Confessions of An (Ex) Bridal Consultant

peekaboo2011

I don't really know what to tell you guys, but I'll answer any questions!  I'd been putting this off a while just in case work came looking for me, but, no chance of that happening, and I'm never going back.  So, ask away!

CCO2012

How many BSC NEY chicks came in?

lunarsongbird

How many people wear really inappropriate under garments?

peekaboo2011

CCO - Honestly, I think I only ever had one.  She wasn't wearing a ring, didn't speak any English (her friend talked for her), and when it came down to "Oh, I really love this dress", she "needed to talk to her boyfriend."  Yep.  I'm sure.

Lunar - A LOT of girls wore really inappropriate stuff.  Thongs all over the place.  You haven't lived until you've seen a size 30 woman wearing a thong.  I try not to be judgemental, I have a lot of friends who are plus-sized, but there are some things that cannot be unseen.  I always appreciated the girls who wore boyshorts or whatever - I even had a girl apologize once for wearing granny panties.  It usually went well with those girls.  Thong girls were bad news bears.

lunarsongbird

How can I get into the good graces of my bridal consultant on Saturday?

What type of behavior is uncalled for from a bridal consultant...that would warrant you wanting me to up and leave and take my posse with me?

peekaboo2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_confessions-of-ex-bridal-consultant?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:87b5edfe-4930-477d-a179-b9747c817300Post:e95f1739-a39d-42b3-ad65-4ddc5ea96c84">Re: Confessions of An (Ex) Bridal Consultant</a>:
[QUOTE]How can I get into the good graces of my bridal consultant on Saturday? What type of behavior is uncalled for from a bridal consultant...that would warrant you wanting me to up and leave and take my posse with me?
Posted by lunarsongbird[/QUOTE]

<div>Just be yourself.  Don't play around.  Be honest about your budget, and don't let your posse go crazy.  Saturdays are busy - and nothing sucks more than trying to keep a group under control and every girl pulls 10 dresses.  Start with what she tells you, and once you get through those, THEN let your group look again.  Don't be afraid to ask about alterations.  I loved working with girls who had no idea what they wanted until they were in dresses.  Keep an open mind - she does what she does for a reason.  She may pull a dress for you that she thinks is going to look stunning and work with your venue that you HATE.  Try it on anyways.  You'll be surprised.  Every. Time.</div><div>
</div><div>Also, no crying babies.  We love babies.  We hate when kids come in because they run wild and no one says anything and then we look like the bad guy to everyone else.  And crying babies kill the mood for everyone.</div><div>
</div><div>Try to form a bond with your consultant.  She is completely on your side about everything.  And most of the time, I tried to be brutally honest to my girls.  If they loved a dress and looked hideous, I'd keep my mouth shut.  But if they were on the fence, I'd tell them how I felt in the dressing room.  That's the important part.  It's all about your family and friends when you're out of the dressing room.  It's about how they feel and what they think about the dress.  When she gets you back in the room, that's when the two of you get to have an open, honest discussion about what you think.</div><div>
</div><div>Don't wear a thong :)</div>

becunning2

WHY IN THE WORLD DID YOU SEE THEIR UNDERWEAR?!

O.o

...sorry for the shouting...

I cannot imagine ever letting someone I don't know see me in my skivvies unless I'm in a hospital... and even then, I'd better be incapacitated.

