Weddings With Joy

My fiancée and I went to the wedding expo in Seattle today with a friend of ours. The woman who greeted us asked who the bride was and my fiancée and I answered that we both were (we’re gay) she asked where the groom was and we told her there wasn’t one. She replied shocked and asked if we were marrying each other with a look of disdain. She went on to mention that the dressing rooms were «a naked fest» suggesting we would enjoy all the women undressing. It was so uncomfortable for us on a day where we just wanted to be brides to be like any other person. My fiancée later cried as this was just the worst of a number of mean spirited comments we received as well as a complete lack of service. There was one point in the group dressing room where the same sales person (loose term here) just stared at my fiancée while my friend and I helped her try on her dress with no help from any of the sales people. We felt like we were being made fun of and felt completely unwelcome.
In contrast when we went to the booth next to this one we were met with initial questions as to who was shopping and the sales person went right into helpful dialogue («do you want to see each other’s dresses ahead of time,» «will you be wearing similar colors?» Etc) I ended up buying my dress there and got a great price along with being treated like a person.
This type of unprofessional and discriminatory rudeness on a day that was so special to us (our first time trying on wedding dresses) was a huge disappointment and incredibly hurtful.

I will admit, I was skeptical about this place after reading the reviews. My fiancé and I went into David’s Bridal and I wasn’t happy about the experience and almost gave up on looking for wedding dresses right away. I called Weddings With Joy, and nobody answered. My first feeling was relief and that it was a sign and I just shouldn’t go there. I received a call back and the voice on the other side of the phone was extremely friendly. I discussed it with my fiancé and we thought, «What do I have to lose?» So when I got the call back, I made an appointment.
They had openings at my earliest convenience so I booked an appointment. Today, my youngest son and I went in for my scheduled appointment. Courtney was the one that I had my appointment with. She was only scheduled with one person to work with and she spent all of her time and efforts helping me find the perfect wedding dress. She was very accommodating to me and to my five year old son. She was sweet and very patient. She made sure that I walked out of there with «THE ONE» and I had found it. It is gorgeous and I fell in love with it right away. I tried on another dress after that dress and even after the next one, she didn’t seem like she wanted to rush me out of the store and she urged me to try on my favorite dress one more time. I did. I walked out of the store that dress today.
I would recommend this shop to anyone and everyone! I don’t like to be the center of attention and I certainly do not like shopping for myself. She made it all feel comfortable and I felt like she was enjoying it as much as I was and that was the best part. I think it’s so sad that people had such a bad experience with this shop, but the new owner is amazing and is making the changes that are needed to make it a wonderful and less stressful experience to find you your perfect dress for the best day of your life!

Thankfully the original owners are back and the unprofessional business practices have improved!

The service was amazing all the way until they took my money. Once I paid in full for my dress in December 2014 I was told my dress would arrive in May 2015. I waited patiently to be contacted but never received notice that my dress had arrived. The first week of June I contacted the shop and was told my dress had shipped out that day. Three weeks later I arrived at the shop and spoke with Jennifer, the owner, and was told that in fact my dress did not ship out in early June as her staff didn’t know how to read her log book and that there was a problem with my dress and they didn’t know when/​if it was going to arrive. She asked me to give her another week to resolve the problem. When I checked back in the following week she had no new information and offered to return my money in full. During this entire process there was no proactive communication from Weddings with Joy and the staff seems overwhelmed and incompetent in running their business.

DO NOT ORDER ANYTHING FROM THIS STORE! I ordered my bridesmaids dresses from here in May and I was told they would be here in July. I get a phone call today stating that the owner Jennifer gerwick has up and left and taken all of the money. Meaning, a month in a half before my wedding I am out almost a grand and will not be getting my dresses. Need less to say this place is a scam, will steal your money and then won’t refund or back up there company and make things right. Save your self the heartache.

The women that work here are plain out nasty and rude. They will be nice to you if they think you have money and will be buying all your wedding items from them. After that all your pieces come in at different times and when you call to ask if they are in you getting snotty additudes. I was charged $ 1239 for my wedding dress and when I got it back the price tag said $ 1149. When I called and spoke with Jennifer her reply was straight out rude and playing the dumb game saying oh you should be lucky that you got at a discounted price $ 1239 cause the msrp is $ 1365. Well I and like many others would be shocked to be charged a price for an item and only to get it and see a lesser price on the tag. You guyes over charged me and don’t want to take responsiblity. I see why you guyes have all the negative reviews you have. For anyone thinking about coming here, STAY FAR FAR AWAY FROM THIS PLACE IF YOU WANT TO BE TREATED POORLY AND OVERCHARGED!!!

