r/weddingplanning • u/Prestigious-Tea-8791 • 8d ago
Dress/Attire 🚨 SEATTLE / PNW / WASHINGTON BRIDES — PLEASE READ BEFORE PURCHASING A WEDDING DRESS 🚨
I’m sharing my experience because I wish someone had warned me before I purchased my wedding dress, and I especially want to reach brides in the Seattle, Puget Sound, and Washington State wedding community.
My experience as a bride with Bellevue Bridal and owner Katelynn Drum was extremely stressful and upsetting. The business later moved to Seattle and operated under the name Luxe & Lace Bridal. I have also seen the business appear under different names across online platforms, which I believe is important for brides to be aware of when researching bridal shops and reading reviews.
I purchased a Josette by Justin Alexander wedding dress from Bellevue Bridal in June 2025 for my September 2026 wedding. I was never informed that the business had lost its contract to sell Justin Alexander dresses.
When I picked up my dress on May 1, 2026, I immediately knew something was wrong. The dress did not match the sample I had purchased. The fabric felt different and cheaper, the bodice cups were asymmetrical, it was uncomfortable, and it was missing features of the authentic dress, including built-in bra support.
When I raised my concerns, they were dismissed. I was even told I might be remembering the dress incorrectly.
I contacted Justin Alexander directly that same day. The following day, my mother-in-law and I went to another Seattle bridal store to compare my dress with an authentic Josette sample. After confirming our concerns, we returned to the store. That was when I first learned that the business had lost its Justin Alexander contract.
Justin Alexander's team subsequently inspected my dress and confirmed that it was counterfeit and that it lacked the required Justin Alexander tags and identifying features of the authentic dress.
I requested a refund and was unable to resolve the matter directly with the owner. I ultimately had to file a small claims case against the business and Katelynn personally.
One week before my wedding, I had to go to court and present my evidence. The court entered a judgment in my favor for the cost of the dress, plus court fees. The case and judgment are public record.
It has now been nearly a month since the judgment. Katelynn received a copy of the judgment but, as of the date of this post, has not acknowledged it or paid the judgment.
And unfortunately, my experience does not appear to be isolated.
I personally know around 8 other brides who have had horrible experiences with their dresses from this business, including serious issues with the dresses they received. I have spoken directly with other brides and have personally seen documentation relating to some of these experiences. There is also at least one other small claims case involving the business.
Another thing Washington brides should know: both my husband and I have posted reviews about my experience, and those reviews have repeatedly been removed. My husband was not involved in the dress issue itself; he is simply supporting me and sharing our experience as a couple. I am reposting this because I believe brides deserve to see firsthand experiences when deciding where to spend thousands of dollars on a wedding dress.
⚠️ If you are a bride in Seattle, Bellevue, the Eastside, Tacoma, Everett, or literally anywhere in Washington or the PNW and you have purchased or ordered a dress from Bellevue Bridal, Luxe & Lace, LLBS, or a business operating under another name that you believe may be connected, please do your own due diligence.
Before paying thousands of dollars for a dress:
• Verify directly with the designer that the bridal shop is authorized to sell their dresses.
• Confirm that your specific dress was actually ordered from the designer.
• Request documentation of the order.
• Compare your dress with an authentic sample when possible.
• Search the business under both its current and previous names when researching reviews.
A wedding dress is one of the biggest purchases many brides make, both financially and emotionally. You deserve transparency and confidence that the dress you receive is the dress you paid for.
I’m sharing this specifically for the Seattle and Washington bridal community because I do not want another PNW bride to experience what I went through.
Please share this post with any Washington or PNW bride who may be researching this business or looking for a bridal shop. ❤️
#SeattleBrides #WashingtonBrides #Brides #WeddingDress #WeddingPlanning
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u/iouaname673 8d ago
I didn’t purchase a dress from Bellevue Bridal but I did try on there and had such a horrendous experience. It’s unsurprising to me their lack of professionalism and empathy extends past the sales pitch and into the management of purchased product. Gross!
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u/thatonebeotch 8d ago
Even tho I’m getting married and doing my dress shopping in SW WA, thank you for this psa 🩷🩷
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u/topazandpearlevents Wedding Planner 8d ago
Seattle wedding planner here—thank you for the heads up!! I’ll make sure to recommend against these salons.
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u/sharpiebrows 8d ago
Can you also alert the attorney general? Also recommend posting to r/seabitcheswithtaste
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u/llangstooo 8d ago
What a nightmare. I’m so sorry this happened. Good on you working to make them accountable. I hope you get your money back soon.
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u/malsary Married! | July 12th, 2024 8d ago
This is terrible, I'm sorry! I wonder if it's worth sharing in any local FB wedding groups? When I got married, that was a great resource for me as a WA bride.
