The Search continues. After visiting 2 bridal shops, I think I had somewhat of a general idea of what I wanted and how experienced the designers are and what kind of a feel I would like. I think I’m quite a laid-back bride, so I didn’t actually do any research at all on how to shop for a gown before I went to the bridal shops. We have a wedding planner who had booked a few shops for us so I didn’t even have a look at the names before stepping into them. On hind sight, I think I should have done some homework so that it would have been more productive.
Silhouette The Atelier
I think I learnt the most about wedding dresses and what fit me the best at this studio. I am quite conscious about my little tummy so I didn’t want anything that had fish tail and I wanted a dress that could cover my tummy; the designer made me try on a few dresses which were not exactly what I thought I wanted – and I realised that I could pull off a few designs that I thought would look bad on me but actually made me look so good! She gave me a ton of advice of what kind of cut would suit my body shape and also told me that I have to find a dress with a small train, because my fiance is quite small-size in comparison to me so I had to tone it down to balance it out. In terms of price, I think it’s quite reasonable considering their experience – at $5500 to $6000 to rent a set of made-to-measure wedding dress and evening gown; the only problem I had with them was the long waiting time – I had to start making it immediately, and also the lack of evening gown choices/designs.
La Belle Couture
Of all the bridal studios that I’ve been to, I think this is one that I would highly recommend every one to avoid. I just didn’t have a good vibe from my very first step into the shop; some of it was my fault because it was the same weekend that they had an open house – but I did ask for a private session after the event. When I went there, it was after the event but a lot of people were still there. They wanted me to “like” their page just when I stepped in to get a goodie bag which I turned down; I don’t want to “like” something that I have not even seen – this made them visibly upset with me, which in turn pissed me off. I was then sat down with two advisors, who could barely speak English; I don’t want to have to think what is sequins and laces in chinese when planning my gown. They then showed me an ipad of all the dresses that they had, which was very limited in style and honestly not very pretty. I walked out without trying on a single dress because I was quite turned off by then.
I think one of the key takeaways from the bridal shop visits were that – you have to learn to say no. I was really turned off by La Belle Couture’s service; I don’t like being ‘bribed’ to “like” your facebook page when I don’t even know if your quality is good or not – and I am very glad I did not get bribed into it because I did not like what I saw. Also, to go to the bridal shops with an open mind – the designers have seen thousands of brides so you might think that something won’t work but it just might turn out differently.
Stay tuned for Part 3 – yes, I visited even more bridal studios!
The Good Life Bunny 
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