About this vendor
Carmen’s Bridal Gown Rentals and Formalwear is a wedding boutique located in Columbia, MD. This store specializes in fine designer gowns, curated for spectacular events. Here, you can find the dress of your dreams to celebrate your special day in.
Carmen’s Bridal Gown Rentals and Formalwear is staffed by a knowledgeable team of styling experts. They offer private shopping experiences so that you can receive the appropriate level of attention and service when searching for your ideal dress. You can consult with the stylists and inform them of any preferences you may have in cuts, colors, and detailing. The team can then pull a selection of dresses that match your style, ready for you to try on.
Carmen’s Bridal Gown Rentals and Formalwear also offers an in-house custom design service. You can work with tailors and designers to build your dream dress from the petticoat up, ensuring that your ensemble will be one-of-a-kind. Also available in store are bridal accessories such as veils and jewelry, and the team can provide alterations on any dresses purchased here. Shopping for your dream gown is sure to be a treasured part of your wedding journey with the help of the team at Carmen’s Bridal.
Details
Dresses
- Bridesmaid Dresses
- Flower Girl Dresses
- Mother of the Bride Dresses
- Wedding Dresses
Fashion Services
- Alterations
- Custom Designs
- Private Appointments Available
- Rentals
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Reviews
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2.6
out of 5.021 reviews
Carmen appeared pleasant at first and over promised what she planned on altering the dress. She did a botched job and could not conceal certain areas as promised. She has poor cust...
omer service especially when it is brought to her attention. Since I was in a bind with a few weeks left to my wedding, she charged me an additional 250 to select another dress, but was almost forcing me to go with the botched work she did on the initial dress. I selected another dress but she purposefully did not give me much options and selection. She failed to alter correctly what I requested and was getting frustrated with me. The dress did not look dry cleaned at all. I will NOT recommend her at all. It’s best to use that same overpriced charge to buy a new dress. I wanted to like her…. Stay away!
If I could give Carmen 0 stars I would. When I tried on a dress I initially liked, I asked her for the name of the designer. She lied and told me that the designer was Milla Nova. ...
I later (through her instagram) found out that the designer was actually Ida Torez Pollaradi Fashion Group. When I confronted Carmen that she had lied and that the contract I signed was not for the dress we agreed upon, she said that in her private residence business she can assign ANY name to any dress. This is so beyond fraudulent and legally incorrect as I requested the designer information.
I asked for a refund because I became aware that she lies about most if not all her claims and don't believe that she will provide the service that I paid in FULL for because of her deception. She told me that if I wanted to purchase the dress it would be $2800. Upon further research, multiple bridal shops registered with Pollardi Fashion Group said they could order me a brand new dress for $1980. I still wanted to honor my agreement with Carmen but she said that she could no longer order the dress because of manufacturing delays (not true ^ see above). She also said it is not her fault that I am gaining weight and want to order a new size and keep the dress. For her to comment on my weight as if she sleeps and eats with me is BEYOND UNPROFESSIONAL. What she should be concerned about is not lying about prices, designers and taking advantage of Brides.
Furthermore, she has referred to me as a "girl" multiple times. I am 25 years old and want to be treated as a WOMAN. I have disputed my refund with my credit card company and now Carmen is harassing my mother in law.
Lastly, I encourage ALL brides to ask for the name of the designer and find it online before agreeing to pay any price ANYWHERE. Mention your budget first and don't give out personal financial details. I can recommend other places for you to shop in the DMV area that have been transparent with me and I would recommend. In my opinion, Carmen buys dresses on sale and ridiculously inflates her prices because she knows that many designer name dresses can only be found through vendors. She is not an official affiliate with Pollardi Fashion Group or Milla Nova so if she promises to get a dress for you SHE CAN'T.
Please STAY AWAY from Carmen (the daughter and the mother). Also, if against the advice from this review, you decide to try on dresses with her, bring water because she will NOT offer you anything to drink (even though the garage she works out of felt like a sauna) but will instead charge you and arm and a leg because that's the kind of business she operates.
Feel free to contact me for further info/advice: lauraixchelcastillo@gmail.com
Carmen and her mom were such a delight to work with!!! She found me my dream dress and made it fit so perfectly! She is very professional and quick at responding. She is so easy to...
work with and makes you feel SO good in the dress! With the rental you get to choose a headpiece if you want as well as a veil.
