Many brides who’ve shopped at Rina’s Bridal and Quinceañera Boutique would argue that the best part about getting married, besides the groom of course, is the wedding dress.
The dress ties everything together, but choosing the perfect one can be a lengthy process.
“I’m one of those people who never believed the process was that long,” newlywed Melaine Smith said. “I picked out all my prom dresses the first try … I didn’t think alterations would be the huge process.”
She was wrong. Smith married the man of her dreams in late April but started shopping for dresses around June of last year.
Say yes to the dress
The first time Smith visited Rina’s Boutique, she came alone and tried on a couple dresses. Just like her prom experiences, she thought she’d found “the one” right away.
About a week later, she came back with her entourage. Thinking she had grabbed the dress from before, she grabbed a different one by mistake but ended up falling in love with it.
“That day, immediately when I tried it on, I was like, this is it,” she said, adding that it even sparked tears from her mom.
The fitted, lacy dress features a long train and intricate back, which was one of Smith’s favorite parts, fit perfectly with her “rustic-bohemian” themed wedding, and her bridesmaids accompanied with rose gold and navy blue dresses.
Let’s Cut it Up
The industry standard for ordering wedding dresses is 4-5 months, boutique owner Rina Cerdeira said. So shopping early is crucial, especially when alterations or customizations are needed.
Luckily Smith had plenty of time because she accidentally ordered a size too small. When she started to freak out, Cerdeira assured her that it was an easy fix and that she wouldn’t have to make herself uncomfortable and try to lose weight just to fit it.
“We alter the dress to the person instead of the person trying to alter theirselves to the dress,” Cerdeira said.
Cerdeira and her alterations team cut the sides of the dress, added some fabric and re-did the back lace design.
“It was completely symmetric and hand-sewn,” Smith noted.
As an artist, coming from a background in graphic design, Cerdeira just switched to a different medium of art when she opened her boutique in 2010.
“Dresses are a mixed-media,” she said. “(Dresses) are all beautiful in their own way … you get to play with them and you get to do so much stuff and you get to be creative with them.”
The endless possibilities makes her job exciting. She has the opportunity to make the bride’s vision come to life.
Customizations and alterations make the dress even more special, Smith said. So even if someone buys the same dress as her, it will never be identical.
“I don’t like doing the same thing twice,” Cerdeira said.
For the love of weddings
To stay current on the trends, boutique owners have to go to bridal market two times a year — in fall and spring. This is when they pick their lines, meet the designers, ask questions and see how the dresses look on actual people, in real life.
Finding a gorgeous dress is not the problem, it’s about finding the one that fits the person best, Cerdeira and Smith agreed.
This is why it is important for Cerdeira to get to know the brides and figure out what kind of wedding they are planning, to help find the perfect dress.
“It’s actually fun to get to know people,” she said. “You get to meet new people every day and it feels like you’re part of someone’s event.”
Cerdeira credits her love of weddings to the fact she is still very much in love with her husband. So she is happy to help others experience a dream wedding with the partner of their dreams.
“You can really tell that she cares about every single dress and every single person that comes in and walks out,” Smith said.
Rewind
For Smith, the whole wedding-planning process went by way too fast and she wishes she could do it all over again — with the same man.
“I miss it so much; I literally take out my dress once a week still,” Smith said, adding that it was all just a fun experience.
If the bride isn’t totally in love with her dress then the experience won’t be as fun.
“Love your dress and love your man,” she said.Read more at:http://www.marieprom.co.uk/prom-dresses-2016-2017 | http://www.marieprom.co.uk
