How to Make you Bridal Salon Experience a Success
Using the services of a bridal salon can save you a tremendous amount of time, effort and frustration. Bridal salon consultants have the expertise and experience to make amazing suggestions for you and your entire bridal party, and can help you transform your wedding dreams into reality. But to make the most out of your bridal salon experience, there are a few things you should keep in mind.
Allow for Ample Planning Time
Wedding gowns are not something you buy off the rack. Most gowns are samples, sized in either 8 or 10 and meant for the bride to try on, make a decision, and then order. Orders take from six to nine months to be filled. And then there’s the time needed for alterations and fittings. Start looking for your wedding gown at least six to nine months before the wedding to find the dress of your dreams.
Explore Bridal Salons Online
Bridal salons have their own ambiance, price ranges, and philosophies. Many salons have websites. Exploring the websites can give you a feel for what the salon is like and save you quite a bit of time compared to an in-person visit. Look at the designer lines they carry and the décor of the salon. If there are any informative articles, or “about us” pages, take the time to read them.
Sometimes prices aren’t mentioned online. If that’s the case, and the rest of the website gives you a good feeling, call the salon and ask them the price range of dresses they carry. There is no sense going to a salon that is significantly above your budget.
Visit Several Bridal Salons
There is nothing like a personal visit to see if a salon fits you. Websites are wonderful but they won’t give you a feel for the attitude of the salespeople. Don’t expect to try on dresses in the first visit. See if you can talk to a staff person and ask a few brief questions. Watch them with other customers and how they handle phone calls. Some salons are elegant, some homey and comfortable, and others very fashion forward.
Determine if the Bridal Salon is Reputable
The bridal industry is very competitive. It’s important that your salon has an established reputation within the industry. And that’s one question you can ask the sales staff on your initial visit. Wedding gowns are paid for when they’re ordered. If the salon goes out of business, you may be out the dress you already paid for.
Make a Bridal Salon Appointment
Even if the salon accepts walk-in appointments you’re better off making an appointment ahead of time. You can visit the salon in casual clothes, but when trying on dresses you’ll get a better idea if you’re wearing heels, a supportive bra or under garments if required and panty hose. An appointment also gives you time to decide who you want to accompany you and to make some final decisions on your budget and the type of dress you want.
Arrive at the Bridal Salon with Ideas
Buy the latest issues of magazines for brides. Cut out the pages of dresses you love and dresses you hate. Go online and see the designer fashions. Keep in mind that runway fashions aren’t meant to be worn the way you see them in real life. Cruise the Internet for photos of celebrity weddings and the dresses they’re wearing.
Compare the pages of dresses you love and see what they have in common. Is it a style, like ball gown or mermaid? Or maybe it’s lace embellishments or a certain air of sophistication. Do the same thing with the dresses you hate. It’s perfectly okay to take the pages of the dresses you like with you to your bridal salon appointment. If you can’t quite articulate what it is you like or dislike, these pictures will help the bridal salon consultants pick styles that meet your taste.
Bring just One or Two Friends to a Bridal Salon
Think carefully about the people you invite to your bridal salon appointment. These should be people whose opinion you trust. For example, if your best friend has always said you need to lose a few pounds, she may not be the person to objectively give you advice on your wedding dress.
Bringing your mother to the appointment may be iffy. She may have ideas about what your wedding dress should look like that don’t exactly mesh with yours. If your parents are paying for the dress, you may feel pressured to acquiesce to her wishes and buy a dress that you don’t love just to please her. A solution is to narrow your choices down to three or four gowns you really love and then ask her advice to make the final selection.
Be Prepared for your Bridal Salon Appointment
Once you’ve found the dress that is quintessentially you, be prepared to place the order and pay for it. A wedding gown is paid for when it is ordered, not when your dress arrives at the bridal salon. In most cases, you will be asked to sign a contract that specifies the dress is non returnable and non refundable once it has been ordered and paid for.
The services of an established, experienced bridal salon can make the quest for the perfect wedding gown less fraught with stress and aggravation. If you want to make your wedding dress journey a joyful experience, consider these helpful tips and make a bridal salon appointment today.
About the Author
Dee Power is a freelance writer who writes about a variety of aspects concerning weddings such as using a bridal salon.
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