We did not have an appointment when we walked into Francesca's one rainy Saturday after going to another shop looking for a dress. Although they do request that you make an appointment, they were not busy at the time and were able to see us. The first dress that my daughter tried on was beautiful. There was a row of beading that she wished was not where it was. They were able to order the dress without that!! We were so happy about that. The whole process was really nice. We felt special and everything was done in a timely fashion.

For my daughter's wedding, aside from personal assistance throughout the whole process of buying a wedding dress, maid of honor's dress and mother of the bride's dress, Francesca's Bridal was there for us.
My daughter was able to add personal touches to her dress, and that was very special. Mother and maid of honor were out of state, however, Francesca's was able to order and ship our dresses for preview and alterations. Most importantly, on our special day, we felt beautiful! The attire was one of the most important components for that special day and having the personable services of Francesca and her staff certainly made a difference.

Every girl dreams of her big day...who she will marry, where she will get married, who will be in the wedding AND what she will look like! I had always envisioned myself walking down the aisle in a big poofy dress. When I started my journey to finding the perfect gown, I figured I would probably get just that - a big poofy princess gown. When I walked into Francesca's Bridal, Francesca welcomed my family and me with open arms. She listened to what I thought I would want and then she pulled a few dresses. We went into the dressing room and the first dress I put on was the typical poofy princess gown I told her about. After that, she asked me if I would try some of her ideas. She showed me options I would have never thought of on my own.
I am a very, very particular person and after trying on several gowns, Francesca and her team suggested that we design a gown just for me! I was completely shocked, but very happy with the suggestion. I had fallen in love with the skirt of a dress designed by Paula Varsalona and Francesca immediately suggested she design my gown. We pinned dresses and belts together to create an idea of the dress I dreamed of and Paula sketched the design. Together, we edited and tweaked the sketch until it was just right! The dress was made just for me and just for my body! I was able to see the gown through the stages of creation from sketch to the final product. It was such an incredible experience.
Francesca and her entire team made me feel like I was the ONLY bride they were taking care of when I was in the salon. I have several friends that are “Francesca’s Brides” and they felt exactly the same way. Everyone who works at the salon helped me through all of my appointments and fittings to make sure I felt like the dress was perfect. From scheduling extra time to work on my dress to just answering a simple question over the phone, the women at Francesca’s Bridal were always helpful.

I am very happy with my choice of getting my dress from Francesca's Bridal Salon. From the first day that I walked in the door to the day I picked up my dress before my wedding, the customer service that I received was amazing. I would highly recommend this salon to brides looking for their perfect dress.

Francesca went above and beyond to help me get a dress that had recently been discontinued. Her strong relationships with the manufacturer enabled me to get 'the one' dress that I had been looking for but had not yet found - until I went to her salon. Additionally, she provided great recommendations to make the dress my own. I absolutely loved my dress and working with the staff at Francesca's bridal.

Francesca's Bridal was the perfect choice to find my wedding gown. They fit into my budget and I found exactly what I was looking for! Francesca, her daughter, and Betty Ann were super helpful. When I showed them the pictures I brought, they were able to gauge my taste immediately. We picked out several dresses and they let me try on as many as I wanted. They didn't rush me or make me feel like I had to make any immediate decisions that day (even though I did!). They were extremely patient and understanding. When I went back for my 3 fittings closer to our wedding date, they made me feel very comfortable and offered me champagne! We had a bit of a mishap with the belt that was supposed to be sewn into the dress-Barcelona never mailed the belt and it was February. Not to worry! Francesca was committed to getting it to me before the wedding-She worked all through the week and weekend (even with the time differences) to ensure it was overnighted. Everything worked out wonderfully-I couldn't have asked for a better boutique to have purchased my dress in!

I absolutely loved my dress and working with Francesca and Brittany. They were so accommodating and understanding of my situation with my parents living out of the country and helped my requests. The seamstress was amazing and she did an amazing job of getting my dress to fit me perfectly and the bustle looked great!
They were so easy to work with and they even steamed my veil (even though I got it from somewhere else!)

Francesca's Bridal Salon has a large selection of beautiful gowns, including choices from many designers. My daughter visited several Baltimore and DC bridal salons before coming to Francesca's. Brittany, the gown consultant, was knowledgeable and very helpful. When my daughter said to cancel her remaining bridal gown appointments after putting on a gorgeous Paula Varsalona gown, we knew this was the one for her! The gown was designed and made in New York; Francesca's seamstress patiently made the adjustments our daughter wanted, and the gown looked stunning! During the course of the process, we sometimes had to leave a few messages before getting a return call. We did have an issue with the gown, but it was handled professionally by Francesca and Brittany. Brittany also helped our daughter select a beautiful veil which completed the elegant look our daughter loved.

