Bridal Atelier By Mark Ingram

Finding the perfect wedding dress is extremely special and wonderful, while stressful at the same time. I cannot say enough good things about Mark Ingram. I came to New York from Las Vegas look for my dress, specifically to go to another salon made famous from a popular tv show on tlc. I made an appointment at Mark Ingram, the other salon, and one other. Mark Ingram was first and the experience was magical. Our consultant, indira, listened to me and my needs and brought dresses that made me feel beautiful. She knew her business so well and I can’t think of anyone else I would have wanted to work with. The alteration experience was just as wonderful, especially after indira sent me to bra*tenders to get my undergarments. Debbie made the dress a second skin. I cannot wait to for my fiancé to see me in this dress. If you are looking for an ideal wedding dress shopping experience, go to Mark Ingram!

My attempt at an appointment here was the stuff that brides have nightmares about. I arrived for what was supposed to be my first ever appointment to try on wedding dresses on a Friday afternoon with my mother, grandmother and two of my aunts. We had come from all over the country for a weekend of dress shopping in NYC. Mark Ingram was my first appointment and I was excited to try on dresses for the first time. After signing in and filling out the questionnaire handed to me by the receptionist. I saw a happy bride purchasing her dress and got just a little bit more excited that in a few hours that could be me.
Finally a consultant came out to grab me and as we walked to the back she took me into a dressing room where she sat me down and promptly told me that the store didn’t have a single sample that I could try on. She was cold and direct about that fact and went on and on about how their samples were a bridal size 8 and thus a regular size 6 and the trunk show they had going on were size 0 or smaller. To add to my humiliation at that point she said if I really wanted to I could stand in front of the mirror and hold dresses in front of me but «did I really want to have my family stay for that» and that she didn’t think that she could even order dresses in my size. I am not a plus size girl and I have curves but can shop at regular stores and was able to eventually purchase my dress else where in a normal size.
The whole experience left me in tears and because I was upset she then brought my mother back and explained the whole situation to her as well. It was one of the worst humiliations I have experienced and was left feeling lower than dirt. No one should be made to feel that way and especially not when you are shopping for a dress for one of the biggest days of their lives. This was a terrible experience and left me sacred that I wouldn’t find a dress at all. While I eventually did I still tear up when I think of this experience and it still leaves me feeling slightly less than normal, which is awful… Hopefully no other bride has to go through this experience here!

I just purchased my wedding dress a few hours ago from Mark Ingram. My consultant was Anju. I met with her three times to look at dresses and take measurements. I cannot explain how supportive she has been. I could not have asked for a better consultant. She provided honest feedback and really listened to what I was saying. This afternoon I could hear Mark introducing himself to brides in other fitting rooms. He expressed extreme care for them and their parents. I did not get an opportunity to meet Mark since I was busy changing, but hopefully I get to at one of my fittings. Highly recommend Anju and Mark Ingram! I cannot wait to start my dress fittings!

Got the most beautiful dress, service and support there. I had probably tried on 150 dresses prior to arriving there. Mark Ingram himself even stopped by the fitting.
Swoon!

First, I will start by saying that during my experience at the atelier, I met Mark himself who was lovely and professional. It is just a shame that his employee, Tammy, had not taken a note from his playbook. The best way to describe my experience is like an adaptation of the scene in Pretty Woman where Julia Roberts walks into a store and is treated like nothing, the store representatives assuming she is not up to their level. I did provide Tammy with my rough, but flexible, budget of $ 7,000 give or take. She spent the majority of my appointment paying attention to a super model-​esq British woman who was in the room next to me, but who had her own shop representative to assist her. She happened to have in her room the Alon Livne gown that initially drew me to Mark Ingram to begin with, and instead of handling that, she tried to discourage me from trying it on and mentioned also that it was outside of my budget. When the dress was finally free for me to try, she tried to tell me that the dress was made exclusively for Mark Ingram, which is a flat out lie. I had been to a boutique in Washington D.C. that confirmed the skirt could be ordered one of two styles, and later confirmed that with a representative from Alon Livne directly. She treated my mom condescendingly, and lacked any warmth that you would expect from a seasoned «professional» in the field. This treatment continued when I was in touch after the appointment to have additional information about the gowns I tried on, because all she had done was draw a rough sketch of them with the designer name, so in my decision making process, I couldn’t even look them up to give it more thought. It was like pulling teeth to get any additional information. I was practically begging to spend money with her. I was so turned off and discouraged by the interaction, that I ended up purchasing a gown in Washington D.C. and spent $ 12,000 because of how comfortable I was in the boutique environment and with the service I received. Ironically, this boutique owner is good friends with Mark Ingram, so you know the caliber of shop is parallel. But at the end of the day you are only as good as your «manager». The experience was truly a shame.

