Ava Clara Couture Bridal

This place was amazing! Went here today w/​my friend and her stylist, Melinda, found the perfect dress on the first try. They provided glasses for the champagne we brought and were very friendly. We even got to take pictures. Great experience on a very special day!

Ava Clara has beautiful dresses! Very intimate and a very well taken care of boutique. I came from out of state and went dress shopping with my sister, and Gina had already been helping my sister a couple times when she went to try on dresses before. Gina was so patient and so helpful when trying on dresses it made the experience so wonderful, we truly appreciate the wonderful customer service, it truly led to my sister making her major decision on purchasing her wedding dress from here. In the end my sister decided on a beautiful Tara Keely dress! Thanks so much Ava Clara Boutique and Gina for a wonderful wedding dress shopping experience!

My first experience with Ava Clara was over the phone when scheduling my appointment. The lady was very upbeat and extremely nice, making me feel welcome from that moment. Fortunately, the great service did not stop there. I was not disappointed upon entering their business. The women I met were very kind and professional.
Melinda SERVED me the day I came in. I don’t write that in any type of demeaning or condescending tone. What I mean is that she made sure I felt at home and listened intently as I described what I wanted for my gown. She remained fully engaged in our conversation and asked relevant questions so she could get a full grasp on my vision. Using our conversation and her intuition, she picked some amazing gowns that literally brought our conversation to life. She made me feel SO comfortable and was incredibly patient and sweet as she helped me with each dress, giving me honest and useful feedback. I was so blessed to meet a soul like hers.
Aside from the dress, she explained to me payment options and other services they offered, including alterations and assistance with finding inexpensive venues and other wedding day needs.
My experience was amazing and I can’t thank them enough for the wonderful experience. I’m happy to have met people who find satisfaction in their job of serving others.

As a bride, I strongly urge others to approach Ava Clara with caution. And here’s why.
Ava Clara has a small collection of beautiful gowns, but our experience with their customer service was ATROCIOUS. Please be mindful of this if you decide to go here for your wedding dress — I don’t want any bride having to experience what my family and I have! PLEASE — all brides out there– if you come here, make sure that all your details are correct with them (double check!), that the information they need is in their system, and that you know who is responsible for your dress.
My family and I experienced several miscommunications with Ava Clara employees, ranging from small mistakes to rather large ones. Throughout the process we found their customer service to be horrible. I think the largest mistake we had with them was concerning my veil. When my mother tried to surprise me by purchasing my veil, Ava Clara ruined this surprise by calling me and asking me to pay for the veil. My mother was devastated — Ava Clara’s poor note-​taking and miscommunication ruined a moment for her that can never be repeated. They repeated the EXACT same mistake a few months later when they called me to pick up the veil, rather than calling my mother. They then proceeded to ask me for my mother’s name and contact information so they could call her. I was disgusted — I am not even sure if they had her information on file to begin with! To our knowledge, we paid full price for the veil and we were offered no compensation for their repeated mistakes. Frankly, I think it’s embarrassing that this is how Ava Clara treats their customers. I cannot recommend this shop to anyone.
I love my dress and veil — they’re terrific quality and I feel beautiful in them. But I’m upset they came from Ava Clara — I wish I had gotten them from somewhere else. Maybe then I wouldn’t have such negative memories associated with items I’m supposed to wear on the happiest day of my life.

My mother, sister and I came to Ava Clara a few weeks ago to look for bridesmaid dresses for my wedding in May and I could not of had a better experience. Karen was so helpful and friendly it made it a real pleasure to work with her. I highly recommend Ava Clara to anyone looking for a beautiful gown, bridesmaid dress or accessories!

I had a great experience at Ava Clara a couple of weeks ago. I live in NYC but am getting married at the beach so I had tried on literally hundreds of dresses by the time I walked into AC and met with Karen. Karen was so nice and understanding about my dilemma and trouble finding dresses that had all of the details (lace, sparkles, A-​Line) I wanted but also looked flattering on me. She soon came back with a handful of dresses and we found two that were everything I wanted in a dress. She let my mom take pictures and we tried different options with belts and accessories, but what I really loved about this appointment was how sincere Karen was. I could really tell that she understood where I was coming from and did everything possible to help me find the perfect dress. I had a great time at the appointment and would highly recommend this place!

