More Than Just the Price

So many times when I answer calls about gowns for weddings, proms or any special occasion, the only concern is price.  With so much information on the internet, store owners feel they are often in a pricing battle and become a try-on store for many to return home to shop online. There are plenty of articles about the horrors of shopping online and how it doesn't contribute to the local economy but that is not my focus today.  I want to show why gowns that look so similar can be priced so differently.

Gown on left from P.C. Mary's starts at $479.

Gown on right from Eureka starts at $285.

The important part comes in the description not in the price.  Let look at the differences.
     
        Mary's Style                                                                       Eureka Style

• Available in white, ivory and aqua                         * Available in mint, peach, red, coral,
• Available in sizes 2-30 (all even numbers)                 royal, turquoise, victorian lilac
• Measures 64" hollow to hem                                  * Available in sizes XS-3XL
• Includes lining, satin and chiffon layers                 * Measures 58" hollow to hem
• Fabric is noticeably heavier.                                   * Includes satin with chiffon overlay.

What does all this mean to the customer?  Let me explain.

Color Choices: 

         Sometimes designers who offer more color choices are more expensive.  This does not hold true for these two gowns or for prom in general.  Most prom designers will limit color choices to keep costs lower.  Bridesmaid gowns is where you need to be mindful of color and prices.  Those companies who offer better prices will generally offer less colors and vice versa.  I carry $79 bridesmaid gowns that are available in 16 colors.  On the other end my most expensive gowns averaging around $200 are available in over 130 color combination of lace, satin and chiffon.

Sizes Available:

      This difference is huge to the customer for many reasons.  The Mary's gown is cut in 15 different sizes from 2-30. The Eureka gown only has 7 sizes.  So lets say you measure 38 bust, 31 waist and 42 hip. This is a size 12 on the Mary's chart and should fit with minimal alterations depending on your heights.  These measurement fall between the M and L on the Eureka chart. The M is one inch too small and the L is 2 inches too big.  Ordering the Large could easily add an extra $100 in alteration charges to make the gown fit perfectly. Since Eureka has fewer sizes and bigger gaps in inches between the sizes, alterations are more likely and will cost more.  

      Also comparing the two size charts, the 3XL is close to a size 22 on the Mary's chart.  Therefore, no one over the size 22 would fit into the Eureka gown.  Mary's is the only option for these customers.

Hollow to Hem:

      The Hollow to Hem measurement is taken from the base of the neck (the little dip between the collarbone) to the bottom of the gown.  To give a reference, I am 5'6".  Today I am wearing a 3-inch heel and measure about a 58-inch hollow to hem.  I am about the exact height needed for the Eureka gown.  But I know there are lots of ladies that are taller than me, my daughter being one of them.  Many also like to wear heels making them close to or over 6 feet tall.  If this is you, the Eureka gown is too short.  This is another way designers cut cost to offer a less expensive gown. The Mary's gown has an extra 6 inches of material added on the bottom for taller ladies.

    But if you are not so tall, remember the price to hem a gown that is 1 inch too long or 10 inches too long is the same price!!

Layers:

     Now we are down to the nitty-gritty! Look and feel, something you have no way of knowing when you purchase online.  If you come into my store and feel the fabric of these two gowns and take the time to try them on, you will know the difference!!  The structure of the Mary's gown is far superior to the Eureka gown.  The fabric is silkier and shinier. The full lining will keep the sun from shining through the gown so you won't have to purchase a slip.

     The final test is in pressing the gown.  For the price point, Eureka does really well.  I probably spend about twice the time steaming a Eureka gown compared to a Mary's but at least the wrinkles come out.  If you try on a gown in a store and it is wrinkled, it will most likely stay that way.  The cheaper the fabric, the more wrinkles that do not come out when pressed or steamed.

Beading on Mary's gown

  All of these circumstances are why store owners are in the business!  We are here to help you find the right gown at the right price.  We know what will fit your budget and your body type.  If we don't have the exact gown you are looking for, we will find the next best option or borrow a gown for you to try on.  You won't find this kind of help when ordering online or in a big box store.

So if you are in central Indiana, I look forward to meeting you and helping you to find the gown of your dreams.

If you live somewhere else and cannot travel to Indiana, let me know where you are and I will find a trusted retailer to work with you.  I network with hundreds of other store owners in the US and abroad who are all as passionate about this business as I am!

