What can I say but that working with this company was one of the worst experiences I have ever had with any company - ever. From start to finish, the owner was shady in her communication, manipulative in a way that shocked me, and ended up causing me extreme stress, and heartache mere days before my wedding. Brides - be aware that if you have a dress custom made here - the dress is being made in China. The owner does not advertise this on her website, nor mention it to you in the process of buying the gown. You begin the process by paying for the dress, in full, up front. If you are foolish enough to do this, as I was, know that you have just given over all your bargaining power to someone you have never met. I purchased a custom made gown through this company on a bit of a rushed timeframe (5 1/2 months prior to my wedding.) The owner assured me this was a perfectly do-able timeframe and happily took my order. After 14 weeks had passed, I started asking to see the photos of my gown only to receive several excuses about how I had "confused" the timeline. I was patient and tried to understand where the confusion was and get a solid timeline from her as to when I would receive photos of my gown as I was about 6 weeks away from my wedding date and needed to be sure I could get alterations done in time. By my calculations, according to our discussions when I had purchased the gown, I should have received my dress a month prior to my wedding. Regardless - there was confusion - then a litany of excuses, one harsher than the next, each accusing me and shuffling around without giving me any solid information. 4 weeks before my wedding, still with no photos of my dress, I began to get nervous and had to shop for a backup dress. This was a very heart-wrenching experience. Finally, I received photos of my gown only to discover that there were some fairly serious issues with the construction of the gown. I submitted detailed photos with photoshopped arrows, circles and explanations about how to fix these issues. The owner of the company was combative, and just . . . shady. Finally - 2 weeks later - I received photos of the re-drape of the gown and I went ahead and approved it and asked her to ship it to me as quickly as possible. She explained it would take 2-3 days to ship to her from China and up to 3 days for her to ship it to me, getting it there about 3 days before my wedding. When I asked her if she could overnight it to me - she said that she could - if I paid for the overnight fee. Needless to say - this was frustrating. The delay in the timing due to typhoons and poor planning on their end, caused me extreme stress, and then I had to wait an additional 2 weeks for them to fix the construction issues on the gown which should not have happened in the first place. She did not care in the slightest how upsetting that might be for me as a bride to have to receive this dress 2-3 days before my wedding, with almost no time to be sure it FIT, or was made well, or have it altered. When I sent her an email expressing my frustration and asking that she overnight the dress without charging me for that, as a gesture - she responded within 48 hours telling me that the dress had arrived to her in Michigan and had been "damaged in shipping beyond repair." I was shocked. Had she not used a reputable shipping company to ship my gown? What does "beyond repair" mean? For some reason - it just didn't sit right with me - almost as if she didn't like my email, and had decided to punish me. I kid you not. So I asked her, very kindly, to please send me photos of the damage to the gown. She refused - saying this was an issue between her and the shipping company and none of my concern! So I asked her to send me the dress - and she responded that she was instead sending me a full refund and that the dress had been shipped BACK to the manufacturer already (within less than 24 hours of her receiving the damaged dress.) Now tell me this . . . if a dress was damaged in shipping - by the shipping company - WHY would you ship a dress back to the manufacturer in China????? And why on earth would you not send photos of the damage to your customer? The fact is - she either knew she wasn't going to receive my dress in time for my wedding and opted to lie to save face . . .. or the dress wasn't damaged but she simply felt like punishing me for my frustrated email about the overnight shipping charge. I really can't say. What I do know is that I had to buy a last-minute dress for my wedding and the dream dress that I had worked with them on for 5 months, disappeared mysteriously just days before my wedding. It was devastating - and I am sickened by the unprofessional, shady, appalling behavior of this company. Brides - please - do yourself a favor. Don't entrust the most special dress you will ever wear - to this company. Learn from my heartbreaking mistakes. read more

