Novella Bridal

This review is specifically for Carol for her alteration services!

I was that bride that bought two wedding dresses and the best thing I could have ever done is trust Carol to alter both of them. She is unmatched in attention to detail and skill. Her many years of experience is evident in her keen eye for identifying exactly the source of the fit problem and knowing how to utilize the simplest, yet most effective, solution for addressing it. This easily saved me hundred of dollars that alterations would have cost elsewhere.

When it comes to needing major alterations/reconstruction, however, she also shines. One of my dresses came with built-in bra cups that were approx size C-D, but I'm closer to an A-B cup. Another tailor I brought my gown to told me that it was not possible to remove the built-in bra cups and suggests that I use a sticky bra to fill the space. However the large bust on the dress just did not look right on my body proportions. Carol painstakingly removed the build-in bra cups (underneath the layers of mesh and lace!), and sewed in a bra that actually fit my body properly. It was a lot of work but in the end it was so worth it because it fit PERFECT. This is all in addition to the regular alterations of taking in the waist, hemming, etc that she did as well.

Something unique about Carol is that she doesn't do a set # of fittings. I had 5-6 fittings total because Carol wants to check that it is fitting properly with each step before proceeding to the next step. And it completely makes sense- we can't hem the dress to the right length until the top part is fitting properly. I really appreciate her dedication to her craft and doing whatever it takes to make your dress perfect.

Finally, my wedding was in another city and Carol was so kind to help me pack up my dresses for me to bring on the flight. I cannot recommend her highly enough!!

I found my dream dress here! The only reason this is not a 5 star review is because they NEVER PICK UP THE PHONE or call you back after you leave a message. It's nearly impossible to get a hold of anyone unless you go to the shop in person. The staff really needs to make sure the phones are answered. I can see this potentially a cause of losing clientele.

I didn't buy my dress here, but got my dress altered here and Carol is the gem of all gems. I had a simple need (changing the straps and adding a bustle with a light hem). There's no upselling, just pure unbiased feedback about what would best flatter your body based on her expertise.

This is one of the few places left that will redo lace and appliqué to match your dress, get PERFECT materials and color matches (as they'll order from the designer themselves) and if you have a crazy alteration or ask to make... if anyone could do it, it's Carol.

review based on alteration services: Had a hard time finding a trusting and affordable place to get my wedding dress altered. Before I came in, I thought I just needed my dress to have pad inserts... Carol went hardcore! She noticed that I could barely breathe in my dress and loosened up the inseam's under layer *AMAZING*, added my bra pads perfectly, then realized she could flatten out and take in the inseams on the sides (i didn't think it was necessary, but after she fixed it I'm so glad I trusted her.. amazing amazing!). Carol literally saw me once a week for like 4-5 weeks because she checked in if any little detail was changed. I am so thankful for Carol and her expertise. She's sweet, silly, and has an amazing skill! THANK U CAROL~

Side notes:
- Carol is located upstairs!
- Carol accepts apple pay which was a plus!
- very clear and honest with pricing
- parking is surprisingly easy, right in front!

Carol was amazing! They altered my dress within two weeks time and it ended up being exactly as I wanted. They are very responsive and thoughtful, and I highly recommend them!

Got my bridal alterations done here with Carol. We had a quick turnaround time that added some stress on my end (~1 month) but Carol was so kind and reassuring. She was able to schedule me in pretty quickly and gave me a realistic timeline for the needed alterations which were completed within the month deadline.

What compels me to leave 5 stars is also more than her work itself. Carol was able to spot out areas on the dress that I couldn't see myself but once she pointed them out, I couldn't unsee! She really advocated for the best changes and I'm grateful for her advice because it made me look my best for my big day. In addition to all of the above, she made my bustle strong as heck. I was dancing all night and the thing never ripped and held tight the entire night.

If you're reading this- thank you, Carol and Novella team!

Amazing experience from start to finish. Seneca, the stylist I was assigned to, was incredible. Unlike other stylists I had worked with at other shops, I felt like she was really interested in helping me find what I wanted and helping me feel good in my dress, and not just sell me a dress. She was amazing!

Carol was also incredible to work with. My alterations process was easy, seamless, and enjoyable. She did an absolutely beautiful job.

