Where do you go? What do you do when you’re there? What treatment can you expect? Who do you take with you? Read on for the answers every bride needs to know about wedding boutiques!
Dedicated to dresses
Most bridal boutiques are owned and run as local shops and not as chains. This usually means a more personal service and the willingness to give you the time and attention you deserve while shopping for your wedding dress. It also often means you get the benefit of years of experience, informed advice, expert help and all the support you need.
Many bridal shops will offer a full service. This means they carry a few hundred dresses on the rack, but can also order custom dresses on your behalf. They will also be able to make adjustments for fitting and make any reasonable changes as long as the dress allows it.
Depending on the size of the shop, they will often also have a range of accessories you can buy to create a complete look. They can carry shoes, stoles, gloves, veils and all those little things that helps build a complete bride for her wedding day.
Experience matters
The other thing a good wedding boutique will offer is years of experience. This is worth more than discounts, convenience and anything else they might throw in with the price. The owner may have worked in the industry for years and will have seen hundreds of brides and thousands of wedding dresses in her time.
You may have had an idea in your head since you were a little girl about what kind of wedding dress you want. Times changes, bodies change and styles of dress are always evolving. What was good once may not be so good now. If you’re looking for inspiration, a wedding boutique owner is the person you want to talk to.
That experience can be brought to bear on your behalf if you’re receptive to it. That means being open to suggestion and being willing to try something you’re not sure of but they are. They know their stock, they know body shapes, styles and all those influences that make for a beautiful bride.
The boutique experience
So where do you go? What do you do when you’re there? What treatment can you expect? Who do you take with you?
Where do you go? It pays to start close to home and work outwards. Not only is it more convenient to shop local, it also means you can respond faster if there is something you or they need. You will be visiting the shop a few times in the run up to your wedding, so not having to spend hours in the car will pay off in the long run.
What do you do when you’re there? Usually you will get a personal greeting and will be asked about what kind of wedding you’re having, what style of dress you want, if you have anything already in mind and go from there.
What treatment can you expect? The personal treatment usually. Wedding dress shopping is a long, involved process that requires lots of decisions, patience and money. That requires a level of service a normal dress shop simply cannot provide.
Who do you take with you? Someone you trust. Usually, a bride-to-be would take her mother and her best friend or maid of honour. You can take more, you can take less, it’s entirely up to you. Just restrict it to people who know you well and whose opinion you trust.
Wedding dress shopping is a long, tiring process but is well worth every effort you make. For such an important item of clothing that will be seen by so many people, you want it right. That takes time, decisions and no small amount of money!