Although I ended up purchasing at another Virginia Beach boutique, my experience at Ava Clara was absolutely lovely. I was home for the holidays, and my mother made an appointment for me at Ava Clara. I’m not sure if this is the normal experience, but we did have to wait at least 15 minutes past our appointment, since it seemed the person in front of me went over her time. I honestly don’t know how people choose gowns so decisively, because there were so many lovely ones! The prices here range from about $ 850 to $ 4,500. Ladies, note that there are two podiums at the front of the store, so if someone else has an appointment it’s not private at all. I had to walk past the other appointment multiple times, and I felt a little bad :/​Although I ultimately didn’t buy my dress here, my consultant was wonderful. She wrote down the designer and style for each dress I was considering, so if I decided to return I would be able to try those dresses again. She completely understood that I needed time to think about dresses, and did not push at all.

My wife Lauren and I were in the area looking for bridesmaid dresses. She wanted to include me in the process. The staff at Ava Clara was thorough and was extremely professional. I actually never imagined how stressful the entire process of dress buying could be for the shop themselves, the brides are often very stressed out and these gals did a great job helping my wife. Keep up the great work.

BEWARE AVA CLARA HAS HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE. If your looking for that wonderful bridal experience YOU WILL NOT FIND IT HERE. I gave a ⁰⁄₅ rating as i feel the initial session to final fitting should be an enjoying experience as mine unfortunately was not. The first appointment was decent i should have known then not to go any further. They seemed helpful and nice until they had my money and then after that point of purchase was when the nightmare started. I actually purchased two dresses from them for my wedding. One shortly after i became unhappy with and spoke to both owners in regards to my concerns. They were very unhelpful and kept stating all sales are final and they can not do anything for me. The dress i will add was neither altered or left their possession at any point in time. So you will be STUCK with no other options and thousands of dollars wasted and guess who will not care neither of the owners Alex or Karen or any of their unhelpful and royal rude staff. SAVE YOURSELF A TRIP AND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE. I would have left ⁰⁄₅ stars if thAt was an option.

My mom and I stopped into Ava Clara one Saturday afternoon to see what their selection was like for my upcoming wedding in NYC. Even though we didn’t have an appointment, Karen graciously worked me in to try on a few dresses and I was instantly drawn to her calm and pleasant manner. She listened carefully to what I thought I wanted (or didn’t) and guided me towards dresses she thought I would like. After finding Modern Trousseau options, she suggested I come back for an appointment in a few weeks for their trunk show.
I made an appointment and again came down from NYC to check out Ava Clara. I ended up choosing a MT dress from the group Karen had pulled for me, and couldn’t have been happier with the overall experience. I did visit a few other salons in VB, and in NYC, and felt so much more comfortable and at home at Ava Clara than anywhere else. (I actually went to another salon the same day, then came back to Ava Clara after receiving sub-​par service from them, and realizing just how special Karen and AC are). Thank you for the gentle guidance, flexibility, and lots of listening — I’ve felt sort of overwhelmed by all of the wedding planning details, but this was a low-​key and perfect way for me, my mom, and my grandmother to choose a beautiful dress together.
My highest recommendation!

I cannot put into words how highly I recommend Ava Clara. My sister is getting married in June, so her and I (and 3 others girls) went into dress shopping without a clue. She was very nervous about trying on dresses and none of us knew what to expect. But I definitely did not expect Ava Clara.
The store is beautiful, simple, elegant. The dresses are hand-​picked by Karen and Alex. Karen helped us and listened very closely to what my sister wanted. Everything she chose and was tried on was absolutely perfect! She was very complimenting and gave my sister so much great advice. Her experience shows in her professionalism and warm personality. «THE» dress was the 6^th one tried on and couldn’t be more gorgeous.
We toasted with champagne once we found the dress. After talking with Karen and Alex we learned that they had a vision for how each bride’s dress shopping experience should be — and at Ava Clara they have succeeded in giving brides a calm, relaxed, comfortable, individual, and uplifting experience. I recommend Ava Clara to any bride looking for an A+ 5 star dress shopping experience.
— A Maid of Honor who will go to Ava Clara herself, when the time comes :)