Vera Wang

The moment you step into a Vera Wang boutique, you can feel that it’s different: from the layout to the customer service. I came here with my mom and my sister as the first stop of my wedding dress shopping. It’s super difficult to get my family in the same place at the same time, and I basically have one weekend to (hopefully) find the dress I want. We came to Vera Wang without really knowing what I want or what will look good on me. Heck, I didn’t even spend much time online looking at dresses, and I only know one dress I want to try on from my 10 minutes of browsing their catalogue online. Upon arriving, we were seated in a pretty private section with couches, a giant mirror, and a change room. Sarah was my bridal consultant, and I really can’t ask for anyone better. I told her I wasn’t sure what I’m looking for. She picked out a few different styles that she think will look nice on me. The first one was a trumpet cut. I didn’t look «bad» but it wasn’t my style. I said I didn’t want to try something that’s «too big», and told her the dress I saw on their website. It’s a relaxed ball gown, and the moment I tried it on, my family and I fell in love with it. At that point, we still have two more appointments at other bridal stores, and I want to see more styles before making a decision. But after a full day of shopping and not really seeing anything that caught our eye, we decided that the Vera Wang gown is gonna be my dress. I would say while they’re definitely on the higher end of bridal gowns in terms of price point, but their service is impeccable. Even if you don’t find your eventual dress here, they’re definitely the highest standard when it comes to bridal gown, and I’m so happy to have find my dress here and can’t wait to go back to get the process rolling.

Cold. Pretentious. Sterile. Also, the designs are really over priced– you can get a custom gown for the price of some of their designs.
It was really not a good experience for me here. Just felt very cold– almost intentionally joyless at the point of coming across as chic. For a bridal shop, I expected a more positive and warm staff and environments.
However, the coffee/​champagne service served in Vera Wang china/​crystal, was a lovely touch.

If you’re looking for the wedding dress shopping experience most of us have only seen in the movies, the one where you feel like a princess, Vera Wang will make your dreams come true. Vera Wang carries beautiful, timeless, classic, and elegant dresses (starting at $ 4,000) — my favorite styles are Esther, Nathalie, Stephanie, Le Notre, Whitney, Lacy and Bouquet. I received wonderful treatment, including macaroons, tea, coffee — and at one point I had half a dozen consultants helping me and offering their opinions. While I ended up falling in love with the Carolina Herrera Hadley (the most exquisite dress in existence) at another bridal salon, I highly recommend Vera Wang for both the quality of the designer gowns and the attentive customer service.

Although I just found a dress I fell in love with somewhere else, I had to give them a review because my experience here was amazing! My stylist was Karis and when I first meet her, she seemed like the friendliest person in the world! She took her time with me and showed me some beautiful gowns! Vera’s gowns are beautiful and I truly thought I would be purchasing from here and kinda wish I did just to receive that amazing customer service once again! While trying on the gowns, there was a point where some other consultants had come over to help me with the veil and train and they seemed just as excited to see me in the dresses as my bridal party. They also pulled out some champagne and coffee for us. It’s definitely one of the best show rooms in the bay area and the experience was truly magical.
Thank you Karis and Vera for bring so amazing!

I didn’t end up getting my dress here but because of the great customer service they showed me I wish I would have. they sent me a hand written notes. Called me many times to follow up. And I didn’t even get my dress from there.
The showroom is the best bridal show room in San Francisco by far. they didn’t have a lot of dresses for me to try on when I went in January. i’m a size 0 or two and most of the dresses were really large on me so I had to wait until mid March to see the spring collection. which by then I’d already found another dress.
my experience at other boutiques made me realize that I should’ve purchased my dress at Vera Wang in the long run I would’ve been way happier given the level of service.
true professionals here.