Beading on Eureka gown

Universally Flattering Bridesmaid Dress Colors

Below is an article from Brides.com concerning Bridesmaid colors.  As with any article, I agree with some aspects but not all. See my recommendations under each color choice.

If you think saying yes to your wedding dress is difficult, try putting yourself in your bridesmaids' shoes. The style, length, and color of the average bridesmaids dress are typically non-negotiable, and bridesmaids must foot the bill for the dress themselves. However, by selecting a universally flattering dress shade for your bridesmaids, you may avoid tears and drama altogether. Here are seven expert-approved, becoming bridesmaid dress shades to please even the most difficult 'maid.

1. Mint
Though not a typical choice, mint is the color du jour in bridesmaid dresses and complements most skin tones, according to Lovely Bride's Cassandra Quinn. "Mint is really having a moment right now and is so flattering on so many complexions," explains Quinn. "We love this fresh color in a range of shades from light and subtle to its deep rich, almost jade, hue."

The problem with mint is the same as many other colors. What exactly is mint?  With several different designers making bridesmaid gowns, colors can be very different from one designer to the next.  So, I agree with the pale green working for most complexions, make sure you like the choice from your dress designer.

2. White
If you don't mind sharing your signature color with your bridesmaids, try selecting ivory or white wares for your bridesmaids. Quinn notes that the neutral shade is compatible with most skin tones.

Sorry, this one I completely disagree!!  Most brides don't select white anymore because it is so NOT compatible with most skin tones. Why would you want a whole wedding party of washed out ladies? Really give this some thought before going through with this color.

3. Navy
Forget any preconceived notions about navy as a preppy, nautical shade. Kathlin Argiro, founder and creative mind behind Kathlin Argiro New York, favors navy for bridesmaid frocks. "It is always chic and timeless to go for classics like navy which work on all skin tones and have the bonus of being the most wearable for other occasions," she clarifies.

Navy is truly great for most skin tones and compliments many other accent colors.  Usually can't go wrong with this choice.

4. Coral
If you venture into vibrant shades, David's Bridal Design Director Patricia Keenan suggests selecting a single color that your salon offers in a range of shades. One of Keenan's preferred colors is a classic coral that comes in a range of shades.

Coral is another color that really varies with designers.  Some will be closer to peach while others go much darker like salmon.  So, once again consult swatches for each designer.  This can also be a difficult color if you have a bridesmaid with red hair. 

5. Black
Though black is historically a shade associated with solemnity and mourning, the inky color is trending this year for bridal gowns and bridesmaid attire alike. Keenan states that if other color options seem trite or staid, "Of course there is always the epitome of elegance: black.

Black works for so many reasons. It is great for most skin colors, is ultra elegant, classic, and can usually be worn after the wedding. The only negative is the funeral idea.

6. Burgundy
When it comes to winter weddings, Agiro relies on rich, vivid hues like burgundy, whose depths enhance most skin tones. "Generally speaking, more saturated colors work best on a variety of skin tones," she elaborates.

Burgundy, red, claret and any other shade of red are usually one of the best sellers for any bridal store.  The vibrant colors look great on the bridesmaids as well as in decorations.  Again, consider anyone with red hair before deciding on a final color choice.

7. Emerald Green
Fashion-forward brides may wish to channel 2014's fairytale trend by selecting emerald green for bridesmaid dresses. Agiro cites the shade as another of her favorites, saying, "To keep the palette sophisticated I would opt for deeper shades of jewel tones."

Emerald green, like the red, is very bold.  It looks wonderful in pictures and brightens the atmosphere. And most redheads love green!

As always, everyone is different. Pleasing more than one bridesmaid can be a real challenge. And although it is the bride's day, she will want everyone to look beautiful for her special day.  So my best advice is to get to a store and try on some different colors. Pictures on Pinterest may be a great place to start, but what the bride has in mind may not work for those she is having in the wedding.

And as always, you can always email me at rushvillebridal@yahoo.com if you have specific questions.

Internet Issues

Sophia Tolli Gown

I was working so hard on a new blog today with some great information when---CRASH! My internet is disabled with very little of what I had prepared saved.  But I am trying to complete as many blogs as possible in this 30 day challenge. So with only a few days remaining, here is a quick attempt to give you some information on the upcoming spring season.

