Hi! I’m Alene and I’m the store manager at Max Bridal. I have 20+ years of retail experience and sort of ‘fell into’ the bridal industry. When I started at Max Bridal six years ago, it was a boutique shop in Mineola, which we outgrew pretty quickly! We moved into our location in Syosset, where we doubled our size, doubled our list of designers and doubled in staff. My staff and I learn so much about our brides in our 90-minute appointments – we know we can help them for their biggest day yet. And we can’t wait to meet all of you, learn about you and help you find your dream wedding gown!
Introduction
The Wedding Industry
As I said above, I sort of ‘fell into’ the wedding industry when I was looking for retail jobs on Long Island. I didn’t even know the bridal world existed! But I’ve always had a passion for people and learning about them. I love to hear how a bride met her fiancé, how he proposed, how she selected her bridesmaids – everything! That is so much fun for me!
I fell in love with seeing a bride falling in love with herself. I love brides, and I love the journey a bride takes starting with her wedding dress. I also love to go to market and choose beautiful gowns that I know will be the best for the Max Bride.
The Wedding Memories
It was probably my first bride. Since I’m a manager, I don’t usually do consultations, but this particular day, I jumped in to help. This bride told me everywhere she went, she didn’t have a good experience. She was a plus-size bride. She had also battled cancer. At the end of her battle, her fiancé proposed and she was ready to start her new shot at life – which is why finding a wedding dress was so important to her. I listened to her story and what she wanted, and I found her the perfect wedding dress. We became friends, and I still see her at bridal events, as she works in the industry as well. She continues to say she was made to feel special and that’s all she wanted. And she looked gorgeous the day of her wedding. It was the first time a client became part of my life in a different way.
Specialization
We just have bridal gowns at Max Bridal – no bridesmaids gowns – as we love to focus solely on our brides. We do offer private appointments that are done after hours for any bride who wants to bring more guests with her. But all of our rooms are private suites. And each of the four rooms has a specific vibe with a distinct personality – garden, boho, disco and vintage. It’s an intimate, one-on-one 90 minutes of just you, your consultant and your guests. You aren’t open to the public unless you want to be!
Company History
Max Bridal started with a group of investors about 10 years ago. One of the investors eventually bought the company herself – and is the current owner. I started in 2016 and am proud at how far Max Bridal has come. And how we treat our brides.
FAQs
Is it too early to start shopping?
No! It’s never too early to start shopping! As long as you have your venue booked, you should be looking for a wedding dress! Everything else will fall into place once you have your gown. You want to give yourself ample time – and not leave your dress until the last minute.
Who should come with me?
Bring the important decision makers in your life! The people that you want there when you find your wedding dress. BUT, you should make sure you bring them to every appointment. You never know when you’ll find your dress and the initial reaction of falling in love with it can’t be replicated if your entourage isn’t with you!
What’s up with the weird sizing?
We always say that the size chart was created by angry men that were mad at their wives! At Max Bridal, when we measure you – we give you a number – not a size, because that’s not your size! Never think of it as a size, think of it as a number!
Personal Hobbies
I’m binging on The Real Housewives – all of them! I’m living vicariously through them! I also have an 8-year-old son who has a vested interest in my job! Every day he asks me, ‘How were the brides today?’
Additional Info
All of our stylists are amazing, but one of our head stylists, Julie, is loved by everyone! She is my go-to person if I ever need to consult. I pick her brain in terms of what would be best for a bride. She is so in tune with the brides and the bridal world! In fact, you just might see Julie out and about at a Long Island beach – as she often sees brides there!
BOLI Love!
They are the best people to work with. I found my dress on the second one. Julie was so sweet and had me try on a few extra styles just to make sure I found the one. She even remember me a year later when I came back for my alterations. My dress came in so quickly. Inez did my alterations and went above and beyond. I was worried because my dress was wrinkling in one spot. She hand sewed a bodice in so it would sit perfectly. She also took such good care of my dress and fixed everything I was worried about. They are the kindest people and make you feel amazing and well taken care of!!
Max Bridal was the first and only bridal shop I went to. I had Julie as my attendant, and she was absolutely incredible in helping me find “the one.” I seriously cannot say enough good things about this place. They have a variety of dress options and really try to work within your budget. What I loved about them was that they send you their Pinterest page before your appointment, which helped me decide which dress style I liked, and gave me an idea of the dress selection they have. I got my dress alterations done there by Bernice, who was wonderful! She helped make the process easygoing, and made me feel so comfortable and beautiful. I felt like a real life princess on my wedding day. I am so thankful for Julie, Bernice, and the entire team at Max Bridal for everything.
Everyone at Max Bridal is friendly and welcoming. My consultant was patient and listened to me. She helped me find my dream gown. Her measurements were very accurate. My dress before it was promised which is a plus! I had a very wonderful and stress free experience at Max Bridal!
I Cannot day enough good things about Max Bridal. These women are amazing!! Working with Sam, she listened to everything I said and helped me find my dream dress, veil and accessories. if you are looking for a place to buy your dress, go to Max Bridal!! You will not regret it!
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OMG I can't say enough about Max Bridal Syosset. Best wedding dress shop in LI! Best experience ever with Amanda. I am in love with my dress and the experience and services Max Bridal provides. Can't wait to wear it! :)
Max Bridal was amazing! Everyone who works there is so incredibly kind and they made my dress shopping experience so much fun. They really listened to my thoughts on each dress and took their time picking out pieces they thought I would like. I found the dress of my dreams there!
Max bridal was amazing! I worked with Julie and she was wonderful. She was so nice and very helpful! All the staff was wonderful as well. I got my dress from them!
I went to most of the major bridal salons on LI, and I hands down has the absolute BEST experience at Max! Julie was my consultant and she was SO kind and patient, and made me feel so comfortable. They made my experience so personal, and did not make me feel like just another bride. They are so attentive and made me feel so special. They took their time and were not pushy whatsoever. Ewa did my alterations, and my dress fit me PERFECTLY!!! She is amazing and my bustle was perfect as well. Look no further than Max!!
Had the best experience buying and doing alterations for my wedding dress here! The whole staff is so kind and Miss Celine did an incredible job on my gown!
Max Bridal is the best of the best. From day 1, I felt celebrated & taken care of. I wanted a bow from a different dress added to my dress and Bernice made it happen! At every appointment, the staff was so sweet & kind and I just wanted to stay and hangout with them! Everything was incredible and I cannot recommend them enough.
