Tour of Elegance

Had my wedding dress altered here. Everything was great but my bustles didn't last. They were intact 10 minutes into the reception and I had to grab my train all night while dancing.

I probably should have written this a long time ago, because now I don't remember the lady's name who helped me, but I had a great experience dress shopping at Tour of Elegance! I'm originally from San Diego, but I currently live in Maryland. Although I thought I found "the dress" at a shop in Maryland, I really wanted to try some on with my family. I checked online and they had the dress at this shop. I arrived with my maid of honor, sister, mom, and cousin and the appointment was set for just our party. No one else was even allowed in the store during that time. It was a wonderful and personal experience to have the whole place to ourselves. I first tried on the dress I had chosen in Maryland, but for some reason didn't get the same feeling. The woman pulled out a few other dresses for me to try, including some I never would have thought I would like. As it turns out, one of the dresses she picked out was actually "the dress." She did an awesome job on my measurements because I didn't have to have any alterations done besides the bustle and adding a few hooks to the corset. Other than that, the dress fit perfectly! Once the dress arrived at her shop, she contacted me to let me know she would be shipping it to me in Maryland right away. I ordered the dress in December and received it promptly in June, as she had predicted. I highly recommend this shop to anyone looking for a dress in the San Diego area. Thank you Tour of Elegance!

Tour of Elegance carries dresses from designers that are not all over the place. I liked how it was different from all the other boutiques and each time I visited, I had the place to myself. I loved the dress I got at the Tour of Elegance and got tons of compliments on it. The owner, Saundra, also did a great job on my alterations even though she was a little hesitant to do them. My biggest complaint is that it is incredibly hard to get appoitnments with Saundra. She basically runs a one woman show, which can understandably get busy. But each time I called, I had to leave a message and wait for her to call me back. Then, I had a very hard time actually getting an appointment that went around my work schedule. Additionally, my dress didn't fit as snugly as I wanted and she said that a little fashion tape would help. Unfortunately, 1 week before my wedding (once the final alterations were made), we realized that the fashion tape didn't help. So, I was stuck wearing a dress that didn't perfectly fit me. It's not a super big deal, but for the money spent and for my wedding pictures, I would have wanted a dress that fit exactly as I wanted/expected.

I chose this boutique because it was the only location that carried Essence of Australia dresses. I will say that all the dresses and options there are beautiful, and much nicer than ones I had seen at any bridal salons. However, Saundra was sometimes slow in returning calls or answering her phone, could be a little rude at times, and did not give me the time/service I thought I would receive as a bride. I often felt rushed and a little frustrated when I left. The dress was gorgeous, she did an ok job on the alterations, and the bussle was well done. Worth it for the dress of my dreams, but not the overall experience I hoped for.

I chose this salon because it was the only one in San Diego that carried Ella Bridals. I tried on 5 dresses and went with the first dress I tried on. The owner was very knowledgeable and helpful and even pinned on a gorgeous crystal belt that helped complete the look of the dress!! I got TONS of compliments on my dress! It was perfect!

Found the most beautiful dress and the alterations were fantastic. My favorite aspect of TOur of ELegance was Saundra does the alterations herself.

Saundra, the owner, is a very fun person to work with! She will be very up front with you in your dress selections, and she will give you her honest opinion, rather than telling you that everything looks great. She is very responsive and professional, and the one-on-one service that you get in her salon is very nice! It is by appointment only, and you are the only bride in the shop for your allotted time. The reasons for only 4/5: quality of service, since she did not explain my bustle and also didn't cut off some of the loose strings after the final pressing even though she said she would catch all of those things; professionalism, because she didn't seem to ever recognize me when I walked into her shop (and I came in quite a few times); and value for cost, since while the dresses are very reasonably priced, the alterations are a bit steep. Still, I would recommend Tour of Elegance without hesitation. I purchased my dress and my bridesmaid dresses there, and it was a great experience overall.

Saundra, the owner of the bridal salon, is very knowledgeable with a lot of experience in the bridal business. But because of her increase in business, after I paid for my bridal gown she was rude and very inflexible about getting my fittings done. She rushed me when I had my first fitting stating that she had to leave to go to an event and didn't seem to care about what my concerns were about the dress. When I tried it on again for the final fitting, she only gave me ten minutes before a family came in needing to try on wedding dresses. I don't recommend her at all. I had a horrible experience. If you need a dress, go to D'Angelo Bridal in Mission Valley. The owner Diane is amazing and has been designing dresses including all the jewelry in her shop for over 20 years.

One of my favorite vendors! Saundra, the owner, knows her stuff and strives to get it right for you. LOVE the one on one attention she gives during her appointments. You have the whole shop to yourself! She really knows alot about wedding dresses, highly knowledgable. We liked her so much that we went back for tuxes. I felt the prices were fair too.

Sandra is a very sweet lady with a very private shop in Rancho Bernardo. There are many pros and cons to this shop. One thing I did not like was that she doesn't let you browse the dresses - she asks you what you want, and then brings them out for you. I wondered if I was missing something in the back. Also, she immediately asked me what my budget was, and every dress I tried on was about my budget or $300+. So, I would be very conservative when you state your budget, because that's just the cost of the dress. Then, you have other random costs added on somehow. I did like that I was the only one in the shop when I tried on dresses and she is a very respectable person, not like some of the "barbie" types at other bridal salons. For the choices available near San Diego, it was a good choice to buy my dress here, but given other options, I might have gone elsewhere. Nice thing was that I got a dress for < $1,000 and it arrived quickly.

I went to Tour of Elegance based on the recommendation of 4 of my friends who had gotten married in the past few years and all had beautiful dresses. Saundra gets a lot of her business based on word-of-mouth and for good reason--she delivers! Her prices are very fair and she has a great variety. She definitely gives you her full-attention and has years of experience in the industry, which was refreshing after visiting other stores. I LOVED my dress!!! I had my alterations done her as well as purchased my veil and hair accessories and one bridesmaid dress. Everything was delivered prior to the promise date and in excellent quality. I have since referred several brides to Saundra and each and every one has been very happy.

The lady who owns the boutique knows what she is talking about. She will fit you in a dress best for your body type. It is also wonderful for selections for women who are LDS and need to fit their garmenst underneath. The prices are reasonable and the place is so cute.