Pearl’s Place

I really wanted to like Pearl’s Place, both of my older sisters bought their dresses from Pearls, but that was over ten years ago, and things seem to have changed. They have a ton of dresses and do free alterations, which is amazing, but the service there was so bad that I have to give it one star.
I went three separate times. The first was horrible! It was on a Saturday, which I recognize is the busiest day, but their website said they didn’t take appointments (turns out they maybe, sort of do?) so I didn’t really have another choice. We waited for almost an hour, which I didn’t mind, and spent the time coming though the racks of hundreds of dresses, all of which are in plastic, so its not easy to see them. When the consultant finally called my name, she didn’t ask me anything about the wedding or what I wanted, she just said «what do you want to try on first?» Since there were several hundred dresses, I thought this was kind of a crazy question, but my friends were able to pull a few from the racks that they remembered us liking. The woman was so rude. She mentioned several times how close she was to being off and how everyone needed to hurry up. She did not help with the dresses at all, my friends got them form the rack, carried them to me, then helped me put them on. I wasn’t expecting anything fancy, honestly, but in a store with that many dresses, it seemed reasonable to expect some guidance. Overall, it was terrible and I couldn’t wait to be done with it. It really took the fun out of it.
The second time I went was a totally different story. I was with my family and wanted to show them just one dress that I had liked from the first time. Again, it was a Saturday and super busy, but I found a lady and asked if I could just try on the one dress — I had located it myself. She was very sweet and let me slip in a room. After she saw me int he dress, without asking, she started pulling other similar dresses for me to try. Although I didn’t decide on any of those dresses, this visit may have changed my mind if not for the fact that…
I went back a third time, on a weekday, when it was very slow and was unlucky enough to get the same lady from the first appointment. I should have just asked for someone new, but I’m polite and didn’t. Again, it was a terrible experience and I refused to go back again. There are no less than three bridal stores within a mile that will treat you so much better, and for a similar price. Do yourself a favor and go to one of those.

DO NOT GO To Pearl’s Place. They are rude and have no business ethics. The seamstress does horrible work and we are a week out from the wedding with NO dress!!! She couldn’t even take a simple hem. They said they would get a new skirt and tried to pass it off as new and all they did was undo the waistband. Very poor business. How would they react if it was their family members wedding? You wait a life time to have your special day and you want it perfect. Instead a week out we have no dress and bad attitudes. I wouldn’t send my worst enemy to Pearls Place for a dress!

I stopped at Pearls in May to look for a wedding dress for my wedding in June. One month isn’t much time to find the right dress and have alterations done, but the girls at Pearls were amazing and made it happen!
When we arrived, we were told to sign in and someone would be with us shortly. Courtney is the consultant who helped us, and even though we were on a budget (under$ 1000), she found a dress that was in our price range and made me look and feel like a million bucks! She was so sweet and helpful, I highly recommend working with her.
We tried to have alterations done the same day, but they were booked for the day. We had no problem coming back, and returned later that week for alterations. It was a simple and easy process, no one was in front of us to have alterations done so they grabbed my dress and we got started!
They gave me a receipt with the date my dress would be ready for pickup, Friday June 3. I called the afternoon of June 3, and it was steamed and ready to go. So I informed them I would come the next day to pick it up. It was ready when I arrived, I looked everything over and it was perfect.
I had a great experience here from beginning to end, and can’t wait to share the photos with them from my big day! Thanks Pearls for sharing in memories I will always remember.

I haven’t purchased the dress YET but up until this point I’ve had a great experience at Pearls Place. I walked in on a Friday afternoon and had a really pleasant time trying on a ton of dresses. Lisa was AMAZING. Her energy, patience, and feedback was incredible. I came back on Saturday with an appointment to try on my top choices and although Lisa wasn’t able to help she still came me by to say Hi and give some great feedback again. I think Courtney helped me out and she was great too — even found some white material to help me visualize what my dress will look like next to my groom who will be in white uniform.
The dresses are in bags so it’s much harder to shop around the store. You have to put your trust in the staff to pick out some dresses based on your preferences. So try out some dresses at other stores, get a feel for what style and design you’re going for and you’ll be able to tell them exactly the look you’re aiming for within your price range. I love that they can dim the lights so you can see how your dress will look at the reception/​at night. I was able to take pictures of my dresses both days, no problem…
My suggestion — come during the week, it’s much more relaxed. It’s your wedding — take one afternoon off to look for dresses. I can see how the weekend crowd could add some pressure and anxiety to an already tough decision!
**They offer military discount

