Selecting a legendary wedding dress takes a little skill. As a former bridal consultant, I know all to well the signs of a bride in a downward spiral to despair. One of the best things you can do for yourself is NOT to shop for that perfect dress from large warehouse bridal shops. They are a bride’s worst nightmare. I have two very specific reasons why.

• Customer Service: Way too often, many brides get it stuck in their pretty heads that a bridal warehouse, is the best place to shop for their dress. Why? That is simple, larger selection and cheaper price! Am I right ladies? However, the one thing that they find missing is exceptional customer service, that all lovely brides-to-be deserve.  Therefore, take the time to shop at mom and pop Bridal Boutiques. There you will find informative bridal consultants, who are able to advised you on all your wedding needs; with careful, and meaningful advice.  Believe you me, that is priceless when it comes to the wedding day.
  

It is not a secret that most brides-to-be, require a little extra nurturing when shopping for that "one" jaw dropping, all exclusive, legendary wedding dress. So don’t short change yourself just because of price. It is a huge misconception that smaller bridal boutiques are not competitive in their pricing.  Well, I’m here to tell you that they are. One of the best things you can do when shopping for a bridal dress, is to tell the bridal consultant the basic budget that you would like to spend on a dress. I think you will find that through his or her helpful and insightful knowledge, your dress will end up being the one-true, legendary, wedding dress out all your friends.

• Selection and Presentation: Yes, it is true that smaller bridal boutique’s do not warehouse the kind of quantity of dresses, which large bridal shops do. So what! Let me tell you from experience, you don’t need to try on 15,000 wedding dresses to find the right one for you.  Matter of fact, when a brides is presented with too many wedding dresses to choose from, they often find themselves frustrated and confused.  Therefore, when you caught up in that moment of trying every dress on, remember my advice and stop yourself.  Furthermore, choose a smaller business so this doesn't happen to you.  Any and all set backs only cause more complications in the long run.  Smaller bridal shops simply don't allow you to confuse yourself, which is never a good thing.
  

When I sold bridal gowns for a living, the first thing I would like to do with my bride, was to ask her what she was looking for.  Knowing this, compounded with the fact of knowing every dress in inventory, allowed me to find that particular bride's perfectly "described" wedding dress.  Upon my return to her fitting area, I would present her with three wedding dresses. The first dress would be a dress of my choosing. It was usually a dress that I knew without a doubt that would look best on her.  The second dress would be the exact opposite of what the bride had described to me.  Then finally the third dress would be the dress, she and everybody else, had perfectly described to me. 

I had a ninety percent sell rate by using this methodical approach.  It wasn't that I didn't want to show the bridal family every dress in inventory, it was that I did not want to waste her time on crappy dresses.  I believed that all dresses looked crappy on a hanger, and that each dress was made individually for that perfect someone.  Moreover, if you the bride would apply this same methodical approach, you'll find that perfect dress patiently waiting for you. 

With each bride, I would have her try on each of these three wedding dresses first.   From that point, my job was easy. It was easy because it helped the bride and her family to break down the dresses, in order to find that one true dress.  If I needed to choose more of one style that looked exceptionally well on her, I'd bring her out three more dresses just like it.  Then I would stop.  Because anything after 6 or 10 bridal gowns is way too much for a bride to remember, or I apparently didn't have the dress for her in inventory.  That is crucial when shopping for a wedding dress.  Brides, you must first place yourself in good hands, and let those hands do the rest.  Most mom and pop bridal shops are well aware of what other bridal shops have to offer.  If they do not have your dress, they well most certainly give you the next clue to finding it.  

Successful bridal consultants build up their reputations by word of mouth. It is important to them that they do their job right the first time. They want repeat customers, and generations to come and entrust their special moments with them again.  The greatest measure of accountability for a bridal consultant, is when a family has blessed them as being their bridal consultant to all the family.  When I was a bridal consultant, I had the pleasure of first selling the mother a bridal gown, then her two daughters when they got married,  in addition to her newly to be daughter inlaw.  Don't you want someone working like that on your team?  Shop at smaller bridal boutiques today!

Test your knowledge here and find out just how much do you know about weddings, and some of the most famous brides?

1. True or False: Queen Victoria popularized the idea of the "white wedding", especially the white bridal gown?
2. What did Grace Kelly, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, Queen Elizabeth all have in common on their wedding days?
   a. They married into royal families.
   b. They rode in glass carriages.
   c. They wore pearl bridal jewelry.
3. Which of these famous young brides wore a white silk slipdress that sparked a huge trend in bridal gowns?
   a. Mia Farrow
   b. Carolyn Bessette Kennedy
   c. Audrey Hepburn
4. Who designed the antique lace wedding gown that was worn by Grace Kelly when she married Prince Ranier of Monoco?
   a. her mother
   b. Christian Dior
   c. a costume designer

Answers:

1. True. Before Queen Victoria's wedding to Prince Albert, most royal brides wore silver gowns, and regular brides wore their best dress in any color. Queen Victoria's white wedding gown has become so iconic that now almost every bride wears white in the Western Hemisphere. The orange blossoms that carried in her bouquet set off an enduring trend for that traditional bridal flower that has only waned since the 1950s.
2. c. All three brides wore some form of pearl bridal jewelry for their weddings. In Grace Kelly's case, it was actually thousands of tiny seed pearls which adorned her veil, while Jacqueline Kennedy wore a single strand of classic pearls around her neck, and Queen Elizabeth II wore two strands of pearls together (they were a wedding gift from the King and Queen).
3. b. When photos surfaced of the Carolyn Bessette and John F. Kennedy, Jr. exiting the chapel after their ultra-private wedding, women everywhere went crazy for Carolyn's gown. The white silk slipdress was designed by Narciso Rodriguez, and it transformed the landscape of bridal gowns, inspiring brides worldwide to choose a chic modern style over a traditional wedding dress.
4. c. Grace Kelly's wedding gown was designed by Helen Rose, who was a wardrobe designer at the MGM movie company where Grace Kelly had been under contract. The exquisite gown was a gift from the studio to its star actress.

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