My daughter lives in Lacey, WA and we live in Kansas City. My daughter made an appointment with Weddings with Joy and gave me the web site. I looked at about every dress on their website and saw some gorgeous things BUT they do not post any prices. I called the store and spoke to the assistant who would be helping my daughter, asking her first to PLEASE not tell my daughter that I had called. What I DIDN’T know is that my daughter had already told the sales associate what her budget was. I asked what the price ranges of the gowns in the store were, telling her that «if you put my daughter in an $ 8000 gown there’s no way I can afford it. She told me that the most expensive gown in the store was $ 3000 but that «the vast majority of the gowns that they carry are in the $ 1200 to $ 1400 dollar range». I said that was fine. I was on FaceTime with my mom and husband watching her at her appointment trying on gowns. She found one that was absolutely stunning! I was so happy that we’d found a dress so quickly. After about 45 minutes my daughter called me in tears saying «did you call the bridal shop and give them a different budget?» I didn’t know what to say! I told her that, no, I certainly had not given them a different budget, I had only called to be sure that they carried dresses in a reasonable price range. Apparently when my daughter went to pay for the dress it was TWICE her budget and the sales associate told her «Oh, that’s ok, your mom called the other night and upped your budget». SO, not only did they ignore my request to NOT let my daughter know I called, they ALSO tried to get her to buy a dress that they KNEW she could not afford. Now my daughter is steaming mad at me and I feel sick that she now loves a dress that she probably cannot own. She is my only daughter and she helped me thru years of cancer treatment from the time she was 15. Now I can’t even give her the wedding gown that she loves!!! How do you think THAT makes a mother feel!!!

Where to begin? I’ll start on a positive: I found my gorgeous wedding dress at WWJ… and that’s where the good things end.
Depending on which staff member you deal with you get an array of:
1. Rude
2. Rude
3. Rude
4. Clueless
5. Careless
…the list goes on.
I think all of the problems at WWJ boil down to TERRIBLE communication skills by every single person we encountered there (besides the girl who helped me find my dress, wish I remembered her name).
I ordered my dress, veil and slip from them. Each piece came in separately which is fine. But they would say «your veil should be here in three weeks, we’ll call you»…“or your dress should be here by thanksgiving, we’ll call you”…except they never call and I had to call them every time to get ANY sort of status… half the time the veil, slip, etc. would be in the store but no one would bother to call me.
With my slip, I called to see if it was in. Apparently it came in but they gave it away to another girl. They said they called the girl and she’ll return it ASAP. Finally it got returned and I asked WWJ if it had been worn. She said «umm I’m not sure, I doubt it». «YOU DOUBT IT!?» Ugh!!!
There are so many more examples I could share! Bottom line, I would never recommend them to any brides, bridesmaids, etc.

I have to begin by saying that 9 times out of 10 most people who will get on here and take the time to write a review are probably upset. However, there are COUNTLESS other people who have a wonderful experience who do not take the time to write a good review. Personally I believe that if people walk into a place expecting to have a bad experience, that’s what they’ll get. I am not one of those people. I love Weddings with Joy and I will tell you all my reasons why.
I first found Weddings with Joy for my best friend who wanted to try on a designer gown she fell in love with online for her upcoming wedding. We made an appointment and worked with Amy. She has become like family to us, but more on that later. Amy took my friend through the process of trying on the dress she was in love with online, as well as many other dresses. My friend picked her dress that day, which was a completely different shape than she thought she wanted, but she was completely elated with her decision. My friend picked out everything else to go with her gorgeous gown and when she was done, Amy told her that because she chose a dress that had been in the store for a long time they would let her pick out of their jar of percentages off (anywhere from 10% to 25% off)! She picked the 25% off and was ecstatic! Also, they have a layaway program with no interest, so it makes it easier to get the dress you want. You have to make a down payment on the dress which I believe was 40% of the total cost of the dress (I don’t remember the exact %, so make sure to check with them about that) and then it’s a once a month payment for the next 3 months.
In December 2013 my fiancé proposed to me and I knew I wanted to get my dress at Weddings with Joy. I did visit a few other competitors, but Amy really took the time and care to help me. My first trip there I fell in love with something that was way above my budget and it came in a color combination that I knew wouldn’t work. Amy then went to work on trying to get as much info for me as she could. The dress was from the black label of an Italian designer and she called the designer’s rep to see if they made it in an ivory or white. They unfortunately didn’t, but they sent her a dress they made in ivory that was basically the same shape and style as the first dress. Once it came in, she called me and told me to come in a try on the new dress. It is the one I purchased. Amy knew exactly what I wanted and needed. I LOVE my dress. And it was within my budget. I cannot begin to thank Amy and the whole crew at WWJ for all their help and kindness to me and my family throughout the whole process. Amy is wonderful and I personally have worked with her twice. Once as the best friend of the bride and now the bride. I would recommend them to anyone I know.
Bottom line, go check it out. Take all these reviews with a grain of salt and go decide for yourself. It won’t hurt anything to make an appointment and try on some dresses. We brides are inundated with constant appointments during the planning of a wedding. One more place won’t kill you.

