Vows Bridal & Formals

We couldn’t understand what the lady was saying. The one lady was very rude and didn’t respect others opinions. It was very small and only had a certain selection of choices. The dresses there were also very expensive compared to Claudette’s. I would not recommend. They did have great parking, that’s the only reason they were given 2 stars.

This place is awesome! My niece was looking everywhere for a winter ball dress and this is the first place where she found something she really liked :) Victoria is so knowledgeable about styles and sizing, my niece loved the first dress she picked for her. (I actually found my prom dresses here too, back when I was in high school). Thanks so much!

The worst customer service and poor qualityof the clothes. Do NOT go here! They ruined my big day. Save your time and money!

I just had my first ever experience of wedding dress shopping! Vows was my second appointment of the day and ended up being my last. I read tons of reviews beforehand and went in hoping for honest, knowledgable assistance. I definitely got it! I felt listened to from the get go (actually she cut me off knowing what I was looking for). Tried on a bunch of dresses but it literally came down to the first two she had me try on. Looking forward to working with Vows as my wedding day approaches. Took her advice to sleep on it and I have. I can’t wait to go back and order my dress! When asking about a dress for my daughter who will be in the wedding with me, she recommended getting a nice dress someplace else that my daughter may wear again! How many places will tell you not to spend a bunch of unnecessary money?!? Since this is my first experience but won’t be my last, I will start with a 4 star (having faith it will easily turn in to a 5 star).

I bought my wedding gown here in 2014 and of all the bridal shops I visited (almost all of the ones in Honolulu), I was most impressed with this shop. Although it looks like a humble hole in the wall type of place, Victoria (the owner) is extremely knowledgable about design, fit, material, quality and style particular to your body shape. Her degree and experience in fashion design is what puts her above the rest (who are basically just sales clerks who have limited knowledge on the construction of the gowns they’re selling). This is important if you are going to alter– which by the way they do in house. Victoria will make sure your dress fits how it is supposed to. Don’t be intimidated by her sharing her expertise advice or her speech impediment. Come open minded and you will be pleasantly surprised!

I found my wedding dress at Vows after shopping at a large bridal store and looking at expensive department stores. I thought I wanted something simple, but it turns out I found the simple dresses being pulled as «too plain.» I was going to leave after trying on dresses and not feeling special in any of them. Vicky asked me to try on one more dress and that was the one that I could see myself getting married in. I also had the dress hemmed there.

Hi! I am BOB! Yes, BOB! That’s Bride On Budget!
In less than 2 years, I have been to at least to 12 beautiful weddings! I can safely say that I am very familiar with the wedding process and how much it can cost!!!
I knew that when it would be my turn to get married, my dream wedding will just have to adjust to our budget. My fiancé and I decided to pay for our own wedding, so that meant a real strict budget and keeping an open mind!
Here at Vows, the owner, Vicky, has been in business for over 35 years, and she definitely knows what looks good and what does not. She is very straight forward, which I LOVE; I did not want someone to sugarcoat it for me. So her first question was the BUDGET. Do not be embarrassed or shy with your numbers. Speak up Girlfriend! Because you do not want to fall in love with a dress that is more than you can afford! I am sure starting a life together without debt is more rewarding then paying for the wedding a year after… Plus her shop suits any bride’s budget!!! Just let her know!
Vicky will then ask for pictures of dresses you like or have tried. Very important because it will definitely narrow down in styles. She will bring the dress styles you had in mind, then Vicky will introduced you to other dresses that actually suits your body type. After her consultation, I just fell in love with the dress she picked out for me. I may not have my dream wedding, but I will surely wear my dream wedding dress (insert Happy Face Here).
I am very very pleased that I made Vows my last stop after shopping at four different shops. I felt that after visiting Vicky, I did not need to see any more dresses.

Went to Vows last Sunday to look for a prom dress for my daughter. It was our first stop and the best of all the stores we visited: Princess Brides, Party Dress by Claudette, and Calista. The owner Victoria was so helpful, and the dresses she brought out for my daughter to try were beautiful. (Very good quality compared to other stores.) My daughter couldn’t decide between two favorites. Ended up returning on Tuesday, and after trying on more dresses she ended up choosing one of her original favorites. Vows does alterations for a reasonable price as well. Convenient location, beautiful store inside. The girls who helped in the dressing room were very sweet as well.