There’s some things that most if not all girls dreamt about having since they were little; the dream house, the Ken like hubby, a beautiful wedding and the most gorgeous wedding gown. Ever since a little before I got engaged I dreamt of a princess cut platinum Tiffany or Harry Winston ring, that didn’t happen but my ring is so much better and unique and more reasonable in price. but one thing I was set on was a mermaid dress.
I shopped around briefly at a couple other places before my fitting at Vera. Karis Johnston has been my salesperson from when the start to my accessories appointment. She is so sweet and fun to work with. She’s very honest too. I honestly didn’t think I would fall in love, but after the different styles of dresses Karis had me try on, from sheath to a Grecian style to the dreaded ballgown, I found the one, a beautiful mermaid gown with such beautiful lace work and detailing. I’ve been to two fittings and have a third one coming up before I finally pick it up. The service and experience here has been top notch. And yes, the bridal fitting movie cliché here is true, you do get champagne and some sweets during your fitting! We did the first appointment in the morning, so we got mimosas. And bubbly when I came back and said yes to the dress. I actually finished up there before 11:30, went to lunch, then went to Novela to try on other dresses, but nothing compared to the gown at Vera, so I Lyfted it back later that afternoon to sign part of my life away for that dress!
The gowns are pricey but worth it because of the craftsmanship. They’re not too unattainable though as I know some other designer gowns’ starting prices are higher than Vera’s. The only thing is VW makes their gowns on the more petite size. I do have a bigger chest and broad shoulders but am typically a size 25 – 26 pant and 6 dress, but I had to go up to a size 10 here, totally hurts my self esteem, I know! Also, since I had to order so big to accommodate my chest, a lot had to be taken in in the hips, and when I went to my second fitting, they told me that they can’t take any more in also in fear that it may be tight when I sit… dang flat Asian booty! Alterations are an all inclusive price of $ 550 plus tax, and you might as well do it in house if you buy their dress. Try to come during a trunk show so you get 10% off like I did.
I can’t wait to make the most important men (him and my dad) cry and smile upon first glance at my wedding. I’m so glad that I found the perfect dress at Vera Wang. Don’t lie ladies, you know, all of you all, want some kind of Wang on you! =)

Dress shopping at Vera Wang was the most incredible experience. I visited 4 other stores before Vera just trying to become as knowledgable about dress shopping and what silhouettes looked best on my body before going into VW. Karis was my stylist and she is AMAZING beyond words! She made the whole process so fun and is such an honest genuine person. I tried the dress on Saturday the following Thursday my mom flew in to view the dress and together we purchased. Thank you Karis!!! xx CW

I met my mom, and aunt at a location in the middle (San Francisco). I was in charge of making appointments over 3 days, and I came to find out — it is impossible to find dresses for a plus-​size bride to try on. This was my first time trying on dresses, and thank goodness I decided to go to Vera Wang. I hadn’t even found out what type I wanted yet.
They had so many dresses in my size that were BEAUTIFUL. My consultant was Karis. She was a blast, and totally knew what she was doing. I told her I wanted poof and she gave it to me! I am in love with a dress (just so happened to be the one she picked out for me), but my entourage didn’t agree so I unfortunately didn’t find my dress at Vera Wang (but I think it was THE dress). They are a fantastic experience though! And if you want a large selection and dresses that are actually in your size, definitely go there.

This review is strictly about my experience with my particular stylist, whose name I cannot recall (I had a back to back appointment with a friend who is also getting married and her stylist was awesome). The girls at the front were also super sweet.
I explained my ideal dress and showed her pictures of what I was looking for. What she ended up showing me turned out to be the EXACT SAME options as 1. what was shown to my friend — whose style preference is the direct opposite of mine and 2. what I witnessed other clients being shown during my friend’s appointment. This makes me suspect that, despite the fact that they «have hundreds of dresses to choose from» (told to me verbatim), they are actually trying to push a handful of certain dresses to clients at this particular time. Bottom line: They don’t listen.
I made clear that a long train was a priority. Did the dresses they bring out meet this criteria? No ma’am. Don’t get me wrong, the dresses were gorgeous for the most part, but not what I was going for in the least. When I re-​emphasized my desire for a long train, this was the sassy, condescending response I got: «We don’t go longer than this. Vera’s probably not for you.»
Alrighty then, now I know. Vera is not for me.

I have nothing but the best to say about the SF location. I went in with no idea what I wanted and Amy helped me start my search with a variety of dresses, styles and colors. She was incredibly knowledgeable and helpful.
I left with three front-​runners and haven’t been back to make my purchase yet, but I can’t more highly recommend this for bridal shopping. All I can say, don’t go here first if you have other appointments because nothing else will measure up.