I’m shocked that the reviews on another site are so positive when they are so thoroughly negative on here. Had I read these, I wouldn’t be so surprised at the poor quality of service I received during my visit.
I booked my appointment and brought two of my bridesmaids in to try on dresses; we met with a consultant who was very enthusiastic and helpful, promising to show us dresses at different price points. She invited us to pick out dresses to try on and set up the room for us. After my bridesmaids tried on the first two dresses, during which the consultant was helpful enough, she disappeared. On top of that, a large party of loud women came in to help a bride pick out a dress. There was already a bride and my bridesmaids trying on a dress in that tiny area. Now, four women had to compete for not enough room and it was definitely not a polite environment. It was like the consultants just stood back and let chaos take hold of the shop.
For the rest of the appointment, the consultant was barely around and she certainly never showed us the dresses she mentioned. It’s like they didn’t even care if they made a sale at all. When we were ready to leave, the consultant asked if I had any questions, so I asked if our favorite dress came in a long style. She asked another consultant and they decided that it did not. Nobody looked it up, they just decided. I found out through the designer’s website that they do, in fact, carry the same style in a long version.
Needless to say, I’m not returning to purchase dresses at that shop and I will never recommend this shop to anyone. I’d love to give money to local businesses, but I’d gladly take the good service of a chain retailer over what I experienced from Weddings with Joy.

This is just a review for my walking in without an appointment to look at what they had, should I want to make an appointment for the future. I walked in with two of my friends (also potential bridesmaid customers…) to just get more information and check out the shop. We were treated with disdain. As in, «Why are you here?». I’ll admit I wasn’t wearing designer duds, but I was clean and had shoes on and had showered! I mean, c’mon! After the initial «sniff» in our direction, I was asked if they could help me and then quickly reminded they had no appointments available. I said I just wanted to look around. They said okay and just completely ignored me from there on out.
I am looking for a specific type of dress and couldn’t see any on the racks, so wanted to ask a salesperson if they had that type of dress. Nobody would even take a moment to ask us if we had any questions. They just bustled by us like we weren’t there. Even the ladies at the counter couldn’t deign to speak with us. I even hovered near the desk, waiting patiently for a break in their conversation! No dice. Like I said, I am a potential customer.
Not any more, I’m not.

Did the previous customers with their less than stellar reviews go to the same shop?
The nicest ladies work here.
They take care of the dresses (including the samples) as if it were their own — keep in mind most stores trample all over them or lay them in a pile — these could be someone’s future dream dress! Yikes.
There’s a lot of heart here at this store. I felt it from the moment I walked in.
They bent over backwards to make sure I had a great experience.
They worked with the vendor to get my dress ordered (with less than an ideal lead time from me).
They didn’t overcharge me for the dress — did you know some other dress shops tack on a few hundred dollars on top of the manufacturer’s retail and a few hundred more for a rush fee? If they can avoid it from the manufacturers, they do and are honest about it.
They give advice like a good girl pal, and that’s solid sisters. Solid.
High five to Amy for having my back. Your service rocks!

