La Boutique Des Brides

Yes I love my dress. Yes, it was delivered on time. But don’t go to this store expecting a whole bride experience with fancy drinks, space for family or even a beautiful store. It is a small business or at least is what it appears to be. I bought my dress there because I was running out of time. If I had more time, I’m not sure If I would have purshased my dress there. Dont worry, Hilda will deliver the job. I had to take in almost 2 sizes in a week and was perfectly done. If you don’t care about the fancy things I have mentioned, go for it!

Hilda is the best. She is responsive, helpful, and very on top of things. My MOH and I had such a lovely time choosing dresses with her. We shopped all around the Bay Area and we only wanted to work with Hilda. I highly recommend her shop– she has a lot to choose from and she knows her stuff. She has been doing this for a long time and she is incredibly knowledgable.

Hilda was absolutely a delight to work with when looking for my dress. I went in looking for a dress that looked similar to my dream dress I’ve been looking for online for the past couple of months and thought was impossible to find. When my mother in law to be told me to show her the photo of the dress I’ve been searching everywhere for, Hilda told me to turn around, and when I did, there was MY dress!!! I could not believe it. I tried it on and immediately fell in love. I would recommend Hilda and her bridal store to anyone who is looking for their wedding gown and she will find what you’re looking for. She has a big selection and an even bigger heart and makes you feel so very special and comfortable when looking for something so important.

I LOVE my dress, and I bought it here!
I would recommend this shop to anyone who has already tried on dresses multiple times and knows what she wants. You can pull out anything that you’d like to try on, which is really great. It’s also probably best for the bride who is ready to pick her dress — I wouldn’t so much recommend this as a place to bring a massive entourage — but it’s really good for when you’re ready to get down to business with just one or two.
The owner is a complete doll — so extremely sweet and conscientious. I tried on my dress once, and she was extremely sweet about explaining how the alterations would happen, explaining the process of how she picks her dresses (she has some great ones!), and wasn’t at all pushy when I wasn’t ready to buy. I hadn’t come with my mother and she understood immediately that that was important. When I made an appointment to come back a few weeks later she completely remembered me, and was so sweet — she even put the dress aside for me! I must have stood there for like three hours staring at myself in the mirror and she didn’t once try to pressure me to move along. She was completely patient, bringing me all sorts of veils to try on and stepping back when she figured it was time for me and my parents to discuss. I love my dress, and I love the personalized experienced I received.
She’s really wonderful, and was really great with all the other brides I saw her with (and like I said, I spent A LOT of time in the store trying to make up my mind — I saw her interact with a lot of people). :)
Thank you Hilda! You are wonderful!

A friend of mine bought her wedding dress at La Boutique Des Brides and recommended I buy my wedding dress here! I had wonderful experience and got to try on multiple dresses, and was not rushed on a specific timeframe. The Owner Hilda is a lovely woman and was very patient with me. I chose my perfect dress! I had 4 alterations done on my dress and it was not an issue! I was very happy with the outcome and would recommend this place anytime to buy your wedding dress!

This place is amazing! This was the first place I went on my search and thought the store is in the basement, off the beaten path of the mainstream shops but I’ll give it a try. I tried some dresses on and really liked one but wanted to keep my options open. The owner is a very kind older woman and said not to worry you will find the perfect dress here and at another place just as long as the bride is happy. I thought this was very nice and she didn’t put any pressure on me. After looking around I keep thinking of this one dress and the price was also in my budget. So I went back to try it on again and I said yes to the dress!!! I ordered it in January and she said it should be here in July, plenty of time for my Oct. wedding. First week of July she called me and said she will be going out of town and not to worry we will schedule a time to come right when she returns. This was great customer service! I tried the dress on and it was amazing, she was very hopeful through the alterations and wanted to make sure I was happy and comfortable. Overall an amazing experience!!! I recommend this place to everyone!!!

Wonderful experience with both of my daughters. I would highly recommend La Boutique Des Brides. Hilda and her staff are very helpful and knowledgeable. Thank you for the nice friendly service.