My daughter bought her wedding dress, beaded belt, and hair clip at Francesca's. The service from the staff was wonderful. They also did a alteration on my older daughter's bridesmaid dress even though we didn't buy the dress from them! They always have a wide range and up to date selection of bridal, bridesmaid, and other formal gowns for all ages and sizes. I would highly recommend Francesca's.

Franchesca is so sweet and she really tries to find something in your style, I thought it was going to be so hard to find a dress but she found the one after 4 dresses. Her daughters are also really great to work with. She does not carry a lot of one certain dress so you know you will not see a lot of other brides in the same dress.

The owner, Francesca, assisted my mother and I in finding the best wedding dress and mother of the bride dress. She stayed within our budget and gave suggestions on shoes, hair pieces and earrings. I came back to a trunk show at the salon and bought hair pieces and earrings. The alterations were excellent and the staff made sure I was completely satisfied before I left. I highly recommend this Bridal Salon!

When shopping for a wedding dress, I did not want to blow the bank on an outfit I would wear for a matter of hours. That being said, I also wanted a dress that felt and looked elegant. As much I wanted to purchase a David's Bridal dress for price reasons, I just did not like the feel of any dresses there. The dresses I tried on there all felt cheap to me!

I came to Francesca's after finding it online - I made an appointment around Thanksgiving when my mother and grandmother would be in town. We worked with Francesca and she was wonderful! Since I had been to one salon previously, I had a vague idea of what I liked - mermaid/trumpet style, but I was open to pretty much anything. Francesca pulled a few dresses (maybe 6 or 7?) and we instantly liked 2 of them. I coudn't commit to one that day, but I promised her I would be back to purchase one of them. A few days later I went with a friend to David's Bridal, because I had to make sure there was nothing at David's that would work before I spent the money on one of the dresses at Francesca's. After eliminating David's Bridal, I went back to Francesca's with another friend to try on the two dresses I had narrowed it down to. My friend also preferred my first choice, and the dress was ordered.

As far as my shopping experience, I rate the salon perfectly. I gave a few slightly lower ratings for the following reasons:
- I ordered the dress in November. In January I was asked to come in for additional measurements because I had ordered extra length due to my height. At the end of March I had not heard anything about the status of my dress, and had to call 3 or 4 times before I got any update because my messages were not being returned.
- I was not happy with the alteration process. I ordered extra length (which as I mentioned I was measured for) and then was charged to have the dress hemmed. I did ask if the cost would be reduced, and was told that the dress length was manufactured to my measurements and the length was what it was supposed to be, but since I wanted to change it I needed to pay for it. Now if the seamstress would have told me this when we were figuring out what alterations should be made, I would not have changed it. I also felt like I was taken advantage of with all of the alterations - the seamstress did not explain different options or pricing AT ALL while she was pinning things up. I ended up paying almost $600 for alterations!!

Bottom line, I would absolutely recommend shopping for your dress here but I would take the dress elsewhere for alterations.

Francesca's was wonderful. I had an appointment with Peggy and she was great! She helped me look for a dress that suited my body type and was similar to what I described. I found the perfect dress! Peggy was so sweet and really helped me look stunning on my special day! The only complaint I have is the time I was quoted for my bridesmaid dresses and my earrings and veil were off... by months! The bridesmaid dresses came in a month late and my earrings/veils 3 months late! And when I called to find out where they were it took the shipping manager over a week to call me back! Otherwise I had a good experience!

Jeri and other staff were very friendly when we met them at a Bridal Expo and when we had our first shopping experience in the store. We ended up finding my dress at another store, but enjoyed working with Jeri so much, that we ordered the dress from Francesca's because we wanted to give them business and continue working with Jeri. My mother and mother-in-law both ultimately ordered their dresses from Francesca's as well. Despite our initial positive experiences, things quickly went downhill and never quite redeemed themselves.

The staff was very unresponsive, rarely returning calls until we had left repeated messages. Jeri stopped recognizing us and we rarely saw her at the store. My mother's dress arrived without the extra material she had purchased from the designer for a shawl. Francesca's showed little interest in finding the material until my mom repeatedly urged them to track the material so that it could be located in time to make the shawl for the wedding. Once it arrived, the employees did not communicate with each other and the seamstress was never told that the material had arrived, thus further delaying completion. The seamstress altered my mothers dress and made the neckline uncentered and did a horrible job creating the shawl. A second seamstress at Francesca's luckily corrected the alterations one week before the wedding.

My mother-in-law ordered her dress and was under the impression from Francesca's that it could be shipped to her in Illinois without additional cost. However, this did not prove to be the case and my mother-in-law had to pay for shipping.

My dress took multiple alterations to get correct, during which Francesca and the seamstresses blamed me for losing weight, despite my weight maintenance. The first seamstress did not know what a sweetheart neckline was, despite her promise to create one for me when we ordered the dress. She created a terrible neckline that required a second seamstress (also at Francesca's) to correct her mistakes. The first seamstress also dripped blood down my dress before realizing that she had stuck herself with a needle. Thankfully the blood stains came out. The seamstresses created pleats down the back of the dress that were not a part of the original dress, then claimed that they were supposed to be there. I had to show them the dress on the designers website to prove that the pleats were not a part of the dress.

