Bridesmaid Dress Shopping 101

One of the greatest parts of being a bridesmaid is the dress shopping!  Now as a bride, you may want to consider the following prior to jumping into this very exciting part of planning your big day.

1. Do your Research – Just like you did with your dress, before hitting the stores, look online at styles and designers you’re interested in.  Let this help to narrow where you will go to try on dresses.  A wedding consultant can also give you some recommendations of stores to look at.  Use them as a resource.

2. Call ahead – Call the stores you’re interested in to see if you need to make an appointment.  If they’re good, they will need one.  You’ll be happy to have one too.  This will allow you to get the attention of one designated sales rep who will help you pick out the perfect dress.  If there is a specific style you’re interested in, calling ahead will allow you to confirm that the store actually carries that particular dress.  Some stores may carry a specific designer but may not have all of the dresses in the collection.

3. Shop Early – Most bridesmaid dresses are made to order, which means the dresses aren’t actually made until you place the order.   Because of this, you need to allow ample time for the dresses to be produced.  I suggest placing your order at least 4 months prior to your wedding date since most dresses take about 12 weeks (some designers more, some less) to produce and deliver.  By shopping early, you avoid rush charges and allow enough time to get dresses altered if needed.

4. Shop with your most difficult to fit bridesmaid. - If she looks good in it, everyone will.

5. Get measured – by a professional.  Even better: at the store you’re purchasing the dress.  This person can help you decide the best size for you based on your measurements.  Working with someone at the store is really the best since they know the dresses and have seen them on different shapes and sizes and they understand the fit of the dress.  Remember that each designer is different so never assume your size or force yourself into a size because that’s what you typically wear.

6. Expect Alterations – Alterations are pretty standard when it comes to bridesmaid dresses since they are made to order, not necessarily custom made.

7. Have Fun! – make this a fun shopping event with your girlfriends. 

Here are my top 2 picks for Bridesmaid dresses in the San Jose Area

1. Bella Bridesmaid, Los Gatos – great variety of not your average bridesmaid dresses. They also have stores scattered throughout the US.  www.bellabridesmaid.com
2. Priscilla of Boston, Santana Row – If you get your bridal dress here, they offer a discount on your bridesmaid dresses.  www.priscillaofboston.com

What are your favorite picks?

Vendor Spotlight: Skyla Arts

As part of my ongoing blogs, I have decided to add a segment highlighting vendors I have met in my professional experience.  Today I'll be showing you a little bit into the world of hair and make up with Liz Chang of Skyla Arts based in Mountain View.

Name: Elizabeth Chang
Company: Skyla Arts, Harmony Skin Solutions
Price range: $500+

I cant remember exactly how I happened to stumble across Liz but the moment I met her at Starbucks for the first time, we just hit it off.  She has such a passion for what she does and you can really feel that when she discusses it with you.   Liz specializes in make up facials, and chemical peels and can also provide hair services and portrait photography.   So not only can she take care of your day of wedding beauty needs, she can prepare your skin to make it the best it's ever looked months before.

Liz at work putting lashes on a bride

Liz started doing makeup for theater and school events when she was still in elementary school and realized it was her gift.  After a very successful make up session for her sisters wedding and some encouragement from family, she knew it was what she really wanted to do with her life.  After finishing college, she bought her first kit and started assisting at a high-end salon in LA.  Her dream was becoming a reality.  About 2 years ago, Liz moved up to Mountain View and is continuing her business here in the Bay Area.  We are truly lucky to have her around.

Here are some excerpts from my interview with her last week so you can get to know Liz like I do:

What kind of events/weddings do you love to do?  

All kinds! My preferred makeup style is very clean and chic. My specialty to do the no-makeup-makeup look aims to add polish and sophistication by emphasizing a person’s best features. I love it when a bride or my client looks in the mirror and loves her look without feeling like it does not look like herself.

How do you keep up with current trends in the industry?

I work in the fashion/commercial side of the industry as well, so I always keep up with the fashion magazines and try my best to pay attention to the styles on celebrities, because most people will identify themselves with a style icon/celebrity, and knowing those references, for example: Taylor Swift curls, or Gossip Girl hair, is equally important.

What’s the first question you ask a potential client? 

In person I usually like to know what they like to do for fun during down time, kind of get a feel of their personality, taste, and what their comfort level is for their look, like how “dressed up” would they like to strive for, or maybe more bohemian.  The other thing I ask is whether or not they have any allergies or sensitivities.

What’s your favorite part about what you do?  

Making my clients feel and look beautiful!

What’s the biggest challenge about what you do?  

My client last night commented how it must be hard for me to do my job because there is no way I could know what the client has in mind, especially if they themselves don’t know what they want.  Other times, it’s hard when the client wants to look like a certain celebrity, but the celebrity most likely invests a lot of time and money in skin care, and what you see is her beautiful skin, and not necessarily a special kind of makeup. I responded that yes, it is challenging, because I cannot read your mind; sometimes it’s a trial and error process, and the results are always rewarding! 

Another challenge is sometimes my clients come to me as one of the last vendors for their wedding, and most of their budgets were spent on the wedding venue, and expect to spend a fraction of the cost for my services. That is why it is important to hire an experienced wedding coordinator, who will help you navigate your budget and get the most bang for your buck, and educate you on how much to budget for your beauty vendors.

What’s been the most unusual request you’ve had from a client?

The event was unusual but the request itself was fairly normal: My client here in the Bay Area had found some random photos of makeup she liked on the internet after the consultation to show me a better idea of the “glow” she had in mind, and popped on the computer, was photos of my former co-worker and my mentor’s work from at the high-end salon in Los Angeles.  I had goose bumps!! What a coincidence…! She probably picked up that my style and my mentor’s was very similar (or else I would not be her assistant), and that even though there are tons of Asian makeup examples on the internet, she found the ones from my mentor in LA!?! What a small world. 

To find out more about Liz visit her website: http://www.skyla-arts.com/
or read her blog: http://skyla-arts.blogspot.com/

Wedding Consultant to Bride to be

Being in the wedding industry, when I tell people I'm planning my own wedding, they always respond with "you must know exactly what you want."  The funny thing is, I'm still trying to figure it out.

Being around bridal magazines, websites, blogs and brides, it's true, I've seen a lot of what works and what doesn't work, what's popular, what's not, and what's the next thing and what's so last season.
With so much seen, it's sometimes hard to narrow down what you want.  It's a bit of blessing and a curse, really.  So yes, I still try to plan as if I'm a normal bride.  I ask my friends what they did, and how they dealt with certain situations.  I do my research on wedding sites and blogs and I still ask a million questions of each of my vendors.  I'm still a normal bride trying to figure it all out as I go along.

As all brides do, I want this day to go smoothly.   As a wedding consultant I especially want this day to go smoothly.  It's almost more imperative that I line everything up ahead of time because I'm a wedding consultant and wont be able to make sure the centerpieces are perfect or the name cards are in alphabetical order.  Someone else is going to have to do it and I think that may be a bit of a challenge for me.  So how am I dealing?  Planning ahead!  Getting all the big stuff out of the way so I can focus on the  details.  Taking care of what I know I want so it's out of the way.  I've got a little over a year to plan it out to perfection and I know I can do it, as you would, with help from some fabulous friends.