I was glad that I found this place. I was 5 weeks away from the city hall day so I have a super tight timeline. I originally found the gown at another place that they really tried hard and pushed me to get it on the spot, which I didn't like the way they do business. So when I visited Novella and saw the same gown, I knew I am getting it here.

With the tight timeline and I was also pregnant, they had Carol take a look of it right away the same day I triand see if ordering the gown and alteration will be doable with the timeline. I wasn't pressured to get the gown on the spot or asked to pay expedited shipping fee. I called them in the next few days to commit the order and got a quote for alteration, which I think it's a fair cost in the market.

My body changed quite fast due to pregnancy and we had fitting multiple times just within the few weeks. Carol had to wait till close to the date to do the waist. At one point I couldn't zip the gown because my belly grew too much after a big lunch and Carol panicked a bit. We managed to get it work. She altered the last part two days before I picked up the gown to make sure the right fit.

The gown turned out really nice, the waistline area was just so smooth that it rests just right over my belly smoothly. It didn't look like I was 6month present, not that it was intentionally to hide, just the transition was perfect.

I can't recommend this place enough. The manager, Alex, and the incredibly talented seamstress, Carol, literally saved my wedding. I had purchased a wedding gown from a well-known designer over a year from my wedding date; however, due to "supply chain issues", at six weeks before my wedding the designer had still not delivered my dress.

I came to Novella Bridal alone and in need of an emergency sample sale dress, and not only did they come through, the dress I found was even more gorgeous than my first dress.

In one hour, Alex helped me pull dresses within my budget and size, and she provided all the "bridesmaid hype" i needed to make my would-be-lonely visit feel really special. She was incredibly knowledgable about the dresses and was just an awesome person all around. THANK YOU ALEX!

Then, there's Carol. Carol is a total bad ass boss when it comes to alterations. The hem of my dress was insanely ornate with appliqués. Carol not only altered the dress to fit like a glove, but after chopping off at least a foot of hem (because I'm a short girl) she then redesigned the appliqués to BETTER compliment my body. I say redesign because she could have just re-did what the design looked like, but it would have made the dress too heavy. Instead, Carol thought about ways to alter the dress's appliqué design to my body, my figure, and my taste. The level of service Carol provided was unmatched by anyone I've ever met in the industry. She was SO GOOD that I also had her tailor two other dresses I wore for my wedding weekend.

For those looking for alterations for a Chinese wedding dress CAROL IS YOUR GIRL. She altered my dresses, even when other shops said they could not. She is legit. Carol, THANK YOU FOR SAVING MY WEDDING.

Keep in mind this ALL happened within six weeks of my wedding date:
- new bridal dress
- alterations of bridal dress
- alterations of Cheongsam / QiPao with train
- alterations of Cheongsam / QiPao without train

All this to say, GO TO NOVELLA BRIDAL. You won't regret it.

I heard about Novella from a friend who got married about a year before I did. I checked them out mostly because I didn't know where else to look and also wasn't particularly excited about spending a ton of money for a custom dress.

Novella's dresses run the spectrum from pricey to super pricey. I think everything is at least 1k or more if I recall correctly. I definitely didn't explore the greater than $2k end so I don't know how expensive their dresses actually get. However, I think they have a decent selection of all different silhouettes. I was looking for an off-the-shoulder dress and they had a few for me to try on, one which I ultimately chose as 'the one'.

I appreciated that my experience trying on wedding dresses at Novella was super low-key without all of the hubbub and hoohaa that occasionally happens with bells and big signs at other wedding dress shops.

However, the biggest perk of buying from Novella is access to Carol, who is the resident seamstress at Novella. She is worth every penny. For reference, my wedding dress alterations included: hemming, French bustling, taking in the waist, taking out the bra pads and sewing in ones that fit me better. This was all for $650. Although I think you can have her alter dresses purchased elsewhere, I think there is a benefit of having an in-house seamstress where you buy your dress. She was also nice enough to alter my traditional Chinese qipao for a negligible cost. Carol is super experienced and knew exactly what and where to take in in order to make my dress look custom fit for me. Every fitting with Carol was super personal and felt like I was meeting up with an old family friend. She was also great with my parents who tagged along for most of my fittings. I would recommend Carol again and again for wedding dress alterations without hesitation!

My only gripe about Novella is the location and how difficult it is to find street parking in the area. The Stockton-Sutter garage is probably the closest one in the area and is reasonably priced.