Bridal House Review Candidate #4 : France Taipei Bridal House, Penang

We visited the France Taipei branch in Butterworth, which is located behind Pacific Megamall. You can find it by turning off the first exit after the Penang Bridge. Or alternatively, you can visit their shop on the island itself, it is located near Pulau Tikus area.

We had a good impression of the shop when we walked in as the decor was made out of wood. It gave a very nice effect and you can imagine taking your indoor pictures with the woody background. However, the drawback is that you can't take any outdoor shots without needing to go out on location as the branch is located in a shoplot, unlike DeSantia which had pools and their attached garden to give a more outdoorsy feel.

The sales assistant started us off with looking at their samples. The main differentiation in France Taipei is that they finish off their wedding albums with a lace edging around each page. This is supposedly to prevent that pages from sticking together in storage. Also, it gives a more feminine finish to the wedding album. We then toured the gowns that they offered. They had some good gowns on display and again there was a special France Taipei Collection, which comes at extra cost.

The package that was offered by the sales assistant was RM3199, which comes with 6 gowns and 40 poses. The saleslady did not offer any freebies, the package was stripped to the bare minimum - the gowns for the photoshoot, 1 bridal gown, 1 evening gown, 1 photo frame for the bride and groom. Thank you cards, photo DVD, photo frames for parents, etc - these were all not included. It would only be provided if we signed up on the spot and the amount of "freebies" would be given according to the percentage of what we pay. Paying 30% of the package price would only entitle you to 20 thank you cards. If you pay 50%, you will get an additional DVD. If you pay 100%, you will get photo frames in addition. Errr, seems a bit ridiculous to me.

Of course, I presume that one can further bargain and try to get a fairer offer. However, after being to several shops that gave a better offer at a cheaper price, I did not feel so inclined. Perhaps the branch in Penang will give a better offer, does anyone know?