Last week was bridal fashion week in New York. I couldn't get enough of the tweets, twitpics and blog posts. As always, I was not disappointed. I WILL be there next year. All the gorgeous designs reminded me of something and it's a secret, especially if you are newly engaged and in search of THE dress for your wedding day.
What is this secret? The wedding dress industry is wicked mean. If you are a gorgeous size 6 in street clothes, you might and I say MIGHT, wear a size 8, but probably better fitted into a size 10. WHAT!? you ask. I know! It's wicked mean isn't it? Of any demographic to mess with, a bride. If you are a plus size bride, then be aware there is usually a plus size fee. If there is one thing I could fix in the wedding industry, it would probably be the sizing of wedding dresses.
How do you handle it? One of the first tips I tell my clients and frankly anyone I know who is engaged to be married: make your first dress shopping trip in a REAL bridal salon. Here in San Antonio you have your choice of one of my favorites: Julian Gold There is also The Bridal Salon of San Antonio.
Be sure and make an appointment, have an open mind, these gals know how to fit Don't be afraid to ask all the questions you may have. Be aware almost all brides need alterations. Only once in my long career of wedding planning did I have a bride wear a dress as is. Lastly, once you have visited the upscale salon with impeccable customer service, you will be prepared to visit those a store such as David's Bridal or Alfred Angelo and the shock of not fitting into a 6 won't blow the mind.
Good luck and happy planning!
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6 comments:
Thanks for this! I know I was really messed with on the sizes, even though I'm used to wearing about 3 different sizes at any given moment in my life (dang hips!). Luckily I only ended up one size larger than I normally wore at that time.
My story is slightly different, though. I agree that most gowns will need alteration (I've been in multiple weddings), but the bridal salon tried to order a 14 for me, even though the brand-new 12 (in other words, not tried on by anyone other than me) fit really well. In the end, the 12 continued to fit really well, and I just needed the stays put in to "hook" the dress. Found out that several other girls had the same experience at the store and ended up paying a fortune in alterations just to get it down to the size that they had tried on and fit. Of course, that *was* a "big box" store--I don't think it would have happened in a bridal salon.
The thing is that your wedding consultant will stand up for you and get you the right size--let them take care of you!
Thank you for the comment Cynthia . So true, you have to stand your ground. Sometimes people cave because it is such an emotional event and it skews everything.
such great info for the bride 2 be! Thanks for sharing!
I know you don't mean it in a rude way, but Alfred Angelo has the best customer service I have ever received, hands down. The staff at Julian Gold was nice and helpful, but Sophie with AA did EVERYTHING for me and always had an answer for everything. She would call me regularly to make sure I was on schedule for getting my bridesmaids in, flower girls and moms, AND my invitations, not to mention my accessories-- I mean, who ever remembers to buy a garter?! Anyway, just because they're a chain doesn't mean AA doesn't have great customer service... I just had to say that after the fabulous experience I had there. :)
Thank you Noemi! You are absolutely right, there is great customer service everywhere and a store is only as good or bad as the person working the day we have our experience. So happy to hear you had a good experience, I will pass the it on to my clients.
Gorgeous dresses!
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