I’m reviewing this as a bride, who had a bridesmaid dress crisis about a month before my wedding and had great success with Hilda and La Boutique Des Brides in finding a MOH dress that totally worked for my wedding last minute.
Originally, my bridesmaids and maid of honor had ordered the exact same style and color dresses from another store in a group order. Everything was going fine until one of my bridesmaids called me about a month to a month and half before my wedding in May and said that her dress was shipped to her old apartment across the country and that it was now lost and could not be located… not the best thing for a bride to hear close to a month before her wedding!!!
Anyway, my bridesmaid (who also unfortunately lives across the country, making this situation even more inconvenient) called around to a bunch of SF bridesmaid dress stores to try to find a similar or the same BM dress that we had originally bought, and came upon Hilda at this store. After she found Les Boutique and talked to Hilda, I ended up getting in touch with Hilda myself since I’m a bit of control freak and wanted to know what the details were. Hilda said she had connections at the wtoo warehouse, and that the warehouse sometimes carries random overstock (like one dress that happened to not be distributed to a party, perhaps because one of the BM’s ended up pulling out of the wedding party… etc.), and that she could most likely find me a dress in the same color, but not the same style and size. Luckily my maid of honor does live in San Francisco, and it would be appropriate for her to be in a different style dress than my bridesmaids, so we booked an appointment with Hilda for that week and dropped in to try a couple of the styles we knew were readily available to try on.
When we got to the store Hilda was helpful, straightforward, thorough, and conscientious. We tried on a couple of dresses that were available to try on but they weren’t my MOH’s favorites, so then Hilda called the warehouse and asked what other styles they had available in the same color dress and designer. We finally narrowed it down to a style that my MOH loved. The dress was a couple sizes bigger than what my MOH needed, but Hilda reassured us that it could be altered at her store so that the dress would fit her just right. We finalized the transaction and took care of the issue then and there… I felt so much better!
That’s where my interactions with the store ended, but my MOH did have to come back once the dress came into the store and got her dress altered at here. I don’t know all of those details. But in the end, she made it to my wedding looking beautiful in her MOH dress from this store. And we had shipped my MOH’s old dress to my bridesmaid, so it all worked out in the end. THANK GOD!
I really appreciated how Hilda worked under a short timeline at this store and found a MOH dress that worked given our rather challenging circumstance! I would highly recommend their store and service.

I spent a lot of time looking for a wedding dress (50+ different dresses at 7 different stores), and just about gave up until I came here. I remembered this place because a friend (former bride) got her beautiful Maggie Sottero dress here, and I had come with her a couple of times for her dress fittings.
I called for a last minute appointment, and as fate had it, Hilda as able to see me. Hilda was very helpful. I was having a difficult time narrowing down my preference of dress style (princess, halter, A-​line, fit-​and-​flare, etc), and she could just tell from my body language wearing the various styles that I felt most comfortable in a strapless fit-​and-​flare. And she was right!
I found a beautiful Paloma Blanca and have visited Hilda 3 or 4 times since to get the fitting just perfect. She is a very warm, motherly-​type who takes great pride in her collection and her work. She knows what she is doing and will give her opinion, which I greatly appreciate.
One of my bridesmaids came with me to a fitting, and as she is engaged, we had her try on some dresses while we were there. She said these were some of the best dresses she has seen as well, and guess what? She came back and got her wedding dress here too!
I love this bridal shop and will always refer my friends here.

I’m a visiting doctor from Mexico at UCSF, therefore I came alone to try on dresses, It was a wonderful experience, Hilda was such a great host, she suggested some dresses and advised about styles, I’m a pettite, and I was able to find my dream dress and having so much fun. I can only recomend this place if you want to get a high quality dress and attention.

Hilda took care of me! I actually tried on a dress in Florida but since I live in SF I needed a place to order it from. We did my dress order over the phone, and she was extremely helpful! Mary did my alterations and she did an amazing job! I only had to go in once for a fitting and then the second time just to pick it up! Great experience!