Sleeves and coverings are coming back.  See which of the following is your favorite.

Mary's Bridal

Mary's Bridal

Impression Bridal

Allure Bridal Gown

Maggie Sottero

Maggie Sottero

Sophia Tolli Gown

What do you expect from a blog?

During this October blogging challenge, I have spent some time looking at other blogs.  Some have been helpful while others were a little confusing. I just stumbled upon a blog from a 20 year old about wedding gowns. From her very short bio, I don't think she is married but just loves wedding gowns.  I also don't see any connection to the wedding gown industry but she did say she wants to be private. So after learning very little about the blogger, I look at her actual posts.  Each post is exactly one picture.  ONE PICTURE, nothing else.  No writing, explaining, sharing, nothing.  I am so puzzled.  Then I notice the notes for each posts.  They are incredible.  Some posts have up to 40 notes.  These notes range from praising comments to sharing the post to liking the post.  And then I am more puzzled!  How can a 20-something with no connection to the industry have such a popular blog?  But it hits me, she is connected.  I am sure she started with friends and relatives following her blog and has added many others.  She also states that anyone who follows her, she will automatically follow them. I have said for some time, if you want to master social media or the internet, hire a teenager!

So here is my picture for today.  Give me your thoughts.  What do you like or dislike?  What do you want to know about this gown?  Unlike the young blogger showing beautiful gowns, I have the industry information to answer the questions.

And I will start using her rule, I will follow everyone who follows me! Thanks to those who have already taken the plunge and looking for many more followers!

Bridal School

If you are a bride-to-be or just thinking you will be one soon, you have probably watched "Say Yes to the Dress."  Everyone has their favorite owner or consultant.  Everyone remembers that one bride who made them cry and the one that made them furious! But whatever side you are on, you can agree that you learned something.  So for a quick post, I have "stolen" some of their best material.  If you go to the TLC website, you will find several articles they put together as "Bridal School."

The web address is http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/weddings/bridal-school.htm#mckpgn=fbtlc16 .

TLC has put together an excellent collection of photography with different style of gowns, rings and beauty tips.  Then follow my blog posts for the next week showing how to create the look you want within the budget for your wedding.
                                                          
                                                                                                                  

Wedding Budget

This is a touchy subject.  No one really wants to be on a budget but most of us find it is a necessity.  Therefore, make sure you discuss issues with all those involved with paying any of the bills for the wedding.  If your parents are chipping in, find out how much and for what items.  Also true for the groom's parents.  Or if just the bride and groom are paying, discuss expectations for each item.  The worst scenario is for someone to be surprised with an unexpected amount on the final payment.

Here are some general guidelines on what you will spend on a typical wedding.  I use that term "typical" lightly, because I know they are all different and can vary greatly.  But this is a good starting point for discussions.

Reception                               38%    
Honeymoon                           14.3%
Rings                                     14.3%
Photography/Videography      9.5%
Miscellaneous                        8%
Bridal Apparel                       5.7%
Music                                    4.7%
Flowers                                 3.5%
Invitations                              2%
*Miscellaneous includes such items as rehearsal party, attendant gifts, limos


In the past, at a traditional wedding, the bride's parents paid for the majority of the items.  The groom's family only paid for the rehearsal dinner.  The groom himself was expected to pay for the marriage license, the bride's rings, the honeymoon, flowers for the bride, mothers and boutonnieres and the ceremony officiant's fee. 

Nowadays, things are much different.  Costs may be shared equally one-third each between both sets of parents and the couple.  The couple may pay for the entire wedding themselves.  Or the family may offer to pay for certain parts of the wedding such as the bride's gown or the reception dinner.

Once everyone has agreed on a dollar amounts, begin the planning. But keep the budget in mind.  The worst thing to do is to fall in love with an item that you cannot afford.  And to help with putting a budget in perspective use the above percentages for a $10,000 wedding.  I think in my area of Indiana many people would consider $10,000 very reasonable for a modest wedding.  But 3.5% for flowers is only $350.  I don't think this would pay for flowers for everyone in the wedding party and definitely not any extras for table decorations at the reception.  The 5.7% for the bridal attire is $570.  This could possibly cover the bride's gown but not many accessory items or the groom's attire. 

