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January 2024 by Zada Hall
Found my beautiful dress at Carine's! The selection of gowns was absolutely stunning, and the salon was clean and comfortable. Kate was so helpful, kind, and knowledgeable. She gave amazing recommendations and I really appreciate her honest feedback in identifying styles that flattered me (as well as ones that didn't necessarily work)! As someone with a mid-size/curvy body type, I was really happy that many of the samples came in sizes to fit me. I was lucky enough to visit during a sample sale, so I paid 50% of the list price for a gorgeous dress in wonderful condition. I would highly recommend Carine's to any bride-to-be!
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January 2024 by Kenzie Milner
Carine's helped me customize my dream wedding gown and design the most special veil using lace from the train of my mom's dress. I attended a Mira Zwillinger trunk show at Carine's with no idea what I was looking for and left with such a clear vision for my big day. Everyone I worked with from that very first appointment to my final fitting was so kind and accommodating. I am not someone who likes to shop so was very nervous about finding a dress I really loved, but this turned out to be one of my favorite memories from wedding planning thanks to Carine's!! Photo credit to Virgil Bunao, who I also highly recommend :)
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December 2023 by Alexandra F.
The team was amazing, and you can tell the difference between a "chain" store and a high-end bridal atelier. I only tried on Mira at Carines, because I knew I wanted to be a Mira bride. I was never pressured into trying on other designers. Every single Mira gown was a DREAM, and at one point turned to my lovely consultant and asked, "every one of these is spectacular, I would love to be married in any, how will I ever be able to pick?!" And she said, "oh you will know." Their communication was amazing, and because Mira is so customized to begin with, there were very little alterations needed. I recommend Carines to everyone!
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November 2023 by Katharyn Johnson
I sincerely can't thank you as enough for the beautiful shop you have created. Not only are your gowns stunning, but the team members I had the pleasure to work with were an absolute delight.Magdalena and Adriana went above and beyond to ensure my dress was exactly what my heart desired and were extremely accommodating with my schedule. I am extremely grateful for having the privilege of working with your team and look forward to sending all future brides I know to your shop. Additionally, I look forward to stocking our home with your beautiful pieces from Maison de Carine.
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November 2023 by Melissa
Buying my wedding dress at Carine's was by far the least pleasant experience of my entire wedding planning process.They were accommodating during the sales/buying process but as soon as the sale was made, as many have mentioned, I felt nickel and dimed over the duration of the process. They act as though they are doing you a favor by allowing you to purchase (an exceptionally expensive) designer gown from them and are INCREDIBLY difficult to get in contact with every step of the way.As many have mentioned, the alterations fees are outrageously priced and my final result was subpar. When I raised questions about the overall alteration process (essentially having ONE round of alterations), I was told no other brides have issue with their process or the fact that you cannot try it on in the shop after final alterations are made when you pick it up. After trying it on at home immediately following picking it up (at the earliest appointment time offered), I was unsatisfied with the fit and could not get in touch with anyone at the shop. When I returned later that day - dress in hand - as a last resort after not hearing back from them all day, they were rude and almost turned me away because I didn't have an appointment, despite having spent the afternoon trying to get in touch with them as they had advised me to do if anything was was wrong after I tried it on at home. Carine's did not get back to me with any meaningful response until it was too late and I ended up having to have my PLANNER tape it the day of my wedding in order to achieve the right fit.It's a shame they have a monopoly on designer couture dresses in the area - can't stress enough how much of an exceptionally and unnecessarily stressful experience it was.
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October 2023 by Julianne D
Definitely not the service I expected when shelling out $15k - it honestly felt like I was being nickel and dimed throughout the entire process, from the appointment fee, to the request for a tip (for the pleasure of being sold to I guess?), to the enormous cost of alterations, to the request for a tip for alterations, to the $150 “missing shoe” fee, when there were no other appointments booked the day I rescheduled my alterations appointment. When the day came to finally pick up my dress, no one answered the doorbell for 15 minutes despite 4 rings. The woman who answered the door questioned whether I actually had an appointment before helping another customer who came in after me. Funny, they had no problem reaching out to me when I went one whole day without paying the missing shoe fee.
