Hi everyone,
I found Wedding Wire after doing research to see if anyone else had experienced what I'm about to explain, and I saw a post from 2022 that confirmed I am not alone. I would really appreciate any advice/perspective/reassurance you have to offer. I am getting married on March 14th, 2026, in Orlando, Florida.
I found my dress in late June 2025 at Anne Barge Atelier in Atlanta, GA, which is where I'm from. My parents still live there, I live in Dallas, TX, and I'm getting married in Orlando, FL. I wanted to find my dress in Atlanta so my mom and sisters could come with me, and also because my parents are driving to Orlando from Atlanta for the wedding. We wanted to transport the dress in the car as opposed to me having to fly with it across the country. Our experience at Anne Barge was magical. The woman who guided me through the appointment was adorable and friendly, and there were so many beautiful dresses to try. I was between 2 (but leaning toward 1) when we left the store, but I genuinely could not stop thinking about one of the dresses. As silly as this sounds, I actually had dreams about it.
We officially ordered the dress and matching veil on July 30th, 2025. We were assured the dress would be ready for me to try on in mid-January 2026. When I asked if there were updates in the months following our order, I was repeatedly told that they don't really receive updates from their production team and that they had nothing to share with me. So, I laid off. Meanwhile, the moms of my two high school best friends were planning a bridal shower for me in Atlanta. We decided on January 17th (MLK Jr. weekend) because it would be easier for my sisters and I to travel and have time off work, and because my dress was supposed to be ready mid-January.
On December 1st, 2025, I emailed Anne Barge and explained that I would be flying to Atlanta from Dallas for that weekend in January and asked if we could go ahead and schedule the try-on appointment. They told me that they don't do viewing appointments on the weekends, and their alterations appointments were only available on Mondays and Tuesdays. I started a new job in December, and I explained to them that I have to be in-office 5 days a week in Dallas for this new job, so the weekend would be the only time I could get my dress. They finally agreed to let me schedule a viewing appointment for January 17th at 9:30 am but told me I'd have to get it altered elsewhere because not only do they only do alterations on Mondays/Tuesdays, but they also require you to come get fitted 2-3 times after receiving your dress. This was going to prove to be impossible due to my schedule. All in all, though, Anne Barge was telling us that the dress would be ready to view January 17th.
With the viewing appointment on the books, I got increasingly more excited to finally see my dress again. I emailed again on December 31st to ask if they had received word that my dress was en route to Atlanta or if they had any update for me. They told me their production offices were closed until January 5th, but as of now, my dress was scheduled to arrive in-store January 14th. I was told typically they like to wait to schedule viewing appointments until the dress goes through 'quality control' but that they were making an exception for me since I am an out-of-town bride. While January 14th was cutting it close, I was still hopeful.
Although I was promised I would be updated as soon as the production offices reopened, I heard nothing on January 5th, so I followed up again on January 6th. This is what I heard back:
"I’m very sorry to share that I’ve just been informed there will be a slight delay in its arrival. Production has advised that it may take a day or two to confirm a more precise timeline."
Immediately, I panicked. I asked what they meant by "slight delay" and was informed on January 7th that the dress would not be ready for me to view on January 17th. Being told there would be no dress try-on just 10 days before it was supposed to happen was heartbreaking, anxiety-inducing, and incredibly frustrating. When I asked if they could offer any sort of compensation for the fact that I would eventually have to take another flight out to Atlanta for this try-on (whenever it may be), they said no. The only thing they offered was to deliver the dress to us at the other alterations place in Atlanta (Buckhead Alterations) once they receive the dress. I emailed January 8th and said I appreciated that offer and was checking my email religiously for an update from them. I did not hear back.
Here we are, January 9th, and still nothing. Remember when I was told that "it may take a day or two to confirm a more precise timeline" on January 6th? There is no precise timeline to be found. I'm just left with constant stress and unending anxiety. Everyone I know getting married this year (6+ people) ordered their dress around the same time or later than I did, are getting married later in the year than I am, and they all already have their dresses. Hence, my panic. 64 days is not a lot of time for a dress to arrive, be altered, bustle added, etc. plus the fact that I have to pay to fly back to Atlanta.
I know my wedding dress is stunning. Anne Barge has a beautiful selection. But their wishy-washy communication with their production office has caused (on more than one occasion) a nightmare scenario for brides on a timeline. They seem to really blame things on 'production', and I'm not sure if that's really the case or if it's just a way to put the blame off of themselves. I don't know if they need to find new suppliers or what, but I really believe 5 and a half months should have been enough time for this dress to be ready. Although I know they have great dresses, I cannot recommend them in good conscience if you want continuous updates on the status of your dress or if you want it to be ready on-time.
Has anyone else experienced this with Anne Barge or any other boutique/designer? What else can I do in this situation? Is there anyone else I could be reaching out to? Please help. I appreciate you reading this post.