I don’t even know where to start — I guess to some it up… Long story short… We walked out of there — No dress, No sandals, NOTHING… The service there was HORRIBLE — from the moment we walked in til the moment we left! She made the bride-​to-​be feel very uncomfortable, ND fat… telling us, (without measuring her) that her size was not available, saying the B2B was a size 16… When fir fact the bride is a 10!!! … reminding us and stating she didn’t have big SIZes. ND to not just grab ND pick anything for the B2b… she can only try on what «she… «picks out for her… I mean, realllllly? Hhmm

3.5 stars — rounded up to 4 stars
Vows was my last stop on my whirlwind weekend of wedding dress shops, so I was pretty tired. Nice tip: Private parking lot out back.
The proprietor welcomed me to the cozy (small) shop. One of the first things she asked was about my budget. Not surprising, but surprising that she actually adhered to it. The other shop people would ask about my budget but then would proceed to show me dresses across price ranges. Like other reviewers mentioned, she does have a speech impediment, so I had some difficulty understanding every word she said. I did get the gist of what she said when I focused hard.
She presented me with lots of great options in wedding dresses and gave me ideas about how she could alter the dresses to fit my concerns about coverage. She did give me unsolicited but not untrue feedback about being present with the dress rather than focusing on snapping photos (like I said I was pretty done at that point, and my phone battery was dying). She did kindly take photos of me with the different dress options.
At the end she told me to think about it and come back when ready. I did not end up returning — I finally decided to get my wedding dress at Bijou Bridals.

I recommend coming here to find your wedding dress. The service here was impeccable. My sister came with me for my appointment and she said after seeing the service I received, she felt a little cheated out of her wedding experience (and she went to 8 different places!)
Vows really listens to what you want and delivers dresses that look terrific on you and importantly at or under your budget. I love her comments, she tells you the truth and I appreciate that; frankly when I am making such an important decision I need to know what’s what.
Yes, I ended up ordering my dress from Vows. I had the problem of finding two dresses I loved there but with her guidance, I picked the perfect one. I’m so happy to be a Vows bride! Make an appointment, you won’t regret it.

The assistants were very sweet and great at helping out and answering any questions to the best of their knowledge. The owner knew what looked great and what didn’t really work. BUT! THE OWNER IS RUDE. Ok, she’s «fashion literate» and knows what looks good on this type of body blah blah blah. but once I heard her say, «this looks better for this […] because you’re flat chested […]» that was a OH HELL TO THE NO. You do not say things like that to a potential client. The owner even bickered at the assistants and also slapped their hands when (in her opinion) did not bustle the dress correctly IN FRONT of me. That is not professional at all. Who wants to work with that kind of negativity? THUMBS DOWN FOR THE OWNER!!!

Best customer service! The sale clerk was very friendly and helpful and I only was looking for a shawl. I went to David’s Bridal and the have the worst customer service ever.