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August 2023 by Caroline Kofol
Ugh, this place. They have the best selection of high-end designer gowns in the DMV area, including Oscar de la Renta, who designed the gown that I purchased through them. That experience was nice - friendly consultants and they let you try on all the dresses you want. BUT, man do they screw you on alterations. If your dress is above $8,000 be prepared to pay 15% the cost of the dress, regardless of what it looks like or what alterations are being done. Not sure why people who pay more for their dress are being penalized, it’s rather perplexing. I called ODLR in NYC and am now using their seamstress for alterations because I refuse to be ripped off by this nonsense. Be sure to ask for the alterations contract before buying your gown. On the plus side, my dress is pretty. So that’s that.
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July 2023 by Caroline
I don’t like leaving bad reviews and was hesitant to do so. But as my wedding day approaches, I still look back on one disappointing part of my pre-wedding experience.I bought 2 sample dresses (1 rehearsal dress and 1 ceremony dress) from Carine’s a couple months ago. When I purchased my ceremony dress, I was told that it was a sample dress worth +$4,000 and that they would sell it to me for $2,500. I thought I was saving $2,500 on a dress and was very pleased. The sales associate asked me if I wanted to try on more dresses. Since, as she mentioned, I was spending a lot less than I intended on my ceremony dress. I ended up finding a rehearsal dress. Again, she said it was a sample. It was a great than $6,000 dress that I could purchase as a sample for $3,000. It was a lot to spend for a rehearsal dress, but since I was well below my budget on my ceremony dress, I purchased the dress. At the time, I signed Carine’s agreement stating that since both dresses were sample dresses, they were final sale.A week later, I found my ceremony dress online. Brand new, this dress was listed on the designer’s website for $2,195. I immediately contacted Carine’s. My sales associate apologized and said it was "an error in the system". That's quite an error- telling me a dress was $2,000 more than the actual price. Disappointed with the store as I was misled, I wanted to return both dresses. They responded that this was not an option since the dresses were final sale. However, as I told them, the “final sale” label was false because I was told I was buying a floor model at a steeply discounted premise. In reality, I paid more than full price for a sample dress. They replied with 2 options: to purchase the dress for me “brand new” from the designer website + $100 for shipping or receive $1000 back (what the original price for the sample dress should have been) and keep the sample dress I had. I pointed out that I could buy the dress myself online with free shipping. Why would I want to go through them and pay their $100 shipping charge. Again, they apologized for a mistake in wanting to charge me shipping. Ultimately, Carine’s did not budge on their 2 offered solutions.Carine's is a dishonest broker of wedding dresses and I would be hesitant to shop there. And if you do, I'd confirm the prices online ahead of time.
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March 2023 by Elizabeth H.
I was a bit nervous going to my appointment at Carine's because my budget was on the lower end of what they offer - I was worried I wouldn't find what I was looking for, would be pressured into looking at pricier gowns, or maybe wouldn't be given the same degree of service as bigger budget brides. My actual experience was nothing short of magical. The consultant who helped us, Bianca, was so sweet and completely set us at ease, and really took the time to understand what I was looking for. She was extremely knowledgeable and excellent at clipping me in and providing feedback on styling and customization ideas. We never felt rushed even though I tried on probably at least 15 dresses across my two appointments. The selection of dresses is also really incredible - many designers you can't find anywhere else within hundreds of miles. After two appointments I said yes to an incredible ML dress and could not be happier with my experience at Carine's so far, and I can't praise Bianca highly enough!