EDIT:  So freaked out I had a typo affecting meaning!

lunarsongbird

I was thinking of wearing spanx....if I could only find them. Arg.

cu97tiger

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_confessions-of-ex-bridal-consultant?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:87b5edfe-4930-477d-a179-b9747c817300Post:e1a9c6da-875f-4ad2-8a74-198e8b53b576">Re: Confessions of An (Ex) Bridal Consultant</a>:
[QUOTE]I was thinking of wearing spanx....if I could only find them. Arg.
Posted by lunarsongbird[/QUOTE]

<div>Try Target. She (Sara Blakely) also has a new line called 'Assets' that is similar to Spanx.</div>

peekaboo2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_confessions-of-ex-bridal-consultant?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:87b5edfe-4930-477d-a179-b9747c817300Post:d6120d4f-3023-4e51-bc93-504fc8884487">Re: Confessions of An (Ex) Bridal Consultant</a>:
[QUOTE]WHY IN THE WORLD DID YOU SEE THEIR UNDERWEAR?! O.o ...sorry for the shouting... I cannot imagine ever letting someone I don't know see me in my skivvies unless I'm in a hospital... and even then, I'd better be incapacitated. EDIT:  So freaked out I had a typo affecting meaning! :)
Posted by becunning2[/QUOTE]

<div>We dressed our girls.  Because we got a ton of traffic, it was easier on the dresses for us to put you in to the dress instead of letting you do it yourself.  It gave us the ability to judge what would and wouldn't fit, and what we needed to do to give you a good idea of what the dress looks like in your size.</div>

elannis

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_confessions-of-ex-bridal-consultant?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:87b5edfe-4930-477d-a179-b9747c817300Post:d6120d4f-3023-4e51-bc93-504fc8884487">Re: Confessions of An (Ex) Bridal Consultant</a>:
[QUOTE]WHY IN THE WORLD DID YOU SEE THEIR UNDERWEAR?! O.o ...sorry for the shouting... I cannot imagine ever letting someone I don't know see me in my skivvies unless I'm in a hospital... and even then, I'd better be incapacitated. EDIT:  So freaked out I had a typo affecting meaning! :)
Posted by becunning2[/QUOTE]

Some of the dresses are really hard to get into by yourself. The help is greatly appreciated!! And you'll forget about them seeing you in your underwear after a while because you'll be having fun, lol.

ETA: You could probably wear bathing suit bottoms too if you're not liking the undies idea. They're about the same thing, but might add a level of comfort.

wink0erin

Did you see girls with champagne taste and a beer budget? How did you manage those kinds of situations?


Ever have someone come in at the last second? Like "My wedding is in 3 days"

elannis

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_confessions-of-ex-bridal-consultant?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:87b5edfe-4930-477d-a179-b9747c817300Post:d007f787-2b35-48e1-8386-db226ea05419">Re: Confessions of An (Ex) Bridal Consultant</a>:
[QUOTE]Did you see girls with champagne taste and a beer budget? How did you manage those kinds of situations? Ever have someone come in at the last second? Like "My wedding is in 3 days"
Posted by wink0erin[/QUOTE]

The lady that I got my dress from said she had a MOB come in on a Thursday and asked for a dress for the wedding on Saturday. I couldn't imagine that! It's not a wedding dress, but she still had other orders and everything.

becunning2

If I can't get into a dress by myself, I'm totally not going to buy it.  NO WAY!

It's okay, you can call me a prude now!

tuarceatha

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_confessions-of-ex-bridal-consultant?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:87b5edfe-4930-477d-a179-b9747c817300Post:d6120d4f-3023-4e51-bc93-504fc8884487">Re: Confessions of An (Ex) Bridal Consultant</a>:
[QUOTE]WHY IN THE WORLD DID YOU SEE THEIR UNDERWEAR?! O.o ...sorry for the shouting... I cannot imagine ever letting someone I don't know see me in my skivvies unless I'm in a hospital... and even then, I'd better be incapacitated. EDIT:  So freaked out I had a typo affecting meaning! :)
Posted by becunning2[/QUOTE]


haha I've worn a slip each time I've gone. The first time my little sister and mom went in and helped me with dresses and my little sister was like "What the heck <span style="font-style:italic;">is </span>that?" hahah I dunno but I feel less naked with it on. I think one dress consultant laughed at it. I couldn't be sure, but I'd rather that be laughed at than my underwear.
 
