I went to the Belfast store and was greeted by a startled group of girls who didn’t say a word when I walked in, and once I started to lead the conversation led me to the till to take details. Totally impersonal and uninterested so not a great start to begin with. I was then strictly told I could only try on 4 dresses and was very clear about the style that I wanted. I had even checked beforehand if they had the specific dresses I wanted to try in size, which was confirmed via the website live chat feature the day before but when I arrived that was not the case. There was a strange and awkward atmosphere and I was the only bride in the shop so my sister and I asked if we could look around at the dresses. We felt like criminals being followed by the shop assistants who claimed we weren’t allowed to touch anything and insisted putting me in a hideous gown which is nothing what I had described but they claimed it was ‘just to get a size’. I was reluctant to try on a dress I knew I didn’t like and as I only had an option of another 3 it felt quite restrictive. Once I realised I wasn’t going to be able to look at any of the dresses myself, I agreed to try on the one they had picked out. I went to go into the changing room and one of the shop assistants followed me in. She wanted me to strip down to my underwear so she could then put the dress on me as I wasn’t allowed to take it out of the bag myself. This is not an exaggeration and when my mum got fairly vocal about how immodest and inappropriate this was, they simply claimed it was the policy. I have been dress shopping in several bridal shops with my sister and know this is not standard practise. I left feeling upset and truly disappointed at my first experience in searching for my wedding dress. This group need serious training in customer service and personal skills. I know this is not normal as we headed to an alternative bridal shop in town straight after who were outraged at what had happened to me and offered exceptional services and completely respected my choices and modesty. Do not waste your time with this place!