Have you ever had a nickname you were proud of? I’ve had many over the years, my most favorite is “The Feather Dress Lady”. I was helping my gorgeous girlfriend Kelly with fittings for her wedding dress for the nuptials to the man of her dreams. She had picked a Pinina Tornai fitted bodice in blush with exquisite beading, then attached a different tulle and silk skirt to the bottom of it that had a chapel length train. Her wedding was roaring twenties themed, since it was held at a 1920’s Mansion. She had a vision to add some feathers to the bottom of her dress to help give it that “something special” to help tie the dress to the theme without going over the top.
After the first fitting, Kelly asked me to be the one to pick up the dress for her when it was ready. I was honored! This is where things got interesting…and to this day, even my sweet Kelly doesn’t know all the details of what went down leading up to when she picked up the dress. She was definitely sweating as she picked it up the day before the wedding. There are some things I will take to my grave.
She LOVED it, was wed the next day and lives happily ever after.
Here’s what I learned about picking the bridal store and alterations place where you buy your wedding dress, tux or bridesmaids dresses. I hope that it’s helpful tips for you as well.
- Choose a professional shop – but how can you tell?
Look for social Media that is well organized. Do they have a website? Do they have realistic yet firm policies, i.e. showing that they have been doing this for a while? Do they carry adequate Inventory?
2. Happy customers tag their bridal shop in their social media photos and the stores repost them. This is the tell tale sign, customer initiated buzz.
3. Have a plan for when things go wrong in alterations, and know what your going to do about it ahead of time. Ensure the shop can agree in writing to these changes. The last thing a store wants is for you to be unhappy and bad mouthing them to the most important people in your life. They REALLY DO want to make you happy.
4. Look at the inventory in the store. Are the bottom of the wedding dresses dirty? Are the zippers broken? Are the white items turning yellow? These are all signs that they are not turning their inventory frequently enough.
5. Have an open mind. The bridal consultants look at wedding dresses all day, know the inventory and limitations and or timeline of the store, and can recommend something fantastic.
6. Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Don’t panic. We have so many modern conveniences to have things overnighted and fast tracked, it will be done by the time you walk down the aisle.
7. GIVE THE STORE PLENTY OF TIME. They are dealing with backorders, shipping, weather and manufacturing delays.
With love and luck,
The Feather Dress Lady