A Joyful Occasion

Such a wonderful shop! You get great individual attention without it being pushy! I had been to 4 different bridal salons before visiting and the moment I walked in I knew I was finding my gown at this shop! And I did and it’s beautiful! Plus I had the owner of the shop assisting me! We will be back to get the bridesmaid dresses and MOB dress as well! Great shop!

I cannot say enough great things about this shop and the mother/​daughter duo who run it.
They know their dresses, are honest, and professional. I just tried my dress on today and could not be happier with my dress and the service I’ve received.

The mother/​daughter duo that assisted me here were absolutely fantastic. Had I not found my dream dress elsewhere I would have been happy to give them my business.
Location: this little gem is hidden in a strip mall. It’s not glitzy, but it’s well organized and welcoming. I came here with a party of three bystanders to weigh in and we were plenty comfortable. The parking was easy like most suburban locations.
Selection: I came in with a pretty good idea what I was looking for. Big, ballgown style and lightweight. Not only were they able to provide me with a handful of gowns that I felt like a princess in, but they suggested a couple of similar gowns that I wouldn’t normally have picked out, but fell in love with. They do have a small inventory, but it included many unique gowns in different styles. They were great at making suggestions and pairing the gowns with belts and veils that topped off the product.
Service: like I opened with — top notch. I made an appointment in advance as you almost always do with bridal salons and I was given their full attention. I never felt rushed or made to fit into something I didn’t love. They made me feel like it was my decision to make when I was ready (As they should).
Price: I’m a bride on a budget and they were able to keep the dresses I was trying on in the 1000 – 1300 range. Very impressed.

It’s hard to know what to say that hasn’t already been said. I decided to go to this place because they had the dress I thought I wanted. Kelly and her mom gave me the best experience I’ve had through the wedding process. This is coming from someone who has been described as a «grumpy bride». Fair enough.
The prices are great. And although I loved the dress, I ultimately decided that the material was too heavy for a summer wedding. Kelly was gracious, assured me that making this decision was tough and personal, and repeatedly let me know that she really just wanted me to do what’s best for me. Amazing! This is not just the best experience I’ve had with planning a wedding, but truly one of the best experiences I’ve had as a consumer, period. I eventually got a dress from somewhere else, but I’m going back for a reception dress, jewelry, and a veil. There is a longer story about that, but I’ll spare you the details. If you are getting married, do yourself a favor, and check out A Joyful Occasion. Nothing else has even come close.

My experience going to A Joyful Occasion reminded me of Meg Ryan’s book store in the movie «You’ve Got Mail.» It’s a small, mother-​daughter owned shop and every dress in the place was carefully selected by the owners. Kelly was the one I worked with. She knew everything and anything there was to know about each dress I tried on. You could tell she had a passion for what she does; she wasn’t just trying to make a sale. She made the whole experience very enjoyable.

The attention to the bride to be and her mother was off the chart. Every need and detail was taken care of each visit. We relied on their opinions for accessories and were very pleased with all the recommendations! They also gave us the name of the best woman to do the minor alterations needed! We have recommended this wonderful bridal house to everyone. Thanks for making my daughter’s important day so special!

I came in thinking I wanted one kind of style and with Kelly’s help and patience, we found the perfect dress (the opposite of what I though I would want!!). She worked within my budget, never pressuring me to go over, and made the process fun! I came back about 4 times from start to finish and the big day is in February! Huge thank you to you guys!

Susan & Kelly was such a pleasure to work with! Susan was so patient and both so helpful. They did not make me feel any pressure to make a decision on a dress and took their time with me. They listened to my wants and concerns and helped me work within my budget. It was my first time trying on bridal dresses so I was a bit on the fence not knowing what to expect but it was such a great experience!

I have high expectations and Kelly and staff exceeded these. When my fiancé and I decided to plan our wedding in under 5 months, this was my first stop. Upon booking the appointment, the timeframe was discussed and we were told «no problem» we will find you a gown. I have since purchased the 2^nd gown I tried on and I could have spent months searching and wouldn’t be more pleased. The customer service is truly what sets this boutique apart from others. Kelly assisted my sister who lives in TX in purchasing junior bridesmaid dresses via email communication. What a win for us! I am currently undergoing alterations with their recommended seamstress who has done amazing work to bring my purchased gown down 8 sizes. If you are looking for great customer service and a flexible team, you have found your place.

What a wonderful experience! This was the first dress shop I visited, and it was just easy and laid back. Susan, one of the shop’s owner, made me feel very welcome. It appears small, but they have a pretty solid selection in the back.
Over the course of a couple of months Susan and her daughter Kelly spoke to me on the phone, allowed me to try on the dress several times and provided great guidance on color and accessories. And, they were very willing to work within my budget. I did end up purchasing my wedding dress from this shop and loved my experience with the owners.
I highly suggest checking out this shop — it’s a wonderful business. This business also works with a local seamstress who is excellent.