To each her own. :)

peekaboo2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_confessions-of-ex-bridal-consultant?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:87b5edfe-4930-477d-a179-b9747c817300Post:d007f787-2b35-48e1-8386-db226ea05419">Re: Confessions of An (Ex) Bridal Consultant</a>:
[QUOTE]Did you see girls with champagne taste and a beer budget? How did you manage those kinds of situations? Ever have someone come in at the last second? Like "My wedding is in 3 days"
Posted by wink0erin[/QUOTE]

<div>All the freaking time.  Usually, they were playing though.  When it came up and they weren't playing, what I usually did was try to find something comparable.  Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.  Sometimes, they'd stretch their budget a little bit.  It's what I loved so much about the Paloma Blanca and Mikaella dresses - you get a great quality dress for a great price.  So, girls were sometimes willing to spend a few hundred extra to get the better quality dress.</div><div>
</div><div>As far as the last second goes, I missed it, but apparently a girl came in at 12 that was getting married at 5pm.  She bought a short dress off the rack and left.</div>

elannis

The slip is a good idea too and if you aren't going for strapless, you could even do a full length slip to cover everything.

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_confessions-of-ex-bridal-consultant?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:87b5edfe-4930-477d-a179-b9747c817300Post:a263593a-f67b-4b3a-9d70-933f5a70db22">Re: Confessions of An (Ex) Bridal Consultant</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Confessions of An (Ex) Bridal Consultant : All the freaking time.  Usually, they were playing though.  When it came up and they weren't playing, what I usually did was try to find something comparable.  Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.  Sometimes, they'd stretch their budget a little bit.  It's what I loved so much about the Paloma Blanca and Mikaella dresses - you get a great quality dress for a great price.  So, girls were sometimes willing to spend a few hundred extra to get the better quality dress. As far as the last second goes, I missed it, but apparently <strong>a girl came in at 12 that was getting married at 5pm.  She bought a short dress off the rack and left</strong>.
Posted by peekaboo2011[/QUOTE]

Do these people get engaged and get married a month later or do they just procrastinate that much? I'd be going crazy if it was the day of the wedding and I still didn't have a dress.

becunning2

Threadjack:

I just realized that you'll be trying on dresses on SATURDAY, Lunar!  I will demands to see pictures when we meet up later in the day! I'm so excited!

lunarsongbird

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_confessions-of-ex-bridal-consultant?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:87b5edfe-4930-477d-a179-b9747c817300Post:f6638408-eea3-4ae8-ba0e-5c5340e57cb5">Re: Confessions of An (Ex) Bridal Consultant</a>:
[QUOTE]Threadjack: I just realized that you'll be trying on dresses on SATURDAY, Lunar!  I will demands to see pictures when we meet up later in the day! I'm so excited!
Posted by becunning2[/QUOTE]

LOL! I hope that we find some fun dresses. I'm totally nervous. I'm not a super awesome size for the dresses...but I think I'm a good shape. So maybe they'll equal out? ;)

becunning2

It doesn't matter your size or shape--what matters is finding something you love that'll knock Andrew off his feet. :P

[Deleted User]

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_confessions-of-ex-bridal-consultant?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:87b5edfe-4930-477d-a179-b9747c817300Post:d121ecc8-4053-4f1c-b973-96b4dd06593b">Re: Confessions of An (Ex) Bridal Consultant</a>:
[QUOTE]The slip is a good idea too and if you aren't going for strapless, you could even do a full length slip to cover everything. In Response to Re: Confessions of An (Ex) Bridal Consultant :<strong> Do these people get engaged and get married a month later or do they just procrastinate that much?</strong> I'd be going crazy if it was the day of the wedding and I still didn't have a dress.
Posted by elannis[/QUOTE]

true story:  a girl on my FB that I'm friends with (but not close friends by any means) announced on her FB last Friday that she was getting married:  that evening.  apparently they decided on Tuesday they wanted to just GET MARRIED on Friday.

