Carlisle's of Pittsburgh

I am so glad that I picked Carlisle's to purchase my wedding dress. Every girl dreams about the day they go to pick out their wedding dress and when that day came for me, it was a blast. We laughed, we cried and I felt like a princess. The staff at Carlisle's is very nice and not overbearing at all. They were honest with me about what looked good and what didn't and I never felt pressured to buy anything. It felt as though they genuinely cared about finding me the perfect dress and I ended up finding the most gorgeous dress that fit me like a glove. I also bought my veil and tiara there as well. The dress came in when they told me it would and the little alterations that were made went smoothly and were done in a timely manner. You always hear horror stories about bridal salons but I can honestly say that Carlisle's was great and nothing went wrong. Everything came in on time and the dress ended up being more perfect than I ever thought it could be. I also liked that in addition to name brands, Carlisle's also has unique, affordable dresses that you can't find anywhere else. I give Carlisle's two thumbs up and I would recommend them to any woman looking for a wonderful wedding dress experience, from start to finish. While you're there, ask for Amanda Gussman. She is AWESOME!

My experience with Carlisle's was terrible. We went there for my bridesmaid dresses, orange dresses in a nice color are hard to come by. That was the only plus side for them so that's what I put in Value.The staff was very short with us when we went to look at dresses. We found one we liked and then I came back with my girls (there were 7 bridesmaids, so 8 of us total) and looked at the dress we liked. Everyone agreed they liked it. It was only in one size but it basically fit one of my girls. So they all got measured and ordered their dresses. I found out after the fact that the staff basically insulted all of them, calling them oddly shaped and being rude when they talked about loosing weight for the wedding (two of my girls lost over 20 lbs each from the point they got measured to one month before the wedding). The dresses took a bit longer to come in than was told they would. As the girls picked up the dresses and got home to try to them, we found out the measurements were TERRIBLE! Out of 7 girls only 2 of them would end up needing minor alterations. The others need panels added, corset lacing to cover up the fact the measurements were 5 inches off in the back of the one girl at the top of her dress and other various adjustments to make the dresses work. On top of the fact that it wasn't the same dress we ordered. The cut of the dress was different, the straps were different and the one in the store was NOT a mermaid fit like the ones that showed up were. The girl that needed a panel added even went up a dress size from what the woman suggested. I had to order fabric from the company to fix the problems the bad measurements caused. Carlisles at no point offered to pay for the fabric to fix their mistake. They also didn't even try to get the fabric rush ordered. So my girls had 2 weeks to get their dresses altered for the wedding once the fabric came in (took over 4 weeks to come in).I am thankful I did things ahead of time so that there was that extra cushion of time in there to fix their mistakes. Terrible, terrible, terrible!

I always loved going to appointments at Carlisle's. All of the staff was always excited to see me and were very supportive and encouraging. I have them a 4.5 for quality only because my dressed was hemmed a bit too long. It was just so slightly that I stepped on it every so often and I had to be careful. It could have just been because the dress hung lower throughout the night. I gave a 4 on flexibility because they are only available certain hours for alterations and it just didn't fit my schedule well. Overall, a great place and good quality dresses!

I went to a bridal show in Cranberry where Carlisle's hosted a fashion show. I saw a dress (I think they call her "Mandy") come out and just knew I had to try it on. I made an appointment a few weeks later and once I put "Mandy" on I fell in love. The ladies at Carlisle's were so great to work with - everyone was so sweet, patient and helpful.Between the time that I ordered my dress and when it came in I had moved from Ohio to Florida so scheduling fittings were a little difficult for me. They were more then happy to work with me and squeeze me in when I was available to come into town. They helped me pick out a perfect veil (I had a beach wedding so I didn't even thing a veil was possible!) and I am so glad I went with one!The alterations at first seemed a little expensive, but after talking to my friends who had also had their wedding dresses altered at other locations - the price seemed actually pretty reasonable. From the first try on to the final fitting I had an exceptional experience at Carlisle's. They treated me like I was the first and only bride to come into their store.

Brides beware! Carlisles will destroy your dream of the perfect dress. We saw a bridal gown at a show and absolutely loved it. We ordered a bridal gown, mother of the bride gown and mother of the groom gown. All came in too small! Mother of the bride had to have a dress from the rack altered as there was not time to reorder. They offered to add material to the bridal gown which was not acceptable as it would have been very obvious. DO NOT sign any agreements! Owner was very sweet and kind and then turned very nasty and unprofessional. Even though the price may be good, that's all that was good about our experience. We did find a bridal gown at another store and had a beautiful, picturesque wedding. Carlisle's did not tear us down!!!

My dress was gorgeous however we were deceived and tricked. When we purchased the dress we were told that it would be in 2 months prior to the wedding date. When I called 3 months before to check on the dress, they told us to read the contract and that the dress was only guaranteed by the wedding date. Since I was getting married in NJ and the place was in PA this was clearly a problem. When my mother called they told her that I didn't have to purchase my dress there and that I could go elsewhere - despite knowing that no one can find a dress within 3 months - while also losing a $700 deposit. When I did go for my fittings the women were as nice as could be but I was still very disappointed with them telling me that I could get my dress elsewhere. The seamstress was good but the dress was definitely too long for dancing when it was bustled. And yes I did wear the same shoes to all fittings.

I fell in love with the very first dress I tried on and I bought it that day on the spot. I am VERY pleased with my choice of dress and quality of it (especially for the price). On my wedding day, I got so many compliments on my dress that it was ridiculous! I even had men telling me how gorgeous it was!However, I have issues with how Carlisle's handles certain situations. When it came time to go bridesmaid dress shopping, we headed to Carlisle's. I was told that the dresses would come in in 4-5 months and that they would call me. When it hit the 5 month mark, I hadn't received a call and had to call them since it was only about 2 months away from the wedding and the girls still needed to get the dresses altered. When I called, they said that the dresses should come in in the next shipment and that I should give them 2 weeks longer. So I waited and had to call them back yet again, only to have them tell me that they had called me a week ago to say they were in. I told them that I never received a call and asked them to verify my number. It turns out that the last number of my phone number was incorrect. They had my number correct when my dress came in, so at some point between the time I got my dress and the time the bridesmaid dresses came in, someone must have bumped the delete button on the computer system and deleted the last number in my phone number and then just guessed at what number it was. Instead of calling back to make sure I received their call, they decided to just sit back and wait for me to call. And thank goodness I did!

I got my wedding gown at Carlisles and couldn't have been happier. The lady who assisted me was so sweet and knew very well what would work with my body type. I also had my alterations done there and the women who took care of my dress was very excellent with the quality of work. I found my gown for $1,000 cheaper there than another bridal shop. Who wouldn't love that?!

I loved the dress I purchased and I thought it was a great value. However, I had my alterations done there as well and thought that was rather expensive.

I have heard of people having negative experiences with this bridal salon (particularly with rude staff) but my personal experience was fairly positive. This was the first and last store I tried on wedding dresses. I ended up choosing the second or third dress I tried. So I would say that was very positive. The dress was reasonably priced, considering how expensive they are these days. And I knew that it was the right dress for me immediately. The sales people were friendly but not overbearing. They helped me choose some styles that fit what I was looking for in a dress. Overall, I was happy with my experience.