Memories Bridal

User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I am not a person who writes many reviews, but I had to spread the word about Reem of Memories Bridal in North Bergen. I live in the Hoboken area. When it came time to buy a wedding dress I just naturally assumed Manhattan was the place to go. I went to several high end, well known stores. I was so disappointed with the quality of dresses and cookie cutter selection for the prices you had to pay. I have a good paying job and could afford a 5 or 6 thousand dollar dress, but each time I put one on I just could not justify the price for the quality I was seeing.

So I started researching places on my side of the river, and happened one day into Memories Bridal. It was the best decision I ever made. Memories Bridal is old school. A small shop, with great quality dresses and great prices. Reem is lovely. She is friendly and always greets you with a smile. I could not get over the prices and the incredible quality of her dresses (and keep in mind, price was not what I was after. I was after quality and a creative selection). If you’re expecting caviar and champagne when you enter, you’re in the wrong place, that’s across the river, and you’ll pay for it. When you enter Reem’s shop you get great, friendly service and a beautiful selection of gowns. And on your wedding day all that really matters is the quality and beauty of your dress. The rest is all window dressing.

Reem’s alterations are included in the price of the dress, which impressed me, and her eye for what needs to be done is impeccable. We went through three alterations, not because there was anything wrong with the dress or my body shape changed dramatically, but because Reem saw things in the lace or the hem that did not meet her standards of perfection. She saw things I would never have noticed. She was not satisfied until the dress was perfect.

On my wedding day, people were raving about my dress. They assumed I paid thousands of dollars for it. My girlfriends could not believe how much it cost! They were dumbfounded. Many of them had gone to the big names and a few told me they wished they had known about Reem.

In my opinion, Memories Bridal is one of the best kept secrets “across the river.” Shop around. Try the big names. But before you buy that dress, take a trip to see Reem. I promise you, you will not be disappointed.

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User Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Do not buy your wedding dress at Memories Bridal. They do not order the right size and they do not perform the alterations correctly. They also do not prepare the veil correctly-- mine was a wrinkled mess and did not have the blusher as I requested at was to be the final fitting (more on that later.) And some of the positive reviews are clearly fake as the shop is run down and the service is horrible (they are polite until they get most of your money.)

They ordered the dress two sizes too big. I mentioned that I was trying to lose weight when I was measured for the fitting. I never managed to lose much weight, but why the dress was ordered two sizes too large for me is incomprehensible. The bodice was taken in, but there was nothing to be done with the overly large lower half of the dress. The alterations for the bodice were also done incorrectly-- I could put a fist in the front because it gaped open and you could see my bra. Whereas the back was too tight and I had massive back cleavage. At my final fitting, this issue was still not fixed. They weren't even going to fix it-- until my poor, tired father who had just landed from an early morning flight insisted the dress fit properly. They never did hem the dress correctly—I spent my wedding day trying not to trip. The hem was done so improper that the dress kept on slipping under my heels—when I danced at the reception the dress would slip underneath my feet and I’d slide all over the fabric and beading.

The kicker was the veil. When I asked where the veil was, the older woman who works for Reem claimed she always forgets the veil! My veil was wadded up and wrinkled. It also didn't have the blusher I requested. It was very stressful, to go into the final fitting which was days before my wedding and have everything all messed up. My poor parents who booked an early morning flight to make it in time for the final fitting, ended up being the only reason everything was fixed as best it could-- there was nothing to be done with the too large skirt that made me look enormous nor was the hem ever done correctly. Keep in mind that Reem is pushy about making sure that you bring in money/ make a payment at each fitting and she won't take a credit card when the wedding is close. Probably because she does a shoddy job and you could argue against the charges on your credit card. She probably forces you to pay cash so you have no other option but small claims court.

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User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I just purchased my wedding gown from this store. I have tried on about 50 dresses and gone to 5 different stores and was the most comfortable and pleased with this store. I previously had a specific dress in mind that I was on the hunt to find again and called every shop in a 40 mi radius of where I live and this is the only store that had it. When I called I spoke with Reem who was a delight on the phone. She even offered to come in on her day off and open the store jut for me to try on this gown. I couldn't believe it! I tried it on and it was even better than I remembered. It was also in champagne and ivory, and I previously had tried it on in only ivory. I was going to order it in ivory until I saw it in the champagne and ivory, much more flattering. I tried on other dresses in champagne but never liked the color on me. She even gave me a good deal with all alterations included. Reem was really great, had a wonderful sense of humor and seemed very honest and not pushy at all. I would recommend going to see her both in the beginning and end of your dress hunt. I feel she will be able to help find a dress style that you like and looks good and then get you a good deal as well. Although it took over an hour to get to this store, I am so glad I did. My mom and I walked out in tears we were so happy!

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