so they did.  a real-life surprise wedding.

she ended up wearing a cream lace knee-length dress she already had, and he wore a suit.  I don't know that there was a bridal party or anything.  I'm not sure where the ceremony was.

also, they only dated for 3 months.  and I'm pretty sure they are both 21 or under.

she looked gorgeous and happy, and I honestly hope that things work out for them!  she's a beautiful, sweet girl.

elannis

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_confessions-of-ex-bridal-consultant?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:87b5edfe-4930-477d-a179-b9747c817300Post:488ebb74-1085-4d4e-9ab8-81abda784cac">Re: Confessions of An (Ex) Bridal Consultant</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Confessions of An (Ex) Bridal Consultant : true story:  a girl on my FB that I'm friends with (but not close friends by any means) announced on her FB last Friday that she was getting married:  that evening.  apparently they decided on Tuesday they wanted to just GET MARRIED on Friday. so they did.  a real-life surprise wedding. she ended up wearing a cream lace knee-length dress she already had, and he wore a suit.  I don't know that there was a bridal party or anything.  I'm not sure where the ceremony was. also, they only dated for 3 months.  and I'm pretty sure they are both 21 or under. she looked gorgeous and happy, and I honestly hope that things work out for them!  she's a beautiful, sweet girl.
Posted by CocoBellaF[/QUOTE]

Oh wow! I guess spontaneity can be a good thing, but a decision like that would make me think that they're doing it that quickly before they change their mind. Just my opinion though. Sometimes it does work out and it sounds romantic after 50 years of marriage.

Elle1036

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_confessions-of-ex-bridal-consultant?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:87b5edfe-4930-477d-a179-b9747c817300Post:83054c87-1284-4f6b-a297-dc369426b0e9">Re: Confessions of An (Ex) Bridal Consultant</a>:
[QUOTE]If I can't get into a dress by myself, I'm totally not going to buy it.  NO WAY! It's okay, you can call me a prude now!
Posted by becunning2[/QUOTE]

I felt the same way, Cunning.  I'm kind of shy and modest and I was nervous about bridal appointments.

But actually, only 1 of the 4 shops I went to actually put someone in the room with me.  It was much more common for them to let me go in by myself and pull the dress on, then come in to help clip it up.

dwest2201

If you are modest then you are probably not planning on doing a low or open back dress...I would suggest that you go and get a longline bra before you go dress shopping.  If you wear on of them and a pair of boyshort panties you will be pretty well covered.  Also the longline bra will help conceal any lumps etc. 

I am the opposite of modest, but I would never want to make someone else feel uncomfortable so I have always worn hip hugger undies and the longline bra when trying on dresses.

peekaboo2011

Definitely check out the Casablanca dresses.  Style 1992 is coming to mind...

The Mikaella dresses would be a good option as well.  They're the lower end of the Palomas, and they're more around the $1500 range, but they're gorgeous. 

jaycee7389

Peek, what about the first fitting? Mine is on Saturday (EEK!!) and I wanted to bring my mom, sister, FMIL, and FSIL. Is that too much or normal? My FM/SIL haven't seen me in the dress or pictures of me in it cause I didn't really take any..and they really want to be there.

peekaboo2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_confessions-of-ex-bridal-consultant?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:87b5edfe-4930-477d-a179-b9747c817300Post:cce88a72-d0bf-45d3-9619-d7fa2cb4f4a6">Re: Confessions of An (Ex) Bridal Consultant</a>:
[QUOTE]Peek, what about the first fitting? Mine is on Saturday (EEK!!) and I wanted to bring my mom, sister, FMIL, and FSIL. Is that too much or normal? My FM/SIL haven't seen me in the dress or pictures of me in it cause I didn't really take any..and they really want to be there.
Posted by jaycee7389[/QUOTE]

<div>For your fitting, you're fine.  If it were looking for dresses, you'd be borderline :)</div>