I'm really not sure why this company has so many negative reviews. My sister-in-la bought her dress from this company and asked me to make the drive to Imlay with her to check out the company. Once we got there, we had to wait about 5 minutes for Janet and my sister-in-law spent two hours trying on different styles and going over swatches with Janet. It was just the three of us in her small dress shop, but she was really accommodating. After all was said and done, Janet took her measurements and put in her order, and my sister-and-law and I drove home. As far as I can remember, she didn't have to pay for the dress on-site, I think she paid for it several months later. It arrived a few months later in a box and I was stunned when my sister-in-law pulled it out. For under $1,000, it was gorgeous and had SO MUCH fabric (has rouching and a long train). Unfortunately, I don't know if the company exists any longer, but I was really surprised with the quality of the gown and the service for an online-only company. I would definitely give them a chance. read more

Honestly, I was really surprised ordering from this website. I was on a very tight budget, and I just couldn't afford a dress from the fancy shmancy dress stores. I looked through some of the boutiques around town, and various other places, and I found some dressed that I could afford, but they were all very pedestrian and, I hate to say it, but boring. I was looking at dresses on Pinterest and I came across a dress that I just had to have. I clicked on the link, and the pin took me to mybigfatbeautifulwedding.com, and the dress was called Jocelynn. I just had to have it. I expected the dress to be thousands of dollars, and out of my price range. I thought I was wasting my time looking, but then I just couldn't help myself. I almost peed my pants when I saw the dress was so inexpensive! There had to be a catch... Then I found it. I wasn't really looking forward to ordering a dress online. I'm not very good at dealing with the online business stuff. It's an understatement to say that I was nervous. I found the number for the woman who owns this business, and I called her up right away. She was one of the nicest, and friendly people I have ever spoken to. I talked to her about my unease of purchasing a dress online, and she explained everything right upfront, which I really appreciated. I had little to no difficulty with this whole process. I received my dress a little after two months of purchasing it. It was PERFECT! The dress fit me like a glove. I was so happy I was able to have a costume dress made to my measurements for such an affordable price! I highly recommend this company to do your wedding dresses. It was a great experience, and a painless one. read more

I wouldn't go anywhere else when it comes to getting a wedding dress!!! I have sent family members there and they along with myself have had a great experience! I loved the fact that I was able to get the dress of my dreams! When I went to a big chain bridal store and found a dress that I loved, but wasn't able to afford I thought my wedding would be over right then. But when I was doing research online I ran across my big fat beautiful wedding and started to read what Janet was all about. Right then I have had to meet her and talk with her about what my vision was and see what she could do for me. She explained the whole process to me, and I was glad to have her help. When I started to look at dresses online and getting ideas I found that the dress I fell in love with at that big chain wasn't what I really wanted. I took all the different pieces of the dresses and made a hodge podge of an idea for a dress. Janet took all that information and helped me to design my dream dress. I could hardly believe that the dress of my dream's was within my reach and affordable!!! It did take awhile to reach me, but that was all explained before we went ahead and did the order. I was so happy with the help that she gave me. I had her help me with my bridesmaids dresses! I designed them and the order was put in at the same time. and they also cost a lot cheaper than going to a big chain store. So if you want friendly personable service and a dress of your dreams? Then Janet is your lady! Or you could go to the big chain stores pay an outrageous price and get a dress that everyone and their brother has tried on then go ahead. Just so you know that the big chains don't have to give a brand new dress, they can give you one off the rack that everyone tried on and full of dirt and pit stains. But if you want a dress that is all your own from the get go then Janet is you lady!! read more

