Serendipity Bridal & Events

I am so glad I decided to buy my dress at Serendipity, they are incredibly professional and definitely a top quality business without being overly expensive. I actually had to go there alone to shop for dresses but the women (Beth) helping me out never pressured me the whole time. Seriously, she was so kind and helped me try on about 10 dress until I found the one! I was so relieved to be able to experiment with different styles and explore what would work for me. Other places I went to just didn’t provide that same experience, they didn’t care as much. My experience at Serendipity was amazing!
Unfortunately, I took my dress somewhere else for alterations and I totally regret it. The other seamstress at a different company ruined my dress and 3 weeks before the wedding I had to scramble to find another! It was a nightmare. Thankfully I went back to Serendipity, explained the situation and they helped me get the same dress off the rack. I worked directly with the owners too and they were amazing! Honestly, they sincerely cared about my happiness and did everything they could to make my experience wonderful. After all of that I went ahead and used their seamstress and she did SUCH an amazing job with my dress. This new dress was a little small but she made it work. Seriously she is amazing, I probably tried out 7 different bustle styles too, before deciding on one and she was incredibly patient. I wish from the bottom of my heart that I had just gone with their seamstress to begin with…
Anyway, all in all Serendipity saved my wedding on short notice and made me feel so beautiful, and helped me find a solution to a terrible situation that I had to deal with right before the wedding. They run an honest business with incredible professionalism. I recommend any bride to go here, even if it’s a long drive. I’m telling you, it’s so worth it!

I was not impressed with this place. I originally called here to make an appointment to try on some wedding dresses, they were very lackluster and unprofessional. I am so glad there were MANY other choices in this area and I was able to find a dress somewhere else.

Places like this give the wedding industry a bad name and confirm all bride’s suspicions of dress stores only being interested in making a sale. I did not purchase my dress from here, but I did use them to have alterations and custom straps added to the dress. The owners are pleasant, but I was never once introduced to anyone the four or five times I visited Serendipity. Never feeling very welcome or that there was any enthusiasm at all for their customers. They quoted me one price and then when I went in for the initial fitting tried to charge me double, for some of their services. After going back and forth with the owner, they did honor their initial quote, but tried to tell me those things were dependent upon how the dress fit me (which was not the case). In addition, they said I would only need one fitting, however then had to go back at least 4 times before I could finally take the dress home with me. Living over an hour away this was a huge burden. Then to top things off, I found out the day before my wedding that alterations to the top of the dress had never been completed by their seamstress. I had TWO other seamstresses confirm that all inside stitching was from the factory and that my dress had not even been touched. Luckily, these two other seamstresses stepped in to take the dress in so that it fit properly. I had pictures to prove it, but the owner of Serendipity, Janice still did nothing to remedy the situation. My advice to all other brides… stay far away!

Last place we looked and it should have been the first… place was amazing and staff were great. Definitely happy with the purchase!!!

After having a terrible experience shopping at David’s bridal, I went to Serendipity’s. Since I’m plus size I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find anything. Quite the opposite. Beth helped me find dresses and try them on. Her and Jennifer answered all of my questions and were very nice unlike what I had to deal with at David’s bridal. They made me feel like special even if I’m a plus size bride.

Walked in with my wife. We are looking for information and possible contracting someone for our son’s wedding. Lady behind the desk was on the phone, and didn’t even acknowledge our entrance. A few seconds later picked up her finger and basically said wait one minute without saying one word. Never spoke to even check on us. Stood on the phone while we walked around. We just left. Sad when customer service is an important tool company.

I called this shop to set an appointment to find my wedding dress since they carried a lot of the designers I was finding myself attracted to. When the girl picked up the phone you could tell she was going to be rude and I should have hung up then, but I was holding out hope that maybe she was just having a rough day. She asked two questions, what my bra size (38DD) and my dress size (12) were. After giving her my answers as aforementioned she replied «maybe you should entertain the idea of a plus sized store» and hung up. If I was anyone I would NOT even waste the phone call.

So, getting my actual dress from here was painless. But I was not at all impressed with alterations. The seamstress was rude. I do not feel like she altered anything really and it was expensive for the little bit of nip and tuck that i needed. I was too tired to go anywhere else, since i got my dress from here. But do a little research before you consider getting your alterations here. I hear there is a good seamstress in Fort Washington and surrounding areas of La Plata.

I had almost given up on looking for an elegant evening gown for a Navy event. I had tried half a dozen shops looking for something elegant and timeless, and found tacky and cheap dresses, or dresses that were not formal enough. One day before my event I found this place. Not only did I find a lovely gown that fit off the shelf, but they made the one minor alteration to the straps the same day. They were attentive and helpful even though they were busy when I was there. Thank you, serendipity.