You only purchase a wedding gown once in your life time (well for most) so to me it’s important you have the best experience! And that is the experience I had at La Boutique des Brides — nothing less than the BEST! I got married 8÷29÷14 — I know it’s a bit late to post but it’s worth sharing.
Having worked at a company that prides itself on customer service and putting customers first (Amazon) I have a very high bar. Especially in such a personalized transaction like a wedding gown, every customer should be treated with a personalized touch and care. Hilda, Mary, and Kam (seamstress) did exactly that. For every one of my appointments, I was always personally greeted, well attended, and listened to when I have questions. This team was all about the customer! Everything arrived on time, I got regular updates from Hilda and best of all I didn’t feel like she ever pressured me into purchasing anything. Wedding boutiques is a single-​transaction retailer so they should want you to buy every little thing possible. Not Hilda — she understood the customer midset and was very helpful in telling ways I can cost save and still look good! I knew I was in good hands. Let’s talk about the appointments.
First appointment: I browsed the store for about 30 minutes and pulled over 7 gowns to try on. Hilda and Mary were very attentive in listening to what I was looking for. After trying on several she got a sense of what I liked and what she thought looked flattering on me. So as any good sales person should do is rack their brain of their inventory of other gowns that fit the bill. That’s what Hilda did! Long story short she pulled out a gown that I missed because it just arrived and they were ready to put on the rack. That become the SAY YES TO THE DRESS!!!
First Fitting/​Ordering: We had 4 months. I got engaged in ¹⁄₂₀₁₄ and my wedding was ⁸⁄₂₀₁₄. It’s doable ladies and can be done well. I was very nervous that the gown would arrive on time and wanted to avoid paying the extra shipping if possible. Hilda phoned the designer several times and connected with them to make sure it would arrive on time. Hilda always called me to give me an update. Although I think I nagged her several times because she never heard back from the designer yet (sorry Hilda!). Once the order was placed I felt at peace. We even ended up doing a size change with about 1.5 months-​2 months to go and there was no problem.
Final Fitting: When the dress arrived it was PERFECT. Hold on, that’s not the end of it though. So I’ve always dreamed of bridal buttons on my gown but the original gown didnt come with it so Hilda said we can add that on. So that’s what we did in a span of 3 days! KAM YOU ARE AMAZING! We added satin bridal onto the back of my gown all the way down the train. Not to mention Hilda threw in the bra cups for me since I have a deep plunge back dress. 3 days later I get a call that the buttons are done and I’m back for the final fitting. The dress, the shoes, the accessories, the whole shabang! It was magical that it ALL came together so effortlessly (as I felt on my end) and was PERFECT.
Pick Up: Picking up the dress was a bit bitter and sweet. After all these months you develop a relationship with the team (Hilda, Mary, Kam) around a big life changing event. Hilda packed up my gown nicely in a garment bag and told me what side to hang and lay it down on to avoid creasing the dress after it’s been pressed. I was in and out in 10 minutes. A bit sad when I left to be honest, but I knew with the help of Hilda and team, we created the best gown for me.
To sum it up, this boutique has great customer service because they listen and work with your needs. They are skilled and experts in this line of work and I trusted their team that I was going to get an end product that I would be happy with for the big day. Hilda, Mary, and Kam were such lovely ladies to work with. Visit La Boutique Des Brides!!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!
Hope you find this review helpful along with the photos.

This is the place to go to get your gown in SF.
I had only four months to get my gown, and Hilda assured me this wouldn’t be a problem. I got wonderful attention from Hilda and her colleague Mary. They helped me find dresses that met my style, offered helpful feedback and alteration advice, and really made me feel like a respected customer in the midst of what I’ve otherwise perceived to be a crazy wedding industry.
Even though my time was tight, she applied no pressure — repeatedly indicating she just wanted to help me find the right dress for me, even if it ultimately wasn’t found at her store. Unlike any other store in SF, she went out of her way to assure me she would help me meet my time frame, even selling dresses off the rack to me (at a discount) and prioritizing my alterations (done in house).
Other pros:
— All the dresses are wrapped in the plastic, so when you try them on they are clean and glamorous. So many high end boutiques offer you dirty/​ripped/​unkempt gowns, what an awful way to consider such a big purchase.
— Dresses are smaller — so you really get a sense of what they will look like. Trying on a dress in the salon that was actually my size and didn’t need a zillion clips made all the difference in the world. I suddenly looked and felt like a bride.
— Hilda is responsive via email and phone. It’s very easy to make an appointment and get help from her.
— Did not feel rushed. She wasn’t watching the clock.
The only con for me:
— First impression. The store is on the basement level of a retail building in SOMA. I was unsure at first, but the dresses and her service speak for themselves, and I quickly felt reassured.