My experience at Vera Wang Wedding Gowns was first class. From the moment I checked in with the guard downstairs, to the women who greeted my Mom and I with champagne. The whole experience made you feel like a princess in a fairytale. Karis Johnston was my stylist and very knowledgeable. She picked out the best gowns for me, my body, and my vision for my special day. I would highly recommend the experience of buying your wedding gown from Vera Wang.

I’m one of those weird brides that just didn’t want to wear white. When I started researching dresses, I learned that Vera makes lots of non-​traditional colors. I made my first appointment for weekday afternoon in September 2013. I went by myself.
My appt was with Amy Mako. What a sweetheart! I tried on probably six dresses, including a gorgeous black one. I looked amazing in it, and Amy got a tear in her eye and said, «Oh, you look like a bride!» When I relayed this story to my friends, they laughed and said she’s paid to do that… but the thing is, I think she was 100% sincere. I was confident that the black dress was going to be perfect for our wedding reception but not for the ceremony, but I wanted a second opinion. I left that day without buying anything and didn’t feel too much pressure to make the purchase right away.
In December 2013, my mom came to town. We made a day of dress shopping with a few of my girlfriends. We made a stop at Marina Morrison (see my post about that terrible experience) and then headed back to Vera.
Amy helped us again. She greeted me like I was a long lost bestie. My friends all got champagne and cupcakes and settled in. I tried on the black dress first and everyone agreed that it was perfect!
Then we went to work finding a ceremony dress. I tried on about 4 dresses, each one closer and closer. Finally, Amy brought in the perfect dress! It’s not black or white… it was a beautiful crimson.
We ordered them both!
The fittings were a piece of cake, and I looked amazing at my wedding a few weeks ago.
Thanks ladies!

I got my wedding dress here and I had an absolutely fantastic experience. Karis helped me pick out my dress, and she was great. We went through about 10 dresses, and she even took videos of me walking in the dresses that I liked and sent them to me to help me make my decision. I also bought my veil, sash and shoes there and they were so pretty. The service was amazing throughout the purchase, fittings and delivery, and I am super happy with the interactions I have had with the people there.
The lack of one star is because the zipper on the dress was really a nuisance the morning of the wedding. When I did my first fitting, the zipper was hard to get up by the ladies who were helping me, but I was told the dress is just like that because there is a lot of fabric on the top portion of the dress. It didn’t take them that long to get it up though, so I didn’t think much of it, but the day of, it took my bridesmaids and my mom 45 minutes to get the zipper up (this is exact timing because I got charged by the limo company for making them wait outside for the 30 minutes that we went over). My mom’s finger was bleeding and blistered because it was so hard to get it up, and I was panicking because I didn’t know if we were going to be really late. We were unfortunately in an area with poor cell reception, so we called up Vera Wang to ask them to help us, but we kept on getting disconnected. I wasn’t 100% happy with the alteration either because I noticed the day of when it was lighter outside that the way the bra was sewn in created a strange dent at the top of the dress.

