Vendor Spotlight- First Look Hair and Makeup Artistry

I first met Amy and Laura when they approached us about teaming up for a styled shoot back in January, and from the start it was easy to see that their connection goes beyond just finishing each other’s sentences. During the planning for a styled shoot it usually takes quite a bit of time for all the vendors to decide which dress best suits the style they’re going for, and when multiple people are involved in the planning it can be hard for everyone to be on the same page, but that wasn’t the case with these ladies. As we discussed dress options and sorted out the details for the shoot, they seemed to know exactly what the other was thinking, and easily put together a complete look --and the shoot turned out amazing (you can take a look at the photos from the shoot here: http://www.firstlookartistry.com/blog/bridal-shoot-at-veritas-winery). I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to work with them, and I was amazed at how in tune with one another they were.

That’s why the first thing I wanted to know when we got together for this interview was how they found each other. It turns out Amy and Laura were both raised here in Charlottesville and have been inseparable since they met during high school-- they’ve been best friends for about ten years! It’s not everyday you meet a pair of long time best friends who are also amazing business partners. Though they always seem to be on the same wavelength, Amy and Laura insist they’re quite different personality wise, and they believe that’s the key to their friendship--they balance each other out perfectly.  

When I asked how their business came about Amy said she was always in love with cosmetology and fashion, and so she knew her career would revolve around that. When the opportunity presented itself she jumped at the chance to study at the Aveda Institute of Atlanta, and after doing some work in the industry realized how much she absolutely loved styling. Laura, though she always loved makeup and beauty trends, didn’t realize how passionate she was about it until a bit later. Eventually the two of them decided to team up and start a business on their own, and First Look was born.

It's no surprise that business has really taken off for Amy and Laura, and while they say it can be overwhelming at times, they are too busy having fun to let it get them. They love working with brides to create their ideal wedding day look, and they’ve developed a friendship with many of their clients. I asked what they love most about what they do, and they said nothing beats that moment when when they’re done doing hair and makeup for the bride and her bridesmaids and they realize how beautiful and happy everyone looks. They feel like they’ve done their job when the girls look in the mirror and feel really good about themselves, and they believe every bride should have that feeling on her wedding day.

Learn more about how awesome Amy and Laura are by checking out their site- http://www.firstlookartistry.com/.

Tell Me Your Love Story--Kandie and John

It’s not everyday that a trip to the grocery store leads to a life-changing event. But one particular grocery trip changed everything for Kandie Stanton.  While perusing the store, she heard a voice call her name, as she turned around she was surprised to see a classmate from high school that she had not seen in over seven years.  They chatted for a while, stood in the checkout line together, finished their conversation and she went on her way.  But he wasn’t going to let her go that easy.  He asked the cashier if he should get her number - an obvious yes, a quick jog to the parking lot, a phone number later, and the rest is history.  

John and Kandie started dating shortly after their reconnection and about a year later she found herself realizing that he was going to be the man she would one day marry.  She loved how much alike they were.  Their minds and personalities blended perfectly and she knew it was meant to be. Just like their first interaction in the grocery store a year and a half earlier, the proposal caught her off guard.  They share birthdays a day apart from each other and to celebrate her birthday they planned to spend the evening relaxing and having dinner at a local restaurant.  After they finished their meals she got up to go to the restroom and came back to find the waitress awkwardly standing by their table.  She sat back down and John asked if she wanted anything for dessert.  She refused at first but he strongly insisted they have dessert.  A few minutes later the waitress brought the dessert to their table and Kandie eyed it with some confusion.  There was something in their dessert...and it looked like a piece of jewelry.  She insisted it must have been meant for someone else and tried to send it back.  Then she looked up to see him down on one knee, proposing.  They began planning a spring wedding which led to her “by chance” visit to our store.

