I told one of the staff this when I went back to try on new dresses and she was very dismissive, and said "That's what happens when you try on the dress too much". I had only tried on the dress one time and that was when I bought it. There was no option of a refund so I ultimately went with the dress. When I collected the dress it was brought out to me bundled in a plastic see-through bag like you would get at the dry cleaners, and I was charged $27 extra for a carrier bag that doesn't even have a hook so it drags on the floor. Surely, after paying over two thousand for a dress a garment bag would be included? I had called in January to see if I should collect the dress, and was advised to leave it until February, which I did. I am now struggling to find anyone decent to do alterations, with most seamstresses telling me they can’t do it because I left it too late. I have found someone, but they are charging me a $100 rush fee on top of the cost of the alterations. Overall, this experience was a complete let down and I would not recommend this business or service to any future brides, find another shop that stocks the dress you are looking at. I wish I did. The extras like a little glass of prosecco would be cute, but not a necessity. However, it is the overall poor customer service that has made this whole experience feel like a stressor. Buying your wedding dress is such a special occasion and it is the assistant's job to make sure every bride has an amazing experience as best they can. I don't believe you will get that here. Look elsewhere."

"Sold us a dress that wouldn’t zip up and was ripping at the seams. We bought a dress for an event later that day, the sales associate helped her try it on and take it off so we didn’t notice any issues. By the time we got home and attempted to put on the dress, there was huge hole at the zipper because all the seams were ripped and the zipper was unable to zip up. When I called them back all they could say is we can refer you to a seamstress for an event that already passed. $500 on a dress she couldn’t wear."

"I had a wonderful experience at Prevue finding my wedding dress! I was pretty overwhelmed when deciding where to try on dresses. A lot of shops in San Diego have dresses WAY out of my budget and required $50-200 just for the fitting appointment. My fitting appointment at Prevue was free and they had a lot of dress options in my budget (between $1000-3000). I specifically loved a lot of the Essence of Australia dresses with the buttons all the way down the train! The woman who was helping me was very knowledgeable and showed me a lot of dresses within the styles I liked. I was never rushed and never felt uncomfortable during the appointment. I narrowed down my favorites to 3-4 dresses and then came back for a 2nd appointment with my mom and best friend who helped me pick the one! They ordered my dress for me and I picked in up in 6 DAYS! It was incredibly fast. The dress fit perfectly as well. I just had to have it hemmed (which I had done by a woman Prevue recommended and she did a fabulous job). Highly recommend this shop if you’re looking for somewhere low stress, simple, and within this price range!"

"I absolute LOVED my wedding dress! I had gone to 4 other dress shops prior to going to Prevue and was ecstatic to finally find "the one!" The dress I chose was classic yet unique yet me and I couldn't stop looking at photos of it after choosing it! I won't take a star off for this but wanted to note the following for future brides to be going through this process: I do wish the staff had educated me on the implications of choosing the style dress I did. Since it was a corseted style, I wish I had a little more of a warning that fitting it would be a challenge. Second, since they measure and order the size based on the measurements they take, I wish they would have consulted me more as the dress arrived and was INCREDIBLY snug. I ended up having to get fabric added to it at the alterations shop because of the small size they ordered. Again, I don't think they did anything wrong, I just wish they had had these conversations with me in the buying process!"

"Love this place! They have everything you need for a wedding and even for a formal outting. I love the service and group of staff that go over and beyond to serve and provide assistance! Caitlin and her mom are too notch people ! I bought my wedding dress from this store and also a formal dress for a symphony that I went to!! Love my dresses!!! Thank you Prevue!"