Absolutely terrible service. There is no system or organization in this place. I have called twice about my dress being ready for alterations and each time they could not find my dress. How do you tell your customers that you can’t find there dress? The amount of time you have to wait to try on, get fitted, get alterations and the dress to finally be done takes about 9 months. Absolutely absurd. They need more than 1 seamstress to alleviate this issue. There staff should be more courteous and helpful. The whole experience is ruined when having to wait hours just to try on a dress or being told your dress is lost or going to pick up your dress and it hasn’t even been altered bc the pins are poking you when you try it on. Just ridiculous. For the amount of money we pay there needs to be better service provide as well as the experience.

Had a GREAT experience 5 years ago for my own gown a year ago for my best friend and another one today for my other best friend. Great customer service, friendly atomosphere, wonderful prices, and lots of variety. LISA helped all 3 of us and we couldn’t be more pleased.

This place is all about the sale. My sister found her dress here. She absolutely loved it. It was basically the dress of her dreams. One week before her wedding she goes in for her finally fitting and the dress is butchered!!! The front is all wrinkled and it now hangs way lower than it did before, cause tons of back fat. What bride wants back fat? Also does not fit in the front. They do not care. They do not come up with a solution, the sale has been made. Well their solution was try it on without the corset that we said you had to buy before even getting it fitted. Now sister is in tear. The dress she loved, she now hates, for good reason. Her tears mean nothing to them. This is her wedding and you would think they would be experienced enough to try and come up with a solution. Sew on sleeves, something. Will never in my life go here and will sway anyone I know away from it. Listen to the reviews!!!

I echo the complaints in the other reviews. Their customer service is terrible. Long waits, annoyed employees, annoyed customers. Limited hours for being measured for alterations, one seamstress, and no appointments. This place is terrible. If you want a positive experience buying and doing everything your wedding dress requires– go somewhere else. It’s not worth it.

BRIDES BEWARE: Please read several reviews before making your decision to shop at Pearl’s Place. I wish I had.
My relationship with Pearl’s Place, after an awkward start, began well. I walked into the store on a weekday and said I needed a dress for my wedding. The three women at the desk in the room to the right looked at me flabbergasted as if they had no idea what I was talking about… like I had walked into a shoe store or something. They all seemed pretty flustered.
After a few moments, Lisa said she would help. I had the idea that I wanted a short dress, but Pearl’s is limited in their selection of short dresses. On the other hand, the selection for everything else, in my experience, is enormous and plentiful. They also claim they can order just about anything, even if it isn’t something they carry. Lisa was incredible. She brought several dresses that would fit my physique and nailed it in the first round. To my surprise, I had chosen a long dress. I was in love. She showered me with compliments and even had the staff come out and cheer when I decided that I had found the perfect dress.
The bridal gown was tax free and they offered a discount if I brought my bridesmaids back for their dresses along with free alterations for all. Seems like a goldmine, right? That was the last pleasant moment I had with Pearl’s Place.
And before you jump to the conclusion that maybe I’m just a disgruntled customer — Check out the rest of my reviews. I rarely write a bad one. This has truly been one of the most negative experiences of a lifetime and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
To sum up the horror that encompasses this awful business establishment:
— They take on more business than they are staffed to handle, so anticipate waiting long hours and sharing your rep with a ton of other angry women who have been waiting just as long (for finding a dress)
— They do not make appointments for alterations and people start lining up more than an hour before they open; prepare to wait several hours to be seen for your fitting
— If you speak with three different people, you will be told three different things; none of the employees are on the same page
— This isn’t confirmed, but I was told they outsource all of their alterations which probably accounts for all of their alterations issues
— The guaranteed date for your dress to come back altered is not guaranteed at all and they won’t call you when it’s in; you have to keep calling them to check on it
— Your dress is likely to come back with tears in the seam, loose threads, incorrect sizing (my bridal gown had a tear in the seam, one of my bridesmaids had a loose thread in the closure for the halter on her bridesmaid dress, my MOH and other bridesmaids dresses were pushed back to return the WEEK OF MY WEDDING because they were «a little backed up»
— They get an F– for customer service; the staff is rude, they don’t care about you (it’s clear they only want to make a sale off of you), no one knows anything, they’re all on different pages, they’re always overwhelmed and frustrated, etc.
— If they tell you your dress is ready, be sure to ask them to make sure your dress is actually ready before you go (alterations complete, steamed, etc.) — I left work for this intending to run in, try it on and leave… and it wasn’t ready
— When you do pick up your dress that has been paid for, demand that they allow you to just borrow a dressing room to try it on rather than letting them put you in their never ending line — it’s highly unnecessary if you’re just checking the fit so you can leave
— If your dress comes back too small, they’ll likely just accuse you of gaining a lot of weight (at least that’s what happened to my makeup artist when she purchased her dress from them)
If you’re looking for a great price and a big selection, they can accommodate you. I would recommend having alterations done somewhere else. Just be aware of what you’re getting into before making a purchase this big.

