Bridal Elegance By Darlene

This review is so important to me because the experience I had will be with me forever. From the moment I walked into Bridal Elegance, meeting Darlene and Desiree, my dream dress being found, and down to the tailor.. it was the best part of all the wedding things I've done hands down. I have to tell it all! I didn't have an appointment, my stepmom and I were just dipping our feet into dress looking. I stopped there because my sister in law got her dress there 10 yrs ago and I remember how beautiful it all was. I didn't want to try on a dress, I wasn't feeling confident that day. But I was arriving closer to my wedding date. Desiree saw us looking through the window, opened the door. I let her know exactly what we were doing, she happened to have some time and took us in. Darlene was so kind and engaged from the moment we sat down. Desiree was so ready to help, and we were truly treated like we had an appointment for months. I believe the woman who helped me was Alyssa (I'm so sad I don't remember because she was beyond amazing, her and I cried and laughed together like old friends) She was given exactly what I was looking for... when I tell you she nailed it! I actually Picked the First dress she had out! I did try on around 8, eliminated down to 3, modeled those again.. and the whole time her and I knew I loved the first one from the the first minute! so they clearly were not rushing me. She also knew how uncomfortable I was and she was so sweet. I cannot describe how beautiful I felt from the first look and trying them all on was princess feeling. (If you don't want to try on dresses.. come here.. this is your sign!) I was cutting my dates close but Desiree assured me they could get it done. I had let her know my mother and I needed to come back immediately so she could see the sample and her and I could have the same moments. They let us come back, take their time again, try on the dress just to show, more pictures, and we got the same unbelievable love and experience. (Not to mention I took my son and they loved him, he felt very welcomed.) When my dress came in, both my mom and step mom got to be there we cried harder with the staff, more pictures. I got the same moment 3 times! They give you parting gifts, that made me cry in the car again, little final bride things, we forget! Darlene's hugs are to die for and her telling me how beautiful I was ugh, cried the whole time. Now. Alterations, "bridal places are suppose to have it" let me tell you why this isn't an issue.. at all. They have a list of people they trust, like I mentioned I was cutting it close, and Desiree referred me to Kim's alterations. Told me to call right then and she would take me right then.. that's exactly what happened. Drove a little bit, tried it on for her, took 5 minutes, she only needed 1 wk. (astonishing) and the prices! I was in Awh, beyond reasonable. So worth heading to Kim, off of Desiree's suggestion. Exactly what she said would happen, did. Real deal all the way around. I will also be going back there for pants and any tailor need! Now last piece, I did not go for my dress on time, Kim left out of town. I was freaking out, contacted Bridal Elegance again (they respond to DM's immediately it was also amazing) and even after it all, they offered me my sample dress if it didn't work out. I truly cannot believe them. Kim had a family member open the shop to give me my dress in time. I'm 3 days away from the big day, dress sitting infront of me. That was 10/10 and some of the most beautiful, professional, kind women I have ever met. I will be tagging them in all my wedding photos on IG as well. Thank you ladies I know you saw how full ya'll made my heart the whole time, my whole family will forever be coming back!

We had a fantastic experience at Bridal Elegance. I decided to take my fiancé, Mom and future Mother In Law with me, I adore them all and value their opinions. I know this is not the most traditional but we were so welcomed and treated with kindness, patience and very sound professional help. We were given enough space navigate though amazing choices but really valued the expert help, not to mention all of the beautiful dress options!!! The experience is already a happy part of our wedding planning, so excited about my dress! Would highly recommend!

I have been modeling dresses for Darlene for several years. The store was a little hard to find at first (for those of us directionally challenged), but nothing a little GPS could solve. I'm always amazed at her collection- the latest styles, colors, and even several from one of my favorite designers Maggie Sottero collections. To top it off, Darlene, her daughter, and Danielle greet you by name and always take the time to work with you. Fittings never feel rushed and it's fun to try everything on. Everything is always clean and well-organized.Walk-ins are welcome, but it is encouraged to call ahead- that way you'll be able to spend more time for the dress you're looking for, whether that be bridal, bridesmaid, flower girl, evening gown, special occasion, even prom dresses. (I always find at least one gown or two that I'm tempted to take home). Darlene has it all!