I was a little put off by the fact that there wasn’t a separate viewing area and seating area for my guests. I was with my soon to be mother in law, and was essentially changing in front of her. There were only about 10 gowns on the floor to look at, everything else was in the back. The gowns that were pulled were very modern and on trend, and the consultant was very knowledgeable

This place is divine and has the best bridal dress consultants I have dealt with yet. They really listen to you and pick by your preference instead of theirs. The dresses are gorgeous and the prices aren’t too awfully bad either. Worth the trip!

Lidia has great taste and took everything I said into consideration, unlike some other places I tried (Saks). I thought I had already found the dress of my dreams but she managed to find one I liked even better. The dressing room are spacious and there are tons of options here. I definitely recommend it.

I traveled from California to shop for my dress and I was so happy that I found «the one» at Mark Ingram. I own a contemporary designer boutique in San Francisco so I know fashion and good service better than most and this shop has it! I worked with Indira and she was my wedding dress unicorn. She not only selected the dress, styled it to perfection, but also gave me honest advice on everything from my jewelry to alterations. She was absolutely amazing and saying that she knew her stuff is a vast understatement. I wish I could clone her to work at my own store!!! Since I own a small business it was really important for me to purchase (at retail price– gasp!) such a special and expensive garment from a place that I loved and respected. I met Mark as he was schlepping gowns for all the brides to be and seeing him work the floor really solidified my decision. Oh, did I mention that I tried on the same dress at Kleinfeld and that is was marked up over $ 1200 more?! Not only is the service and selection wonderful, but the prices are fair for the designer labels and you know that you are supporting a business where the owner is present and values his amazing employees.

…my daughter is getting married. As a highly engaged, protective and adoring Mommie, nothing is more important than her joy. Thus, buying my baby girl’s wedding dress is a highly emotional experience and I will move heaven and earth to give her whatever she wants.
To say my baby girl is organized and business like is an understatement. She’s created a PP presentation and has a definitive theme for her special day.
Thus, aligning my fairy tale, emotionally wrought energy with the highly scripted organization of the bride is no small feat. But Alynne and Mark I (with his mom) did just that.
Our experience was very professional and «chic» but warm and while not cheerleader giggly, Alynn was like a competent and focused girlfriend who shepherded us through the experience with aplomb. There was no pressure and she sought to understand our perspective.
Mark popped in. Chatted. Offered advise. Even laughingly posed for photos with his mom.
In short it could not have been better.
We fell in love with Mark, Alynn and a dress.

My marchesa wedding dress was absolutely gorgeous. Thanks to tammy, i was able to get the wedding dress of my dreams. She was very helpful and friendly. After purchasing my dress along with my very long veil, i scheduled my first fitting right away. I had a total of three fittings and my wedding dress was perfectly altered.
Everyone was very friendly and professional. Mark ingrams was the first and only shop i visited for my wedding dress. I recommend this bridal shop to everyone.

I found out about Mark Ingram’s atelier because he carries a specific foreign designer whose dresses I was interested in viewing. I almost did not go to my appointment because of some of the reviews listed below, but really wanted to see the dress, so went in despite my better « Unilocal» judgment.
My experience was absolutely perfect! I went in alone on a Monday evening after work. I was worried that my rep would be exhausted and short with me, as several bridal consultants seem to be after 4pm. Instead, Sandra was the sweetest and most patient person ever. The dress I originally went to try on didn’t really do it for me, and she went on pulling dresses and taking pics of me until we found a dress that took my breath away.
I had told her from the beginning that I wouldn’t be making my decision today since I was waiting for my sisters to come in this weekend. That didn’t deter her at all and she was so sweet and helpful. My sisters flew in later that week and after going to my appointments at all the other typical stores — Bergdorf’s, Saks, Pronovias, Kleinfelds, they just were not impressed. I called MIA at 5pm on a Friday to ask if I could come by really quickly to just try on that one dress from Monday. Sandra wasn’t in that day and they were fully booked, but another rep (who had a chest injury!!!) offered to help out and show me the dress.
Needless to say, both my sisters loved it, gave the dress a unanimous seal of approval and I went on to purchase the dress. Not only do I love the dress, but I love supporting such a wonderful, classy establishment. I could go on and on, but need to cut this off at some point. If you are looking for a dress in NYC, you have to go to MIA.