If I could give this place negative stars, I would. It’s an absolute horrible experience. The staff is rude, the dressing rooms are the size of a public restroom, it smells like a thrift shop and you are not allowed to take a picture of anything.
Let me repeat that one more time… You ARE NOT allowed to take a picture of anything. If you take your phone out and try, a member of the staff will damn near tackle you.
Do not shop here.

I’m very disappointed to be yet another dissatisfied customer of Pearl’s Place. Despite the fact that no one was in the store, we were treated very rudely! Not only did the seamstress, Mildred, argue with my request for the hem of the dress, which was the second attempt, but she incorrectly eye balled the measurement. When asked to see a manager, we were handled with the same amount of disrespect and rudeness. Who was the customer? I would never advise anyone to spend their hard earned money at an establishment that’s so poorly run! In addition to rude consultants that could care less about their customers, the place looks like a second rate warehouse: very rundown. Clearly, a score of 1 star grossly exceeds their performance. Be sure to go to any other place but this!

My consultant at Pearl’s Place today was awful! She told me I could only try on the dresses she pulled and not all the ones I picked because «most brides can handle trying on more than 6 dresses in a day». After I told her I wanted fit and flare she put me in an extreme mermaid. When I told her that wasn’t what I wanted she said «well then I guess you don’t want fit and flare because that’s what this is «. I wasn’t allowed to take any pictures and they had all the tags cut out of the dresses so if I liked one I couldn’t «identify it and buy it from another boutique.» They need to worry more about good customer service and then they won’t have to worry about brides wanting to buy elsewhere! Try MaeMe’s or Bows and Bustles instead. Much more professional and friendly consultants.

I thought previous brides were exaggerating when they gave Pearl’s bad reviews. 4 women warned me against PP (suggesting Bustles & Bows instead). Still, I visited with an open mind. Left in tears. 1 star is accurate.
1. First impression: stuttered at the sales desk because I was nervous. The consultant sharply said, «SPEAK. Use the English language.» Embarrassing, unnecessary.
2. Called ahead, they lied about having the bridesmaid dress (pattern and design). We think they «found» the dress when I called just to get us into the store. Dresses we did see were ripped and had sweat stains.
3. Dressing area= 5 brides, small space, 2 mirrors. Rushed cow herding.
4. Cheap material. Felt like I was at a gown flea market.
5. Consultant told bride, «Your expectations are too high. You’re not going to find what you want so just make a decision.» :-/​
6. All dresses in plastic bags and may only be touched by sales reps. My mom pulled a dress for me to try (didn’t know the rule) and the lady snapped at her across the room to put it down. Awkward.
ICING ON THE CAKE:
7. I asked my friend to take a picture. No-​picture rule (neither of us knew). She pulled her phone out and my consultant went freakin NUTS. «Are you KIDDING ME? You are RUDE. Right in front of my face?! WOW. I cannot BELIEVE THIS. I’m not going to get into this with you so put your damn phone away.» Went on for minutes about how she couldn’t believe my friend pulled her phone out. (Again, it was an accident.) My heart was pounding, everyone was staring at us, so I went back into the dressing room. The consultant insisted on complaining about my «rude little friend» while she was unclipping me, making for a very, very uncomfortable experience.
8. After that, she didn’t bring me any more dresses to try on and refused to give me the style # or designer of dress I liked.
Left the store in tears, feeling so bad and embarrassed for my friend. I understand there are rules and systems for a reason. However, accusing potential customers of lying and shouting at the bride, mother of the bride, and a friend seemed unnecessary and wildly unprofessional.
We walked down the block to Bustles & Bows where you can touch the dresses and take pictures. I found the perfect dress for CHEAP!!! Polar opposite experiences.