A hidden gem!! I am so grateful to Darlene and Desiree! First, when you go into the shop, you're treated like family. Darlene listened to everything I wanted and helped me find the dress of my dreams in my budget. I tried on tons of dresses and she suggested silhouettes that I never thought of. Unlike other shops, she would pin everything so I got a great idea of the end result. Darlene has designers that you won't find anywhere else - trust me, I looked. Also, the atmosphere is calm and there's no pushy car salesman tactics. I came into the shop with a lot of anxiety and insecurity about dress shopping. With Darlene and Desiree, all those nerves and jitters melted away. They are the sweetest. Another bonus is that by purchasing my dress here, I'm supporting small business and a wonderful family. Don't hesitate, make an appointment and bring the tissues because you're going to "say yes to the dress"!

I was worried that I would have to leave Albuquerque and go to Scottsdale or Vegas to find the type of dress I was looking for. My coworker suggested I stop by this boutique before I went out of state. I easily made an appointment and took my mom. This is definitely a local mom and pop store but I don't judge a book by it's cover and I'm so glad I didn't. I showed them inspiration pictures and within the first two dresses they pulled for me I knew I was at the right place. In fact the second dress I tried on is the one I was going for. It was simple and classy but with some flare. Darlene and her daughter were so kind and helpful. Thank you for making this an amazing experience!

Store needs to be updated...... Bad. They do have some good dresses but they make promises they can't keep. They charged me for things I didn't want and forced me to pay for them. They are in it for the money not for you or your experience.

The absolute best place to get a dress for any occasion is Bridal Elegance by Darlene! I have known Darlene for many years and my son got getting married this passed August, so I finally had an occasion to wear one of her beautiful dresses. I haven't worn a dress in decades and Darlene helped me pick out multiple dresses in different styles to try on. She actually picked the two I fell in love with! They were dresses that I personally wouldn't have never even chosen to tried on. She knew what style would look best on me much more than I did. She did a perfect job on my alterations and bent over backwards to get to fit just right! They have a great selection in the shop in all price range and if they don't have it they can definitely get it for you. It was a great experience and so fun. Thank you Darlene so much for making this special occasion perfect for me!

I had a horrible and overall disappointing experience with Darlene's. I was told I needed an appointment to try veils on so one was made and attended. At that time two staff member's including Darlene repeatedly told me I COULD and SHOULD bring my gown (which was purchased elsewhere) to better match veils. They all okayed this and asked me to rebook another appointment. This was appointment nearly a month later as they ALSO requested that it had to be on a week day no exceptions. The week of my appointment they call me to rescind the invitation to bring my dress in. I was shocked as it cost me a lot of time waiting for this single appointment and they had okayed it several times. I still held out hope and attended without my gown and then inquired about the ability to return the veil if it didn't match my gown; To which the women replied "oh it's final sale." I was so taken aback by this as they were the ones who asked me to bring my gown, then denied that, then told me if I buy the veil no exchanges or returns.

Absolute worst wedding dress shopping experience. The customer service was terrible. I went with a $1400 budget and they put in a dress over $800 more with no warning. They then gave me condescending financial remarks on how to afford the dress as if my budget was a joke. Every time I made comments about a dress, the staff was dismissive and pushy about why I should like it. Wedding dress shopping should be a special occasion but I left the store in tears. While I loved many of the dresses, I will never give them my business and I will find a dress elsewhere.

Highly recommend! During both my bridal and veil appointments, multiple employees were working to pull items that suited and fit my vision. I ended up with the perfect dress- that came in a month ahead of schedule and fit perfectly! I would definitely recommend this shop to friends and family!