It was a pleasure to meet the Owner, Elena who was very pleasant and helpful when I walked into her shop without an appointment. On 10/23/25, I was looking to buy a gown for my Alpha Kappa Alpha Zeta Nu Omega Chapter 2025 Sneaker Ball Annual Fundraiser and was amazed to see all the beautiful gowns that were available for me to select. I greatly appreciate the patience and time that was given to me by Elena and her staff so the perfect gown could be chosen for my Sorority Special Premier Event. I felt like Cinderella being fitted for the Ball. After trying on a couple of gowns, Elena helped to select the Best gown for me. Alterations were completed & my beautiful gown was picked up on 10/28/25. The value of my gown was definitely worth the quality and experience received I was the "Belle of the Ball" for our Sold Out Event and received many compliments stating "I understood the assignment & got it right." Thank you soooo much Designing Dreams! read more

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My daughter came to try on dresses for her Sweet 16. She found many dresses that she loved. Our experience was extremely positive, she picked a dress she absolutely loves. Everyone was very patient, helpful, and easy to work with. read more

Your response to my review is totally inadequate. Many fine, highly rated stores provide the same service you described but they do not charge these young ladies a $40 fee for simply trying on gowns. Is this $40 fee charged for bridesmaids, Sweet 16, etc? My guess is No. Your practice is discriminatory and people should know!! Shame on you!! read more

There are plenty other stores. Do not waste your time. I called for an appointment for my 3 daughters prom dresses and the owner acted like I was inconveniencing her and then said she can help one maybe two of my girls. Stupidly, I still went and when I got there she tried to charge me $40 to try on dresses. PLEASE SAVE YOUR TIME read more

Elena was absolutely wonderful and such a pleasure to work with. I couldn't have asked for a better experience trying to find my daughter's sweet 16 dress. The selection was vast and the prices were very reasonable. read more

Updated after seeing my photos from the photographer you can see how bad the appliqués came out even though my daughter looked gorgeous this dress was not worth the money. They have a good selection but don't order anything that can come back looking different or write on the contract you will not take any dress that doesn't arrive the same. Not a fun process. read more

Designing Dreams - How it looked in bright photography light. You can tell it never came out the same. - Children's Clothing Near Me - Mineola, New York

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Fabulous place. Great selection of communion dresses, tiaras and veils. Elena will embellish the dress if you wish - making your child's dream come true. The dress my daughter chose was exquisite. Had some rhinestones added to it and it came out perfect!! Found a beautiful long veil with delicate rhinestones on it and a gorgeous tiara. The entire outfit looked magnificent. This is the only place I recommend if you want your daughter to stand out in her Communion dress They have dresses for all budgets - from simple to elegant. Whatever you like. You'll find it at Designing Dreams. Make an appointment and you will have someone who will personally work with you. I recommend Designing Dreams for all your formal wear. I've never been disappointed coming to this store. Quality of clothes is superb. read more

Designing Dreams - Communion outfit - Children's Clothing Near Me - Mineola, New York

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Designing dreams is a dream! Their customer service was fire class all the way. Elana and Mary was especially kind and gave my daughter exceptional treatment from beginning to end, very professional. I would highly recommend this dress shop! read more

I brought my daughter here to look for a sweet 16 dress after it was recommended by the hall that she is having her party at. We came in and were warmly greeted by Jordann. At first glance I thought that we wouldn't find a dress because it seemed like they didn't have much of a selection, their selection seemed small. Well, my daughter told Jordan what she was looking for and Jordann pulled out 3 dresses immediately. Did I mention all three dresses were stunning gorgeous dropdead beautiful dresses!!! We had only gone to 2 stores before looking for dresses but here the second dress she tried on she fell in love with and so did I. it was exactly what we were looking for. Also it happens match the theme of her party which is Vintage Sweet 16. It's pink with lace and chiffon. Designing Dreams specializes in making the dress you want whether it's on the rack and you want to make changes like we do or, for a dress in your head that you want to design. They do it all. Jordann had great energy and was so excited with us which made the experience so much nicer. We're going to be adding some finishing touches. and any alterations is just one set price which I thought was great. We also got a lovely tour of the back where the creations are made into reality. Jordan was also gracious that I did not have to pay for the entire dress upfront I only paid half and she was OK with me coming back to give her the rest. I love how this mom and pop business treats each one of their clients personally. Our next trip back we're going to be looking for dresses for her courtso it will be five or six more girls coming to get dresses and the bowties and suspenders for the boys, Jordan said she could do everything for us at a great cost. Very happy with Designing dreams! read more

