Advice

Confessions of a bridal store owner

It has been about 6 months since Silviyana opened its doors to the Bay Area, and we couldn’t be more proud of what we have achieved so far. Silviyana strives for a friendly atmosphere, opening our arms to brides to hear about their needs and work with them one-on-one regarding their budget. We help build a wedding day that is close to perfect and within a reachable budget. We love building relationships. We have close relationships with all of our indie bridal designers, and work with them closely to help create the dress of your dreams.

As a bridal owner, there are a couple of things that I wish I can relay to all newly engaged brides. This is my first ever blog post, so bare with me, but I do really think this is crucial for all brides to hear: 

Your bridal wedding dress fitting experience is a once in a life time opportunity.

Don’t settle for just a dress that you found online, do not buy it (just because it is cheap). You need to be able to try on the dress and get perspective from bridal consultants as well as family and friends on your dream dress. It will surprise you how many times I have witnessed a bride try on a dress that she wasn’t expecting to like and *kaboom*, she falls in love with it. You never know. Keep an open-mind and enjoy every minute of the dress shopping experience. It is once in a lifetime, after all.

It is okay to say no to the dress

Your first dress may not always be the ‘the dress’, but so as your 23rd dress. Bridal dress shopping is lengthy and tasking, but well-worth the patience, many visits to bridal stores or looking online for inspiration.

Pro Tip: Do you have a friend or family member that you trust? Bring him/her to all your dress fittings or take photos of you and the dress to send to him/her. This will ensure that you have a consistent person that you can get feedback from on whether the dress is for you. As a bridal owner, I really do not understand why some stores don’t allow brides to take photos. The photos serve as precious memories to look back to, and is a record of how beautiful the bride is on your store dress collections.

Sometimes, it is not just about the sale

As a bridal owner, I am always torn by this. Of course, my business is important and I want it to be profitable. But I must admit, I am in this business to serve the interest of the bride. And if you would like to take your time or be lured by another bridal shop, I will be happy to let you go, if the dresses we have in the store is not the right one for you.

So, as a bride, please do not think that all bridal store owners want is to make a sale. We ask questions to understand your taste and desires, so that we may be able to serve you better.

Your peace of mind and happiness is all that matters

There was a beautiful bride that came in but her views on the perfect dress was not aligned with her bridal party’s perspective – and that is okay. One thing is for certain that on your wedding day, someone will have something negative to say, but this is not representative of your special day or you. The negativity is from that specific person, perfect comes in many different forms. What may be perfect in your eyes is very different to the next Samantha-down-the-street. Your wedding day represents you and your partner, so go all out and express yourself and your individuality. The main point is that 20 years down the road, when you are looking through your wedding photos with your still handsome beau, you can look and admire the day as you wanted it to be.