I bought the most gorgeous wedding dress at Boutique Des Brides! Hilda was such a pleasure to work with, and really helped me with the selection and fitting process. I came here to browse the dresses with my mom and sister, and was immediately impressed with the selection of dresses that were available. Hilda had us pick a few of our favorites, and we did … about 10 of them! She patiently helped me try every single one of them on, and offered her own thoughts on them. She was also very conscious of my budget, and worked with us to make sure we were comfortable with the price of the gowns, Three hours later, we walked out having ordered my perfect gown. I think we were there when the building had some maintenance work and she technically wasn’t open, aside from a few appointments, so I had her full and undivided attention for the whole time!
A week or two after the appointment, I got a call from Hilda, letting me know that she won’t be carrying the Paloma Blanca dress I ordered in the future, so she is selling the sample gown. Since the sample size fit me well, she offered for me to buy it at 20% discount. It was so sweet of her to let me know of this, especially since there was another customer who was interested in buying the sample. I went back to the boutique to look at the dress one more time, just to make sure the sample was in good condition before I agreed to take it – and the sample looked perfect, not a single snip or stain on this white lace dress. I was ecstatic — not only did I get the dress I loved, but I also got it at a discount!!!
I called several months later to check on when I should come in for a fitting. As soon as I said my name, she knew exactly who I was, what dress and veil I have purchased, asked about my mom and sister… I was so impressed she remembered all the details without having to look them up. The fitting and alterations process was super easy with them too. Luckily, I needed very little done to the dress, and all the work (mostly bustling and taking in the sides) took less than 2 weeks!
I got so many compliments on my dress on the day of my wedding, and I felt like a million bucks! A huge thank you to Hilda and her team for helping me find my perfect dress!

The wedding dress selection at Boutique des Brides is much better than many other bridal boutiques in SF. Located in Gift Center, the set-​up is more casual and less glamorous than most of their competitors but it also offers a much more relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Hilda, the owner, has great taste in gowns, as I quickly found more than half a dozen gowns I wanted to try on, and her prices are reasonable. The sizes of the sample gowns are also a bit bigger, ranging up to sizes 6 or 8, which made for a much less stressful experience than at other boutiques, given that I’m not a size 0.
Hilda kept me updated on the status of the Maggie Sottero gown I ordered, which arrived after about 4 months, and I had plenty of time to come in for fittings ahead of my April wedding. The only downside is that they close quite early on weekdays, meaning you have to squeeze an appointment into their busy Saturday schedule, unless you’re willing to take time off work during the week. I also thought their alteration costs were a bit steep, but from what I’ve heard, alterations are quite expensive all over the city.
Overall, I was very happy with my gown, which got many, many compliments, and with my experience at Boutique des Brides.

Don’t bother with this place. The ladies (Hilda and the lady who does alternations) seem nice upon meeting them but honestly I had a bad experience for multiple reasons. Just glad I have my bridesmaid gown. Won’t go here for my wedding gown.
Basically, I ordered my bridesmaid gown in November wanting to have plenty of time for alterations and to set my mind at ease for the spring wedding I was a bridesmaid in. I was told it would be in within 2 – 3 months. When I called to check after 2 months, Hilda told me there’s no way she told me 2 months. It’s normally 3 – 4. Ok, that happens. Maybe I didnt hear correctly? I’ll give her that.
So I called at the 3.5 month mark. She then told me about how China has a holiday in January which means their tailorinig time takes longer at this time of year which means it will take longer than the usual 3 – 4 months. Hmmm. Didnt think to mention this when I first ordered? You’ve been in the business 25 years?
So again. What could I say. She had all the power. I knew I had to patiently wait. When I heard nothing after 4 months I waited a few more weeks, since I now knew about the holiday and all. But, nothing.
So I called at 4.5 month mark and she ended up double checking on it for me. It was finally going to be in, the following month.
I finally had my gown 5 months later. She assured me we would have time for alterations but that wasn’t the point. I ordered early to avoid feeling rushed, right? Lucky for me, no alterations were needed. I really didnt want to go through the ‘actually i’m not getting it altered HERE because I’m unhappy with this whole situation’ conversation with her. I just tried it on, looked at it in the mirror and they agreed no alterations needed. Perfect.
Paid the rest of my bill and didnt look back.
As I said they were very kind to me when I was in store. I went during a weekday for my fitting and there was no one there. From other reviews it sounds like they can get pretty packed at times. I would feel totally claustrophobic with the location and set up of this store. Glad I’ve only been there at off times.