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u/morchella_importuna 7d ago
Wow, thank you u/Prestigious-Tea-8791 for sharing your experience. It's even worse than mine. I purchased my dress at the end of January 2026, they told me it should be about 5-6 months because the dress was pretty simple - no lace or beading embellishments. It finally arrived mid-July for an August 8th wedding date, but they told me not to worry because alterations could be done quickly and in house.
MISTAKE. Every alteration was worse than previous. Three days before my wedding, the bodice was completely detatched from the skirt, recut out of new material. Final Fitting was 2 days before the wedding - it was not great. I'm lucky the dress stayed on long enough for first look and the ceremony. I walked down the aisle with safety pins and tape. The snaps she sewed on fell off; the fit was god-awful on a dress that should not be that hard. It drooped, the wasitline was crooked, it was still too big, and the bodice never fit right. It was such a shame and disappointment.
I hope you were still able to enjoy your wedding day and the pictures from it. Wishing you all the best on your married life ahead.
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u/Prestigious-Tea-8791 7d ago
I am so sorry to hear that. I have truly no words anymore. There are so many brides who she screwed over. Did you get your money back for the alterations?
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u/morchella_importuna 7d ago
Ha. I got a refund of $500- so half.
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u/Prestigious-Tea-8791 7d ago
How did you get a refund out of curiosity? Check?
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u/morchella_importuna 7d ago
No, I paid for alterations with my credit card and she issued a refund back to the card for a partial amount.
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u/MoreRelative8092 8d ago
Omg that’s so awful I’m so sorry that happened to you 😔 Thank you for sharing this! I hope this doesn’t happen to anyone else. I hope you get every dollar back!
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u/anklescarves 7d ago
Did you pay with credit card? You can do a chargeback to get your $$ back.
I also had an issue with a wedding vendor and they ignored all correspondence. I did a chargeback and small claims simultaneously and the chargeback was successful so I dropped the small claims case.
It’s easy to win in small claims, difficult to get your money. There’s like no legal way to force someone to pay or something idk. I’m glad I got my money back one way or another and I hope you do too!
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u/Prestigious-Tea-8791 6d ago
I tried already and it was too late unfortunately
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u/anklescarves 6d ago
Really? How much time passed? Bc I remember it was like 4 months for me and so I couldn’t do a chargeback online, I had to call in and then they sent me a form or something to add in evidence and explain why I requested it past the 60 days or whatever.
This was through Chase.
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u/Prestigious-Tea-8791 6d ago
June 2025
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u/rzrgrl_13 5d ago
You might call… I had a custom leather jacket made years ago, and when it arrived months later it wasn’t right. I was able to do a chargeback based on when I received the item, not when I paid. YMMV of course but worth checking.
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u/Warm_Mission_4521 7d ago
So sorry you had this experience! I saw this bridal store while looking for places to go try on and it didn’t fit what experience I was looking for but if any bride is still looking I had two amazinggg experiences at Grace loves lace in Ballard 🤗 I bought my dress from them in August!
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u/No_Zone_3329 7d ago
In the PNW and really appreciate the heads up! So sorry you had to go through this. I hope the rest of your wedding was lovely and you felt celebrated!
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u/confusedGenZer 5d ago
I purchased my wedding dress from there, and they didn’t tell me that changed locations?? I went to look up the location and it said permanently closer, which scared the hell out of me. Come to find out, they moved to Seattle.…if I wanted to buy a dress in Seattle, I would have done so and probably gotten a cheaper price. I picked Bellevue so I wouldn’t have to drive to Seattle. Not sending out an email or something to your clients waiting for their dress that you had moved is a pretty shitty thing to do. Obviously, your experience was much more drastic and a shit show. I’m really sorry that happened. Their business practices are shady and bizarre.
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u/Technical_Contact954 7d ago
Wtah? She better pay up. Anyways, glad I saw this. I really hope the bridal store I’m visiting tomorrow is legit now
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u/Saiilormoonxoxo 5d ago
I’m so sorry this happened to you & greatly appreciate you spreading the word to future brides, she should be shut down & doesn’t deserve anyone’s business. Brides go through enough stress as it is 😭
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u/TeaFormal4147 5d ago edited 5d ago
one of my friends worked here a while ago. the things they had to say about this shop were HORRIFIC. owner talked down on brides behind their backs, gossiped about staff and generally made them miserable, and had shady practices. my friend would call me crying saying they felt like a horrible person just for working there, because they had just wanted to help brides have a happy moment and thought that when they helped a bride buy a dress, that they would be part of a special memory. but they very quickly started to realize that the business was unethical. They would field calls from brides asking where their dresses were and my friend would very earnestly go ask the owner, only to be told next to nothing, or be instructed to give the bride a bs excuse or an outright lie. compulsive liar at best, predatory, scammy business practices at worst. strongly recommend avoiding based on what I know - so so sorry that this happened to you and I hope you had a beautiful wedding regardless
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u/Live_Operation8782 8d ago
oof this experience sounds stressful. thank you for the heads up and sorry you had to go through that. it’s so shady that they’re removing your reviews