Going the opposite direction, if you plan to spend $2000 on the wedding gown, your overall budget should be in the $35,000 range.  Also consider if you have a large family with a large guest lists, the percent for the reception may need to be bigger.  Then the percentages for the other items may need to shrink to keep within the budget.

It is so much to think about but so fun to do!!  Happy Planning!!

July 10th Gown of the Week

The feature gown for this week has been around for quite some time for the bridal industry.  Most designers will create new designs twice per year.  Collections will vary by designers but usually new collections will include 12-20 new gowns.  In order to make room for the new gowns, some older styles will need to be discontinued.  Many gowns will have a two to three year run in the collection.  If the gown is a very poor seller, it may be discontinued within the first year while the best sellers may be available for five or more years.

Our gown for today is from the very first Davinci Bridal collection in the spring of 2004!!  This gown has been in production for almost 10 years which is very rare for the bridal business.  And it is still one of the most popular styles to be tried on at my store.  I have other gowns that have been available for several years but are very rarely tried on.

This gown features an off the shoulder neckline with a heavily beaded bodice with scalloped lace edges.  Attached at the basque waist is a multi-layered tulle skirt.  The full tulle skirt has lace appliques, pearls and sequins.  The hem line has the matching scalloped lace edges.  This design is continued onto the full cathedral length train.
 
I believe this spectacular gown is still popular for many of its features.  First it is hard to find off the shoulder gowns.  Although some brides and designers consider this a hard fit, it is still very popular.  Second, is the full tulle skirt.  Many brides who want to princess or Cinderella look, fall in love with this gown.  There are many designers who make full ballgowns but many do not use the tulle skirt.  Third, is the price.  If you compare this gown to other designers with this much beading and number of layers of the skirt, the price will easily be in the $1000 range.  But Davinci has always been conscious about making beautiful gowns at reasonable prices.  This gown starts at $670!! As always the price can vary depending upon things like the size ordered, shipping costs and delivery options.

So if this looks like the gown of your dreams, I highly recommend coming in to try it on.
If this is not the style you are looking for, check out the Davinci website with all their available gowns at www.davincibridal.com .

Beginning of the end

2011... Has it been a good year for you? It has been a fairly good year for Rushville Bridal Boutique. There have been some ups and downs but feel confident that things are moving in the right direction for 2012.
So as I am looking forward to the beginning of a new wedding season this spring, I thought I would take this chance to review some of the best selling gowns from 2011. As most of you are aware, bridal designers will bring out new designs each season but carry over the most popular styles. These gowns are the ones that a large number of brides selected for their special day.
I will start with my best selling designer, Mary's Bridal. This company names each of their designer collections aptly telling what types of gowns this company produces. Which one will suit your wedding style: The Fairy Tale Princess Collection, Unspoken Romance Collection, Couture d'Amour Collection, Moda Bella Collection, Informal Princess Collection or the Beloving Collection. Each collection is designed with a different type of bride in mind.
The first favorite with many brides is from the Fairy Tale Princess Collection. This collection mostly features large skirts, trains and embellishments. Our style 8001 is a taffeta ballgown with metallic embroidery on the pleated wrap bodice. Also pictured from the Fairy Tale Collection is style 5217, an organza dropped waist gown with pearl, beads and sequins.
The third gown is from the Moda Bella Collection. These gowns feature some of the same details as the other collections, just in a smaller amount. This reductions in embellishments will also reduce the price of the gown which many brides like. This gown is a satin a-line gown with lace appliques on a split front ballgown. This is one of the gowns in our collection of plus size gowns in our store.
The final picture is actually from Mary's prom collection. This gown became so popular in white it has now been added to the Informal Beloving Collection. The Informal Collection has the same detail to styling as the bridal gowns but without the long train. Many brides planning outdoor weddings prefer to not have a long train and this also reduces the price. This is one of my favorite informal gowns. The silky satin is so soft and the rhinestone encrusted bodice is brilliant!
This is just a very small viewing of the gowns we have in stock from Mary's. And of course we can only carry a small number of the vast amount of gowns that Mary's designs each season. If you want to see more of our gowns, please visit our facebook page at, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rushville-Bridal-Boutique/110670907723 . To see all the Mary's gowns for 2012 and previous seasons, visit their website at http://www.marysbridal.com/