A joyful occasion is the place to go!
Susan is such a lovely lady, after dealing with traffic during rush hour traveling from the loop to naperville, she was a breath of fresh air! Went there on a week night with my friends and was determined to end this wedding dress shopping!.. after listening more and more to what i liked about 3+ dresses i had initially tried on, .she insisted on me trying on a dress i had said no to in the initial dress selections and it ended up being the dress…
Please do yourself a favor and don’t shop in the city. …drive here. it will be worth it… also FREE PARKING!.. yes.this is a big deal! ;)
A wide selection of dresses and Susan is very knowledgeable.
Mainly communicated with her daughter Kelly over the phone and email, and she is lovely as well. Highly recommended!
their recommended seamstress/​alterations specialist is also very sweet

The shop is very cute. The dress are gorgeous. But with my wedding little less than 2 months away I was extremely limited. Kelly the person who helped was amazing, kind and understanding. She found me a dress that I loved! And a perfect veil for it.
Only reason for 4 stars is because I felt very limited in dress selection.

Full disclosure, I haven’t purchased from this store. This review is for the AMAZING customer service that I received here. I purchased my dress elsewhere during a trunk sale and ended up with some very serious buyers remorse. I couldn’t sleep I was so anxious! Joyful Occasion was the only store within 50 miles of me that had my dress in stock, so I told them what was going on and they let me come in and put it on. Kelly talked me down off a ledge! She had tons of tricks for making sure that I could see myself the way my guests would be seeing me on the big day, and helped me see that despite my sticker shock I had picked an amazing dress. I came back a few weeks later with some family to try on bridesmaids dresses and to get a final opinion so that I could feel as confident as possible with my decision. Kelly again had tons of suggestions for everything from colors to lengths of dresses, and was a wealth of information about general wedding traditions and etiquette. Thank you Kelly a million times!

Just went there with my best friend to get her wedding dress. All of her options were stunning. The women worked with us to find exactly what she wanted. My friend, the bride, is very laid back and prefers fewer quality options rather than a huge store, so this place was perfect. Gorgeous dresses; totally recommend this place! We’ll see as we work with them in the coming months for alterations and fittings, but I’m sure it will be great.
Also, bride has a short timeline of 6mos and it was no problem at all.
Can’t upload pictures now to keep the bride’s dress a secret!

My best friend got married a year ago and I’ve recommended this place to so many friends since that I thought it was time to write a review! The service and support from the team there was great. The dresses span a good price range so you don’t have to indulge to look gorgeous on your special day, but you have the options to. They have a variety of designers, very unique dresses that don’t look cookie cutter, and a great selection of accessories!

I worked with Susan at A Joyful Occasion and she was wonderful. She respected my budget and didn’t bring me dresses that were over my budget. The thing that stood out to me most about AJO and that I most appreciated was the privacy they give you while you’re putting on dresses. Of the 5 stores I visited, AJO was the only store I didn’t have to stand around in my underwear while a complete stranger dressed me. I came to accept that that’s just how wedding dress shopping is, but it was really nice that Susan would wait outside the room while I got in and out of dresses until I was ready for her to come back in, at which point she would finish zipping/​buttoning/​clipping the dresses.
I feel bad leaving a 3 star review for a great store, but with a budget of $ 1000, I was only able to try on 4 dresses. It’s a small store and doesn’t have as big of a selection as other stores. If you have a tight budget like I did, you may not be able to find what you’re looking for here. My favorite dress out of the 4 I tried on was a close contender for my wedding dress, but it was at the very top of my budget and would have required alterations. Still, the service was great and I would recommend A Joyful Occasion to other brides-​to-​be.

I went here to look for some bridesmaid dresses with the bridal party and while the consultant was super nice, there aren’t a large number of selections. The shop is a bit small and the dresses were placed on two racks that were not organized and didn’t have much of a variety. For a larger bridal party I’m not sure if I’d recommend this place for bridesmaid dresses.

This place does not have a very prominent presence from Naper Blvd, let alone once you’re in the actual parking lot. I contemplated going into Mario Traccoci’s to ask for directions but as I turned around, I saw «bridal» in white neon lights. I used my deductive reasoning skills and pulled up to see «A Joyful Occasion» stenciled on the door in small script.
My friend, her mother and I were promptly greeted by Susan, who was very nice and professional. Both my friend and I had very explicit requirements for the dress (hers, Bride, mine MOH) and Susan was helpful in further narrowing down the dresses to suit our desires. Due to our stringent requirements, my homie ended up purchasing the second dress she tried on, and I got the first dress I tried on. Done.
Since my friend purchased her dress here, we received 10% off the bridesmaid dresses which was a nice incentive. The selection of bridal gowns was pretty large, although most of the dresses were strapless. The selection of bridesmaid dresses was a little smaller but they had a decent amount to choose from. I just don’t understand why so many of them are heinous… luckily, my friend is the
because she let me pick mine, color and all. Susan also showed us a selection of accessories, veils, belts, hair pins. Lots of cute items to spruce up your dress, although the bride is a minimalist so we declined. So far, it’s been a pleasant experience, I will be sure to update once the dress is in…

Bridesmaid dress shopping normally sucks… but not at A Joyful Occasion!
Kelly is fantastic and on top of her ish! The ladies who work here are super friendly and very accommodating. The bridesmaids got a discount on their dresses because the bride also bought hers here. I highly recommend this place for your bridal (bridal party) need.

What a beautiful beautiful experience. I got to help my best friend pick out her wedding dress.
After a really sad appointment at another place we headed here. The owner is AMAZING! She picked out the best dresses for Al to try on and made her feel like a princess. Everyone deserves that kind of treatment once in a while.
I am sad that we couldn’t get our bridesmaid dresses here but so thankful Al got her «dress» here!
can’t wait to go back for her fittings and more!