I don’t like leaving bad reviews and was hesitant to do so. But as my wedding day approaches, I still look back on one disappointing part of my pre-wedding experience. I bought 2 sample dresses (1 rehearsal dress and 1 ceremony dress) from Carine’s a couple months ago. When I purchased my ceremony dress, I was told that it was a sample dress worth +$4,000 and that they would sell it to me for $2,500. I thought I was saving $2,500 on a dress and was very pleased. The sales associate asked me if I wanted to try on more dresses. Since, as she mentioned, I was spending a lot less than I intended on my ceremony dress. I ended up finding a rehearsal dress. Again, she said it was a sample. It was a great than $6,000 dress that I could purchase as a sample for $3,000. It was a lot to spend for a rehearsal dress, but since I was well below my budget on my ceremony dress, I purchased the dress. At the time, I signed Carine’s agreement stating that since both dresses were sample dresses, they were final sale. A week later, I found my ceremony dress online. Brand new, this dress was listed on the designer’s website for $2,195. I immediately contacted Carine’s. My sales associate apologized and said it was "an error in the system". That's quite an error- telling me a dress was $2,000 more than the actual price. Disappointed with the store as I was misled, I wanted to return both dresses. They responded that this was not an option since the dresses were final sale. However, as I told them, the “final sale” label was false because I was told I was buying a floor model at a steeply discounted premise. In reality, I paid more than full price for a sample dress. They replied with 2 options: to purchase the dress for me “brand new” from the designer website + $100 for shipping or receive $1000 back (what the original price for the sample dress should have been) and keep the sample dress I had. I pointed out that I could buy the dress myself online with free shipping. Why would I want to go through them and pay their $100 shipping charge. Again, they apologized for a mistake in wanting to charge me shipping. Ultimately, Carine’s did not budge on their 2 offered solutions. Carine's is a dishonest broker of wedding dresses and I would be hesitant to shop there. And if you do, I'd confirm the prices online ahead of time.

I'm so disappointed in this business. I reached out in May to schedule a dress fitting and was told that there was no rush and to reach back out in August to setup my fitting and alternations appointment. This made me a bit nervous, but I decided to wait because I really wanted to use them to work on my dress. I reached out in July to ensure that everything was in order and that I was on their list for August alterations. Unfortunately, I was told that they could no longer honor my request and that they had no availability. I was shocked. I followed their process and had email communications with their team. There was no apology or recommendations to other businesses, which even furthered my disappointment. My wedding is in late September, so now I'm scrambling trying to find a different business to alter my dress. This business' professionalism and how they handled this situation is completing unprofessional, and for a business where alterations start at $950, I expected more.

Definitely not the service I expected when shelling out $15k - it honestly felt like I was being nickel and dimed throughout the entire process, from the appointment fee, to the request for a tip (for the pleasure of being sold to I guess?), to the enormous cost of alterations, to the request for a tip for alterations, to the $150 “missing shoe” fee, when there were no other appointments booked the day I rescheduled my alterations appointment. When the day came to finally pick up my dress, no one answered the doorbell for 15 minutes despite 4 rings. The woman who answered the door questioned whether I actually had an appointment before helping another customer who came in after me. Funny, they had no problem reaching out to me when I went one whole day without paying the missing shoe fee.

Carine's helped me customize my dream wedding gown and design the most special veil using lace from the train of my mom's dress. I attended a Mira Zwillinger trunk show at Carine's with no idea what I was looking for and left with such a clear vision for my big day. Everyone I worked with from that very first appointment to my final fitting was so kind and accommodating. I am not someone who likes to shop so was very nervous about finding a dress I really loved, but this turned out to be one of my favorite memories from wedding planning thanks to Carine's!! Photo credit to Virgil Bunao, who I also highly recommend :)

Wish I could give this 0 stars. They have offered the worst customer experience of all my wedding vendors. They do not communicate well at all. Seem to think the entire world is in their schedule. I am getting married this Saturday and went to pick up my dress at the confirmed appointment and it was not ready. They offered no solution or help just asked me what I wanted to do. As if I do not already have other errands to run the week of my wedding. Their alterations are over priced. Do not waste your time and frustration on them. Will not recommend to anyone

Found my beautiful dress at Carine's! The selection of gowns was absolutely stunning, and the salon was clean and comfortable. Kate was so helpful, kind, and knowledgeable. She gave amazing recommendations and I really appreciate her honest feedback in identifying styles that flattered me (as well as ones that didn't necessarily work)! As someone with a mid-size/curvy body type, I was really happy that many of the samples came in sizes to fit me. I was lucky enough to visit during a sample sale, so I paid 50% of the list price for a gorgeous dress in wonderful condition. I would highly recommend Carine's to any bride-to-be!

