Wedding Boutique – The Dress

Weddings

We all know that a bride’s dress is a huge part of the wedding day. As the bride, you spend hours researching styles you like, trying on dresses at the bridal salon, waiting to get it delivered if you did a special order, and then getting it altered so it fits perfectly. The moment that you get to put it on with all of your accessories on the morning of your wedding is truly a beautiful moment.

I reached out to Jamie, the fashion director at The Bridal Finery. They are located in Winter Park, FL which is just outside of Orlando but they have brides travel to their store from all over the country. They actually have 2 different stores right next to each other: one that is made to order dresses (starting around $3,500) and the other that is off the rack dresses (starting around $1,800). Both stores are gorgeous and they offer so many different styles! You get an amazing experience with their team and they really go above and beyond for their brides and guests. The top designers they carry are Ines Di Santo, Sareh Nouri, Monique Lhuillier, Berta, Galia Lahav, Pronovias, and Anne Barge.

I want to share some tips while you’re in the process of looking for your wedding dress and ways to make the experience even more positive. Some tips are general when you’re looking for a dress and some are specific to The Bridal Finery and what they offer.

  • Go on social media and research some bridal boutiques before you make an appointment. You can see some of their styles, prices, and what they offer.

    • The Bridal Finery makes it easy for you to be in contact with a stylist from their team before you come in so you can feel connected and talk about what you’re looking for before even coming in.

  • Make the most of your appointment time by sending photos of dress styles you like and having ideas of what you want your dress and accessories to look like before you come in.

    • The Bridal Finery also suggests that you bring any specific items that you might want to wear on your wedding day, like an heirloom veil or jewelry. It will help you see all the details together and decide if you want to wear it for sure.

    • It also helps you to not still be wondering at the appointment so that you can make the most of your time.

  • Who you take with you is very important. You don’t want to overwhelm yourself with different opinions and it really is an intimate experience just for your few closest family members or friends.

    • At The Bridal Finery, you can bring 3 guests max with the current COVID-19 safety policies. During normal circumstances, the bride can bring any number of guests but 3 guests helps with not feeling too overwhelmed by opinions. Think about how you like to shop and try to do the same with your appointment.

  • Eat before your appointment! It helps you have more energy and feel better because you can focus more on the experience.

    • The Bridal Finery provides some light refreshments, but it’s still good to eat a full meal before you come.

  • Come to your appointment with your hair and makeup done so you can see the full vision.

    • This doesn’t mean you have to go to the salon and pay for hair and makeup, just that maybe you put on a little more makeup or style your hair like you would want on your wedding day so that you also see the full effect of the dress.

  • If you don’t really like to shop, make a girls day out of it! You could all go out to breakfast before or lunch after and spend time together so you’re focusing on a day together instead of just an appointment.

  • Most of the time you can customize a dress so always ask if that’s an option.

    • At The Bridal Finery, they have brides who can customize their dress through the designer or seamstress and about 90% of brides end up doing this.

    • The Bridal Finery allows you to choose different colors on any of their special order dresses and most brides will find that true white is not the color they actually want.

  • Unless you have specific shoes and under garments, some bridal stores provide all of the details you need with your dress.

    • The Bridal Finery provides undergarments, shoes, and accessories for you to try on the full look with each dress.

    • Alterations: Most of the time, you’ll need alterations to help the dress fit you as perfectly as possible. Even if you think it fits well, there are still ways they can make it fit even better. My wedding dress fit me well, but when I went to get alterations on the length, she also showed me another spot that she could take in and it really helped make my dress look even better!

      • Most boutiques will offer alterations appointments. You can also ask friends and family or share on Facebook and try to find someone who does it personally. It will be much cheaper and if they’re recommended, you know you can still trust them.

      • The Bridal Finery has alterations appointments where you can bring up to 2 guests.

To find out more about The Bridal Finery and contact them for an appointment go to their website: https://www.thebridalfinery.com/

 

 

I also want to mention choosing the groom’s suit/tux. Here are some tips for the guys:

  • Buy instead of rent. In most cases, you might spend just as much if not less buying a suit versus renting it.

  • Don’t procrastinate on finding a suit. Check out deals at department stores or visit some local suit stores.

  • Don’t worry about it fitting perfectly. Just like brides who have to get their dresses altered, a lot of times the grooms have to get their suits altered too.