EXCITING NEWS!!!

Beginning with the Spring 2011 collections, Lorna’s Bridal will begin carrying Allure “Exclusives,” Venus “Angel and Tradition” and “Venus” as well as Bonny Bridal. Yes, that does mean we will be stocking some strapless dresses for our local customers.

Since its beginning nearly seven years ago, Lorna’s has ordered strapless gowns for brides who have that need. The difference now is that these gowns will be carried in stock – along with our modest gowns – for customers to try on and enjoy.

What will this mean for the "modest" customer? Not much except an even greater selection! We will continue to have the same large selection of modest dresses we now have. This is an expansion, not a replacement.

Can these new dresses be made modest? Interestingly enough, there are some girls who want to be modest on their wedding day but sometimes even prefer the look of a strapless dress they can make modest. Or they may like the look of a dress worn with a bolero. For example, here’s a quote from an email sent by a recent bride: “…while I like both dresses, I really prefer the strapless one. I love the sweetheart neckline…I can always find a bolero.” So, yes. many dresses can be ordered in a "modest version" for an up-charge, (Allure is good at this,) made modest with alterations or you can wear a bolero. One nice thing is that all the strapless or halter Venus dresses that do not come with a bolero, come with a matching shawl which would work well as extra fabric for alterations.

Will your level of service change? Lorna’s Bridal has been known as a great, stress-free, fun and pampering bridal experience. One bride told us, “My friends told me that there are other places you could go to order a dress, but there’s only one Lorna’s Bridal.” We pride ourselves in giving the best possible experience for this special time. This will not change. We will still work off appointments to allow individual attention. Walk-in customers will be seen as there is time available, but no one is more important than that bride that is there shopping for her special day. We are committed that we continue offering that experience.

Why make the change? A friend who owns a bridal shop in Utah that sells “modest” and strapless dresses put it this way, “You know the frustration people tell you about when they have gone into a shop and not found any dresses with sleeves to try on? Well, for your local brides, they have the same frustration if they come into your shop and can’t find a strapless dress they can try on.”

Hopefully, you will be as excited about the change as we are. We look forward to serving brides from near and far as Lorna’s Bridal enters its seventh year!

Serendipity

“Serendipity: a talent for making fortunate discoveries while searching for other things.”

Sometimes a bride knows exactly what she wants her wedding dress to look like. She may have perused sites on the Internet and picked out what she feels is “The Dress.” Other times, life steps in to surprise us and a magical connection is made between a woman and an unexpected choice for a wedding gown.

This has happened at Lorna’s several times recently.

Two brides came in together from Florida. Bride 1 was looking for the total “princess” dress. She wanted pick-ups, lots of beading and a long train. The dress needed to be as full and frou-frou as possible. After trying on several dresses and deciding on some possibilities, we suggested she try on a dress that was recently moved to our clearance section. Though it had a full skirt and lace-up back, otherwise it was pretty simple and classic. She was game to try it, though she was pretty sure it would be too plain. As she walked out of the dressing room and stepped on the pedestal in front of the three-way mirror, a transformation occurred! Tears welled up in her eyes and she said, “I don’t need to look any further. This is my dress!” We all expressed surprise that she was happy with a dress that was so understated, but there was no doubt that it was the perfect dress for her. Her figure looked amazing and she could see how beautiful she looked.

Bride 2 started her shopping next and they couldn’t have been more different! Her ideal dress was going to be a mermaid, little or no beading or ornamentation with a sleek – almost architectural - look. We found several good candidates and finally, she had her quest narrowed down to two dresses. Then it got really hard because she just couldn’t decide. Her mom had passed away when she was young so she didn’t have her to turn to for advice. She texted pictures to a couple of girl friends and walked around feeling stressed and indecisive. Finally, we decided to let her “cleanse the palate” so to speak, and try on something totally different and then retry her two favorites. Just for fun, she wanted to try her friend, Bride 1’s original “ideal dress.” As we were getting the dress on, I whispered to her, “wouldn’t it be funny if you pretended that you loved it and this was going to be your dress?”
Bride 2 walked out of the dressing room, stepped on the pedestal, looked in the mirror and began to cry. At first I smiled, thinking she was putting on a good show. Then I noticed that…those were real tears! The sleek, contemporary bride had fallen in love with a beautiful Bonny dress with a lacey bodice, beading, pick-ups and a darling feminine sash that tied in back in a bow! It was so hard for her to believe, she actually walked around in the dress for 45 minutes (and cryed through an entire box of tissues,) before she succumbed and admitted that it was, without a doubt, the perfect dress for her. When she recently came up from Florida to pick up her dress along with her maid of honor and future mother-in-law, the tears returned. For all who were present, it was obvious that she had made the right choice. In her heart, she wanted to be a traditional bride, after all.

Is it essential to cry to know that a dress is the right one for you? Not at all! This past Saturday we had another “bridal surprise.”

Bride 3 came in looking for a particular Allure modest gown. We didn’t have that exact dress in stock, but we had several that were similar. After trying on, Bride 3 had pretty much decided on a gorgeous gown that was very similar to the one she had come in for. Though it wasn’t her size and we would have to order, Allure had it in stock. We just needed to decide for sure which size to get. There was another Allure mermaid in the store that she had refused to try on earlier. I asked, “would you be willing to try that dress on just to see their fit in that size and, along with your measurements, we’ll know what we should order. She agreed, giggling about the dress, reminding me that she really DID NOT like it, but yes, she’d try it on just for size. As we pulled the dress to try, her sister weighed in. “Are you seriously trying THAT dress?” Again, Bride 3 stated that there was no way she wanted that dress. She was just trying on to judge the fit.

Can you guess what happened? No tears, but once she had it on, Bride 3 walked around in the dress glowing, giggling and admiring herself in the mirror. Her sister said, “I can’t believe how happy you look! You didn’t have that reaction to any of the other dresses.” Bride 3 replied, “I know! I just can’t stop smiling!” After 10 minutes in the dress, topped with the perfect veil, Bride 3 knew: it was the perfect dress for her!

So when shopping, whether for a wedding gown or just something to wear to a formal event, it’s good to leave your options open. You never know when serendipity will intervene to take you in a different – perfect for you – direction!