Gorgeous gowns! The staffing is absolutely amazing up until you buy. I made 3 payments on my gown, right before last payment I’m informed not everything I ordered was there so additional billing was needed. I was also told they would have someone take it in & hemmed for me as well as breast cups sewn in. Now I am aware a seamstress does this but I was told it would be done for me. I get there to make my final payment and have final fitting done, even bring my shoes as I was told to for length. Get there, one of my items wasn’t in that I was called & told was in. Offered me the one laying on dress room floor? No thank you. Cups weren’t sewn in, I was handed a card & told I need to schedule with a seamstress on my own & my dress cannot stay there since its been paid for… Polar opposites of before and after I gave them $ 3,000!

Weddings With Joy is one of those shops where everyone you know (that is, if you grew up in Olympia) has brought a dress here for either Homecoming, Prom, or for a wedding. Well my time finally came when my BFF decided to buy the bridal party’s dresses here since she wanted to support a local business and, of course, heard good things via word of mouth.
The shop is small but stocks a decent selection of bridal gowns, bridesmaid dresses and accessories. My BFF and I actually were able to choose 2 dresses for the bridal party to decide on and were fairly priced. Throughout our multiple visits (we also came here to look for the BFF’s wedding gown), Angela was extremely helpful yet did not come off as overbearing. In fact, I actually preferred to work with her over the other ladies that work at Weddings With Joy just because she was consistent with the level of service she provided us.
The only downside is that the average size bridesmaid dresses available to try on were a size 2 or 12 so that could be a challenge if you or members of the bridal party require sizes larger than a 12.

Awful, Awful, Awful! Me and my girlfriends were looking for bridemaids dresses and we had made an appointment. There were 2 women there were helping us and then another group came in with no appointment and they completely ignored us and helped the other girls who didn’t have an appointment! Completely unprofessional and rude. The women were trying to figure out their dinner and happy hour plans versus helping us. Do not recommend.

I had the honor of working with the owner of the store, Angela. She made me feel absolutely special. I had already purchased my dress at the recent expo in Tacoma, but I got sort of nervous about my choice and asked if I could come in to try on other styles just to be sure. I was able to get a next day appointment. Though there were other brides in the store, I was able to get a pretty big room and YES, I did share it… with my cousin. Not because there were no other rooms available, just because it was a big frickin room and we’re weirdos that don’t mind getting undressed in front of each other.
Anyhow, Angela pulled several different dresses, all different materials and styles, and I was THOROUGHLY reassured I made the right decision the first time. Not to mention I got a hell of a deal with this store for this particular dress… It’s originally $ 1100 at Alfred Angelo, and I got it for $ 750 from Weddings With Joy… I WON. Lol I’m glad I got to skip the snootieness at Alfred’s too. We had an appointment scheduled for Alfred’s and we ended up cancelling. My mom was comfortable here, as opposed to the rude ladies at Alfred Angelo’s.

Went in to find a dress for wedding photos… Not really a wedding dress per say but maybe. I wasn’t sure exactly what I was looking for. From the moment I walked in I was talked to as if I was not worthy to be in that store. I thought oh now maybe your just being sensitive. NOPE it continued, therefor I walked out! My friend later informed me of other issues with this place. Wish I’d asked her before stepping foot through their door:(rude rude women!

I’ll admit, I was a little skeptical of Weddings With Joy when I saw their website — it’s out of date, and doesn’t come even close to showing what their wonderful inventory has to offer. I’m so glad I went anyway. The shop is quite small, and at first we were a little worried my fairly large party of skeptics (Mom, Godmom, two bridesmaids) would overwhelm the place. It worked out just fine. Don’t let the look of the building turn you away.
I have to say Amy, the woman who helped me chose my dress, was absolutely wonderful. Before I went to face the crowd (my moms are not afraid to speak their minds, to say the least) she asked me how the dresses made me feel, if I thought it was the right one, and if it felt like it was «Me». My family fell in love right away with a gorgeous dress that fit me beautifully, but… it wasn’t «me». A few dresses later, Amy pulled in a dress that they had told her not even to bother bringing in — they hated it on the hanger! I wasn’t convinced, but I trusted her and I am glad I did! It was the perfect dress. Both Amy and Angela were incredibly helpful, patient, and kind, and my dress was just about spot-​on to what I had budgeted.
If you’re looking for a great selection with knowledgeable and down-​to-​earth employees, Weddings With Joy is what you’re looking for.