While walking the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville, Kandie noticed a dress in our window that caught her eye.   Though she loved it when she first tried it, she didn’t say yes just yet.  She tried it two more times before deciding it was the one.  She opted to add an additional foot of length to the train, and what a great decision that was!  When the dress arrived and Kandie put on her actual dress for the first time we were all in awe.  At her final fitting with her parents everyone was all smiles, it was perfect.  

Kandie was always so calm and collected at each of her appointments - often a rarity when you’re planning a wedding.  I asked her what advice she had for brides-to-be. She simply stated “take your time and enjoy the moment.  All that matters is that at the end of the day you’re married”.  Such a simple concept but so easy to forget while in the midst of planning a wedding.

Thank you again, Kandie, for sharing your love story with us!  We wish you and John many years of happiness!

Don't just stand there, get moving!

One of the best pieces of advice you will hear from us when shopping for your wedding gown is "Don't just stand there, bust a move!".

You may have heard that trying on wedding gowns can be monotonous -- get in the dress, stand on the pedestal, suck it in, stand up straight, shoulders back, take a few pictures, turn around and so on. We're here to tell you it doesn't have to be!

Follow these steps and pick that dress! Take a step down, walk around the shop like it's the aisle, sit down, stand up, and do the "Dougie"! Bust that move, feel the joy of finding the perfect dress.

The dress you choose for your big day will reflect your personality and the fun and freedom you want to have all day long. Now get out there with your shoes and accessories in hand and get moving.  Your gown awaits you!

Before You Buy A Wedding Gown Online, Read This!

Some time ago a bride--we’ll call her Laura-- walked into our store in a frenzy--the wedding gown she bought online six months before had arrived, and the moment she put the gown on she knew she hated it. She said the dress looked as advertised, but she didn’t like it now that she’d seen it in person--she didn’t think the gown was as flattering on her as it had been on the model in the picture. Laura had managed to get most of her money back from the company she’d bought the gown from, and now was in the market for a new dress. With only a few weeks left until her wedding day her choices were limited, but within the hour she found a gown that she loved. As I prepared the gown for her to take home, Laura said something that stuck with me--she was surprised that she found a great gown she could afford at a bridal boutique, as she had been told that most boutiques only carried expensive, high end gowns. If she had known that bridal stores carried gowns in her price range, she would have tried shopping there before purchasing her wedding gown online.

In the not so distant past, a bride like Laura would have started her search for a wedding gown at actual bridal shops and boutiques-it was the norm, and buying a gown online would have been considered unnecessarily risky and odd . Nowadays, however, the convenience and lower prices of online shopping have attracted more and more brides to turn to the internet to find their wedding gown. With a single search a bride can browse through hundreds of gown styles and designers without having to go through the trouble of spending weekends at bridal salons searching for the perfect dress. Online scams are always a risk, especially with bridal gowns, but today’s brides are wise to the ways of scammers and do all they can to avoid becoming a scam victim. The internet has changed the way brides shop, and it has changed the way brides view bridal shops and boutiques--they think boutiques like ours don’t have as much variety in styles, that our prices can’t compete with prices on the internet and that there are few benefits to actually shopping in store. This isn’t true! Below, I’ve listed a few reasons why brides should consider buying their gowns from bridal stores rather than online.

Bridal stores have more styles available than you would think.

Many brides are attracted to shopping for their wedding gown online because they think the number of styles available on the web far exceeds the variety you could find in a bridal store--guess again! Bridal stores know that brides have a number of different styles and tastes, and so their stock reflects a variety of different designers and cuts. They want both the off-beat bohemian bride and the bride who wants to look like Cinderella on her wedding day to be able to visit the store and find a number of styles that would be perfect for her big day--she just has to be willing to go in and look!

You can actually see and try on the gowns before purchasing one.