I don’t even know where to begin … Hilda is a dream with which to work! When I got engaged in the spring of 2013, my fiancé and I knew that we wanted to be married within the year … preferably in September or October … and then we confirmed a date in September 2013. When i showed up for my appointment and told Hilda that we basically had four months to get a dress ordered and fitted, she said «Okay! I will fight for you!»
I had an idea of what type of dress I wanted … and actually went in to try on one specific dress, which a friend had called ahead to confirm that la Boutique des Brides carried … but Hilda had me try on several others as well. I chose to save the dress my friend called about for last in the series of dresses that I tried on. It was crazy, but I absolutely loved ALL the dresses I tried on! Hilda has very high quality dresses and she knows about all the makers and can tell you exactly why there are differences in their prices.
When I tried on the dress I came for, I knew that it was «the one» — a gorgeous, lace Paloma Blanca. So that was it! I was in and out of La Boutique in less than 90 minutes. No fuss, no drama. This was no episode of «Say Yes to the Dress,» where girls have a hell of a time finding a dress. Hilda (and my friends of course) made the process very simple.
My dress arrived just three weeks before my wedding … I was definitely getting nervous, but Hilda assured me everything would be a-​okay. Sure enough, she fit me in for my first fitting within days of it arriving. I then came back for my second … and eventually my final … fittings. I was probably lucky that not much needed to be done (mostly just taking up the hem a bit), but needless to say, I am EVER APPRECIATIVE of the work Hilda and her staff did for me to make it possible for me to wear the dress of my dreams on such a short schedule.
All the thanks in the world goes to La Boutique des Brides. I could not believe how many compliments I received on my dress … I felt like a complete princess on my wedding day. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!

I bought my dress here after going to two other bridal salons in SF. Hilda is the most lovely person, and I enjoyed having her in my appointment immensely!
She immediately zeroed in on my personal style and what I was looking for. I pretty much knew what dress I wanted before I went in, but she pulled another one that looked completely different, yet had the same feel to it… and strangely enough I changed my mind and went with her pick!
One thing I love about the shop is that it is small, only works with one or two brides at a time, and has a small, curated selection. I never realized how important that is until after my second shopping experience. Some stores just stock everything a designer offers, but Boutique des Brides hand-​selects the most beautiful and reasonably priced gowns from a variety of designers. I think she said that most of her gowns are under $ 2K or maybe $ 2.5K. There were many many options in the $ 1K range as well. Hilda told me «I only order the gowns I like», which works because she has very very good taste.

After searching high and low for bridesmaid dresses that were classy and of high quality materials within my price range, I thought for sure I was just going to settle on picking up dresses at the local Macy’s or Nordstrom. In my family, the bride always purchased the dresses for the bridesmaids; and with 7 bridesmaids, there was little room in my budget for frills.
Bridal shoppes turned up the same old dresses — thick ass satin, cheap ass «chiffon,» and sashes galore. I finally ended up at LBDB at the recommendation of one of my Maids of Honor. Her sister had come to the shoppe when she needed a bridesmiad dress for a wedding in Iran in a short amount of time. The dress was «out of stock» in almost every shoppe she tried, and Hilda at LBDB was able to order it, and SHIP IT to Iran in time. Automatic 5 stars on that.
Hilda’s selection ranges from some «no thanks» styles to super-​sassy-​classy styles. I had two of my maids pick their favorite dresses and we went for a one shouldered empire chiffon floor length gown. I ordered gowns in complementary colors to give a nice ombré feel for photos. And, she was able to help me find the perfect sizes for the dresses based solely on measurements.
Within one month the dresses were in her shoppe waiting to be picked up — just in time for my wedding in July.
Hilda was so accommodating and welcoming. She was so patient with me and my friends as we came in multiple times to try on and pick out dresses. If I ever have to get married again, which should be never, Hilda’s my gal!

I agree with Karen, no frills shopping. When I got engaged, Karen told me of all of these fancy shops in Union Square that we went to. Yes, those dresses were beautiful. I even went to the cheapie one on Union, forget me knots, where dresses were $ 350-​$ 800. But for someone who spends $ 300 on shoes, I wasn’t going to spend that much on my wedding dress. So we went to La Boutique Des Brides.
Hilda was nice and even nicer when I told her that my friend got her dress here and recommended here. I perused her stuff and found a few dresses I liked. I found THE dress here by Paloma Blanca. It was lightweight, flowy, with rouching, I do agree with some of the reviews about pushiness, but I guess it is part of the sales job. Hilda’s daughter was there and helped me and she was super sweet.
I came back for my fitting a few times and had to get it taken in even more. I’m glad I did because even with the strap, I felt at times I could flash people. Thankfully that did not happen.
My complaint are her hours. She’s open sporadic Saturdays by appointment and really wants you to come during the work day to do your fittings. It is a bit hard for me to get back to the city, especially since it is not near Bart and parking can be difficult at times around that area.