Ugh, this place. They have the best selection of high-end designer gowns in the DMV area, including Oscar de la Renta, who designed the gown that I purchased through them. That experience was nice - friendly consultants and they let you try on all the dresses you want. BUT, man do they screw you on alterations. If your dress is above $8,000 be prepared to pay 15% the cost of the dress, regardless of what it looks like or what alterations are being done. Not sure why people who pay more for their dress are being penalized, it’s rather perplexing. I called ODLR in NYC and am now using their seamstress for alterations because I refuse to be ripped off by this nonsense. Be sure to ask for the alterations contract before buying your gown. On the plus side, my dress is pretty. So that’s that.

Bianca was my consultant and she was incredible! She has true education and passion for fashion and design, which made her a joy to work with! Because of her background, she identified the technical details and construction of dresses that I love and pulled lots of winners. There was no guessing or awkward guiding because she *got* it. Of all my dress shopping, she made the most easy and authentic experience. The other consultants that were present were all so nice and hyped me up in a very genuine way. It was a very positive place to be.Their professionalism, knowledge of fashion and customer care is next level. The shop is very beautiful and professionally designed, it feels so special to be there and the bridal suite layout is perfect. It was so fun to have the area for guests right next to the fitting space, and to have the drama of a curtain being pulled back to show everyone the dress. It was also nice to not have to walk across a shop to go look a mirror everytime. They had a wide selection of price points and styles, and the designers they carry are all amazing. I thought I wouldn't be able to afford any dresses from here since they carry some bespoke legends, but I was happily surprised. Overall, Carine's and Bianca gave perfect bridal experience that you've imagined since you were a kid and you should treat yourself with a visit.

I love carine’s! The dresses were beautiful and high end and the inventory was fantastic. I worked with Briana who was amazing! She instantly understood my style and pulled perfect dresses for me. She was sweet and accommodating. She worked with me for multiple appointments and never became impatient. I was able to really explore the different styles and figure out what I wanted. While I didn’t end up purchasing my wedding dress from Carine’s, I had a great experience and would definitely recommend.

great selection of dresses! alterations are expensive ($950) and can only be done on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so keep that in mind, but you can get them done somewhere else. they also didn't tell me when my dress came in.

I can tell you I had a 5 star experience here without even needing to go in person! I had my eyes on an Oscar de la Renta gown and called to see if they had it in stock/would potentially sell me a sample. While they couldn't sell me the sample off the floor, Bianca went out of her way to contact the design studio for me and hunt down the dress, even though my wedding is two short months away! Ultimately, it wasn't the dress for me, but that doesn't discount Bianca going above and beyond to find me this dress in less than 6 hours. Highly recommend!!!

They have a well-rounded and exclusive selection of designers, so I'll give them 3 stars for that and the beautiful interior of the boutique. However, I did not enjoy the service. First it took over a week to even book an appointment since they don't answer phones and don't have an online booking system. It is all done via email with responses that take 24 hours or more. Very annoying especially if you want to get into a trunk show or have simple questions. My consultant happened to be the owner, which I had no idea about since she didn't even introduce herself. I found out after the appointment, when I looked at the receipt. She was just pushy, cold, passive, and did not connect with me. She spent more time chatting with my fiancé than with me. This is supposed to be a memorable and once in a lifetime experience for a bride, so you expect the best. It just felt patronizing and I honestly felt like I was bothering HER by being there. No one wants to feel that way, especially not bridal shopping. I ended up buying a dress just because I wanted to be done with the situation...I really wasn't thinking clearly. When I got home, I realized I really didn't want to give my business to a place with such bad service. I'd rather it go to another boutique. Service is so important to me, and this place did not deliver at all. I contacted them to cancel the dress. It was within the window to cancel, so I did it and got the dress elsewhere. There was a $65 Covid fee, which I haven't encountered at any other boutique. They said it's to cover the cost of sanitation etc. I've been to so many other boutiques and never had to pay. Just something to note.

Carine’s Bridal/Aisle is truly the Kleinfeld of the DMV. Carine is the fairy godmother of bridal gowns and while I didn’t find my dress here, she taught me SO much about what I want in a dress. Carine was extremely knowledgeable and put so much thought, effort, and time into my appointment. I felt like an absolute princess. We talked for about 5 minutes before shopping through the racks and she knew my style right away. I have tried on a lot of dresses, none of which came close to “the one” until I visited Carine’s. Lastly, my appointment was in person during COVID and the $45 cleaning fee was SO worth it. She takes the ultimate amount of caution to stay safe, clean, and social distance. Cannot recommend Carine’s enough. Everything about this store and the experience feels magical.