Finding the perfect wedding gown takes time, and it is difficult for a bride to do without actually seeing how the gown will look on her body. Going to a bridal boutique or store allows a bride to actually look at the details of the lace and beading on the gowns, and feel the softness of the fabrics. She can visit a store with close family and friends to try on a variety of styles and looks until she finds the perfect one. The process is both fun and exciting, and nothing beats that moment when a bride turns to see herself in the mirror and realizes that she’s found the gown. Brides who purchase their gowns online often miss out on this experience, and see the gown for the first time after they’ve paid for it and waited several months for it to arrive. If a bride decides she doesn’t like how the gown looks on her or if it doesn’t look as she envisioned it, a bride has less money and time to shop around for a new gown.

You have a trained bridal consultant helping you find the perfect dress.

Shopping for a wedding gown can be difficult--there are a number of styles, cuts and options to sift through and brides often have a difficult time finding ‘the dress’ on their own. A bride might enlist the help of family and friends when buying a wedding gown online, but bridal consultants are trained to help you find your dream dress. They’ve seen most of the gowns in the store on brides of all shapes and sizes, and can tell you exactly how you can expect the gown to look once it’s altered to your size. There might be a gown you didn’t even consider that they know you’ll love once you try it on, and they can answer all your questions about what alterations can and can’t be done to each gown. Having a bridal consultant there to help you find the gown is like having a fairy godmother making your wishes come true, and you’ll be very glad you had their help when choosing a gown!

Just because a bride can’t find a specific gown she loves at a local store doesn’t mean the only place she can buy it is online.

Brides often have a very particular gown or a vision of what they want their wedding gown to look like, and become disheartened when they cannot find the perfect gown in a local boutique or store. Once this happens they turn to the internet to find the gown of their dreams. Rather than purchase their gown online, however, they should use the internet as a tool. If a bride can find a picture of a gown she loves online, she can determine the designer of the gown and find the designer’s webpage, where she’ll typically find a list of retailers. Some of these retailers might be able to order the gown she's looking for and have it shipped to her. She could also print the picture and take it along with her to bridal boutiques in the area, to ask if they have similar designs. Another alternative would be talking to a local boutique about creating a custom gown, or ordering from a designer that offers custom changes to a gown that has some similarities to the dress she wants. These alternatives definitely require more thought and work than clicking that ‘add to cart’ button on some website, but they are worth it to ensure that a bride is really getting her dream dress.

Bridal store prices aren’t necessarily more expensive than prices you’ll find online.

One of the biggest reasons why brides today are shopping online is that it allows them to price shop--they want a great designer gown, but they often have a strict budget or just don’t want to pay thousands of dollars for a gown they’ll only wear once. Having a small budget is no reason to not actually visit a boutique! Most bridal shops know that not every bride has an unlimited budget, and so they carry designs at different price points. Most stores also have sample sales on discontinued styles and specials--sometimes gowns get marked down from $1,000 to $100! Bridal consignments shops and boutiques are also becoming increasingly popular, and are a great way for a bride to go if she’s planning a wedding on a budget.

If something is wrong with the gown when it arrives, the bridal store will help fix the problem.

While most of the time the gown arrives exactly as you wanted it to, things can happen. If there's a problem with a gown purchased online, you have to spend hours on the phone calling customer service, and it might be difficult to contact anyone who can help you return the dress and fix the problem. If this happens when you purchase your gown from a bridal boutique, however, you have people who are going to take care of the problem for you. Both the bridal consultants and the designers will be working around the clock to make sure you get your dream wedding in time for your big day.

Wedding gown designer Carolina Herrera once said, “a wedding dress is both an [sic] intimate and personal- it must reflect the personality and style of the bride.” For most brides, finding the perfect wedding gown isn’t like shopping for any other piece of clothing--brides want to choose a gown that not only accentuates their own beauty, but will also let their individual personality shine through. While buying a wedding gown online might seem faster and simpler, brides should remember that what they wear on their wedding day is going to be very special and remembered for years to come. Buying a gown from a bridal boutique is the best way to ensure that the gown you’re getting will look and feel exactly as you imagined. It is definitely worth the time to visit bridal boutiques, to take in the beauty of the gowns in person and make shopping for a wedding gown a memorable experience that you can share with your loved ones!