Designing Dreams - Children's Clothing Near Me - Mineola, New York

It pains me to do this as I would never deliberately hurt someone's livelihood especially a small business however I do not feel that businesses that we trust should be able to treat their clients with blatant disrespect and not be held accountable for their actions. My daughters sweet 16 was earlier this month and we purchased the most beautiful gown from Designing Dreams in Mineola. Her gown who is manufactured by House of Wu/Fiesta Gowns was incredible and very expensive. Due to my daughter being petite there were many alternations that needed to be done on the gown. After spending hundreds of dollars to have the gown altered to fit my daughters petite figure we did not expect the gown to literally fall apart from the waist down in the middle of her reception. Having only safety pins on hand, we were able to fix the gown and get thru the evening but needed to do this twice throughout the night due to the heaviness of the material. The next day I called the boutique asking to speak to Elena who is the owner of the establishment. I was told by one of her workers that she was away in Brazil and not in to speak to me but would have her return my call a week later. I never got a call from Elena so I decided to just into the store with the gown. I went in on a Saturday to show her the damage to the gown and ask her to refund my alteration money and to contact the manufacturer at the very least. I do not know if the manufacture is too blame for the faulty workmanship but I do know that there were adjustments made to the gown by Designing Dreams and since I purchased the gown from them, that is who I needed to contact to seek some sort of restitution. I was immediately dragged into the back room as she knew I was aggravated for being ignored and she didn't want me to create a scene in her crowded store. Once in the back room I was given a million reasons as to why they were not responsible for the gown falling apart. They tugged at the waist only for it to fall apart even further in their hands. Still waiting for her to agree to refund my alteration money and to contact the manufacturer...The conversation escalated into a screaming match. I told her that I was leaving the gown there for them to fix the damaged area and would be back to pick it up. Elena ageed to fix the gown and contact House of Wu/Fiesta Gowns. I called the store numerous times only to be blown off each time I called for status. Finally I went in and just picked up the gown. Elena claims to have contacted House of Wu but I never heard from them. Here we are 3 weeks after the party, gown is not fixed and she never contacted the manufacturer. With Communion season and Prom season coming up I would seriously think twice before going and giving your hard-earned money to a business that does not do right by their customers. There are many many boutiques on Long Island that treat their customers right. I had to learn the hard way. read more

Selection, service and value were all amazing. Elena (the owner) knows her stuff! They can do almost anything you would like with the dress you choose. Huge selection. Amazing service. read more

I was appreciative that they took us to show my daughter dresses as we didn't know it was appointment only. She tried on dresses, found the perfect one only to see there was no price tag. We were told they would look into availability then was trying to be talked into dresses my daughter didn't want or a color she didn't want. We left our information, hopeful we could get the dress she really wanted. I left a message today, got a call with the price (maybe not enough to work toward finding the color we wanted) and then asked if the color was available and was told I'd get a call back. One of my rules is-I'm not chasing you to spend my money. I'll look around elsewhere. The saddest thing is that my daughter loves the dress and her hopes are up. Better to be honest if it isn't possible than to string someone along. read more

Elena, the owner is helpful knowledgeable and very patient definitely go back for any special occasion. Dress needs great pricing great alterations. read more

Thank you elena for making the perfect custom Dress for my daughter's baptism! You found a way to incorporate my wedding lace into every detail! So happy to have this heirloom piece to cherish for years to come! read more

Went in & looked around, when we asked for a fitting room I was asked if we had an appointment. We didn't, & I got a hint of disdain from the employee who seemed put out by getting another employee to open a fitting room door. I don't necessarily want to make appointments (especially at places I've never been to before), just want to stop by to see if they even have anything I like. If I need an appointment I'll make it on my own. Then when my kid had on the dress, the employee put her hands on her chest & pulled on the (very low cut) dress, didn't seem to hear me until the 2nd time I said, "Don't touch my daughter's chest." No apology for this inappropriate touching. No one asked her to put her hands on anyone, & there was no reason to pull on the front of the dress that way. There is a large selection there of very nice formal dresses (generally over $500 before alterations) and flower girl dresses / communion dresses, along with tiaras & other accessories. Parking a bit easier after 3:00 on the side streets. read more

