Winchester's Bridal & Formals

Despite some of the negative comments I have read, I went to Winchester's Bridal with an open mind and had the most wonderful experience. I couldn't imagine anyone being unhappy with the service or the selection!
I was greeted by a lovely young lady who immediately showed excitement for me, knowing this experience would be treasured forever. She was very pleasant, asked lots of questions, and was eager to point me in the right direction. After tagging dresses that caught my eye, I was paired up with an older lady that had over 20 years experience. She was very passionate about her job, and it showed. Within the privacy of the dressing room, our conversation was comforting and heart warming. Outside in the showroom when modeling each dress, she was enthusiastic and very honest, which made my shopping much easier. She had respect for my Mom and Dad (my entourage) by listening to their opinions, sharing ideas with them, and keeping her attention on us without distractions.
After saying YES to the dress, a very excited me stood in the mirror teary eyed as both ladies completed my look with accessories and a cute hair style!
Their ideas brought my Wedding theme to life, and made me even more excited for my big day. I could not be more grateful, and look forward to seeing them again for my first fitting!
Thank you!

I should also mention this was my first stop on my hunt for my Wedding dress, and within 3 hours and the help of these lovely ladies, I found it!

I have been reading all the testimonies and am in 100% agreement for the lack of quality customer service given to brides on what is supposed to be one of the most memorable times in a girls life.My niece purchased a gown from them this past month and i can not believe the state this $1100. gown was in when it handed over to her after she went back to pick it up.

It was apparent that the dress had been tried on numerous times after my niece purchased the gown as the beading had started to fall off....rhinestones were missing,the back panel didn't even fit the dress(was too small and wouldn't snap)..the lace was dirty,picked,and had hair stuck in it,not too mention it was wrinkled and the under netting was gray, dirty and full of lint.When she went to return it after a lengthy drive back to the city (2 hours away)they would only exchange it for another dress as $ for $. I wish i was there to help my niece because they certainly would have gotten an ear full from me...
As a sales associate for over 13 yrs i have never heard of such disrespect for customer/client business as I have I have from this particular bridal shop and rather than just post on the web people need to submit their complaints to the Better Business Bureau so that something can be done .If you don't ...these so called ladies are getting commission from those dresses therefor one could say you are actually rewarding these ladies for treating you like dirt with your dollars.THATS JUST NUTS!! so please report report report...it only takes a few moments of your time

When i went to winchesters the first time with my mom, i found the dress.....a few months later i went back to order it....i looked at it and the price was 500 bucks more than the original quote i was given 3months prior....so i asked the main lady and she was SUPER RUDE!! and told me i should of bought it then when i first looked at it, i nearly cried! When she actually went tocheck the price, the tag was wrong, the price did go up a few dollars but nothing as the tag said. I just found it rude to speak in the tone that she did...i dont think she should be working with brides, were suppose to have a Great Experience.........but the actual girls that help with the trying on of the gowns were awesome(thank god)......but i did get my dress in 3-4months:)

I don't even want to give them half a star. Worst customer service ever. My friend and I went in looking for dresses today, and the first young girl that we met was nice enough, but then an older lady came into the picture and things went downhill from there.
She told my friend and I that we were to fat to try on some of the styles that we liked. Didn't listen to either of us, and was just plan rude. She wouldn't let us get a word in, and tired to tell us that her store was the ONLY place we could get wedding gowns in Nova Scotia. Also told me that I was stupid for saying that I wanted to look in Toronto this summer while I'm on vacation. Not to mention dismissing my friend when she asked for a certain style of dress, replying with "well if you want something to cover a certain part of your body, then obviously there is something wrong with your body type".
I usually do not make complaints towards anyone in retail, as I know it can sometimes be a tiring job - but she is in the wedding dress business. It is supposed to be some of the happiest moments of your life - she ruined my shopping experience. I will not return there to continue to look for wedding dresses, nor will I refer any of my friends there.

My experience with Winchester has been horrible - they do offer some really beautiful wedding dresses but I can't believe how rude the people who work there are. They never go out of their way to help you and plain don't listen to any questions you may have. I wouldn't recommend this store to anyone and they deserve to be out of business!