10/10 highly recommend.
Pleaseeeee stay away from this business! Carmen doesn't have good customer service and she doesn't know how to work with people. Don't go to her!
Very unprofessional asked for a ...
simple alteration (cut length )and I was charged $100. She is saying “ Your MOH signed that she was okay with picking it up.” Which I did and she as the professional should made sure the dress fit me perfectly before letting me go. When I when to pick it up her mom just brought it out of her door and did not even asked me if I wanted to trying on.
PLEASEEEE stay away from this business (her business is not even real as she is forfeited under maryland business search by the way). I am currently reporting her fraudulent behavi...
or and working on getting my money back PLUS attorney fees. She will claim that she is ordering you a NEW dress to rent and it will be measure to fit you but the reality is that she is giving you the same dirty dress in her house/shop that twenty other brides have worn. She will refuse to let you try on other samples that aren't close to your size BECAUSE she's not actually ordering any new dress for you, she's going to give you the dress that you try on. It will be dirty and not fit you if you even get it at all! I have filed complaints with BBB and Consumer reporting. I am going to post all the texts between her and I, the fake contract AND the email from the eve of milady designer that told me she is fraudulent and to not do business with her because she does not have any association with the actual dress designers, She just rotates the 20 dresses in her store. ALSO the price she charges is way higher than an actual used dress would cost same style and condition (still white). My email is shaudrey2@gmail.com if anyone needs more details before doing business with her.
The mother/daughter team at Carmen's is absolutely amazing!!! Due to Covid, my fiance and I eloped on our second original date in November 2020, and then had our large celebration ...
in June 2021. Carmen and her mom worked first to restore my great-grandmother's dress from 1931 so I could wear it for my elopement. They then altered and made my dream Oleg Cassini gown fit like I dream- I got so many compliments that the dress was one of the most beautiful people had ever seen! The most special part was the blue pocket of my grandfather's that was stitched into the lining of my gown so I could dance with him on my wedding day! The pair is professional, flexible, and amazing at what they do. I had many appointments over the course of almost 2 years, and they were amazing at every single one! I would highly recommend their alteration services to anyone!
Dear Brides and Mothers of the Brides:
As you prepare for one of the most beautiful events in the history of your family, please take a moment to read this message. I am a Mother o...
f the Bride, and I lived through a horrifying experience that Carmen imposed on my daughter and my family. I mean every word in what you are about to read.
You will come to Carmen, hoping that her lack of education and manners might not be the most important on your quest to find a good wedding dress. You would hope for understanding of your needs and delivering upon Carmen' promises. You will hold your end of the deal, you will even pay the unreasonably inflated amounts for the dress you will never get. But here is a catch... In turn, Carmen (the rude, manipulative, and ruthless owner of this shady place) will ruin your hopes, destroy your dreams, steal your money, betray your trust, humiliate you and offend your religious beliefs, breach your contract, make every attempt to convert your wedding day (a.k.a., the birthday of your new family) to a horror for the Bride and those who are next to her.
Carmen must be reported to the Small Business Administration and IRS (it is coming!) for her shady business that is based on ignorance, lack of basic skills, lies, greed, cheating, and complete disrespect to her customers. Karma will come for Carmen!
Avoid Carmen Bridal Rental place filled with filthy dresses and damaged tasteless accessories Carmen probably gets from Salvation Army.
Carmen is a wedding Grinch, but she could not steal the best day from my daughter. We ended up buying a dress from David's Bridal a few days before the wedding. Carmen could not hold us hostage, and please do not allow her to affect you in any way.
Good luck with your search for the wedding dress of your dream!
This scammer needs to be reported to the business bureau!! Very shady and dishonest. Don’t go here if you don’t want your wedding dress search experience be a disaster.