Here is my beautiful dress gotten at Designing Dreams! The best part was that I didn't have to shop she knew exactly what would look good on my body! read more

Designing Dreams - Children's Clothing Near Me - Mineola, New York

I went to have a dress made for my daughter's Bat Mitzvah. I would NEVER buy from here again or tell anyone too. They were suppose to order her a new dress and add too it. However, they lied and used the beat up one and try to hide it with rhinestones that must of been stamped on with a machine. This left dirty machine marks all over the dress. They say they do everything by hand and the best. Lie Lie Lie The dress arrived at my house a month later then it was suppose to be here. The stones were all falling off when my daughter tried the dress on!!!!!! Their work is very poor quality and they don't treat their customers nice. Then the owner had the nerve to call me and ask for more money to make the dress.....WHAT I already paid you for everything. Warning don't shop here!!!! read more

Anyone who gives this place a 5 star is either being paid to do so or is a family member of the employees. This place is terrible. my wife ordered a a dress for our daughters 1st birthday. she was told it would take 2 weeks for the dress to arrive. 3 weeks go by and no calls from the store. My wife called and she was told "oh we have a lot of boxes to go through and when we open them up we will call you." a few more days go by and my wife calls back and they tell her the same thing. another week goes my and they tell her the same thing. Finally we decide to just go to the store on a Saturday and the woman says "I assure you the dress will be here on Tuesday (today 9/24/19). My wife just called and they just told her the dress is not in stock? are you F*ning kidding me? now we have to scramble to find a dress last minute. NEVER deal with these people. read more

We love Designing dreams Elena & her staff are truly amazing & helpful! I've been going there since my daughters baptism! I went back for her first birthday dress & now her communion gown. Elena was amazing with bringing my daughters dream dress to real life. Even during COVID the place was clean and staff was wearing mask! They made sure we felt safe at all times. I truly recommend this place to anyone & everyone! See you back very soon read more

Elena was great, assisted me with my daughters quince dress. It was a surprise patty and she managed to make it so discreet. The dress Was so elegant, just gorgeous and perfect read more

I took my daughter for her prom dress. We were early for her appointment and they took us right away. The staff found the dresses she was interested in immediately and helped her in and out of them. They pinned her when necessary and made suggestions when asked. The staff did their best to help my daughter feel special and beautiful and were very accommodating to all her needs. I would highly recommend!!! read more

Designing Dreams is opening Wednesday, June 10th, by appointment only.

Went to Designing Dreams looking for a communion Dress for my daughter. We made an appointment as we were told we had to do, in order to have someone help us. Well... NO ONE seemed to want to help us. Finally someone asked if we needed help. I told the woman the dress we were looking for. She handed it to me, I asked the price, she said I don't know, here try it on it's a size 7. And walked away and continued helping others. Who had just walked in. Why make an appointment? If you don't have time for your customers don't tell them to make an appointment. I dont even want to give a star, because this is NOT the place to shop for any occasion. Two thumbs down. I will be happy to spend my money elsewhere. read more

FABULOUS !!!!!I Nothing short of a fantastic experience at this store. I first came to learn of Designing Dreams for my flower girl's dresses; they were perfectly tailored, unique ans the girls looked stunning. Not to mention they received so many compliments on their gown. Additionally, I recently came to the store, looking for a formal occasion dress; the selection was vast, consisting of both classic and moden looks. I was assisted as soon as I walked in the door and the staff could not have been more helpful. From the fitting to helping me select the dresses that would look best on me, I know I would not have received this service had I gone elesewhere. Elena and her staff are extremely professional and are great at whay they do. From the tailoring to the selection, I would highly recommend this store without any reservation !!!!!!!!! SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL !!!!!!! read more

Terrible customer service, the workers are rude and not helpful. Ordered a custom Communion dress and had nothing but issues with the dress. Poor seamstress work, even the day I took it home there were issues with the dress after 4 fittings. You would think that they would cater to you considering their prices. I would not recommend them for custom dress making or for anything else. read more

went everywhere shopping for a dress for my niece's wedding....neiman, bloomy's, macys, l&t etc.... walked into this dress shop, picked a beautiful dress from a catalog.......i am a large woman and was scared it would not look well on me the owner elana, assured me ... that if she had to restyle the entire dress to look good she would soooo....i went for it she 1/2 restyled the dress and it came out beautiful i went for 3 fittings, i was greeted by my name each time , the entire experience was wonderful thankyou so very much i will be back, next affair mindy, mineola ny read more

My daughter and I went today to look at prom dresses. My daughter thought she had an idea of what she wanted and the color and we purchased something completely different. There were two women working who both gave us their undivided attention and made my daughter feel and look like an elegant princess. They were helpful without being pushy. They made the process so enjoyable and we are so excited for the dress to come in. read more

Got an unbelievable dress here for my bridal shower. Got alterations done very quickly as well. The seamstress could not have been more helpful & she altered my dress completely perfect. Highly recommend this store if you're looking for great selection! read more

this place has a lot to offer and plenty of different ideas. good customer service.