Went there today with my daughter and the sales women was so rude that my daughter decided to take her business elsewhere. I can’t believe they hire people that don’t know how to talk to customers who are spending a lot of money. The ladies at Bustles & Bows were so much classier. I would definitely not recommend Pearls Place unless you want to deal with rude sales women on your special occasion. Plus I over heard another sales women complaining about a customer who had left the store. She said the women was crazy and looney. I wonder if they treat all their customers that way.

I live in california. Found this place through my sister in law… Went to a couple local bridal shops, narrowed it down to 2 dresses. Called pearls place and got such a great discount. However all transaction r done by phone. Dress came as expected, correct size and brand !!! ;) love, love the dress!!! Thanks pearls place!!!

Ugh. Super depressing. Shopping for a $ 3 pack of underwear at Kmart is a more upscale experience than shopping for thousand dollar dresses at Pearls Place.
I walked in on a random Tuesday afternoon, having been told that i didn’t need an appointment. The store itself is the opposite of what a bridal boutique should be: it’s dark, outdated and drab. The racks are stuffed with dresses, but since they’re all in garment bags, it’s impossible to tell what they look like.
It took easily 5 minutes to be acknowledged by the two women at the counter. Then i was directed to a fitting room. I told my consultant what i was looking for and that was it. She was relatively cold and disinterested. She listened to me describe what I was looking for and disappeared. It was pretty clear that I was not to look through the racks myself, which would have been all-​but-​impossible anyways, since all the dresses were indistinguishable in their garment bags anyways.
The consultant proceeded to bring me a handful of truly wretched dresses. Some i rejected out of hand, some i tried on just to be polite and in the hopes that the selections would improve. There wasn’t a single dress that i liked even a little bit. Even on a relatively quiet weekday afternoon, I still had to jockey with two other brides for a little bit of mirror space. The whole vibe of the place had my stomach in knots.
It really blows my mind that a store selling dresses that cost thousands and thousands of dollars can offer a less pleasant shopping environment than your average TJ Maxx. At the very least, a few extra mirrors, a coat of paint and a more invested staff would make a world of difference.

I recently got married and my entire bridal party used Pearl’s place including flower girl, moms and grandmas! People could not stop talking about my dress! Like I don’t even think they saw my face people were soo amazed by my dress!!! And did I pick it? Nope. I went to Pearl’s and they basically picked for me. I know that today with pinterest and DIY being so popular, brides want to micromanage every detail of everything, but honestly there is a reason these people have been in business so long. They know women’s bodies and what works and what doesn’t. TRUST YOUR VENDORS. Pearls Place is filled with bridal associates who have been doing this for years. For example, for one of the mom’s dresses I thought what they picked was SOOO ugly on the hanger and she tried it on and I was blown away! So I learned my lesson and that was to leave it to the professionals. I was soo happy with the way everyone looked and that’s because I trusted that the most popular bridal boutique in the Southeast knew more about weddings than I do.
In response to some of the people who have griped about wait times for fittings, just remember that the alterations are free which is basically unheard of. You could go to David’s bridal and buy a cheaper dress and pay their astronomical prices for tailoring (which will ultimately make the dresses cost more), but will jaws drop when you walk down the aisle? I know that going to Pearls was the absolute right choice! I just can’t even explain how the alterations they did to a dress that already looked great took it to the level of exquisite. I have never felt so good about myself!!!