I recommend avoiding this shop. Our experience was unpleasant. They were imperious, acting as though they were doing us a great favor by allowing us in to look at their dresses (a privilege for which we paid). While the young woman working with my daughter was pleasant, the man who was working there acted as though we were not worthy of being present. A dress we selected to try, and which he said he would bring up to our fitting, instead disappeared, and had to be located-he had put it somewhere else instead of bringing it to us. I suspect it was because it was that particular item had been discontinued and was discounted-he kept steering us to more costly dresses. And while I could have purchased any dress in the shop, a wedding is an expensive event, I see no reason to pay more for items than necessary. But at Carine’s we had the impression they expected customers to be willing to pay extra for everything, and that somehow they were were worth it because they carried expensive items. We bought our daughter’s gown at a shop in Alexandria, very happy with the service there. Our experience for a shopping appointment at Carine’s was enough—we had no intention of working with them further.

My experience at Carines was unforgettable! Bianca was my consultant and she was SO friendly and truly seemed so excited when I found my dress. When I went to pick it up from alterations a week before my wedding, she (who had not seen me since I picked my dress a year ago) was so excited to see me and was genuinely so happy for me! The team was great and the boutique was of course beautiful!

There seems to be a disconnect between the selection process and the fittings. They have a good dress selection, but once you pick your dress they have the worst customer service I dealt with through the planning of my wedding. They told me I needed to be at my wedding weight 2 months out and wanted my last fitting to be one month before. The whole point of getting a custom dress is to have an amazing fit. If you spend the kind of money I did on my dress, I expect better fittings than that. I of course lost a little weight the month of my wedding so the fit was off. Truly terrible terrible service for the fitting portion. Don’t go here.

Buying my wedding dress at Carine's was by far the least pleasant experience of my entire wedding planning process. They were accommodating during the sales/buying process but as soon as the sale was made, as many have mentioned, I felt nickel and dimed over the duration of the process. They act as though they are doing you a favor by allowing you to purchase (an exceptionally expensive) designer gown from them and are INCREDIBLY difficult to get in contact with every step of the way. As many have mentioned, the alterations fees are outrageously priced and my final result was subpar. When I raised questions about the overall alteration process (essentially having ONE round of alterations), I was told no other brides have issue with their process or the fact that you cannot try it on in the shop after final alterations are made when you pick it up. After trying it on at home immediately following picking it up (at the earliest appointment time offered), I was unsatisfied with the fit and could not get in touch with anyone at the shop. When I returned later that day - dress in hand - as a last resort after not hearing back from them all day, they were rude and almost turned me away because I didn't have an appointment, despite having spent the afternoon trying to get in touch with them as they had advised me to do if anything was was wrong after I tried it on at home. Carine's did not get back to me with any meaningful response until it was too late and I ended up having to have my PLANNER tape it the day of my wedding in order to achieve the right fit. It's a shame they have a monopoly on designer couture dresses in the area - can't stress enough how much of an exceptionally and unnecessarily stressful experience it was.

I purchased my wedding dress from Carine's, and did alterations with them and had a fantastic experience. I had a poor experience trying to find a wedding dress in San Francisco, where I live, and at the last minute, I was able to get an appointment with Carine's while in DC for Thanksgiving, so my sister and mom could join me. My stylist, Bianca, helped me try on SO many dresses and was so patient and helpful. They have an incredible selection of gowns and designers - by far the best collection I've seen. After going home and looking at pictures, I narrowed down to three I wanted to try again and she opened the atelier on a closed day for me so that I could do it before flying back to California. We found my dress - an Oscar that isn't available anywhere in San Francisco, and decided to work with Carine's for alterations since they had been so amazing, even though it meant flying back across the country for fittings. Throughout the process the Carine's team was responsive and professional over email. Bianca also helped me try on veils, though I ultimately decided to wear a family veil, and second looks. Once my dress arrived and it came time for fittings, I flew back twice. Both times it was a great experience - the atelier is lovely, and they only allow a few parties in at once so it always feels personalized. The seamstress I worked with was lovely, Rosanna, and she had worked with my specific dress many times. The only word of advice I would give other brides: 1) they are only open on certain days which can be tricky - mid-week for alterations - especially if working full time or flying in 2) my last fitting was 3 weeks before my wedding and my dress did end up being a little bit big, because I lost some weight in the last few weeks due to planning stress. I didn't fly back again after the final alterations / the 2nd fitting and in retrospect I wish I had. That is not on Carine's - they like to start fittings early, 5-7 weeks before the wedding, so I recommend either trying to do the final one a bit closer to your date or not losing weight (they tell you very clearly not to lose weight after the first fitting, but I did unintentionally).

I sincerely can't thank you as enough for the beautiful shop you have created. Not only are your gowns stunning, but the team members I had the pleasure to work with were an absolute delight. Magdalena and Adriana went above and beyond to ensure my dress was exactly what my heart desired and were extremely accommodating with my schedule. I am extremely grateful for having the privilege of working with your team and look forward to sending all future brides I know to your shop. Additionally, I look forward to stocking our home with your beautiful pieces from Maison de Carine.