I went to Designing Dreams to purchase a dress for my sons wedding. I found one that I liked and asked Elena to order me a new one. I was told that it would take 3 months for the dress to come in. Two weeks later I got a telephone call that the dress was in. I thought it was very odd. When I went to try on the dress I realized that she never ordered me a new dress and it was the sample dress that many other people tried on. She did not have any proof to show me that she ordered my dress. She then tried to sell me a sample dress for full price. She knew that she tried to pull a fast one on me. The sad thing that even if I now wanted her to order me another dress it was too late because it was now not coming in until late November and that was too late. Be extremely careful of her Elena because she is a big talker, but the bottom line is she is full of it. She thinks people don't see through her, but they do. I purchased a dress from her 5 years ago and since then I noticed that each time I went in their, there were very few customers doing business. I hope by me writing this that other people will really think twice about doing business with her, because she does have nice things, but she will screw you where ever she can. If you read her reviews you will realize that many people have had problems there. Believe me it is not worth it. read more

I ordered my daughter a white communion dress on February 2nd for a May communion. In March I called, for an update and the dress wasn't in yet. Late March I called again and was assured that the dress would be in. I called once every 1-1/2 to inquire and was told mid April that the dress was en route and not to worry. Two weeks before our event, I called and was told it was in customs and they were waiting for it to be released to their shipping carrier. A week before the event, still no dress and I got the same song and dance about how it was in customs and they were waiting for delivery. I started to get very upset because I also had to get a tiara, veil, and gloves to match. She told me that there was another dress in the back for another communion and that she'd check to see if I could wear that one. Really? The same day, they called to ask me to come in for a fitting. Clearly not the dress I ordered! One week before the communion we finally went in for a fitting. Elena never even came over to us to see if everything fit as she had us working with another saleswoman. Since we were short on time, I ended up purchasing two masks, a veil, a tiara and gloves. My receipt stated that I ordered a white dress and I asked why it looked off white and they convinced me that it was white. I went home and the dress is not white, it's off white. I texted Elena and she assured me it was white but looked that color because of the fabric. So on the day of the communion, I go to put on the gloves she sold me, and I have 2 right handed gloves!! Now, I am really aggravated!! I called them to let them know and they told me to come in with the gloves. I went there today and they offered to exchange for a new pair of gloves, but since the event passed, I didn't need them. I got annoyed at Elena and she told me that I have no receipt so she won't refund my money. I got upset but finally agreed to get a new pair then. I was telling the girl helping me that I was just here a week ago and could she possibly look up my transaction in her computer. Ironically, the salesgirl pulled my receipt out of a box of receipts and credited me my money. You just lost a customer over a $10 pair of gloves. Not dependable, doesn't sell you the product you purchased in the color you requested, and sells defective merchandise. I am done with Designing Dreams! read more

"Designing Dreams" is truly a disgrace as an establishment within our community, especially as baptisms, christenings, communions, confirmations, sweet 15s/16s, etc. are starting up again due to the state slowly opening up after a global pandemic! Over a month ago my sister in law and I purchased a baptism outfit, in which we were guaranteed and promised it within 3 weeks...oh boy were we mislead and wronged on so many levels. Now a couple of days before his BIG Day - baptism we have been given the run around by its employees and owner in which my godsons baptism outfit has been delayed due to the outside company in which they use having a Covid-19 exposure/breakout. However, no one has ever contacted us to inform us of the following or what was going on behind the scenes, instead every-time myself or his mother have reached out upon the arrival date (promise date) it kept being pushed further and further away...As a paying customer we showed up in person today to be treated like "we were in the wrong (garbage). We weren't offered a refund percentage for the inconvenience that this has caused or for the lack of customer service via communicating what was happening behind the scenes at any point in time, instead the "owner" stated she did nothing wrong and took no blame for the actions and inconvenience this may of caused. She did not offer a discount via shoes or socks to complete the baptism outfit for my godson as well! Why should we continue to support small business/community businesses when the customers aren't given any consideration, compassion, and/or validation for their time, efforts, and frustrations from the lack-of communication?!? Additionally, continued to say that she doesn't have the time to communicate with her paying customers about what is happening via the facility in which she is doing business with to fulfill orders from paying clients/customers. However, you'd like to continue receiving our hard earning money but lack highly qualified customer service...I would highly recommend going elsewhere and NOT SUPPORTING the establishment "Designing Dreams" in Mineola, NY. They should call themselves "Designing Nightmares" instead and need training in making clients/customers whole again by valuing the paying customer! read more