Wedding dress shopping is super fun and can sometimes be confusing if you don’t know *exactly* what you’re looking for… where every dress you try on is beautiful and it’s hard to decide which one is «the one.»
From all of the dress salons I went to in the Bay Area, Orange County & Los Angeles (and I went to a *ton*), the consulting and service I received from KARIS JOHNSTON was beyond exceptional. Thank you thank you thank, Karis!
In between my many day-​long appointments in San Francisco, I would always go back to Vera Wang. Not because they serve you tea and champagne in beautiful china :), but because Karis has a soothing way of making you talk through what you like/don’t like about each dress you try on. Her questions about how you want to feel & look on the wedding day, what your fiancé would like, etc., were extremely helpful and looking back, very important! I took her questions and advice with me to every single appointment I had but I was still drawn to the dresses she clamped me in.
The last thing you want as a bride-​to-​be is to feel rushed, pressured, or feel like your consultant is annoyed with your indecisiveness. Karis is extremely patient, fun and down-​to-​earth. You have to be a very patient person to work with brides (or just me) — sometimes it is like a cat and mouse game which can take more than 20 appointments to finish.
You will be guaranteed one-​to-​one time with her and she will definitely be the one to help you find your gown and explore your «accessories» options. Karis is a great listener and observer. She would really listen to what I liked and didn’t like about each dress I tried on. That is *so* important as she focuses on signals that I was giving her and acted on them (she pulled a couple dresses that weren’t on the floor for me based on what I told her I liked after trying on a couple dresses). Beyond being a good listener and observer, she’s HONEST. If I wear a dress that is wearing me, for example, and everyone else knows the dress doesn’t look good on me, she’s also on that page and will be honest about whether the dress looks good or not.
This isn’t as important to some brides, but compared to all the other dress salons I went to, I feel like Karis did the best job of clamping dresses (she did it nice, tight and made it fit my body peeerrrrrfectly). I found myself getting annoyed of other salons not clamping tight enough. Weird, I know, but definitely something I noticed!
I will *never* forget my appointments with Karis as she was the one that helped me find my Vera Wang dress! I will definitely go back to her for my veil and other fun accessories. She’s seriously the best! Even if Vera Wang dresses are outside of your budget, I recommend visiting the store and making an appointment with Karis so you can experience exceptional wedding dress shopping service! I promise it will be worth it!

Vera was my first stop in search for a wedding gown. I made an appointment a week in advance and was welcomed warmly by the reception and my sales person on the day of my appointment. She showed me different collections and was very knowledgable about the craftmanship and details of each dress which was useful information for me since I’m very uptight about this (i’m a fashion merchandising student). My salesperson was extremely patient and helped me try on over 10 dresses! Since I had no idea what I wanted, we just tried everything that I thought looked pretty.
The experience was great. She wasn’t too pushy but was helpful and patient. An improvement could’ve been made with providing me and my friend with more water or champagne (we each only had one glass…). The prices for the dresses were reasonable. The two that I loved, a mermaid and a princess gown were $ 6000 – 8000. Everything is couture at the salon so it takes 6 – 9 months.
Although the dresses were beautiful, it was very hard for me to imagine wearing the dresses on me because they were all so BIG! I’m a size 0 – 2 so she had all these clips on the dress to hold it up and the fit was just too off. The structure for the dress is also obviously made for more curvy brides and even though the size can be altered, the waistline and hips were too low for my petite body type…

If you’re looking for a stunningly beautiful wedding dress, just go to Vera Wang. I had been to a few shops before making an appointment, and none of the dresses I had tried on particularly wowed me. The moment I stepped off the elevator at Vera Wang, I was totally wowed. Their ambiance and décor is chic and modern; everyone is very friendly and helpful.
Lily helped me throughout the entire process, even allowing my mother to pick out some dresses that were WAY over our budget, just to see how they fit. Lily was incredibly friendly, helpful, and made the whole process incredibly easy. She knew exactly which dresses to show me once she got a feel for my style. I ended up finding THE ONE during my first appointment there, but I decided to hold off until I had time to think it over. We went to another bridal shop afterwards but nothing compared to the beautiful dress that I had fallen in love with at Vera Wang. We immediately went back, and even though I didn’t have an appointment, they let me try the dress on again, and I just knew it was it. We signed the contact then and there, paid our deposit, and then left to go celebrate. It was a smooth and exciting transaction. I will tell everyone I know to go visit Lilly at Vera Wang when the time comes!

I mean, it’s Vera Wang. What an amazing experience I had.
The whole salon is set up so wonderfully, very minimalist and stylish as one would expect. The rooms are very private, which is great for a group as it gives you the chance to view the gown in private with just those you have along with you.
I never once felt pressured to buy, and the stylist was clearly interested in what she thought I would like rather than price points, as she brought some gowns that were far below the price point I had told her I was comfortable with. Amy, who I worked with, I found incredibly helpful. I really had no idea what style of gown I was interested in, and she brought different styles and then narrowed it down to a gown I can’t stop thinking about. Truly a first class experience.
Fair warning though — I started here, and then went to two other bridal salons the same day. Although I tried on some amazing gowns, nothing really compared to the craftsmanship and detailing on Vera’s gowns. I never was one to think you could tell such small details, but you truly can feel the difference when you have her gowns on.