Wow!This is Becky Anderson Craig Anderson wife Becky Anderson I Becky Craig wife really loves the pink dress the very first one. That dress is so beautiful I Becky Anderson Craig w...
ife would really loved to have this one and Could you please tell me Craig Wife Becky Anderson how much the pink one at the top is? I Becky Craig wife would like to have it for our wedding 2020 at the end of this month probably 30th or 31st because i Becky Craig wife is marrying my best friend my soulmate my everything. I Becky Anderson Craig wife is not buying just looking. plz contact my husband Mr.Craig Anderson Family at CraigBecky1459@gmail.com and Let my husband know the price and see if my husband Craig Anderson wants to buy it or not or the Anderson Family plz and thank you. I Becky Anderson does not mess with money my husband Craig Anderson and Family handles the money plz and thank you
Brides beware! I brought a brand new, never worn dress to Carmen’s Bridal Gown Rentals and Formal Wear (aka Monroe’s Bridal) for consignment after reading many great reviews. I was...
recently informed that my dress was donated without my knowledge or consent due to an “expired contract”. However, no where on the contract does it list an expiration date, just a pick up date. When I filled out the contract I was told to list the pick up date as three months from drop off, but was told verbally that it could take longer than that and that they would be in touch. I contacted the shop five months after drop off wondering what the status was and was told there had been a few brides interested, but I should probably drop the price. I agreed to drop and asked what it was listed for at the time so I could decide on a lower price, but never received a reply. I contacted the shop six months later wondering what was going on because I really wanted to get the dress sold. I was then notified that the dress was donated due to an “expired contract”. The contract I signed when I dropped off my dress stated that I would be notified by the bridal shop after 90 days if the price on the dress was dropped three times and did not sell. I would then have seven days to pick up the dress or had the option to donate. No where on the contract does it state the pick up date is the expiration date or that the contract expires at all. I realize the dress was left for a long period of time, but I was under the impression that it was working on being sold and that I would be contacted if they didn’t feel it could be. I trusted the shop with my dress and I am saddened that they broke that trust. I’m also extremely disappointed in the lack of resolution from Carmen’s bridal shop. All I have received from them is that my dress was donated to a good cause and that my contract expired. I’m happy that they donate to a worthy cause, but that does not negate the fact that I can no longer try to recover the money lost on a dress that was never worn or that our contract stated I would be contacted before anything was done with it. I never even received an apology for the misunderstanding. I don’t normally write reviews, but I felt the need to share my experience so others don’t make the same mistake. Also, after checking other sites, it appears I’m not the only one who has experienced this with this shop.
Up front, I am not the bride. I am an aunt who escorted her niece to the final fitting at Carmen’s two days prior to the ceremony. Aside from the fact that she paid over $800 for ...
a “new” rental gown, the bodice ended up so poorly fitted that at the last minute she had to wear a bolero-type jacket. I understand that rental gowns are not “permanently” altered so they can accommodate future bridesmaids but the alterations were such temporary fixes that the gown did not hang as intended and the temporary stitches pulled out before she even left the dressing room! In addition, for $165 my niece commissioned them to hem a reception gown purchased elsewhere. The hemming price was high because the bottom was scalloped so it had to be shortened by taking it up at the waistband. The end result was a gown that hung so unevenly she was unable to wear it. My advice to brides on a budget is to shop at David’s bridal and pay a seasoned seamstress who will properly fit the gown. Don’t ruin the biggest day of your life by dealing with the Carmen’s! Read the reviews on Carmen’s website and her defensive rebuttals before becoming a victim of her sham.
Carmen doesn't have good customer service and she doesn't know how to work with people. Don't go to her! I paid Carmen $1,080 to rent an Allure Couture gown. I had to change my wed...
ding date to accommodate my family members who live in FL, especially my parents. Any reasonable person would be ok to provide me with the service that I paid for. Carmen decided to charge me an additional $500 in order to give me the gown that I paid for. I decided to let her and her mother keep the $1,080. She demanded the additional $500 immediately, although I wouldn't start my fitting until June 2019. On her contract, once you pay her everything is nonrefundable. She was so inconsiderate to the fact that I've already paid her over a thousand. All her rental gowns are over priced. I did some research and the exact gown is renting for $600. Planning a wedding is very stressful and she made my dress shopping experience a total disaster. I don't want anyone to go through what I went through. She runs her shop from her basement, just go to a normal bridal store where you will get better service. You might be able to find the same gown or better on www.preownedweddingdresses.com.
Carmen and her mother were absolutely wonderful through the entire process. I even had to change up and get a different dress because of my weight loss. She fitted our groomsmen an...
d then the week of she made sure the guys outfits were perfect and that they knew how to put everything together. She was and is such a blessing. I highly highly recommend her
My experience with Carmen was amazing. She saved my daughter's wedding day. We received my daughter's wedding gown, designed by another seamstress, two days before boarding a pla...
ne for her destination wedding. It didn't fit! We found Carmen who took us immediately. She was warm and kind. She made us feel confident that she would take care of everything in time for our flight and she delivered. Her alterations were perfect, she even corrected some of the sloppy work of the previous seamstress. I wholeheartedly recommend her - she really offers excellent service.