Just a few weeks ago my niece and my sister were shopping for a prom dress, and when they walked by the window at Winchesters spotted "the dress". The lady inside told her they could not try it on, it would be too much to take the dress from the window for her to try on, and it wasen't her size anyways. They left and decided to return after no such luck anywheres else, and take a photo of the dress so they could search for it online. When they returned the dress was gone from the window. They went in and another girl had the dress on, who was the same size as my niece. My sister could not believe this! They turned to my sister and told her it was very expensive. So my sister asked for the designer, went home and sourced another bridal shop who would order it in for them. The shop had it within a week for her. I do not understand why this place is still in buisness!

I had an amazing experience at Winchesters today! The lady helping me was so wonderful and insightful! I absolutely LOVE my dress and the price on it was so great. My experience was enjoyable and memorable!

Winchesters should be ashamed of themselves for the arrogant way they treat their potential customers.
My daughter & I have boycotted ever using Winchesters for anything, they are rude, & it is obvious giving the customer a pleasant experience while in their store is NOT a priority.
I guess we had the last laugh though, my daughter bought her dress at a great bridal store & we had NO budget.
I guess you missed out on that sale Winchesters.

went in to look for bridesmaid dress and for my own bridal gown , service absolutely sucked. The section for bridal gowns didn't even acknowldege me!

Went to Winchester's on January 9, 2008 and ordered a gown from Alfred Angelo. Paid in full, it was expected to arrive in 3-5 months, but no way would it take that long. On June 15, I called, frantic at why I had not received my dress yet. They assured me it would be in with the next shipment. I called back at the end of June, still nothing. We are now at the end of July, and still no wedding dress, and a very extremely angry bride. I have nothing good to say about the store, the manager, the OWNER, or the rude and nasty bridal consultants. If anyone thinks they will have a good experience at Winchester's, think again. I would strongly recommend you shop somewhere else, and those who are still waiting, as I am, good luck and keep fighting!!!!!!!

When I was there looking for a dress they were rude to me too. They place a stereotype on me right away and it bothered me. They didnt ask me for help, I waited for 20 mins before I went to the lady and told her to show me a dress. Im going to need to find a different place....

Hi ,

I wanted everyone to know that on March 4th 2008 I purchased 4 Alfred Angelo bridesmaids dress from Winchester's bridal in Halifax. I was told the dresses would be in by May 1st and that the company I bought the dresses from usually delivers early.

My dresses are now 8 weeks past the original due date I was given and after many calls to Winchester's I was told over and over again that they would be here in the next shipment. My wedding is now only 5 weeks away and still no dresses. My biggest concern is that 3 of my dresses need to be sent out of province for fittings. Winchester's called the company from which I ordered from and has advised me the are busier then normal because of prom. I feel that this should not be an excuse as prom and weddings happen the same time every year. They also told me the company was shipping by wear date, so dose this mean I am not going to get my dresses till just before?? Thank God I order my dress at a different store, from the same company. I ordered my dress in January it was here by late February. I find it hard to believe that the dresses have not been shipped yet...


This is not the first incident with Winchester's. The staff there are very rude with the exception of one lady that works with the bridesmaids dress/prom wear. When I first got engaged to my fiance my mother and I went to Winchester's to look at dresses as this is where my sister in law bought her dress. I have never been treated this rudely in my whole life. The girls in the bridal section of the store did not seem to even bother to ask my mother and I if we needed help. They were very stuck up and were too busy selling the same dress my sister in law wore telling the bride to be that it was brand new dress that just came out this year, even though my sister in law wore the same dress 4 years before hand.

It was because of this experience that I was reluctant to buy my dress from Winchester's and looked else where. I regret getting my bridesmaid's dresses there now. The reason I did get them there and not somewhere else was because all my bridesmaids were able to attend and get to that location on the day we picked the dresses.

So if you want all the hassle that I have gone through you can shop at the over priced Winchester's. Oh yes I almost forgot to tell you that my very same dress cost twice as much there. They wanted $1300 for the dress plus $500 for alterations!!! Not to mention I would also still have to buy my veil and accessories.

Now I do have one good positive thing to say. It might have cost me more in Gas however there is a place in Windsor Nova Scotia called Tatum's Bridal and Fashions. They are AWESOME!! I got my dress from them and the staff is amazing they helped me pick out my dress, bra and veil and accessories. Their prices included the alterations and the deal they had on was $150 store credit for a veil so i got my veil for free!

Think about it. Is all the hassle from the local bridal shop worth it?? If i can save someone else the trouble the 25 minutes it took me to write this and the 15 it took you to read it was well worth the time!!

Thanks for Reading.

Angry Bride