We had a wonderful experience at Designing Dreams. They were so helpful and did fabulous alterations to make sure the dress was perfect for my daughters Bat Mitzvah. Thank you!!! read more

Went there to get a prom dress designed a couple of years back. The owner, I assume, did nothing but talk about herself and how much she loves clothes and her dresses and how she made her own wedding dress. Barely asked me any questions. She basically scoffed at the idea that I wanted something other than their usual tulle tutu, frilly, sparkly ball gowns and kept trying to sell one to me. Then when I asked for polka dots, they told me I would have to go out and find the fabric myself, pay for it, and deliver it to them because they didn't have anything like that. A dress shop that doesn't have black and white polka dot fabric...ok. Then I had to settle for what they had because I was 17 and unable to pay any additional money for new fabric. I asked for a v-neck wrap style dress. When I came back in a week or 2 for a fitting, I find out they had made me a robe; one giant piece of fabric that I had to wrap around myself and hook on the side. When I told them this is nowhere near what I asked for and needed a new dress, I was told I would have to pay for that robe monstrosity and an additional rush fee for a new dress (since prom was rapidly approaching) or else they would not make me a new dress. I was at their mercy and I had no time to go buy a new dress somewhere else. I had to settle again and get an even simpler dress because they obviously don't understand anything about fashion or know how to make anything other than their usual generic style gown. They charged me $1000 for the dress they messed up! I had no choice with prom coming up so my family, aunts and uncles included, all chipped in to help me pay for this piece of garbage and the crappy dress I ended up wearing. This place is awful. They ruined my prom. Go literally anywhere else if you need something made or even to buy an off the rack dress. I would give them negative stars if I could. read more

I don't ever right reviews but I'm so upset that I had to write and let people know what I went through! So I finally picked out a bat mitzvah dress for my daughter but since it was long and not hi low like my daughter wanted they quoted me on the cut. So not only did dress arrive later then expected they ended up charging me MORE then what paid for the dress for the alteration! SO DISAPPOINTED!!! read more

I absolutely loved their selection. I went in for my goddaughter christening gown and absolutely loved their selection. They have gorgeous 100% silk gowns that can be bought off the rack or be made custom to your liking. They are also very patient and delicate with the baby which is a plus since they tend to get fussy while changing clothes. This store had everything we needed from the shoes to the birth cloths which made my life so much easier. While there I also browsed around their women section and ended up buying myself a great dress for the party. They were so patient with me and gave me many options on dresses. I am so glad that I did not turn down this store due to their reviews, I absolutely loved it and did not have any of the problems the others had . This is now my one stop shop for any special occasion . read more

I have never had a more horrible experience in a store. I had my daughter's dress for her bat mitzvah custom made here. The so-called "custom made" dress required 6 fittings. Twice I came in and they hadn't worked on the dress at all. There were issues with the straps on the dress not laying right and also being crooked. Every time Elena- the owner - had a different excuse as to why they were not right. She argued with me every step of the way. The final straw was when we came to pick the dress up. The rhinestones on the top did not match the ones in the bottom. Elena agreed with me and told me it would be fixed in 20 minutes. 3 hours later,they gave me the dress and the rhinestones were now falling off and crooked. Elena screamed at me and told me I had no right to ask for these things. Elena tells her seamstresses what to do but she never checks their work. Then when there is a mistake, she yells at the seamstress in front of the whole store. Then she yells at the customer. Horrible,horrible experience. read more

had the best and most unique selection of dresses for a sweet 16, and we went everywhere. the dress was gorgeous, alterations were done until we were happy with them and they were perfect. will use them for every special event, just amazing!!! read more