I disagree completely. I hate dresses so I was very nervous to look for my wedding dress. I didn’t think I’d like anything. I hated all dresses from other places. They consulted with me and pinpointed what they thought I was going for. They pulled a few like that and then had my Entourage all pull a dress they thought I’d like. I fell madly in love with one dress by Casablanca but even the ones I hated I felt beautiful in because the staff was so excited and complementary. I never know what I want and they helped tremendously!!! My dress is my dream dress. Everyone was so helpful. I can’t say anything went bad. It was a blast and I felt like a celebrity the whole time ! Definitely recommend this to everyone

Unfortunately I NOW feel the same way as the other reviewers. My initial experience with Serendipity as a future bride was wonderful! Their selection of wedding dresses is extensive and the dresses are all out of the bags making it easy to see. We found «the dress» and it was even under budget by $ 300! I would have given 4 stars for my initial experience! Based on my measurements they recommended I order up 4 sizes from my norm which isn’t uncommon for formal wear and for the fact My measurements ranged in 3 different sixes. When the dress came in it needed alterations since it was huge in the chest area. I needed to have the dress taken in on the sides, in the bust area, added a bustle, and ask to have a belt sewn on (my own extra). The grand total for alterations exceeded more than half the cost of my dress!!! The only thing I didn’t need was a hem since the dress company provides custom hems complimentary! The alterations were fine in the end (I went 2 different times). The last time I went I asked them to show me how to bustle it (I was by myself). They walked me through it while I was still wearing it (three ribbons with matching numbers, tie each set together). Seemed simple enough! At my reception my bridesmaids were unable to figure it out! The found the ribbons and tied them and it did nothing! For the one hundred fifty I spent to have this bustle done and not work upset me! I contacted the store via email to express my concern, not expecting a refund, just an apology and acknowledgement and have yet to receive a response. Do not get your alterations done here! Go see Karen in La Plata!

I have to agree with the complaints already listed here. I thought since we were paying more, we would receive better service, but I was definitely wrong. I lost 20 pounds after I was measured for my bridesmaid dress & needless to say I was shocked to find that my dress barely zipped when it came in. After trying to discuss this with their seamstress I was told that I just didn’t understand how formal wear was supposed to fit. After I expressed concern that my dress surely wouldn’t have fit if I hadn’t happened to lose weight, I was told that it was a good thing that I had lost weight! Everyone else in the bridal party had issues with their dresses not fitting one way or another & were also treated poorly. Just unbelievable «customer service»!
My advice is to go to the discount chain in Waldorf, you’ll pay less & be treated better.

The dresses are expensive while the quality is incredibly poor (Belsoie),
THE CUSTOMER SERVICE IS EVEN WORSE!
You would be better suited by choosing any department store than coming to this little shop of horrors.
As a member of my friends bridal party we arrived on time with an appointment. The service was horrible. We ran over our appointment due to their lack of assistance and then they became impatient with us. This should have been our first clue not to purchase our bridesmaid dresses at the shop but we did anyways. The bride had gotten her dress here and they offered a small discount — trust me it is not worth it!
Every one of the six dresses ordered had major issues. The dresses hardly fit — some were way too tight and some were way too big. Each one of us fully expected to have alterations needed but these dresses required complete overhauls.
When I called to discuss what options I had due to their failure to order the appropriate size dress — the owner, Janice — had an incredibly nasty attitude. After several irritating phone conversations and a trip back into the shop they were unable to deny their mistake and begrudgingly agreed to fix the issue by altering the dress free of charge.
When it was returned to me two weeks later the dress still didn’t fit and even worse they screwed up the seam along the back causing unsightly puckering (pictured). I was too frustrated and busy to continue to deal with Serendipity that I just took the dress and brought it to my local seamstress who did the best that she could.
If its too late and you have to get a dress from here be sure to get it altered elsewhere. They do a poor job and from what some of the girls overheard at the shop it sounds like they may miss their wedding day deadlines. What a nightmare!

Beautiful dress salon and great staff. I came to Serendipity to look for my wedding dress (after going to 7 other stores in VA, D.C. and Annapolis) and it was such a wonderful surprise. Jennifer was my consultant and she was fantastic — she listened to my preferences and helped me find dress options that were within my «style.» Unlike other stores I had been to, Jennifer did not «push» or ask me to try on stuff I didn’t want and she was very conscious of helping me look for dresses within my budget. I spent a LOT of time looking for wedding dresses before visiting Serendipity and hands down, this was the best store and had the friendliest and most useful staff. The owners, a mother-​daughter team, are very friendly and professional.