It has always been my dream to wear a Vera gown on my big day, ever since I was a young I’ve paid attention to the design of her dresses. When I got engaged in Oct, I was thinking about traveling to their LA location just to try on her dresses. When I found out the VW salon opened in Spring in SF, it couldn’t have been a more prefect timing!
My first appointment with Vera was actually a last minute visit. They had a trunk show in Spring for their Fall bridal collection. The timing didn’t work well for me since their weekend appointments were booked up. They managed to ask me to come in last minute on a weekday evening. I couldn’t believe my first time trying on a Vera would be their latest & greatest collection. :) Her dresses are seriously the most amazing gown I’ve ever seen, you will just have be in person to feel the lace, fabric, bead work…
The atmosphere is also amazing… once you get on the 4^th floor you get a nice view of Union Square. The tall glass window brings in natural light into the salon, and each guest has her own space/​sitting area to try on the gowns.
It took me 3 appointments to decide which gown I wanted, I also purchased the dress when they another trunk show. which got a nice 10% off! Karis Johnson was my stylist and she was amazing as well. I received a special note from her, with swatches of my dress a month ago… which I couldn’t wait to see at my first fitting.
I would say Vera gowns are not cheap, but definitely worth it if you care about the whole dress shopping experience!

The quality of the dress is amazing, atmosphere is elegant and relax, customer service (my Consultant Lily Carpenter) is EXCELLENT!
I knew I always want to wear Vera Wang’s dress for my big day. I didn’t make an appointment the 1^st time and they were happy to take me in without one, guess they weren’t that busy that day.
When you first entered Vera Wang, it’s this elegant, high class atmosphere that makes your first impression go «wow», the stuff there all super friendly. Lily then asked me few questions so she can help picked few dresses for me to try on. She is super patient, helpful and is never pushy about purchasing a dress from them.
The dress is attention to detail, the material and design is marvellous, but of course the price range are not cheap, the cheapest one I found is like $ 5500 :S
I went back for a 2^nd appointment and will fill out some paper work and payment next week for my beautiful dress!!!
This is definitely my best wedding dress shopping experience ever, and I am very very glad I chose Vera Wang!

I’m not a shop-​a-​holic and I certainly don’t enjoy dresses. However, I had a promise and a vision in my head that when my mom came to visit, she would be able to have a memorable experience shopping for dresses.
The best part about this review is that not only did she love it, but I was also blown away by the professionalism, the attention to detail, and the overall experience so much so that I fell in love with the moment, too. I can honestly say that wedding dress shopping was fun, even from the perspective of a tomboy ;)
First off, a huge personal thanks to Lily, my bridal consultant. She greeted us warmly, kept the champagne flowing, listened thoroughly to everything that I said I wanted (and more importantly didn’t want) and ultimately provided me with nothing but personalized care that one would expect from a high-​end boutique. Despite that the team was running late for my appointment, she handled it gracefully and I didn’t even notice the time pass by. It was also key to me that she sounded earnest in her opinions. I never felt pressured to buy and I never felt awkward or uncomfortable in her presence. Even down to little things like the fact that she was holding a conversation with me while I was fully naked and I didn’t think twice about it.
The rest of the staff was also very kind and enthusiastically providing positive and insight feedback to help me make decisions. Not all BS, but many of which I had never given thought to and it helped me make a clear decision.
One of the coolest things that they did was take iPad videos of me walking in the dresses so that I could see the movement from the front and the back with more than a mirror. I was emailed these, too. Kind of a cool little keepsake. Also, I should note, they let me take endless photos and even try on dresses that were out of budget.
The appointment was an hour and a half and I can say that after multiple single hour appointments, that extra half an hour felt like the right amount of time and I never felt rushed. They even let me run a little late (without hesitation) to try on my favorite gown for a second time.
The ONLY thing I have notes on somewhat negatively is the lighting. While the venue itself is beautiful — totally a minimalistic, clean space with amazing individual and giant rooms for each client — the lighting was very minimal and my appointment went past dark. By the end, most of my photos didn’t come out well enough to provide accurate references nor keepsake memories.
Highly recommend going here. And again, thank you, Lily — I wish you only the best in your career. You were truly great.