I’m really happy that I came here while I was doing my wedding dress shopping. I had gone to two other bridal shops in town and I was not impressed with what they had to offer. My co-​worker told me that her daughter got married last year and purchased her dress from Vows Bridal and Formals, so i decided to check them out.
I read the Unilocal reviews ahead of time and saw that most of them were negative. But I decided to give this place a chance anyway because you never really know until you try! I made an appointment and was able to get in that following Saturday. I was greeted by the owner as well as two assistants who were both very helpful. The owner Vicky, was very knowledgable and began to ask me when my wedding was, where the venue was, my budget, and what style I was looking for. At that point, I had ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA what I wanted… as every dress I had tried on previously looked nice, but neither of them were THE ONE. So I explained to her I was open to anything, and to just keep it under my budget. She and her assistants had me try on at least 15 dresses, and they gladly took pictures for me too. By the time I had finished trying all the dresses, I was so overwhelmed by the selection and I said to them, «I need to go home and just not think about dresses for a while» lol. Each of them were very beautiful but I couldn’t decide on any of them. It was also difficult for me because I was wedding dress shopping alone, since my family and friends who are in my bridal party are all on the mainland. Anyway, after this, i took about 6 weeks off from wedding dress shopping, and just browsed online until I could narrow down what I was looking for.
After doing more research, I decided that I wanted a mermaid style dress that showed off my shape, and that would ruffle out on the bottom, like layers of flowy flowers. I screen-​shotted a picture of one, and scheduled an appointment at Vows again. Vicky and her assistants were once again VERY helpful and understood what I was looking for. They grabbed 4 different dresses that matched the style I was looking for, (that were within my budget), but the dresses weren’t exactly quite right. Vicky then explained to me, «I think i know what you’re looking for, and we have a couple dresses that are similar to what you want, but they’re a little over your budget. I can show them to you, but you have to be okay with it being over.» At that point, i was like, okay, what the heck, just show me. So they pulled it out and one of the dresses they presented was sooo beautiful, with the style I wanted, the ruffles, the floral designs, lots of sparkles and sequins, and it was very ME. I then realized that the dress was about $ 195 over my budget (not including alterations), but I felt that this dress could possibly be the ONE. Once I tried it on, I immediately fell in love with it! I really wanted to just put down the downpayment for it, but I decided i needed to have someone in my bridal party confirm that this was the perfect choice.
A couple of weeks later my BFF was actually visiting from the mainland so I scheduled an appointment so she could see me try on the dress. I put it on for her, and her face lit up with tears of joy because she also knew it was the one. After this, I was finally able to say YES TO THE DRESS!
Now a few things that reviewers complained about… the one thing that irritates me the most is when they comment on Vicky’s «speech impediment.» Yes, she does have one, but seriously, if you just pay close attention, you’ll be able to pick up the majority of what she says, and if you really don’t understand what she’s saying, ASK. She will try to slow down and repeat it in an easier way for you to understand. Secondly, she is not rude. She really knows her stuff, and you can see that in the way she asks you questions about what you’re looking for, and what she is able to present to you. As another reviewer described her, she is EFFICIENT, and knows what she’s talking about. Lastly, all the assistants I worked with (at least 3) were all very friendly and helpful. They also did a great job of cinching up the back of the dresses to show off my body, so I could see exactly how the dresses would look in my size when trying them on.
I highly recommend this place for any bride who wants a wide selection of beautiful dresses to choose from, at reasonable prices that are not ridiculously jacked up, and who wants to work with a very knowledgeable/​experienced staff who will tell it to you like it is, and not try to butter you up and tell you what you want to hear.
Anyway, I can’t wait for my dress to come in several months from now! I’ll be sure to post pics after the wedding! =D

If you’re looking to spend money on the most important dress of your life, don’t bother with this place. My mom and I walked in and were greeted by the sales associate. She asked us a few questions about what I was looking for, what shape, etc. and then she asked about our budget. Since I’m pretty picky about things like this, and Hawaii doesn’t exactly have the largest selection of bridal gowns to choose from, we honestly didn’t have a budget. When we explained this to her she literally put her hands to her mouth and started LAUGHING AT US. No, I’m not talking about «ha ha, wow ok that’s great!», she said «EVERYBODY has a budget» in a very snide and condescending tone. Wow, ok rudeness. To be honest, I’m not sure why we stayed any longer.
I had asked to see specifically a mermaid style of dress and while she did present a few, she also showed me a few trumpet and sheath — styles that I told her I was not looking for more than once. Long story short, we didn’t find anything and won’t ever be back.

I’m the kind of girl who knows what I want, and knows what I like. I got engaged 2 years ago, I looked for dresses then and some were good but then I got pregnant, etc. raised my son to the ripe old age of one and then we got hitched a week ago. I came into vows with ONE dress on my mind. I knew what I wanted. I found a picture of a gown on Instagram one day but did not know the designer, I searched and searched and found the designer and looked for stores here in Hawaii that carried the line. Vows was the ONLY one. So, I called ahead of time to see if they had it in stock to try on, they did!
I went in the same weekend and tried on the dress, just to make sure I tried on 2 other dresses and put my downpayment that very day. That was back in January. My original wedding date was in march but they were confident that the dress would be shipped in time. It was shipped in time, but meanwhile we moved our wedding date to may. Vicki was very accommodating and set up all my final fittings.
There wasn’t very much altering that needed to be done, other than a hem. I had a special request to add buttons to my gown, and they did it without hesitation, telling me it would be a very nice touch to make a simple dress more elegant.
When I went in for my final fitting I was amazed by the dress, it was beautiful and although I went in knowing what I wanted, Vicki was very helpful. She helped my maid of honor learn how to lace me up properly, helped me to sit, walk, and hold my dress.
I want to set a few things straight:
1. The owner is hard to understand, but listen carefully, and you know the gist of what she is saying. If you need help understanding her, say something! Don’t just get mad because you can’t understand her, it’s not her fault!
2. The owner has been in the industry a long time, she knows what she is doing. She may not tell you what you want to hear, but she’ll tell you what you need to hear. If you don’t like what she suggests for you speak up and say you’re uncomfortable, she’ll understand. That’s what I did.
3. She WILL keep you in budget INCLUDING alterations! Although a price tag will be in your price range, have you considered alterations in the cost? SHE DOES! Rarely does a dress come in and you can wear it straight off the hanger. like I said she knows what she is doing.
Tips:
1. You can just walk in, you may have to wait, but you can walk in.
2. if you ask to see specific dresses they may have, ask, they’ll bring it out to show you. looking through racks can be overwhelming.
3. Go in knowing what you like or don’t like, and if you don’t know at least have the courage to tell them what you do and don’t like when they show it to you.