Love this place! I have been getting my dresses from here for years! I have always had a very attentive sales associate helping me. Mirrors are everywhere, best for checking yourself out at every angle! Management has always been able to answer any question I had and took great care of me! No wonder they have been in business forever! Can’t wait for my next big event, I will definitely be choosing pearl’s!

TERRIBLE, DONT GO HERE!!! We waited 2 hours for them to even locate the dress we ordered before we could get fitted because they wrote down the wrong item number. Getting the dresses altered was a nightmare. The lady was incredibly rude and refused to hem my dress until I forced her too, and when we got our dresses back NONE OF THEM FIT!!! We had to tape and pin the crap out of them. All 5 were too long and we had to hold them up as we walked down the aisle. Terrible, and expensive! Never again!!!

No. Just no. The people who work here are rude, the way the place is run and their policies are completely schizophrenic. My friend just got married and I was one of the bridesmaids. She said if she could do it all over again she would have paid more for her dress and ordered it elsewhere. The people are so rude I don’t know how this place stays open.
I had an initially good experience when I ordered my BM dress, as the sales lady was super sweet. They had some thing where you could either order the dress and include alterations as at a set price, and as alterations can get expensive, I chose this option. The bride chose this option as well.
Never do this. Actually, never order a dress from here ever, but never choose to get alterations done through them.
I thought I had a horrible experience with them but figured it was because I was a lowly bridesmaid, that they had to treat brides better… Nope. They were awful to the bride as well.
Most important part first: they almost ruined the brides dress. They «accidentally» took it in 3 inches in the bodice, when it fit her perfectly. There was no un-​doing it and she could not fit into it when she tried it on. The bride was already a skinny girl so she didn’t really have any weight to lose in that area, so she couldn’t just get smaller. They refused to rush order her a new dress even though it was their mistake.
They let it out as much as they could and she basically went into turbo diet for a month so that she could zip her dress. She had to cancel her bridal photos because Pearl’s Place ruined her dress. (fortunately her she got them done right before the wedding, but it was too late for her to have one displayed for the reception)
They never notified the bride when her dress or her bridesmaids dresses were in. When she called and tried to arrange a fitting, they told her that they do not make appointments for fittings. That’s right– as a bride, you can’t make an appointment for a fitting.
When she took off early from work, they told her that she got here too late in he day (they close at 5 and she was there around 4:30) They gave out all the «numbers» for alterations that day.
This when things took the big nosedive. I showed up for my alterations to be told the same «numbers» thing.
I was number 20-​something and was told it would be hours before they could get to me. Since I knew nothing of their system, I asked if I could make and appointment. I was simply told «no». I said, that’s ok, can come back on Tuesday. Again, simply «no». The sales lady who was giving me these mono word responses shoved a peice of paper at me detailing their alterations process. Bullet points from and back of the page. It is the most complicated, frustrating process ever.
They work on this weird numbering system, first come, first serve. They open at 10 and close at 5 and give out X number of alterations per day. They told me (and the bride) that the best way to get alterations was to show up about 9:30 before they open and wait outside and hope you don’t get too late of a number. And they only do alterations Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. So basically if you have a job be prepared to take multiple days off in hopes of getting your dress altered, if you are lucky.
The lady told me that it was probably best if I left and I could call in a couple of hours to see if they got to my number yet. So I did and went back when my number was close. When I got there a different sales lady got really mad with me when I asked where I was supposed to go, which was really confusing.
They alterations lady was rude, everyone there is miserable.
They are really cheap which is why they get business– my brides dress was about $ 300 cheaper here, but she even said that she would rather pay the extra money than ever deal with them again. They don’t have anywhere nice to change, you have to fight with girls buying prom dresses for a tiny curtained off space and for a mirror.
It’s just awful all around, it’s not worth the savings at all.