Saja Boutique

This was MY salon where I found THE dress. I came here after recommendation from a friend who had nothing but glowing things to say about her experience here. I bless her to this day because I don't even know if I would have found this place on my own.

Prior to my first appointment, I have been to one other salon where I found a couple pretty dresses. But nothing really felt special.

Having gotten to Saja, I was promptly greeted by the owner herself. I seriously adore her. She was completely sweet, incredibly patient and has true kindness and passion about her. I picked out a couple dressed, tried them on - but they were both a bit blah and I wasn't impressed.

Seeing that I was in need of help, she came over and gracefully suggested a dress for me that was a bit different. I wouldn't have picked out this dress on my own. THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT and for having an eye to know what looks good on somebody and what doesn't !

This was MY DRESS!

As soon as I put it on, I just knew it. I have gotten that feeling everybody describes where you just know this is the right dress. I face timed with my mom in San Francisco and she was happy and crying. My husband loved it but given the price tag (1800$ without the matching belt) we decided to walk away. It was cutting it too close to my wedding dress budget of 2000$.

Fast forward a month later:

By this point I have tried on many dresses with much higher price tags and none of them even compared. I had an appointment at Nicole Miller and the more dresses I tried on, the more sad I have felt. By the end of my appointment, I was balling my eyes out. I just didn't have the mental energy to shop for dresses anymore and decided to go back to Saja.

So, I show up at their doorstep, unannounced, crying my eyes out, with my hair all messed up from trying on a bunch of dresses and my make up running. And of course, I don't have an appointment. It must have been a sight, when I was banging on their door, yet they let me in and treated me like a member of the royal Russian family.

I bought my dress there that day and it ended up lasting me through three weddings - small NYC wedding, bigger reception for friends and destination wedding at a Dead Sea resort with my conservative family.

THANK YOU SAJA FOR MY DRESS AND FOR THE ENTIRE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE !

Dress stop #7

Checked in for my appointment only to be told that they were "running late" and because the one dressing room was already being used, I had to change in the bathroom which was tight and if you really think about it, disgusting.

I told the consultant what I was looking for and she had some dresses in mind. There was one dress I wanted to try on and luckily enough, she had thought of that same dress (scallop strapless dress; $1295).

When I first started trying on the dresses, she would put the dress on a hanger in the bathroom and unzip it for me and then close the door for me. I then tried on the dress, went outside to the mirror where she clipped in the dress. Out of the 4 or 5 dresses I tried on, the one I liked most was the scallop strapless dress.

But then as the appointment went on, my consultant became less and less friendly with me. She started out being friendly and telling me what she thought of the dress I was trying on to being stand-offish and not saying anything, not unzipping the next dress I was trying on and even stopped closing the bathroom door for me. And it wasn't just me who picked up on this. As we left, my friend who had accompanied me busted out "what was up with her?"

When I was done and had changed back to my street clothes, she didn't even offer to write down the name of the dress I was interested in or tell me about cost of alterations or anything. I approached her and then she wrote down the name of the dress, dress number, size and cost. Then she said the type of dress I was interested may be found at Wedding Atelier, a more "traditional" wedding boutique. If she listened to me, she would have known that I wasn't looking for traditional.

I went to Saja first... and all the other bridal shops I visited afterwards were like those perfunctory first dates you go on after meeting your soul mate, just because you feel bad about cancelling. Yeah, you're supposed to shop around, but when you find something unique and "you," just go for it!

Our wedding took place in the woods, with a barn reception. I wanted something simple, classic, elegant, and I could have been happy with almost every dress I tried on at Saja. The experience of my initial appointment there was more casual than my experiences at more traditional bridal shops - and I preferred it that way - but Thea was absolutely helpful, friendly, and professional. I met the owner on a subsequent visit and she was great as well. Ultimately I chose a simple, flowing, v-neck with an empire waist, and loved loved loved it!

This is not a place to go if you want to be Princess Frou-Frou for a day (not that there's anything wrong with that...). This is where you go if you like pretty dresses that will still look pretty in your photos 50 or 100 years from now - if you want to be able to dance all night and jump for joy at your wedding, in your dress! As others have commented, a bride in a Saja dress gets lots of genuine and gushing compliments, most of which include some variation on "you look like a Greek goddess..."