I have been waiting for MONTHS to write this review as I was waiting for closure and finally got it yesterday. This was one of the WORST expierences I have ever had and this woman is absolutely INSANE, A LIAR AND A THIEF. She will RUIN any dress so please do not even contemplate using her for your special day. There is a reason ALL of her reviews are negative. I too had originally thought Janet was a miracle worker after seeing her site and reading the SELECTIVE reviews she posts on her site. I couldn't believe that the dress I was about to pay $2,000, she could make for $600. As her site says, I sent her all the pictures of the dress I wanted with me actually in them, not just a model. I also sent her close ups of the lace detailing as well as pictures of the changes I wanted (sweetheart neckline, corset back etc). She asked that I pay her upfront which I did and told me everything would be underway and in 14 weeks I would have pictures of my dress. I was very specific on what I wanted and she assured me they would get it as close as possible. Time went on and as it got closer my excitement grew. I e-mailed her several times once 14 weeks hit and then went without anything..I was aware from the beginning she was sending the dress to China so I knew it wouldn't be right in her shop so the first excuse she gave me I let slide..But then they began to roll..Always giving me an excuse of "oh, it's night time there, I will check tomorrow to see if they have the pictures" or "Oh, their intenet is down I have no way of contacting them." Finally 2 weeks AFTER the date I was promised to get the pictures (and should have had my dress at this point in my hands) I get pictures that blew me and EVERY single person I showed away. The dress looked NOTHING like the original. I was absolutely hysterical. It was end of March and I had waited 4 months for this? I was frantic. I asked Janet about several things to be fixed and all she gave me was an excuse "that isn't in line with the original design." She asked me for "more time" to review the pictures I had sent her to see if she was willing to change the things I wanted; I wasn't willing to give her more time to mess it up more. Her attitude completely changed from semi-friendly to a complete psycho.There was no way of saving that dress she alleged was mine. Bottom line, I told her I didn't want the dress as we were already way beyond the timeframes and she did not keep her end of the agreement. I contacted my bank and disputed the charges. This is when things REALLY got insane. She sent me a harassing e-mail back about disputing the charges and told me she was not sending me the dress and would credit me $80 for my $600 purchase as "all sales are final." I sent all of this to my bank and reported her to the BBB. Turns out, she has NUMEROUS complaints filed with the BBB, so much so, they said they would not accredit her for their site. The thing you failed to understand is that in order to have a "final sale" she must actually provide a product which she never did. After speaking with my bank, they stated she clearly violated our contract as she never provided a product. This woman had the balls to tell my bank she sent my dress THE DAY I disputed my charges and that I had signed for it and she had proof. That's amazing that she sent me my dress that was still 1/2 way not done the same day she e-mailed me and told me she ordered them to stop production and would not be sending it to me all the way from CHINA.. My bank actually hired investigators and attorneys because of her allegations and found her to be a lying theif. I sent them ALL of the e-mails I had as I kept EVERYTHING being I didn't know her and ordered it online. She could never provide any proof she mailed it to me or this so called "signed paper" for the dress pick up. The crazy thing is, SHE NEVER HAD MY ADDRESS. I was moving and we agreed I would give it to her before shipping when I originally ordered in December which was written in the e-mails. My bank even questioned her on how she sent me this so called dress and have me sign for it, but she couldn't cough the papers up after 60 days. And, they wanted to know how she sent it to me when she clearly even wrote to me and the BBB that she never sent it. Thankfully, my bank just concluded their investigation with this FRAUDULENT business owner and I got all of my money back which I used to buy the original wedding dress. I am so relieved any happy about my decision to buy the original. She could have never even come close to how the original looks. This was a horrific expierence and I feel sorry for how pathetic Janet is and how disgusting of a behavior she portrayed. I will ensure I spread the word about my expierence as I would never wish this on my worst enemy. read more

