Miss Bush Bridalwear, Surrey

i visited here a few years back in 2015 and so the owner may have changed by now. The shop itself and the dresses are beautiful and I found the ladies who pin you in to be very helpful and have a good eye for what suits you. However, the owner was a very unpleasant woman. She did anything but make you feel special and was rude. I later found out I wasn't the first person to experience this. If you want to be made to feel special, I would stick with the girls who work there and then you'll be fine. The dresses are lovely and so still worth a visit, just be cautious about who you interact with.

I was really excited to visit Miss Bush & had really high hopes for the shop to possibly be the one to find me THE dress.

Boasting about their experience & ability to assist with style & budget meant I did not begrudge spending £30 for an appointment.

When we arrived the previous appointment was still going on- this was annoying as you pay for your hour but they do warn you this can happen. It wasn't too much of a big deal as we were taken upstairs in their lovely building and given a glass of fizz!

The lady helping me began to understand my style and made some suggestions, however in the process lost all concept of my budget. She did the worst possible thing any dress shop can do and put me in a dress I loved that was completely out of my price range. She also didn't know half of the dresses etc she tried on me- frantically flicking through a brochure to find out what I had tried on, taking my Mum's seat in the process!

The lady who owns the shop attempted a good 'save' of the situation and said they would be able to look around and get dresses that may be the style but at the right price. The lady apologised and wrote everything down and said she would email me... I never heard anything and still haven't a month on.

I was very disappointed and it isn't as if my budget is low for the dress making their job difficult! I hope others don't waste £30 like I did as charging for an appointment sets a certain level of expectation which in my situation was not achieved. There are other shops out there who don't charge who take a lot more consideration & don't set you up for a fall!

My only daughter has recently married, having bought her dress from Miss Bush. Having watched my daughter try on in the region of 60 dresses in a number of shops (Miss Bush was the last shop - it should have been the first!!) I feel I am well qualified to rate the service!! If I was Mrs Bennett (as per Pride & Prejudice!) I would unreservedly recommend my other daughters to visit this wonderful shop to buy their dresses! In fact my daughter and I will miss our trips to Ripley, and, as another reviewer has stated, I cannot understand the negative comments that have been made in previous reviews. The staff were consistently warm, friendly and genuinely interested. They offered constructive advice but were not at any stage pushy. At all times we felt that their sole aim was to ensure that the bride-to-be was entirely comfortable with her purchase. Some alterations were required - all done with patience and exceptional skill. An enormous 'thank you' to Miss Bush - we had a wonderful day & pictures to follow, as promised!!

I am so surprised by some of the reviews on this site of Miss Bush. I loved every visit to the shop during my purchase and fittings. I went to Miss Bush for their amazing designer and for the knowledge and the experience of the staff to guide me on choices. There were no snooty assistants or a feeling of being out of your depth which I have experienced elsewhere. The staff are down to earth, lovely, interested in my choices and honest in what didn't look great. I appreciated that honesty. They also offered me dresses to try on which I would never have tried, yet looked wonderful. The staff went way beyond the call of duty and I really enjoyed my experiences with the seamstresses who carried out my fittings. I felt like I was part of a family and it was fun!

The seamstresses did an amazing job, altering my dress to my specific request which altered the style rather alot. Some of the dresses are pretty expensive, but they're also incredible dresses! They also stock very affordable ones so there's plenty of choice. I have no complaints and wish I could do it all again.

Thank you ladies xxx

I would thoroughly advise NEVER buying a dress from Miss Bush after experiencing the worst customer service from the owner that I have ever come across and outrageously expensive alterations.

I got married in August this year and fell in love with a dress from Miss Bush in January. The initial experience was actually good and I found the sales person friendly and helpful. However, when I expected the dress to be ready, I had to call the shop after I had heard nothing to enquire about my first fitting. First-time bride, so naturally I was worried it wouldn’t be ready in time. I was rudely told that they knew my wedding was on 4th August. Since they had left it so late, there were no Saturdays available and I had to come in to the shop before work to have my second fitting, 10 days before my wedding.