They have some dresses under $1000 (including the one I chose); the more expensive ones I tried on had elaborate beading or other detail. They also have some great accessories (I got a gorgeous beaded belt to accent my very simple gown).

As a side note, one day I was there and Stacey from "What Not to Wear" wandered in to check out some belts. I love that this place is stylish enough for that, but still cool and friendly and utterly un-pretentious.

I recently had a fitting here and absolutely loved the place!! If you are looking for the all out Klienfeld Bridal Experience, then this beautiful Soho store is not up your alley but for me, the intimate and simplistic layout of the shop was exactly as I had hoped. I had to change my appointment several times and they were so pleasant despite the fact that I was causing a bit of trouble(albeit unintentionally)

Anyways, the dresses were far more exquisite in person, I live no where near NYC and am not getting married for a little over a year and the sales associate was just as helpful if I came in there with cash ready to pay. The dresses are well suited for many different types of weddings and can be dressed up or down depending on your taste. The bridesmaid dresses are just as lovely and the designs for all the dresses are quite flattering.

I am afraid to say that I lucked out and not only have found the dress at the first store but for under $1000 but if I was a betting woman, I would expect Saja to receive an order from me in the next 6 months. Amazing Experience, Thank you again!!!

These negative reviews really remind me of everything I hated about being a bride: despite being perfectly normal, sane, intelligent women before getting engaged, it seems many women morph into entitled, histrionic, vindictive monsters once they start planning their weddings. (PS: I found this to be true of many grooms as well, just to be fair, but since we're talking wedding dress stores I'm gendering as needed.) The remarks from these women who accuse Saja staff and Yoo Lee of being racist, rude, or unhelpful make me feel embarrassed for brides everywhere. You should be ashamed.

To boot, I chose Saja as my wedding dress store precisely because Yoo Lee, Thea, and the rest of the staff treated me so generously, were so helpful, kind, hilarious, and wise. In fact they completely opposed every negative pre-conceived notion I had about bride-hood and dress shopping. On top of selling me the world's most beautiful wedding dress, they put me (an obviously uneasy bride) at great ease and I couldn't recommend them more highly to anyone who values craft, fashion, sensitivity, and integrity.

But don't take my word for it - go see for yourself. And remember to keep your bridezilla mask at home in the closet where it belongs.

This is what a wedding dress shopping experience should be like! The very sweet and personable owner/designer was there to help guide me and my cousin who were trying on wedding dresses together that. She was nice, knowledgeable and attentive (It's not that hard, J Crew Bridal)! She explained to us about the different details and accessories that could help accent the ethereal wedding gowns. She offered helpful advice about what kinds of undergarments to wear with what gowns.

I was first to go and tried on so many dresses - practically the entire line. There was a little bit pressure to try on everything, which I didn't mind too much since the dresses there were so pretty. I think this pressure partly stemmed from the fact I was showcasing the line to my cousin who was watching. Her turn was more focused in terms of what she wanted and did not want. But I really can't complain because it was nice to try things a little out of my element since I found one dress that's now one of my top contenders.

Only draw back was that we weren't allowed to take photos.

Wedding dress shopping success!

I'd spent a significantly boring amount of time pouring over wedding dress photos and racks with friends who were getting married, and it was clear to me early on that I wanted something beautiful but unique that said more about me and who I am than yards and yards of taffeta and silk.

I found Saja by websearching for boutique wedding designers, and was thrilled to discover it's located in Nolita, on lovely Elizabeth, right near my apartment. Months before I even got engaged I sneakily stopped by and walked around the store mooning over all of the truly thoughtful and wonderful fabrics and clothes. I also signed up on their mailing list on their website, so got an e-mail regarding their semi-annual trunk sale. Of course I RSVP'd - thank goodness my boyfriend proposed shortly afterward, or I would've felt a little silly.