This place was recommended to me by a recent bride.
The worst dress shopping experience so far. I did like a dress there but the attitude that I received from my attendant was SO hostile!!! I am not sure why, but it seemed like she was progressively angrier through the appointment until she became insulting. I was so shocked I didn’t even react to her attitude until she left without saying bye to the back. I called for the manager immediately and my fiancé and a friend who were both flabbergasted tried to calm me down but it was not acceptable what had just happened. I would give them zero stars if I could.

I went to over 20 stores across the country on my dress search — this was by far the worst experience.
First, I was greeted coldly by a curt woman who was, to my dismay, my bridal consultant. She wasted no words in making me comfortable, looked down her nose at me, and just seemed completely uninterested.
Secondly, she absolutely did not understand from my description what I was looking for. And here is where readers should know: you do not get to see all the dresses available. If you get a bad consultant, she will bring in fail after fail, and you will still wonder what else is in the back.
The consultant waffled between lying about how good each dress looked on me, to telling me how amazing the designer was and how I was the déclassé idiot for not understanding and appreciating the dress. Even if I had found the dress here, I would have refused to purchase from them on principle.

After hearing such wonderful things about this salon, I was extremely disappointed in my experience and totally unimpressed by the service. Not having tried on gowns before, I was hoping to receive a consultant who would be patient and perhaps provide me with some guidance. Instead, I received attitude and snide remarks.
After 2 rounds of 3 – 4 dresses each, the consultant told me that «my time was up» that I «had a hard time verbalizing what I want» and that some dresses «were out of my price range» (mind you my price max was $ 10k.) I asked if I could have a look at the samples to see if anything catches my eye. Apparently that is not allowed. Also, this salon most definitely pushes certain designers and doesn’t offer the variety that I hoped for. Definitely not a «luxury» experience.
The dressing room atmosphere is also quiet cramped with only room for 2 people to sit in the room along with the bride.

hands down the ONLY place to go in NYC for a wedding dress. THe customer service and attention to detail is amazing. Love it when mark is there to weigh in. i wish i could get married again just to go back to mark ingram for all my bridal essentials.
Dont do saks as they think they are more important than the bride (their lunch break in particular)

Something happened to Bridal Atelier in the last year or so… and its really saddens me. I still see Mark Ingram walking around, but maybe he stealthy sold the salon or something, because things are certainly awry at this boutique.
I purchased my dress here, as did my sister in-​law and several of my friends. All of them had an excellent experience and all purchased NYC style gowns that were less adorned than what you find at say Kleinfelds and all under 5K. Personally, I loved my salesperson, she booked two appts with me, scheduled the fittings, fittings were excellent, and the dress wowed.
Enter my gf who is getting hitched and by my suggestion made an appt at Bridal Atelier. To say the experience was a 180 would be putting it mildly. Reception was cool, acted like it was a favor to be there, and said if you can find a place to sit, go ahead. Hmm, difficult with the loud gaggles congregated around — not really the «intimate salon setting» they are trying to sell. No offering of water or a beverage, barely even looked at people as they entered from the elevator. OK, maybe its just busy…
Consultation begins and bride-​to-​be explains the styles she’s liked. Immediately salewoman says, «well our dresses are 5K and up, and really more like 6K or 7K.» Coupled with a look sussing us out. Now, bride wants to spend a little under 5K, but can afford a lot more, but thinks its ridiculous to spend so much on a dress. I agree.
But, bride’s open to anything and increasing her budget. Some dresses are shown, some are lovely, some are duds. I mention that we saw some Jenny Packham and Elizabeth Filmore dresses online, she shows us one of them. As if there aren’t tons more in their collections?! Instead, she pulls a 7.5K Monique Lhuillier dress, which looked great on top but totally not what bride wanted on the bottom. Consultant tries to make it seem «perfect» by saying we can do this in alterations, but really, considering the price tag, she didn’t see to follow our logic that it shouldn’t have to be altered to be what the bride wants.
I believe at some point, she mentions that we should also be looking at j. crew. Seems like there might be something mid-​way between j. crew and not wanting to spend 7.5K. At this point, she has NOTHING else to show us. Okay…
I think there’s a difference between being a high-​end salon (what it used to be — would have been a 5* review) and a pushy and rather tacky price-​driven sales pitchy one (what it is now *1 star with *1 extra for my experience). Only Mark and his crew know what’s really going on and what’s behind this new strategy. But it seems a little ridiculous to put such a focus on certain price points, because not only are you going to lose a lot of customers, some of the smarter designers might not understand why you draw the line at not selling their under 5K dresses. Unfortunately, there’s not a current salon who deals with the same designers without a more corporate feel (Saks) or singular designer (Vera Wang, Carolina Herrera, Amsale), but if one day such a place opens, this new strategy will be remembered as what drove people away from a once great salon. Sad.