At my first fitting, the seamstress expressed horror at seeing a particular dress being tried on, according to her, this dress was very complicated to alter and took about 10 hours of work. At £45 per hour (now gone up to £60!), this was £450! I was shocked and expressed how I upset I would be, standing in my dress, if this was the cost of my alterations. She said nothing and gave no indication that mine might also take this long. I asked for a quote and was told that she would call me later while I was at work and leave a message. I never received a call and in the busy lead up to my wedding, I didn’t chase it. Big mistake on my part! When I picked up my dress 2 days before the wedding (later than I would have liked), I was presented with a bill of £520 (over 50% of the cost of my dress)! The hem had been taken up and the seams taken in at the sides, plus some cups added and a loop to fix up the train for dancing. Nothing major. I was horrified, stressed and upset after carefully budgeting for my whole wedding. I was never given the option of having it altered elsewhere, given the option, I would have taken it. I couldn’t pay for this but I needed my dress, so I put it on my credit card and am still paying for it now.

During my wonderful wedding day, I noticed that the lace under the arms had come apart and the lace attached to the dress was peeling off in many places. My sister also found a pin in her dress, which we had bought at Miss Bush.

On my return from honeymoon, I wrote to Miss Bush immediately, a friendly letter highlighting how much I loved my dress, but how disappointed I was about the above. I received an incredibly prompt response from the owner, who I had never met (too prompt in my opinion, I don’t think she even read my email), with a very insincere apology and a promise to improve their communication with brides about the cost of alterations. No offer of compensation for the outrageous (and poorly done) alterations. After a number of emails (she refused to return my calls), where she showed little interest in the stress this has caused me and accepted no responsibility for her part, she agreed to pay for the dress to be fixed so that I could sell it on (always my intention). I showed an interest in selling it via a second-hand shop linked to Miss Bush. She told me to get it fixed there and she would pay for it. On finding out that the second-hand took a 40% cut, I decided to try to sell it myself first. The shop is not close to my house, so I took my dress to a local seamstress who did the work in an hour and charged me £40, which I paid. On sending the invoice to Miss Bush, I was told that the owner would not pay because she had not seen the damage. I have sent her photographs and offered to put her in touch with the seamstress who carried out the work, but still she refuses (despite initially agreeing), claiming that I must have damaged it ’outside its intended purpose’. I wore it on my wedding day! I didn’t roll around in the hay or take the dog out for a walk across the fields whilst wearing it! Her implication that I have lied about the damage is highly insulting.

In short, the owner was rude, arrogant and completely disinterested in the way that her shop acted. She takes advantage of the fact that brides will generally only get married once (or at least in an expensive, special dress) and don’t need to return. She lacks any empathy for how special this day is for a bride and the general stress of it. I found buying my wedding dress the most stressful part, sadly this was what I was most looking forward to. I would firmly discourage any bride from buying their dress at Miss Bush.

I was really worried about wedding dress shopping, not being a size 8, 5'10 bride to be. I did a LOT of research, having heard some horror stories and Miss Bush came up time and time again as one of the best bridal shops in the South East (and having been there, probably anywhere).

I'd been to another shop first and found a dress I was perfectly happy with. But the first dress that Emma put me in I loved with an intensity that meant I had to have it. It seemed pointless to continue - until no3 dress. It was the dress that she said "yes, I've heard what you say you don't like but let's just try this". I felt doubtful but even as she laced me in (with a very firm hand) I could see it was something special. What was more impressive was the alchemy that happened with me in the dress. I felt transformed - I have never felt so good about myself. Normally I find it hard to meet my own eye in the mirror but I couldn't stop staring. There was no way that I would or could leave the shop without that dress and although the glow from the memory remains, I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

Good service is rare - service by someone who has talent and creative ability is almost unheard of. Emma tweaked here and there and showed how we could personalise the dress to make it even more beautiful. And she knew - where I was clueless - what would suit me and thus exceeded my wildest imaginings. If I win the lottery I'm employing her to buy me a whole new wardrobe.

I actually feel evangelical about this shop - if you want a wedding dress that will make you feel more beautiful than you knew you were capable of, go here. Because you're worth it.

I went to Bush Bridal on a Saturday at 1pm when I had an appointment booked. My mum and I walked in and the shop was full - there was already two ladies trying on dresses and there was another 2/3 groups waiting to be taken into a waiting room. I understand it can be busy on a Saturday but this was ridiculous - made it feel very much like a conveyor belt.

Then a lady came over to my mum and me and asked if I had an appointment. I said yes and she asked if it was for alterations and when I said no she said well I only do alterations and walked off. My mum and I stayed for about 5-10 minutes, had a look at the beautiful Benjamin Adams shoes and no-one came over to check if I was okay. This was all despite me having an appointment booked in.

In the end I said I didn't want to stay and we walked out - I didn't receive a phone call or anything asking me why I hadn't come in for my appointment. I am very very glad I didn't stay for my appointment, with service like this they wouldn't have got a pound of my money!!