Once I signed up for the trunk sale, they e-mailed me back and forth several times with questions regarding times that would work for me, the date of my wedding, my size, details I should know about (wearing beige underwear to the fitting) - very helpful and attentive service. The appointment was short and sweet, mostly because I had already fallen in love with a dress I found through their website. It was the first I tried on, but they suggested I try on several others just in case. There happened to be a sparkling wine tasting going on at the same time, so while I tried on dresses my best friend sipped on champagne, munched on chocolates and crackers, and chatted with the other patrons. A very friendly and relaxed atmosphere, nothing like the crazy intense and awkward feeling you get at some "bridal stores".

I've never been one to be super sentimental, but it really felt amazing and exhilarating to think I may have found the dress I wanted exactly. But I was also nervous. They kindly suggested - even insisted - that I wait to purchase it, take all the time I need - even several months if necessary. The owner assured me that there is no reason to feel pressured and that I should even go to other places and try lots of different styles on if I wanted. Amazing!

So I went back the next day and bought the dress - plus they mailed it to my mother's house in Georgia, extremely convenient.

Overall, I had a wonderful experience and spent less than $800 on a dress I know that is absolutely perfect for me!

This is a very small boutique with only one fitting room, which forces it to be appointment-only. They have a lovely collection of dresses in a small selection of colors. It's definitely worth a visit (check out their website first, it has all their colors and designs). The dresses are expensive, but you can tell that they pay a lot of attention into the detail and it shows. Their dresses are very simple, but fit nicely and have a dreamy, fairy-tale feel to them. We immediately fell in love with the dresses once we put them on.

The white/ivory-colored dresses are double the price (WTF?), because they have to line these dresses differently. They were able to fit us in for an appointment at the last minute, which we're super grateful for. However, they only allocate about an hour for each appointment, so it felt a bit rushed. We ended up getting our dresses from here. With 3 bridesmaids, it took more than an hour to try on a couple different dresses, zip them up, try on different sashes and fill out the paperwork/complete the purchase. We were basically hurried out of the fitting room because their next appointment had already arrived. Boo...

Not a huge fan of our salesperson, who didn't seem to pay much attention to how the dresses fit us. When the owner came in, she was much more involved in helping us make sure that we were 100% satisfied with our dresses. She recommended a variety of alterations, patiently answered all of our questions and concerns, and encouraged us to try on different sizes to make sure we found our perfect fit. We would've walked out of the place with the wrong sizes if it wasn't for her, so I feel like the experience could have easily been a hit or miss. Overall, probably a 3.5-star experience.

Since my initial review I have come back to Saja twice: first to re-try-on the dress I was 99.5% certain about (and to purchase it!) and then for my first fitting. Both times the designer, Yoo, has been there and, well, she is basically a dress-your-body genius.

No matter what I previously thought or what my mom (who came shopping with me) thought, I trusted Yoo and only Yoo's opinions. THE WOMAN KNOWS EVERYTHING and she KNOWS she knows everything. When you buy your dress at Saja, you're in good hands. Yoo will make sure you look beautiful and that the dress you select is not only perfect, but accessorized and tailored perfectly as well. I am feeling super excited and confident now!

Whatever expectations you had about going wedding dress shopping, throw them out the window. Immediately. If you looked at the Saja wedding dress collection online, and picked out your favorites, throw those out, too. This is an experience unlike any other.

You must go into your appointment with an open mind and trust that the designer, Yoo, knows best. She asked me to pick out the ones I wanted that were in my price range, then she picked out dresses that she thought would fit well with my body type.

Some of the dresses I picked out, were ones that I saw online that were of a certain style that I liked in the past. The designer said they would not fit me well, but let me try them on anyway. Boy, was she right. I was disappointed, but like I said, she really knows best.

She then asked me how I felt about one shoulder dresses, which I wasn't particularly fond of, but thought what the hell. It was a floor length 100% silk, one shoulder strap dress with an empire waist, that she accentuated with a navy sash. I was completely blown away by my own reaction. When people tell you, "oh, that looks beautiful," it doesn't mean the same thing as when you actually feel beautiful. I truly felt beautiful in this dress, that it moved me to tears.

The one thing I didn't like about the experience, was it went a bit too fast. I tried on maybe 10 dresses and was out in 28 minutes. I really wanted to take my time and enjoy the experience. Just remember to have an open mind when visiting Saja. Also, just a heads up, she does not allow photography.