Total scam.. Beware everyone.. take your business elsewhere. The owner Carmen is full of sht, lies through her teeth. I brought my two dresses here to consign, I never received ...
any calls re end of consignment period, and dresses will be donated. By the time I reached out to get my dresses back several months later, my dresses were "donated to Special Olympics". Carmen claimed 3 calls were made, and gave me 3 made up dates and times. Luckily, my cell provider logs all the incoming calls. After showing her my call log where no such calls were ever made, no such voicemails were ever left about my dresses are being "donated" Carmen got hostile and flipped her story and started to ignore my texts/calls. She informed me the dresses have been donated and she has no idea where they are and that she is not in any way responsible for it nor owed me any money for the dresses. Lying sack of shit! I sent all documents supporting my case to my lawyer, and the law firm sent her an intent to sue, and what do you know, miraculously, my dresses are found and I can get them back any time. I did get my dresses back at the end, and I believe 1 of the dress was rented out while in Carmen's possession. I wasted so much of my time dealing with this shitty shady person. Be warned people... stay far far away.
carol · married on 12/02/2018
1.6
Crooked buisness practices
Crooked businesswoman with crooked business practices. I never thought such a thing could happen but it did and if ...
i telling my story can help prevent it happen to at least one person then i will feel better because now i feel like crap. I went to Carmen to get my dress altered about 6 weeks before my wedding day, I had gotten several other quotes. She asked me what my best quote was and she beat it by $25. This made me happy. She also told me that she loved my dress and would be interested in buying it after. This made me even more happy. Finally she said she would give me about 1 month to lose some weight and then the dress would fit better and she would make alterations. I was thrilled and determined to lose the weight. I should have remembered my mom telling me to always remember that if a deal was too good to be true, it was. Anyway, i came back to see Carmen after 1 month and then she upped the price by more than 100$. This shocked me but at this point, there was no one else who would alter my dress 10 days before my wedding so i was in a bind and had no choice. After making the payment, when i came to the shop for a fitting, Carmen was no longer to be seen, only her mother would be there. When i came to the shop there was stuff all over the floor, I could not even step out of the fitting stall. They did a terrible job with the bustle, it was bunching up on my butt. Moreover at the wedding, all three bustles came lose and I was tripping all over my dress. It was a disaster. Too top it all off, when i contacted her after the wedding to at least see if i could sell my dress, of course she did not even respond to me. I feel very foolish falling for her scam. I feel if you are good at your trade, you shouldn't have to resort to such crooked bushiness practices to make an extra buck. Please be vary of these business practices, I wouldn't want anyone to have to experience what i had to experience and put a cloud over what should be one of the happiest days of your life. Thank you for listening. Good luck to you.
I used Carmen's bridal gown rental in 2015 and my experience was amazing!! I knew that I did not want to buy my dress but I was able to find a dress that I loved and Ms. Carmen mad...
e my experience great!!
My wedding was this past weekend & Carmen was a true angel!! I found my gown to rent and no one could believe it was a rental!! Carmen even included the veil and slip for the same ...
price plus all fittings. I cannot thank her enough!!! My 6 bridesmaids needed last minute alterations and she was extremely fair in her pricing.
I would definetely recommend Carmen & her daughter!!
https://www.facebook.com/MonroeBridalServices
I took my $700 wedding dress to Carmen to get altered. It cost me $850 to be taken up 3 inches in the front and in 1 inch at the top. There was no lace, pattern, or design on my go...
wn. I tried to ask her a few times for a list of prices to find out what was so expensive but never heard anything back. Carmen was extremely nice and helpful, but I would never go back for more alterations due to the outrageous pricing.
I recently went to a friend of mine's wedding and I couldn't help but notice how gorgeous everyone looked! Everyone was clearly happy with how their gowns turned out!
CB Bridal & Formalwear Alterations did an incredible job with my friend's wedding! Her as well as the bridemaids dresses looked stunning. It was everything she wanted for her unfor...
gettable, special day. I would definitely recommend her.
Contact
Columbia, MD
Carmen's Bridal Grown Rental & Tailoring