Miss Bush was the first shop I visited to find my dress, it was local to me therefore convenient but I loved the look of the shop, situated in the lovely village next to where I was born and holds many happy memories.

I was convinced I wanted the fairytale princess dress and thought I would look horrible in a fitted number as I never saw myself as slim enough to get away with it.

Emma obliged letting me try on the 'princess' dress and it did look lovely, however with her infinite wisdom she pulled out a fitted number to show me just how good I could look in a dress.....WOW!!

my perceived self-image was altered dramatically, I couldn't believe how in an instant I could look so amazingly beautiful!! with that in mind and the fact that I still wanted a meringue, preferably in pink, Emma pulled out my perfect wedding dress, it was stunning, I wore it for ages and practiced all my wedding photo poses, Emma did my hair(in an instant)I tried on a tiara and a veil and I couldn't be happier with how I looked.

I had bookings in other bridal shops with other friends and even though I had found 'the one' I loved the thought of trying on more dresses, but I can honestly say not one of them came close to Miss Bush, not the dresses, the accessories and definitely the service.

I couldn't stay away from the Miss Bush due to excitement and each time they indulged me as they understand brides. My fittings were booked effortlessly and performed very quickly and professionally not taking too much time out of my hectic pre-wedding schedule.

I had everything I could ever wish for from Miss Bush, even a little pocket sewn into the dress so I could carry a locket with a picture of my mum with me on my wedding day as she died when I was four. Anything I wanted I got and it was never too much trouble.

Miss Bush made my wedding...after all its all about the dress;-)

Miss Bush was the first shop I visited to find my dress, it was local to me therefore convenient but I loved the look of the shop, situated in the lovely village next to where I was born and holds many happy memories.

I was convinced I wanted the fairytale princess dress and thought I would look horrible in a fitted number as I never saw myself as slim enough to get away with it.

Emma obliged letting me try on the 'princess' dress and it did look lovely, however with her infinite wisdom she pulled out a fitted number to show me just how good I could look in a dress.....WOW!!

my perceived self-image was altered dramatically, I couldn't believe how in an instant I could look so amazingly beautiful!! with that in mind and the fact that I still wanted a meringue, preferably in pink, Emma pulled out my perfect wedding dress, it was stunning, I wore it for ages and practiced all my wedding photo poses, Emma did my hair(in an instant)I tried on a tiara and a veil and I couldn't be happier with how I looked.

I had bookings in other bridal shops with other friends and even though I had found 'the one' I loved the thought of trying on more dresses, but I can honestly say not one of them came close to Miss Bush, not the dresses, the accessories and definitely the service.

I couldn't stay away from the Miss Bush due to excitement and each time they indulged me as they understand brides. My fittings were booked effortlessly and performed very quickly and professionally not taking too much time out of my hectic pre-wedding schedule.

I had everything I could ever wish for from Miss Bush, even a little pocket sewn into the dress so I could carry a locket with a picture of my mum with me on my wedding day as she died when I was four. Anything I wanted I got and it was never too much trouble.

Miss Bush made my wedding...after all its all about the dress;-)

When shopping for a Bridal dress, I think you have to remember, a lot of it is down to you, not just your taste and desires, but your ability to be assertive in what you want.

I on the other hand was terrified of the idea of trying on bridal dresses and just knew I would be a total walk over if the sales staff were convinced I looked good in something I wasn't thrilled with. So it was with trepidation that I entered Miss BushBridal (the first shop I went to).

I shouldn’t have worried! A friend of mine recommended Miss Bushbridal, and I can honestly say the whole experience was great, I was made to feel welcome, and even though the store was jam-packed on a Saturday I wasn’t rushed or pushed into making a purchase, in fact I even got given extra time because I couldn't decide on a dress. And I went back for a second visit, where I tried the dress on again. This was the first time I felt like a bride! The store let me sit in my dress for far longer than would actually be considered appropriate  and let me ‘bust’ a few dance moves to make sure I could have fun on the wedding day.

Amy and Emma both suggested a dress I would never have thought to try on - I fell in love with it. If it hadn't been for their expert advice and ability to gently point out the things that don't suit you and the things that do, I would have purchased a dress, which on hindsight just wasn't right for me. I am very confident that when I look back at my photographs I'm going to see a bride in a dress that is a classic and won't remind me of an 80's nightmare!

The only reason they have a 4 is because it is only fair to see how the follow up and future customer service is dealt with. So far I have been notified of my dresses arrival, I have a scheduled appointment to try it on and I am sure that the rest of the service will be just as enjoyable!