Fantastic selection. Brides, Mark Ingram should be your first stop when wedding dress shopping.
I came here after having been to several boutiques in LA and also to Kleinfeld (terrible mistake, see Kleinfeld review or my NY Post article). They had pretty much every dress I had fallen in love with at my other boutique visits, plus a lot more. It’s so nice to be able to compare a Vera alongside a Monique alongside an Ines, all while still getting that boutique shopping experience.
I do think that for the level of dresses they stock, the dressing rooms could be much improved. They’re small and only separated by curtains, which becomes distracting when multiple appointments are going at the same time.

It seems the experience at Mark Ingram can be totally hit or miss based on reviews. Unfortunately for my friends and me, it was a totally negative miss. The experience was like going to a tacky used car dealership desperately trying to be like the BMW dealership down the street except they don’t have the same creds, class, or quality. It’s almost embarrassing really.
We went during a sample sale and had the displeasure of having a consultant /​tacky used car saleswoman named Anju or something along those lines. She tried to make a pushy sell on a dress my friend liked, asked sneaky questions to size up my friend, avoided answering any of our questions to get real info and just went off on random tangents (in trying to push the sell) thinking we didn’t notice, and then condescendingly denied my friend a second appointment to come back because my friend’s budget was not high enough. Since it was a sample sale, dresses by the designer that my friend really liked weren’t out on the floor so she wanted to come back another day to try on dresses by her fave designer.
The consultant /​used car saleswoman was unnecessarily rude and condescending in literally saying «I’m not going to let you make another appointment because all of our dresses start at $ 5,000 and that’s out of your budget.» Even as my friend insisted she really loved this designer and would consider changing her budget if she loved the dress, the consultant /​used car saleswoman still power tripped and denied her another appointment. It was so awkward and tacky that even this consultant’s colleagues all started to avoid eye contact with us and slowly drifted away from the scene of the crime.
Don’t waste your time (or support a business without class or professionalism), but if you do decide to go, at least avoid this consultant /​tacky used car saleswoman we unfortunately had to deal with.

I am still searching for my wedding dress and had an appt at Mark Ingram a few days ago. I am planning on going back asap, as one appt is just not enough time especially when you are indecisive. The salon is beautiful and quiet and is filled with gorgeous gowns. I was nearly 10 minutes late at my end of the day appt and was scared to death it would be cancelled, however they were very gracious and had me in the dressing room with my consultant in no time. My appt ran over 30 minutes after they were closed and nobody said a word or tried to usher me out the door!
I worked with Tammy who is a pro, pleasant and helpful, no snobbiness here In my opinion. It’s always best to go in any salon with some idea of what you like, otherwise you are shooting in the dark, as there is no time to try on everything. Tammy was wonderful and booked a second appt for me and I am looking forward to the experience.
I advise, visiting their website, see what designers they offer and see what dresses you like before your appt, and the most important thing– know your price point, as nothing here is inexpensive.