Ultimate Bride

02/22/2008 Posted by loveShandrew

I had a good experience at Ultimate Bride up until the very end when the salesperson decided to make me feel pressured into buying a dress I was expressing some interest in at the time. I felt welcomed when I came in early for an appointment and all throughout the appointment I was excited to be able to experience a fun and relaxing time. After trying on about 10 dresses, I decided to wait and keep in mind a lovely Monique Lhullier gown. I expressed to my salesperson that I would like to honor my other appointments in the area. She then threatened a rush fee and with that, I was completely turned off. Of course I didn't end up going back and I would advise others to be weary of this sales tactic when they make their appointment at the Oak street location.

Pros: pretty good selection

Cons: passive aggressive staff

02/22/2008 Posted by wreckabec

UB was one of the first bridal salons I visited on my quest for the perfect gown. I went back 3 times not only because "the dress" was there, but also because of Stephanie. She is fantastic! So sweet, so helpful. She really went out of her way...above and beyond...even putting up with (and responding to) all of my emails, sending her photos of this gown or that gown. She really knew exactly what I wanted. After visiting several salons, I ultimately went back to Ultimate Bride... and to Stephanie. They had the gown that I just couldn't stop thinking about, and she assured me this meant I had found "my" dress! I absolutely love it and can't wait to wear it! In an industry known for pretentious sales people, Stephanie makes the experience a joy. She's the kind of girl you want to be friends with...would it be weird to invite her to the wedding?! LOL.

Pros: Great service, especially Stephanie.

Cons: Fairly small. Very crowded on Saturdays.

06/18/2007 Posted by margykc

My daughter and I and her soon to be mother-in-law and sisters-in-law decided to START the search for wedding dresses. (It was our first day looking; we were ONLY going to look!!!) We had an appointment at a bridal salon around the corner where we had so-so results and a so-so salesperson. We were supposed to go to the western suburbs for another appointment but decided to try Ultimate when one of her future sister-in-laws mentioned that's where she bought her gown. They could fit us in in the afternoon--what a good decision to wait. We also had Stephanie...what a wonderful, delightlful breath of fresh air!!! She narrowed down what my daughter wanted in 10 minutes and within 20 my daughter was crying with happiness as she looked at her idea of her perfect gown! (Actually everyone started crying...even Stephanie!) Needless to say, this was an experience we'll remember for our whole lives...everyone was wonderful and I couldn't recommend this shop any higher!!! GO!!! They are wonderful!!!

Pros: Everything!! Beautiful gowns in all price ranges, courtesy, upbeat atmostphere!!

Cons: Dressing rooms are a LITTLE bit small, but we had a large group.

03/10/2007 Posted by chahobart

I recently visited Ultimate Bride with my mother to find my wedding gown. I thought the shop was beautiful with all the sunlight coming in from the huge windows. My overall experience was excellent -nothing short of "ultimate". My consultant asked me several questions to help her define my look. She was respectful of my budget and as a result I found the MOST gorgeous dress--for me.We even found something for my mom to wear! A one-stop shop! This is a class act. I went to several other shops before and I decided on the Ultimate Bride because of the SUPERIOR customer service and their longstanding reputation---my sister and cousin got their debutante dresses there years ago as well. I highly recommend Ultimate Bride as a must see on your shoppping list.

Pros: customer service, attention to detail

02/25/2007 Posted by otown_girl

I loved everything about Ultimate Bride. This boutique was referred to me by my friends in Chicago. Any of my girlfriends that are married have purchased their gowns from UB. Each of them had such a great experience that I decided to fly up from Florida to find my gown. I love Oak Street & I love that boutique. It is adorable! I ended up choosing a Monique Lhuillier gown. Brides, you know that feeling when you find the dress of your dreams. My Mom decided on a Peter Langner Mother of the Bride gown - absolutely gorgeous. Our experience was just wonderful - we felt like princesses from our gown consultant to the alterations staff to the office staff. Everyone was such a pleasure to work with - very courteous, professional and caring. I highly recommend Ultimate Bride!

Pros: Excellent location, service, selection & atmosphere

Cons: if you like low grade strip mall wedding stores this is not the place

02/02/2007 Posted by i_love_chicago

I Loved UB they did everything i expected them to do they greeted me, when i got in the room the room was neat and simple and when the showed me the sample dresses they were GREAT. They did anything for me to get the dress and my wedding was in 2 months at the time and they got it for me 1 MONTH AND 2 WEEKS EARLY i loved them I HIGHLY recommend you go there!

Pros: Everything!, SalesWomen, Selection, Location

Cons: None

11/29/2006 Posted by thefran12

I am from Tennessee so I went to Chicago to find a wedding dress because the salons here are terribly limited. When we arrived for our appointment 10 minutes early the lady at the front desk was RUDE! I don't mean, "please take a seat and we will be with you shortly" rude. I mean "You are early. You will have to wait. You know we don't open until..." Needless to say it started off terrible. I also agree that the shop itself is nothing to write home about, it needs a makeover. However, Stephanie is their saving grace. She was exceptionally attentive once I got back to the room. She did everything well and bent over backwards to help me select a dress. We had decided to get married in less than a month so I had only 4 weeks to find the perfect dress. Everyone else, especially the salons in Nashville treated me second rate since I didn't have 6 months to wait. On top of that she had it rushed and mailed to us in under 2 weeks and the fit was PERFECT! Thanks to Stephanie a wore an original Oscar de la Renta to my wedding and it was picture perfect.

Pros: Stephanie, Selection

Cons: Rude staff

08/29/2006 Posted by hegan

I had a similarly bad experience as the other reviewers. I made an appt for 4:00pm - and arrived on time. I waited until about 4:40. At that point, I was taken into a room and the snobbiest woman I have ever dealt with asked me rude questions about me and my wedding. She then brought out 3 dresses. After trying these on, she announced that it was 5:00 and they were closed so if I wanted to see more dresses - I would have to come back. This was after seeing 3 dresses - it was clear that her time was much more important than my time. Not even worth going to... don't waste your time!!!

Pros: Great dresses

Cons: HORRIBLE service, snobby, rude

02/27/2006 Posted by jakelso

Ultimate Bride should be called Ultimate Nightmare. When I arrived they had written down my name incorrectly and then challenged me about even having an appointment. I was made to feel it was my fault for the mistake they made. I wanted to leave then. It only got worse. After telling them my budget was unlimited, they brought me three or four gowns and then told me that was all they had that fit the description I was looking for. The samples were in HORRIBLE condition. The service, well you can't even call it service. Don't be fooled by the Oak Street address, these people have no idea what it's like to smile and be kind. It's not worth the money, or the time to visit this salon.

Pros: None

Cons: Service, Service, Service

03/27/2003 Posted by musicalhoyagirl

My sister bought her wedding dress here and was fairly pleased, so we purchased our bridesmaid dresses through a trunk show that Ultimate hosted. We spend almost $400 on each dress and the designer was there to size them - the dresses arrived 5 weeks late (getting there less than 1 month before the wedding) and every dress is AT LEAST 1 size too big. Ultimate will not alter the dress and basically said "Sucks to be you -- we won't do anything". I will never give them business again.

Pros: selection, one good salesgirl, location

Cons: bad customer service, no alterations, expensive