I said yes to the dress at The Bridal Room and I could not be happier! Since I didn't know my style going into this adventure that is shopping for a wedding dress, I tried on dresses at 6 bridal boutiques throughout the DMV: The Bridal Room, Rizik's, Lovely Bride, Floravere, David's Bridal Rockville, and Modern Trousseau. With the exception of David's Bridal, I could probably find something good to say about each, but The Bridal Room really hit it out of the park and the experience there was above and beyond the rest!

First, their selection is phenomenal, especially if you're someone still trying to figure out your style. I was able to try a bunch of different styles at a variety of price points and ended up finding more than one I liked. Moreover, the moment I walked into The Bridal Room, I felt like I was in a warm bubble of wedding radiance. My stylist, Saddia, was especially phenomenal. She immediately made me feel welcomed and comfortable and at every second made sure the whole experience was fun for me and the friends and family who came with me. Most importantly, she helped me uncover my style by listening intently and truly reflecting my needs in each of her recommendations.

I will say the *only* downside here is their policy prohibiting brides and their guests from taking pictures, a bizarre policy that is unlike any other bridal boutique I visited. I really hope they consider changing this policy, as it almost caused me to cancel my first visit entirely and made it hard for me (as a bride with family and bridesmaids all over the country) to get the input I so very much wanted from my loved ones. They *do* allow you to Facetime/video chat while in the dresses, but the blurriness of a video call and the fact that you can only video call one person at a time, simply pales in comparison to the benefit of having actual photos to take home and share with loved ones.

Amazing time at the bridal room. It was efficient, laid back and I loved my consultant- Gabby! I know 4 ladies who proudly bought here, and I’m excited to say I also purchased through bridal room.

I was incredibly anxious to try on dresses as a mid size bride with a lot of body hang ups, but the stylists at the Bridal Room made me feel amazing and incredible the whole time, and I loved my experience. It really felt like the stylists were working with me to find a dress that fit my vision. On my first visit, I narrowed my selection down to three finalists, and then my mom came in from out of town and I made my final selection. The dress I ended up picking wasn’t one from my wishlist and was a pull by my stylist. I didn’t love it on the hanger, but trying it on I knew it was perfect. The stylists were incredibly transparent about price during the whole process, and the alterations on my dress were incredibly well done (multiple other vendors complimented the work on the day of!). The stylists also were inclusive and cool about referring to my nonbinary now wife who uses they/them pronouns, and remembered me and my venue/other details about the wedding between appointments (even when I saw different people) which was a nice touch. The whole process was as streamlined as possible and wonderful. I already have a friend who has made an appointment to try on dresses as well and I’d recommend it to any bride.

Photos by Abby Carissimo.