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May 2023 by Donna R.
My daughter had been to several glamorous bridal salons but found her gown at Bernie's Bridal in Skippack. It is located in a former home in downtown Skippack. When it became a bridal shop, they basically hung gowns in the living, dining and sunporch. it still has the original wallpaper and old, old dingy carpet that she has to put a sheet down on so as not to get the gowns dirty I assume. The MOB & Cocktail dresses look like they have been there for years. But she has some beautiful bridal dresses and it was 5 min. from both our homes. Bernie has been in the business for at least 40 years and she absolutely loves everything bridal. It is in her blood and she even cried several times seeing my daughter in her gown. But unfortunately, it is time for her to retire. She has no employees and is only open by appt. It has become too much for her. We waited the expected 4-6 months for the gown to arrive after she measured for the length. Sample was a 12 and we needed a 4. We were told because of the placement of the lace appliques the dress would made to length which was a plus! Throughout the process, she told us that we were such pleasant and helpful customers, helping to hang dresses, handing her pins, fixing the sheet on the floor, helping unfold the underskirts.... The dress arrived and as soon as my daughter put it on we were in shock! The dress was 3 - 4" too short in the front showing feet up to her ankles. Bernie went to get her tape measure and concluded that the manufacturer did not make a mistake and made it according to the measurement. Trying to be kind, I said, ""well then it must have been measured incorrectly." She insisted that she did not measure it wrong and told us we were not going to lay blame on anyone. She sent us home so she could decide what to do. I called her on the weekend to say that were very distraught and she should probably call the manufacturer to see where he may have sent a dress like this to a shop that see could purchase as a replacement or find out if they could possibly remake it quickly. She assured us that the problem would be solved and not to worry. A week later we returned and she had no solution other than to wear flats. We had purchased a cathedral matching veil and flats were out of the question. Her grandmother and I both attended this time and with some sewing experience we suggested that she could add pieces to all the layers in the front and then add more lace appliques to hide the added pieces. After many, many fittings (I believe I counted 11) , it was finally completed 2 1/2 wks. before the wedding. We went to pay knowing we owed half the balance. I told her I would split the difference for the extra work and lace with her because I know she spent a lot of time fixing her mistake and I felt we had formed a very nice friendship with her after all of the visits. I thought I was being very kind with this offer. Well, she nearly blew a gasket! She was very flustered and had an awful time giving me a breakdown of the costs & hours spent on the alterations. She had them written on the back of an envelope. She has no files or anything to speak of regarding bookkeeping. My guess is she called in the wrong measurement because of her poor paperwork. She came up with $600 for the additional lace and the alterations. She started screaming at us that we were the worst customers she has ever dealt with and that we ruined her whole spring because of the work she had to put into this dress. We were the cause of all her other brides having to be delayed because of this dress! She said she charges $30/hr for alterations but gave us a break. Why did she do that if she wasn't at fault. We also purchased the sample veil which she knocked $50 off and threw that in our face as well. Saying she had to purchase another veil to replace the one we bought and it was $150 more. Well I would assume she will sell the veil for more than what she paid for it. So, not sure how that has anything to do with us. She told us to pay her anything we wanted to and get out of
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October 2022 by Helen Cairns
Berni was fabulous. Great customer service!
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March 2022 by Helen Lorah
Berni was fabulous. Great customer service!
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October 2021 by Clayton Stanford
Love Berni! Great selection of dresses for my fiancé. Very accommodating to her needs
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August 2020 by Rachel Benensky
Berni Bridal ruined my first dress shopping experience. I had selected Berni Bridal as my first stop because it is local and she carries the brand I had been favoring. I really liked two dresses from this collection and I had inquired 3 weeks before my appointment if she carries these styles. She stated that she did not but she sounded more than willing to order them in so I could see them in person. When I arrived at my appointment, she explained that she did not order the two dresses as they are 50$ each to order in. This should have been made clear to me over the phone, but it was not. I was so very excited to go and look at wedding gowns for the first time and I left the shop in tears after being insulted for having a certain body type. Berni carries a small selection of gowns ranging in 8-10, bridal sizing. I had told Berni my dress size over the phone, no mention to me of her limited sizing in the store. I tried on two dresses and they did not fit. Instead of trying to assist me in finding more things for my body type, Berni stated “let me get your sister in here so we can hold the dress up to you so you can see what it will look like.” I told her I do not want to do that and I think the appointment is over. Berni then said to me “I think with your sizing, you’re going to have this problem everywhere you go.” I had never been so insulted by a stranger in my life. I would never recommend Berni Bridal to anyone that I know and I in fact did not have any trouble with trying on dresses at any other shop that day. The other shops I went to were more than accommodating and I found my perfect dress elsewhere.
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May 2019 by Jean M
Berni did a fabulous job on my mother of the bride lace dress. She was professional and friendly. I enjoyed working with her and she is so talented with alterations. She really knows her business and my dress turned out perfect!!! Do not hesitate to go to Berni Bridal!
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April 2019 by Alison Bongiorno
Berni is honest and kind! Her experience speaks for itself with a serious education in fashion, and anything fabric! She made me feel so special while trying on bridal dresses. Seeing the high quality work she does, I'd recommend her for bridesmaid and mother of the bride dresses too! She is so fair in her pricing to make things work for a budget. She even passes on bulk buy discounts to her customers!
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April 2019 by Shane Meaghan
Berni is extremely unprofessional and rude. She will do any and everything she can to make a sale. Her demeanor is rude and she will push and push even if you are unsatisfied. My wife left in tears, wedding dress shopping shouldn't be like this!
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February 2019 by Cailin Collins
I feel so lucky to have been able to work with Berni in the alteration of my wedding dress. The dress I purchased needed significant work, including hemming and refashioning of the bustle, which were complex given the fact that my dress was beading on top of lace. Berni was so skilled and patient with the handling of the lace overlay and beading, you would never know it had three inches removed! Over the course of multiple appointments, Berni and I grew so close that I insisted that she come to see the dress on the big day. It could not have been more perfect. I would have been happy to pay twice what she charged for the amazing results, and would recommend her alteration services to anyone.
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February 2019 by Mariya Radionov
Came without an appointment, we just called and were able to show up. Berni was very kind, professional and personable. Found the dress in this shop!
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May 2018 by Janel Work
Beautiful woman who knows her craft inside and out. I'm very grateful that she was part of my wedding experience.
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November 2017 by Shane M.
Berni is extremely unprofessional and will push any and everything she can to make a sale. She has poor customer service and do yourself a favor and skip this one on your wedding dress hunt. My wife left in tears, wedding dress shopping should not be like this!
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June 2015 by Megan S.
I went to Berni's today hoping for a great experience while shopping for my wedding dress. I was extremely disappointed in the service and very offended by the owner. She only carries one brand of dresses which runs very small and therefore doesn't have dresses in the store to fit average sized women. I typically wear a size 8 and she told me she "didn't have anything that would possibly fit me" in the store. She was extremely rude and wanted me to purchase a wedding dress by holding it up and just getting a look at it without actually putting it on. She was so offensive and I wouldn't recommended this store to anyone who is looking for wedding or bridesmaid dresses.
