Balina Bridal

What a great experience. Best of the salons I went to. I had gone to 5 dress salons in Houston before deciding it was silly for me to get a dress there when I live in Austin and I am getting married in Austin. I had found a dress in Houston I loved and when looking up where I could find that dress in Austin I found Balina Bridal, the only salon carrying that designer. I called to make sure they had the dress, which they did, and made sure they would match the same price, which they did. My consultant, Sherri and Liz were fabulous. Had my dress waiting for me in a dressing room when I arrived. Promptly greeted me and my friend with a glass of wine and water. Showed me around the store. Helped me pick out other dresses in my price range so that I could compare to the dress I love and make sure it was the one I wanted. I ended up going with the dress I had found in Houston. It was such an exciting moment and Sherri ran to the back to grab more wine to top off our glasses. What a great experience. Best of the salons I went to....and I went to a lot!…

RUN away!. Brides...don't walk...RUN away from this place. I made the unfortunate decision to order a dress from this terrible business. When my dress did arrive it was the wrong size. Not a little wrong, a lot wrong. The price for alterations to fix this mistake is so HUGE that I'm forced to find another dress 2 weeks before my wedding. Not only did they not care that they screwed up but are unwilling to help remedy the situation in any way. Rude, unprofessional and unethical. Order elsewhere ladies, you'll be thankful in the end.…

Great dresses - for realists!. This was the first place I went and I tried about 4 or 5 other stores in Austin and ended up getting my dress here. I think the woman mentioned before (the tall smoker) was great. I don't remember her name (Terry or Sherry?), but I do know she's been in the business for about 2 decades or something like that. She's knows her stuff and I appreciated her honesty. (If a dress wasn't for me, she told me). I showed her a couple of dresses and she brought tons of extras over for me to try on. The dress I bought could have been custom made for me - I'm very thin and most of the dresses there are larger sizes and she said 'I have an idea...'.

She then brought my two sisters white wine and was laughing and joking with us! I think the women that complain about her aren't realistic about their expectations. They are probably the type who 'need everything to be perfect and it's all about them' AKA bridezillas. Sorry to break it to you, but weddings are an industry, they have hundreds of gushing brides seeking perfection every week. It must get old when you work in that industry.

She did her job and I appreciated it. They have the best dresses in town.…

Austin's Best Kept Secret. Cons: The Building is not in the best section of town. It is very seedy looking from the outside, but don't be discouraged by that. -It is well worth it. Pros: Despite some of the others reviews I have read I had the nicest experience with their staff. It was a breath of fresh air. Ask for Amelia.

They have a GREAT selection of gowns- one of the best in Austin. They also carry mostly Spanish designers, so they really know how to fit a curvy woman (big chest, small waist, and big booty). They will work with you to find a shape that flatters you most.

I was about to purchase a gown from Serendipity, which is 1 block away from Balina, and am so glad I stopped at Balina. The prices are very reasonable. They are designer gowns at an everyman price. They also happened to be having an awesome sale when I went in! I estimate my choice to go with Balina saved me roughly $ 2,000.

I stand by their decision to ask clients to not bring loads of friends or mothers to their appointment. They really stress that the people you bring should be positive people that won't try to push their ideas on you. Don't bring any Debbie-Downers or Jealous-Jessies. I would have felt comfortable shopping alone there because I didn't feel intense pressure to buy.

The only advertise by word of mouth, so I thought I would give them props for being one of Austin's best kept secrets.…