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January 2023 by Beth
I recommend avoiding this shop. Our experience was unpleasant. They were imperious, acting as though they were doing us a great favor by allowing us in to look at their dresses (a privilege for which we paid). While the young woman working with my daughter was pleasant, the man who was working there acted as though we were not worthy of being present. A dress we selected to try, and which he said he would bring up to our fitting, instead disappeared, and had to be located-he had put it somewhere else instead of bringing it to us. I suspect it was because it was that particular item had been discontinued and was discounted-he kept steering us to more costly dresses. And while I could have purchased any dress in the shop, a wedding is an expensive event, I see no reason to pay more for items than necessary. But at Carine’s we had the impression they expected customers to be willing to pay extra for everything, and that somehow they were were worth it because they carried expensive items. We bought our daughter’s gown at a shop in Alexandria, very happy with the service there. Our experience for a shopping appointment at Carine’s was enough—we had no intention of working with them further.
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January 2023 by Diana Cortes
I can tell you I had a 5 star experience here without even needing to go in person! I had my eyes on an Oscar de la Renta gown and called to see if they had it in stock/would potentially sell me a sample. While they couldn't sell me the sample off the floor, Bianca went out of her way to contact the design studio for me and hunt down the dress, even though my wedding is two short months away! Ultimately, it wasn't the dress for me, but that doesn't discount Bianca going above and beyond to find me this dress in less than 6 hours. Highly recommend!!!
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January 2023 by Abigail Andrews
I purchased my wedding dress from Carine's, and did alterations with them and had a fantastic experience. I had a poor experience trying to find a wedding dress in San Francisco, where I live, and at the last minute, I was able to get an appointment with Carine's while in DC for Thanksgiving, so my sister and mom could join me.My stylist, Bianca, helped me try on SO many dresses and was so patient and helpful. They have an incredible selection of gowns and designers - by far the best collection I've seen. After going home and looking at pictures, I narrowed down to three I wanted to try again and she opened the atelier on a closed day for me so that I could do it before flying back to California. We found my dress - an Oscar that isn't available anywhere in San Francisco, and decided to work with Carine's for alterations since they had been so amazing, even though it meant flying back across the country for fittings.Throughout the process the Carine's team was responsive and professional over email. Bianca also helped me try on veils, though I ultimately decided to wear a family veil, and second looks. Once my dress arrived and it came time for fittings, I flew back twice. Both times it was a great experience - the atelier is lovely, and they only allow a few parties in at once so it always feels personalized. The seamstress I worked with was lovely, Rosanna, and she had worked with my specific dress many times.The only word of advice I would give other brides: 1) they are only open on certain days which can be tricky - mid-week for alterations - especially if working full time or flying in 2) my last fitting was 3 weeks before my wedding and my dress did end up being a little bit big, because I lost some weight in the last few weeks due to planning stress. I didn't fly back again after the final alterations / the 2nd fitting and in retrospect I wish I had. That is not on Carine's - they like to start fittings early, 5-7 weeks before the wedding, so I recommend either trying to do the final one a bit closer to your date or not losing weight (they tell you very clearly not to lose weight after the first fitting, but I did unintentionally).
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January 2023 by Annette Hannon
Attention to details from the stylists and tailors plus caliber of designer gowns is unmatched in the DC area
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January 2023 by Diana Smeeton
Wish I could give this 0 stars. They have offered the worst customer experience of all my wedding vendors. They do not communicate well at all. Seem to think the entire world is in their schedule. I am getting married this Saturday and went to pick up my dress at the confirmed appointment and it was not ready. They offered no solution or help just asked me what I wanted to do. As if I do not already have other errands to run the week of my wedding. Their alterations are over priced. Do not waste your time and frustration on them. Will not recommend to anyone
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January 2023 by Marissa Cafiero
My experience at Carines was unforgettable! Bianca was my consultant and she was SO friendly and truly seemed so excited when I found my dress. When I went to pick it up from alterations a week before my wedding, she (who had not seen me since I picked my dress a year ago) was so excited to see me and was genuinely so happy for me! The team was great and the boutique was of course beautiful!