This is not how choosing your wedding dress should be
I chose to come to Copenhagen Bridal after previously visiting another wedding boutique in England. I already thought I had found a dress that I loved but I had only been to the one boutique so I also wanted to try at least one more boutique where I live, in Copenhagen, in order to compare prices/selection and to be sure I was completely 100% certain about the dress I was choosing. The customer service at Copenhagen Bridal was far below what I was expecting in almost every regard but I have three main criticisms - the process for selecting dresses, the changing process, and the general atmosphere.
The process for selecting dresses
I had pre-booked the appointment online and when I arrived with my friend we were told to hang up our coats and then wait. We were then approached by the lady who was supposed to be taking care of us and she asked hardly any questions about my actual taste (which shape do you like?). She did not ask me about where my wedding would be, what time of year, venue, colour, accessories etc. In my previous experience, I had been allowed to walk around the shop and choose what I would like to try but here at Copenhagen Bridal the shop assistant said she would bring me dresses. I don't think this is the best approach, because whatever specialist knowledge the shop assistant might have about price, delivery time etc she doesn't have a detailed knowledge of my personal taste (especially not after only one question).
After several dresses that I would never have chosen for myself and were completely not to my taste, I asked my friend to go and look outside to try and find something she thought I would like. She made a suggestion to the customer assistant, and was told no she doesn't like full lace. Of course my close friend who I have taken wedding dress shopping has a better idea of what I will like than a customer service assistant I have spent 15 minutes with, so I really feel that her comments should have been valued.
The changing process
The changing room is an area on the shop floor where a white curtain is pulled around you. There are no seats or hooks for hanging your clothes, so when I first got undressed I had to put my clothes on the floor which is unacceptable. To her defense, after I had been given my first dress the customer assistant went and got me a plastic chair to put my clothes on.
I think it is very important for you to feel comfortable when trying dresses on and it is quite hard to feel comfortable when you are on a busy shop floor, in just your underwear, surrounded by a curtain which keeps getting flung open to fit large dresses in. On more than one occasion the customer assistant did not properly close the curtains, so I had to ask my friend to close them so I could have some privacy.
I think if you are going to be working so closely with people who are not wearing many clothes you should also keep in mind that different people have different comfort levels. Generally speaking my customer assistant was professional in this regard but on two occasions I believe her judgement lapsed. When I was trying the first dress, she said you don't need this and proceeded to un-clip my bra, pull it out of the dress, and put it on the pile of clothes. I did not really appreciate this, and would have preferred to instead be asked for example ' would you be comfortable taking your bra off or would it be ok for me to remove your bra?' would have been fine and would have made me feel much more comfortable.
Later when I was wearing a dress with a lower cut top part, the customer service assistant put her hand down the top and sort of re-arranged my bare breast to make it sit better in the dress. I strongly feel that it is not appropriate to do this without first asking the customer. I would much prefer to have done this myself, and after she did this I immediately put my hands to my chest, because I did not want her to do this again on the other side.
The general atmosphere
Aside from this I felt that the general atmosphere was also very flat and there was a lack of attention to detail and customer care. It is a very special occasion to try on wedding dresses with loved ones and my friend was not even offered a seat. Neither of us were offered any refreshments (not even a glass of water).
With all of this in mind we made our excuses and left after less then 45 minutes. For context, in my previous experience, we spent more than 2 and a half hours in the boutique.
22 January 2018
Unprompted review