Working with Giselle and Soheila Ghofrani was one of the best parts of my wedding planning.

Some bridal shops were concerned about our relatively short engagement( less than six months), but Giselle was not. Giselle was super supportive of my mom’s idea to wear her vintage Priscilla of Boston dress from the 1960s. After getting the dress professionally cleaned, Soheila altered it beautifully, retaining the dress’s original charm while giving it a slightly more contemporary feel.

Giselle also helped me find a stunning party dress by Varca Bridal for a second lewk; I was thrilled to find a dress made by a fabulous local designer.

I cannot speak more highly of Belle Atelier and The Workroom at Belle!

In short, Belle Atelier and The Workroom at Belle (for alterations) are INCREDIBLE. There aren't even words. No. doubt. go. to. them. for. everything.

Giselle sourced a sample of my dream reception jumpsuit by Savannah Miller (even though they discontinued it before the trunk show) not once, but TWICE after a dry cleaner ruined the first one. She is the best - generally and at what she does. I didn't visit the Belle Atelier boutique to find my wedding dress initially, which was a huge mistake. When I went to pick up my jumpsuit, I was like WHAAAAAATTTTT in the heck with all of these chic and unique options!? They should have been my one-stop-shop from the very beginning!! The designers, the accessories, the space - *chef's kiss*. Not only do they have style, everyone is supremely lovely and kind. They are an ethereal calm in the wedding storm!

Soheila is a MASTER of alterations. All the garments for my wedding weekend were samples, vintage pieces, or from StillWhite.com. The Workroom graciously took on all of them two months before my wedding, after a comedy of errors with a tailor in Cincinnati (where I live) that I'd started the process with two years earlier. She went above and beyond to TRANSFORM and BRING TO LIFE each ensemble under a tight timeline with few fittings. I was feeling stressed and sad about my wedding gown, and solely because of Soheila, it ended up being everything I'd envisioned and more. Tailoring is truly becoming a lost art, and finding someone who knew exactly what to do and whom we could trust unequivocally, was such a gift. They even replaced the comb on my Mom's veil. For brides outside of Chicago, traveling is so worth it!!

Being a COVID bride, there are many elements to my wedding that I would like to forget, BUT my experience at Belle Bridal is one I want to RELIVE!

Giselle and the entire team at Belle Atelier is outstanding and brilliant at their jobs. The selection of dresses is sublime. This shop is unlike other bridal shops in Chicago because this whole team actually cares to find the right dress for every bride, not to just make a sale. Not once did I ever feel pressed or pushed into trying on a dress, buying an accessory, or anything in between. The other added element that I loved about this shop was the fact that alterations were done in house. Giselle, and the entire team, is highly skilled in alterations, and making sure whatever dress is picked fits the bride perfectly.