Melissa Ashley Brides

This shop has everything a bride would need. I did not buy my dress here, but I wished I would’ve checked here before making my purchase in Virginia Beach. I’m new to the area and there didn’t seem to be many choices around CT/​RI so I went hunting in the town I was getting married in.
Fast forward to accessory shopping. I needed a sash and stopped in the shop on a whim. The owner was FANTASTIC and more than accommodating as we found my dresses perfect match for a sash. She immediately got it ready for me, and was nothing but kind.
Later I determined that I was looking for a fur stole, so I stopped in again. I was also freaking out slightly because I had picked up my gown from my seamstress and I HATED the bustle (it was bad), AND I was leaving town for my wedding in a week. Not only did Denise hook me up with the fur stole from her window display, she also loaned me a broach, AND called a seamstress to see if I could get in for an emergency fitting! The seamstress saw me that day, fixed my dress within 4 days, and essentially saved my dress and the feeling I was going to have wearing it!
Hats off to «Melissa Ashley Brides»… wonderful and accommodating salon! Five stars!!! Love love love!

I absolutely love the owner Denise! She is professional, easy to work with & sweet! I purchased my bridal gown there & would not go anywhere else! When my sister in law got married I had bought my bridesmaids dress online & Denise steamed it for free no questions asked. They will stay open later if you can’t make it during business hours or come in on a Sunday for you. They go above & beyond for their customers!

I called the shop on a Tuesday hoping for a Friday morning appointment the same week. Apparently you’re not supposed to do that, but Denise was more than accommodating. She already had an 11 a.m. bride scheduled for that day, but offered to open the shop an hour early so I could have a full, two-​hour appointment.
My trip to the store was the first time I’d gone wedding dress shopping (and I was going by myself). Frankly, I expected to be disappointed: I’m a big girl (40DD bust, size 18 pants) with a not-​so-​big budget ($ 1,500 to $ 1,700 after alterations), and a church with modest dress requirements (covered shoulders/​short sleeves, covered back) that eliminate a lot of the market. I was terrified of what I expected would be low selection and fat-​shaming/​guilt.
None of that came to be. The shop carried a lot of options that fit my body, my budget and my church’s needs. I ended up trying on about a dozen dresses, all from designers Denise picked because they make modest versions of their dresses. She was really knowledgeable about fabric, silhouettes, fit and customizing. She later sent me sketches *direct from the designer* of the modest versions of the top two dresses I tried on.
Go see Denise! :-)

I had such an amazing experience at Melissa Ashley Bridal! I had gone to a few bridal places before and regardless of the gowns, the customer service just lacked. My mother and grandmother came in with me for my appointment and the staff treated us like gold! We felt so comfortable and totally at home!
And their gowns??? OMG so beautiful! That was the one issue… too many beautiful gowns to choose from! LOL I had narrowed it down to 3 and I asked Denise, to be totally honest and tell me which one I would love and look back on and always love. She told me which one and that was it! I felt so beautiful that day and simply LOVED my dress and how and it made me look and feel!
Overall, my experience was perfct! They are professional, talented and hands down the best and easiest part of the whole wedding planning experience!

I bought my wedding dress here for my June 2014 wedding. Firstly, I will say that my sister called here first and spoke with the owner over the phone. She was extremely helpful and friendly and answered all of her questions that were probably silly because my sister doesn’t know anything about wedding stuff.
So we went there and the owner, Denise, is just as fantastic in person. Equally as friendly, helpful, and knowledgable as she was on the phone. I had another young lady help me with most of my appointment, and she was lovely as well. It was a nice change from David’s bridal… I’m not a small girl, so dress shopping had been stressful and depressing at other shops. Here they made me feel comfortable and at home.
I ended up purchasing my dress there, and was surprised at how reasonable the price ended up being. For a name brand dress with custom sizing it ended up being exactly $ 1000… Which isn’t worlds away from how much David’s bridal is… But you get so much more at Melissa Ashley!
Denise was very helpful in the ordering and fitting process as well. Any time I emailed her with questions or an eta for my dress she was very prompt. When it finally came in, she was also nice enough to suggest taking it home with me to get it altered somewhere closer to me (shocking– since most places push you to use their pricey seamstresses!)
Would definitely recommend this place! They certainly have more variety than David’s bridal, too!

My daughter is getting married in May, and we needed someone to restore an antique wedding down that had been first worn in 1908 by my grandmother, and then again in 1952 by my mother, and by me in 1976. Although the dress will not be worn by my daughter, we wanted it restored to display at the wedding. Denise, the owner, arranged to have it cleaned, and after it was cleaned, it needed to be repaired. Denise and her seamstress hunted down the perfect tulle netting to match the dress, and then repaired all the torn areas. We picked it up today, and it is just beautiful! I doubt there was a lot of profit in the project, but the time they took to restore a family heirloom, is priceless to us. Personal, and caring, service is hard to find these days, but Denise and Sonia will give you a warm and special experience. The only reason we did not purchase a wedding gown from them, was that my daughter had found a gown earlier at another shop, which was not available through Melissa Ashley. Their dress selection, wedding, bridal, and mother of the bride, was extensive, and they absolutely know how to put you in a dress that will make you look fabulous!

I bought my wedding dress here. It’s the first and last place that I looked, and it was a great experience! The ladies were very helpful and I felt comfortable and well looked-​after. The day I had an appointment to look at dresses there was a blizzard, but the women at Melissa Ashley said that if I came in they’d be there. I was really impressed by the level of service.
I didn’t really know what style of dress I was interested and tried on quite a few. After asking what I liked and didn’t like, the saleswoman suggested a dress that she thought I’d like but had originally passed over on the rack. That turned out to be the dress that I fell in love with — the people at Melissa Ashley really know what they’re doing and take the time to get an understanding of what your personal style is.
They also have a good selection of bridesmaids’ dresses and their prices are very reasonable. The personal service is great, and they go out of their way to help you out. If you’re looking for a wedding dress in RI, I highly recommend this place!

Thanks to Denise and the ladies at Melissa Ashley Brides for giving me the best wedding dress experience. They were patient through the dress selection process and recommended an amazing dress that worked great with my shape and personality. The team is knowledgeable, helpful and accommodating. They put me in the dress of my dreams and made me feel like a VIP each time I was there. An extra special bonus is their relationship with seamstress Marie Francese from La Sarta Maria down the street, the two work together on alterations creating a «one stop shopping» experience that can’t be beat. I highly recommend working with these ladies for an amazing dress and as amazing service.

DO NOT BUY A GOWN UNTIL YOU STOP BY MELISSA ASHLEY!
You will not be disappointed. After a couple of months and a hundred different dresses I called Denise at Melissa Ashley to see if they had the gown I was looking for.
Her price was $ 200 cheaper, FOR THE SAME DRESS.
I paid $ 50 for custom fitting, which was terrific because the hemming and alterations would have been in the hundreds otherwise
I was so satisfied I also bought the veil and two bridesmaid dresses! Yaa! I’m very excited!