all modeling headpieces after a long Saturday
Working as a bridal consultant part-time or full-time is a great experience! It truly is one of the best jobs a girl could ask for. What girl would not want to work in a store full of wedding dresses!?
While working in a bridal store has all its perks and positive qualities, there are also some difficult situations that a consultant is faced with. Similarly to working at any retail store, a bridal consultant faces many positive and negative situations throughout her working experience. Here are some prime examples:
High: It’s a fun job!
To start off, being a bridal consultant is one of the best jobs out there! To be able to try on wedding dresses whenever I want, be in a happy atmosphere filled with love and excitement, and completing projects all revolving around weddings is a dream come true! Seriously, who wouldn’t want to do that for a living!
From the moment I became a bridal consultant, I was filled with joy, but my expectations have been greatly surpassed as the years have passed. The Darianna team is the most close-knit and supportive working environment that someone could ask to be a part of! Everyone is always there for each other and welcoming with any questions or concerns that both coworkers and customers have.
Low: Getting blamed for stuff that is not our fault
One of the not-so-fun parts of being a bridal consultant is getting blamed for things that are not our fault. For example, shipping dates and delays, not having every dress in every size and color, size changes, alteration mishaps, etc. Our store is big, but we do not have enough room to house every dress from every designer that we carry. Therefore, we have to place orders and rely on designer manufacturers to provide us with special order dresses. If they have factory and shipping delays, we have no way of fixing that. If the dress comes in and the bride has lost/gained weight, or if bride told the seamstress she was wearing flat shoes but then decided to wear 5″ heels instead and now the dress was hemmed too short, that wasn’t our decision.
As a bridal store, we do our best to order a variety of different sizes, colors, designers, and style dresses for our inventory. However, in some instances, when a bride comes in looking for a specific dress, we may not have all of the details aligning with her complexion and specific vision. We do try our best to accommodate brides by adding different color fabrics underneath dresses, and clipping dresses to fit, but some brides cannot visualize the full picture.
High: Working with a joyful and supportive group
A supportive group is everything! Moms, bridesmaids, friends, other family members; it is crucial for everyone to be on the same page and have a positive attitude. When they are, the whole experience is magical for the bride! It will be filled with laughter, smiles, and maybe even some happy tears. This is a day that brides only anticipate happening once in their lives, so they will remember it forever, and if you are one of the lucky people that she chooses to accompany her on this day, then your opinion and attitude means everything to her!
And the fun does not have to stop after the appointment either! Most of our brides who bride groups with them follow up their appointment with a celebratory lunch/dinner and cocktails! Nothing like celebrating this very special moment with their closest friends/family and a glass of champagne!
Low: When opinions sway the bride
On the contrary to having an amazing group, in some cases, a group (or even one person in the group) can ruin a whole experience for a bride. This normally occurs when the group is very opinionated and brutally judges every dress the bride puts on. This can then lead to the bride being scared to express what she truly likes and creates an overall negative vibe for the appointment.
Seeing this as a bridal consultant is very disappointing because what was supposed to be a happy and enjoyable experience turns into an awkward and sometimes hostile environment. We will watch the smile slowly get drained from a bride’s face when her family says that they do not like the dress that she loved in the dressing room. Like I said before, a bride brings people to get honest opinions; however, there is a difference between constructive criticism and being harsh.
High: Knowing the impact that we play on a bride’s life
As I touched on this before, a definite plus to being a bridal consultant is knowing and seeing the impact that we play on a bride’s life! Shopping for wedding dresses is an experience that most brides will only do once in their lives. It is something that will be memorable not only during the wedding planning, but will last forever. Every bride remembers the day they said “yes to their dress,” and being a part of that day brings joy to a bridal consultant’s face!
At our store, we encounter the bride’s appreciation and excitement constantly! Whether it’s through emails, phone calls, reviews, and sometimes even thank you cards. Receiving those positive messages is what makes us love our job!
Low: When circumstances prevent the bride from finding her dress
Every so often we have a rare situation when different circumstances prevent a bride from finding her perfect dress. These situations typically revolve around time restraints, dress availability, and budgets. When this happens, it can be heartbreaking for both the bride and consultant.
Although it may seem like in these tough situations we are the ones that are standing in the way of your dress, we truly DO want to be included in your wedding experience and help you find your perfect dress! Helping brides find their dresses is our job, and we want it to be a pleasant experience for everyone!
High: The Moment!
THE MOMENT is what every bride looks forward to! It is when the anticipation rises, and all the attention is on the bride. The bride is all done up with veils, headpieces, belts, flower bouquets, and anything else that she can think of in order to make this moment special! Pictures will be taken, happy tears will be shed, and the bride will begin to nod that this is her dress. The instant this decision is made and the bride says “YES”, the entire mood will enlighten and a feeling of relief will flood the bride!
From a consultant’s point of view, this is super exciting! All of our hard work throughout the appointment built up to this moment. The bride found exactly what she was looking for, and all spirits are high! Our work is done! The bride is one step closer to her big day, and now we wait until the dress comes in and we get pictures from their wedding day!
As you can see, a bridal consultant is an AWESOME job to have! Even with all the ups and downs that we may face, I would not trade this job for anything. The Darianna Family is truly an amazing team to work for, and I am so happy that I was able to spend the last couple years working with them!
Tori Scavillo is a successful bridal consultant at Darianna Bridal & Tuxedo. Her dedication to her co-workers and her brides defies her young age. She connects with everyone – from junior bridesmaids to Fathers of the Bride and everyone in between – with kindness and compassion while truly wanting to help. Tori has many 5-star reviews citing her friendliness, knowledge of bridal gowns, and patience being most appreciated in such an emotional and exciting time. Super-smart, grounded, and real, Tori is a very important and much-loved part of our family! Over her career as a bridal consultant, she has helped hundreds of brides find their perfect wedding dress. Meet Tori in her short introductory video here.