This was a truly awful experience. The older saleswoman is mean and mostly inaudible. My friend had come with me to help pick out dresses and the lady said «I don’t need help, I pick out the dresses». Rude. She also ended up picking the worst, most unflattering dresses possible. I left sad and hurt, since she basically said I can’t wear most gowns due to my «larger» figure. Don’t come here.

I’m a plus-​size woman, so naturally, I had a harder time finding a gown. Well, I felt like I did.
I went EVERYWHERE. Finally, I chose a dress from a bridal company that is very well known here and in the rest of the US. It was ‘okay.’ But I wasn’t completely satisfied.
Finally, I decided, I’d go to Vows. Ironically, it is literally 2 streets away from my house! I went all around the island looking for dresses… and of course, I finally find one, just a hop, skip, and jump, away from my home! LOL.
The owner is very abrupt. She can come off as harsh and rude… but I think part of it is cultural, and the other part is the fact that she has a speech impediment, which I have been told is due to cancer in her tongue. She had part of her tongue removed, but makes no apologies for it. She talks to you like she hasn’t got an impediment, but man… she was harrrrrd to understand sometimes! lol
Short story is, she KNOWS what she is doing. It is best for you to go there if you have NO particular look in mind. If you tell her your budget, where your wedding will be, and give her a few details about stuff you like or don’t like… SHE will find a dress that suits you best!
She brought out 3. 1 simple; 2 perfect; 3 elegant. I obviously chose number 2, but number 1 was still so gorgeous. I would NEVER have picked that dress if I was looking through it alone. But she knew what would flatter me most. She also found one in my budget. AND I LOVE IT!
I ordered my dress at the beginning of Sept, and it has just arrived! It is now, November! My wedding is not until May of next year, but I am glad I got my dress organized.
I was so happy at Vows. Don’t take her personally… she doesn’t MEAN to be grouchy. I mean, wouldn’t you be snippy if half your tongue was missing? She’s very good at what she does. Highly recommended IF YOU AREN’T DEAD SET ON ONE DRESS and are NOT WILLING TO BE OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS.

I went here first to find my wedding dress because a former co-​worker highly recommended them. I made my appointment, brought my cut-​outs, and headed on over.
The assistant girl was very nice; I enjoyed talking with her while waiting for my attendant. When she finally came and looked at the pictures I brought in, she asked what was my budget. She then told me that the look I wanted (vintage with lace and straps) was way out of my price range, and I was unable to get anything like it (which at other stores wasn’t the case). I was really disappointed in the selection she brought out. They were nice dresses but just not what I was looking for.
I was dead set on finding something with straps. I got tired of the strapless look and wanted something different. The thing that really put me off about this place was that the attendant was pushing strapless dresses on me. She said it was more flattering and that my arms looked bigger in dresses with straps (which was the first time anyone told my size 0 butt that). To prove her point, every time she put me in a strapless dress, she put up attachable straps and said, «See? Can’t you see the difference?» «Don’t [your arms] look nicer without straps?» In each dress, she was breaking down my self-​esteem and trying to make me feel stupid about not knowing what I wanted.
1. You’re not listening to the bride.
2. You’re insulting the bride.
3. You’re pushing something onto the bride that she doesn’t want.
They had nice dresses, but you can find nice dresses elsewhere and with waaaaayyy better customer service. Don’t waste your time here and support this pushy saleswoman.
The final outcome: I got THE dress at the Bridal Boutique, and the girls who helped me find it were amazing.

My sister has gotten her prom dress from Vows two years in a row! I love coming to this place because they are true professionals in their industry. They ask you questions about your budget, what you like, what colors you want, and a style you like to help you select the right dress. Instead of having to go through all their dresses they pick out things for you that meet what you are looking for. The best part is the workers are very enthusiastic and passionate about their jobs. They love to see you smile when you put on the perfect dress.
The price of alterations here are cheap compared to other dress shops.
The lady is a little hard to understand but she is really good at what she does.
I look forward to the day when I will come here to find my wedding dress.
PARKING: I usually park in front (on beretania) at the meters. They have 5 stalls by their store and one is usually open at all times.