Bella Bridal Couture - Thousand Oaks, California

Moriah M.

I had the best time working with Sarah at Bella Bridal Couture. She was super fun and reassuring throughout the whole process. I don’t usually feel comfortable picking out dresses (or feeling girly in general most of the time), but I felt comfortable with her. I could easily be honest with how I felt about one dress or another. She helped me find a dress that I absolutely loved and felt confident in. I didn’t feel limited in my selections, and she even reassured me that I could request custom changes to the dress I selected. I don’t think I could have had a better wedding dress selection experience.

Reagan C.

I had a deeply disappointing experience with Bella Bridal. I ordered my dress in May 2024, but it did not arrive within the timeframe discussed at purchase, and there was zero communication throughout the process. I had to repeatedly call, send my mother in person, and chase down updates—only to receive my dress at the last minute, leaving me scrambling for alterations. They didn’t even notify me when my dress arrived.

When I picked it up, the store was unclean, my dress had a red stain on the front (which is documented in my store records), and one of the bra cups was stitched incorrectly—something that should have been caught. A brand-new dress should not be dirty, yet the associate dismissed my concerns, attempted to blame me for the stain before I had even touched the dress, and insisted that my alterations provider would dry clean it (which is both absurd and untrue).

To make matters worse, the store’s recommended alterations vendor quoted me nearly the same price as the dress itself for minor adjustments, while other tailors quoted at least $400 less for the same work. Because of Bella Bridal’s poor timing, I now also have to pay a 20% rush fee for alterations.

Between the lack of communication, dismissive staff, and unnecessary extra costs, this experience has been completely unacceptable. I thought the negative reviews online might have been a fluke, or a random bad experience, but now I realize that all of the recent reviews have had similar negative experiences.

Josh A. E. M.

This was my first bridal shopping appt with a group, and although I didn't end up buying from this shop, I really enjoyed the experience. I made the appt with an open mind, with the purpose of getting a feel for what I actually wanted in a dress. The shop was a little smaller than some others I'd seen, but it had imo the perfect amount of variety and was not overwhelming. The way they had you pick dresses was simplified and easier than my other appt where you had to shove and pull dresses yourself. The stylist and staff was very professional and helpful, got me in and out of dresses fast and handled my crazy group with ease lol. They were very honest and upfront about costs, alterations etc. I think my only frustration was that most of the sample dress sizes were so large they just didn't look right pinned, but I understand why they were ike that. I ended up going with an antique dress elsewhere, but Bella Bridal hosted a core memory day for me and my girls I will never forget, and helped me figure out the bride I envisioned! Will definitely be recommending to my local friends there. Thank you guys 🙏

Nayelly D.

My experience has been amazing from the start! Melissa, the owner was so welcoming and made me feel at home. I shared my vision of what I was looking for, she and her staff knew exactly what dress options to show me. I never felt rushed or pressured. Not only are they competitively priced, they have so many selections that I didn't feel the need to look elsewhereI I found the wedding dress of my dreams, I absolutely LOVE my dress. The timeline they gave me was accurate of when the dress would be expected and once they had the actual delivery confirmation they sent it to me by text and kept me posted along the way! Thank you for making this experience so smooth and pleasant, highly recommend!!

Gillian G.

Had a great experience at Bella ~ Melissa was great and very helpful in showing me fabulous gowns that I could buy off the rack and have altered since I was buying a dress only 8 weeks from wedding day. The gown was flawless and the accessories just divine! They also recommended an excellent bridal alterations place !! Gorgeous gowns !!!

Shawna V.

This dress shop was significantly better than any others I visited (a total of 7 stores!). All the ladies were so good about listening to my comments and proposing suggestions. They were fantastic at pulling dresses that I had yet to see or notice that were spot on with what I was looking for. Even though I was assigned to one stylist, I felt like every other stylist there was helping out. It was a genuine group effort. Sara, who was my stylist, was a true professional. She got me in and out of dresses faster than I realized and was the first stylist out of all the dress shops to pin the front so I could see the back of the dress. She was super efficient, and it made the appointment go so smoothly.
However, I only ranked 4 stars because they encouraged me to get a custom dress, a mash-up of two dresses, which turned out terrible. When the dress finally came in, it fit horribly, and I couldn't even find a seamstress who could alter it properly. I ended up having to take seam rippers to it myself! Ultimately, the dress was beautiful, but it wasn't worth the stress. I encourage any bride only to buy something off the rack and not go the custom route, and I suggest the workers at Bella Bridal not offer this as an option to anyone else.

debbie K.

I'D GIVE NEGATIVE STARS IF I COULD! PLEASE! Do yourself a favor and DO NOT trust Bella Bridal Couture with your wedding dress needs! While they seemed great at first (during the shopping process), they have since proven to be a shady operation. The owner (Melissa) is never there and refuses to respond to multiple emails and voice messages over the past 6 weeks. We have had to "drop in" unannounced 3 times now - just to get someone to talk to us... and each time the associate apologizes and promises to follow up within the next day with a status update - ensuring us that the dress will be shipped out the following week... but of course, the week goes by and no phone call, no contact, and we're back to square one with them not returning our calls or emails. 🙁 It has now been 5 months since we bought the dress, and we don't even know if the dressmaker has started working on it yet. We even paid an extra $300 "rush fee" to ensure it was here by mid-August... but we still don't know what the status is as they refuse to communicate with us. I've already spoken with my credit card company to dispute the charges for the dress given that they did not deliver, and refuse to provide any updates for us after we've made multiple attempts to confim when the dress will arrive. My daughter's wedding is only 5 weeks away, and she now has to find a dress "off the shelf" because Bella Bridal Couture failed us! SPARE YOURSELF THIS HEARTACHE AND STRESS!!

Alysha G.

They have a beautiful selection of dresses, but I would not recommend this place to anyone. Their communication was absolutely terrible!!! When it came time for my dress to arrive, I did not receive any communication regarding the delay. Instead I had to send emails and call on multiple occasions. The staff knew nothing regarding the delay. Every time I called, I was told someone would follow up, and again and again I would not receive a response. My dress arrived so late, many alteration companies refused to work with me. Preparing for a wedding is enough as is. Save yourself the stress and buy your dress somewhere else.