I spoke with this company (Janet) and originally thought I hit the jackpot. We exchanged a few emails going over what I wanted in a dress. She was AWESOME and had great advice. She then replied back with a quote instantly. I was about to reply to purchase it (which they want it paid in full up front) but I thought I should sleep on it for a day for such an important purchase. The next morning I wrote her about my concerns. Since my wedding is a year and a half away, I decided to wait a couple of months so the measurements would be more accurate...I even was willing to pay for the dress immediately and ask her to start in in a few months instead of now. She replied a very lengthy (and rude) email about how I wasted her time. She wrote: "In this business, I have to stand on my word. As much as it pains me, I am sorry I can not quote the same dress twice. And since our site specifically requests that the bride not ask for a quote unless they are ready to put into production, I always feel betrayed when people ignore that and think that it doesn't apply to them." First off, I completely understand her frustration with brides wanting then backing out, but that was not my intention....and forgive me but isn't that part of business? People shopping? How many times have you walked up the the check-out counter with that cute blouse and thought "well...maybe I better think about this a bit and come back". Especially in this economy? I never saw anywhere on the site that said if I agreed on the dress and asked for a quote that I had to purchase it in full within 3 days. I felt bad for wanting to wait, but nobody buys a WEDDING DRESS before looking at the price tag first. What if she replied with a price of $200,000? Would I be expected to purchase in within 3 days since I had asked the price? I fully intended on giving her my business...just a couple months later. I insisted that re-quoting me later is absolutely acceptable and I assumed that she would re-quote the dress at that time. Her tone with me totally turned me away. I'm looking for other companies who value their costumers and now I believe the bad reviews. If she got that heated about a quote, I don't want to know how nasty things would be for an unhappy customer with a bad dress....yikes! read more

I also ordered a dress from Janet at My Big Fat Beautiful Wedding. Paid in full up front. Janet took about 25 measurements of my body which I was so impressed with at the time. My dress was promised in 12-14 weeks. After 17 weeks it finally arrived (from China). Upon notification, I told Janet I would come in the next day, as I was so excited to finally see my dress! She replied in an ema that that wouldn't work, as she needed a whole day to unpack & steam my dress. So..I made an appointment to go to Imlay City two days from then. On the morning of my appointment, I received an email (no phone call?) stating that she was very sorry, but there was a problem with my dress. Seems it arrived in the WRONG COLOR! My options were: A. If I liked the color I could accept the dress (it was made in an awful peach color that Janet called "champagne") B. We could reorder the dress and have it "expedited" in 6 weeks which in my opinion was cutting it way too close in light of the fact that the first one came 4 weeks late! C. She could try to do alterations to the sample dress in her shop which was too small for me... D. She would give me a full refund. At this point it was too late to order a other dress from a Bridal salon. I happened to be at Arena Bridal Salon in Shelby Twp, MI with my daughter who is also getting married and was looking for bridesmaid dresses. My girls encouraged me to try on some bridal gowns while I was there-I was so distraught after the ordeal, but agreed to do so. Fell in love with a dress, however it was way out of my budget and I had not gotten my refund yet from MBFBW. The salesgirl Debbie at Arena excused herself..then came back into the fitting room & told me that the manager felt sorry for me and agreed to sell me the sample gown at a 50 percent discount!!! I waited to get my refund (5 days) and went back to Arena to purchase my GORGEOUS La Sposa wedding gown! I should add that even though Janet took all those measurements upon ordering my dress, when I went to try on the wrong color dress, it did not even zip the last inch and a half! (No, I DID NOT GAIN WEIGHT) So ladies , it all worked out for me in the end, but I just want to say beware of My Big Fat Beautiful Wedding!! I highly recommend ARENA BRIDAL SALON! They were awesome! read more

I had ordered a dress from mybigfatbeautifulwedding.com and it was one of the best things I could have done. I am a single mother and on a strict budget. My fiance and I are paying for everything. I made an appointment got measured in the store and found out that I could get the dress of my dreams for $489. The dress came in in about 13 weeks and it was mailed to me. That part I didn't like so much, but everything was explained up front. That's how she keeps her costs down. The dress came in a little box and I kind of freaked out. I opened it up and it was unbelievably beautiful once I tried it on. It fit perfectly and I made an appointment to get it bustled. I am going to be a princess on my day and I have Janet to thank for that. read more