Despite ordering my dress nine months before the wedding, my bridal gown was only ready two days before the wedding due to all of the alterations problems. Francesca and her staff showed little remorse for all of the complications we encountered. Each time I went to the store, I was terrified that there would be more setback and new problems. By the time I picked up my dress for the wedding, I could hardly bear going into the store because I was so tired and frustrated with their poor service, lack of communication, and low standards. Overall, I would never recommend this store to anyone. If you find a dress that you like there, please try to order it from another store; I wish I'd ordered the dress from the original store I found it in.

Through my experience, I truly believe that once Francesca's gets the sale, they immediately stop providing any customer service.

Francesca and her team are an absoulte joy to work with! They take the time to make each bride feel extraordinary and like their day is the most important day in the world. Francesca's has a wide variety of dresses for every bride and bridesmaids. She carries designer names at an affordable price. This is the second time we have used Francesca's for a family wedding and will continue to suggest her to other family and friends. From the bride and the bridesmaids to the mother of the bride, Francesca's carries exquisite fashions that are sure to wow anyone! Thank you so much for your help, Fran. We love you!!

Francesca's was the 2nd bridal store I went to as it came highly recommended from a friend. I specially asked for Francesca, and I am so glad I did because she knew I had my heart set on one style and gently eased me into the style that actually was meant for me. She helped me find it and was so great through the whole process.

However, once I purchased the dress, everything wend downhill. I had an appointment to find a veil and Miss Geri spent the whole time basically showing me accessories like earrings and hair pieces. Then once we finally got to veils and I figured out what I wanted, I had to put a 50% payment in just to find out how much it would cost. Apparently that's standard, but I told them I was not 100% sure that was what I wanted (because we had such little time to find a veil) and after I found out the insanely expensive cost, I told her I did not want the veil. But she told me she already went ahead and ordered it, despite that we even wrote on the deposit receipt that this was only for an inquiry. Awful.

I went back for a second veil appointment with Francesca and she once again was great, helping me find the veil for me. Because their hours are not very Monday-Friday worker-friendly, I had to leave early from work yet again, but felt it was worth it to find a veil that I wanted and was not forced into.

I recommended Francesca's to a friend of mine whose wedding was 1 month before mine. When she called the store the morning of her mother's dress fitting, she found out that the dress had not even arrived! Nobody called to tell her. Then, she called later to follow up on her dress and was told it might not be in on time. Luckily, she got it JUST in time for her wedding and didn't have to do much alterations, but that put me on alert.

So I called the week before mine was supposed to arrive for a fitting and was told that my dress was also going to be late. Why didn't they call me first? I figured their internal communication was poor and so I then made a point to call them until I was told my dress arrived and made a fitting appointment. A few days after that, Miss Geri called to tell me my dress arrived and asked if I wanted to make a dress fitting appointment when I already had. SO STRANGE!

But once the dress came in and was fitted, I thought everything would be fine. The tailoring went very well and I made an appointment to pick up my dress before we traveled to the wedding venue. That morning when I was on my way, I called to make sure my dress was ready and was told that it would not be ready for a few more hours. At this point, their tardiness just did not surprise me. But we took it in stride and went out for another errand. After we re-arranged plans and arrived at our new destination, we got a call saying that the person on the phone was mistaken and the dress was ready. Another case of poor internal communication.

But we got the dress and veil and everything was great. The dress was beautiful on the wedding day and even though my friend's dress bustle broke, mine stayed in-tact.

Despite my internal voice telling me not to, I dropped my dress off at Francesca's for preservation because I didn't want to try an at-home kit and I didn't know where else to bring it. I thought that everything would be fine because I wasn't on any schedule to get my dress back, and was told that my dress would be shipped directly to my house. However, a few weeks later, I got a call from Francesca's that my preserved dress had arrived and I could pick it up at any time... but they were supposed to ship it to me. Of course I had left work early to go to Francesca's often and I work in downtown Baltimore, so picking it up on my lunch hour and leaving it in the car was not an option. I stood my ground and asked them to ship it to my house as I had been promised, and with much huffing and puffing, the dress was finally shipped to my house.

If I could do it all over again, I would have still gone to Francesca directly to find my dress but I would NOT have purchased it from Francesca's solely because of the added stress it put on me in the weeks before my wedding day.

If I could offer any advice for someone purchasing from Francesca's, it would be to tell them the wedding date is at least a week or two in advance of your wedding date, and whenever possible, book your appointment with Francesca. Also, plan reminders for yourself to call them and find out the status of your dress because their communication with brides is very poor.