Strut Bridal

FAQ: What's the Difference Between a Fit and Flare, Trumpet and Mermaid Wedding Dress?

We get this question a lot from brides who wonder which wedding dress style will look best on them. Recently Brides magazine answered this question with a great visual showing the difference between a fit and flare, trumpet, and mermaid wedding gown:

You can see that the difference between them is basically where it flares out from your body, either just past the hips, mid thigh, or around the knee. We tell our brides that mermaid wedding gowns place the most emphasis on the hips because they come back in at knee, so you'll be showing off the full curve of your hips in this style. Brides that want to de-emphasize their hips will want to chose one of the other silhouettes.

We also often say that mermaid wedding gowns are the sexiest style because they show off your shape the most. As the article noted, they do restrict movement. So if you're looking for comfort over style, you might want to chose a trumpet or fit and flare. 

Lately we've noticed an increase in requests for mermaid gowns, and we're thrilled that our Arizona brides are exploring these options. We'll be looking for more mermaid gowns at the upcoming bridal market next month!

FAQ: What Is that Ruffle Thing?!

Ladies, that ruffle thing you've seen on jackets, dresses, blouses and now wedding gowns and bridesmaids dresses is called a peplum. They originated in the 19th century. They've been in style on and off but we've seen a resurgence in them on formal wear since 2009. And now, they're invading bridal. Here's a photo of a Jennifer Salzman wedding dress with a peplum:

Peplums can be long or short (sometimes they just look like a flounce on the bottom of a shirt) and one layer or many. Here's a great blog post showing peplums on the runway. You might think, "Wow! I never knew there was a name for that!"

So, you might be asking, do these work for plus size wedding dresses? Well, it depends on several factors, including:

• The material used (is it stiff or soft? how does it react to the curve of your body?)
• How big the peplum is and where it falls
• Where the bride carries weight

Here are some examples of peplums on wedding gowns:

The peplum can either hide or accentuate tummies. In bridal they can be made of any fabric, including lace and organza. We can't wait to see if curvy brides embrace this trend. And we think we're getting in a bridesmaid dress with a peplum this fall!

So let us know... what do you think of the peplum?

Fun Wedding Myths Exposed!

Myth: You can't marry your cousin.

Reality: Ha! You're in luck if you live in one of 19 states (plus Washington D.C.) that allows first cousins to marry.

 

Myth: You need a blood test before tying the knot.

Reality:Don't fear the needle. Only in Mississippi these days. But the practice in the states started back in the 1930s, when rubella and STDs were considered public health threats.

 

Myth: Tossed rice makes birds explode.

Reality: It doesn't. But it is super slippery to walk on. And you often need to check your venue's rules before tossing, releasing or blowing anything.

 

Myth: All cruise ship captains can officiate a wedding at sea.

Reality: They actually have to be ministers, justices of the peace, or otherwise ordained AND the ceremony has to take place where the captain's credentials are recognized AND the couple has obtained the license. That sounds complicated. So, consider getting hitched at the JOP back home and havinga renewal on board.

 

Myth: You have up to a year to give the couple a wedding gift.

Reality: Emily Post says you should give a gift as close to the wedding as possible and no later than three months afterward. Also, be thoughtful: if the couple is traveling for their wedding, it'll be darn hard to bring back presents. So gift them something easily packed (cash, checks and gift cards work well) or have it sent directly to their home.

FAQ: Should I Buy My Wedding Dress Direct from China? (PHOTOS!)

This isn't an FAQ, exactly, as brides don't typically ask us this question, but we know that a lot of you are wondering... So we thought we'd try and help you out!

We know that there are wedding gowns sold online for one tenth of what you find in the stores, and it's definitely tempting to save that money. You're probably wondering, "why are they so expensive in the store and so cheap online!?" The answer is, the cheap online wedding gowns are fakes. So here's a little more info about those direct from China gowns:

• They are knockoffs (and technically illegal and may be confiscated in customs)
• The Chinese wedding dress makers are making gowns based on photos. The results are pretty sad (see photos below)
• It's not the same quality fabric, construction or embellishment.
• Sometimes the dresses don't arrive on time. Sometimes not at all. Be sure to read reviews of the website you're trying to buy from--but not on that website itself. Google "reviews lightinthebox.com" and you'll see some scary stuff.

Now, the fun part! We have a friend with a bridal store in Kewlona, Canada who paid $300 for a knock off of a bridal gown in her store. She sent us side by side comparisons of the two gowns. See if you can spot the knockoff wedding dress between these two:

 
I'll give you a hint: the better quality gown has more refined beading. And the wedding dress bought online has terrible pickups (gathers or bunches) on the skirt. Go ahead and peek again...

If you guessed the gown on the right is the real one, you'd be right. It can be hard to see without closeups, so here you have two pictures of the wedding gown bodice detail. See if you can figure out the fake and real wedding dresses:

 

 
Wow, yah. The top one isn't even close to looking like the real gown. It's laughably cheap and lacking most of the beading that the real gown has. Here are two close up shots of the beading on the skirt; which one do you think is the online knockoff wedding dress?

 
 
The bottom one is the fake, of course! Was that too easy? You can see that on the top wedding dress the embroidery is thicker, richer, and done on a backing (looks like tulle underneath). The knockoff wedding dress is embroidered directly onto the satin, which causes puckering.

Finally, here's a comparison of the corset backs in both:

 
 
Some brides tell us they don't want to spend a lot of money on their wedding dress because they only wear it once. But ladies, that one time is the biggest (and happiest!) days of your life. You may only wear it one time, but you'll look at the photos for the rest of your life. Please consider getting the best gown you can afford because, as you can see, there really is a difference in quality and construction, and the "real deal" will fit and flatter you better than any ol' Chinese knockoff wedding dress!

 

 

 

FAQ: Where Do You Buy Your Wedding Gowns?

While we wish we could design our own Strut line of fabulous plus size wedding dresses, we don't yet. So when brides visit our Phoenix bridal store they often look around at the racks of gowns and ask where we get our dresses. Answer: direct from the manufacturers!

Twice a year we travel to the bridal market, where we spend two days meeting with our current vendors, looking at the new gowns, and walking around to find new bridal lines we'd like to bring in the store.

At the end of March co-owner Ann traveled to Dallas to attend the market (co-owner Bob was home with a newborn). While every market is different, we snapped a couple of photos to give you an idea of what we do!

 
This photo was taken from the center area of the market center. You can see that it's like an indoor mall, with hundreds of vendors on each floor. Some are in permanent showrooms while others set up booths in temporary spaces. You could wander the maze-like hallways for weeks! There is everything from jewelry to furniture to shoes and bathroom fixtures in this building. Bridal gowns occupy space on the 13th and 14th floors.

 
Most of our manufacturers set up in a room much like the one above. They'll have all of their new wedding dresses on display. Some brands will have runway shows. Other companies have models who will put on any dress you request--we do this to check the fit of the gown. In the course of a couple of days we'll look at hundreds (yes, hundreds!) of gowns. In the end, we pick somewhere between 15-40 new gowns at market (and then often buy a few more between seasons to fill in).

Stay tuned for our trend report--we'll tell you what wedding gown styles will be hitting our store this fall for spring 2012!

FAQ: Do You Have a Layaway Plan?

We know that buying a bridal gown can be an expensive purchase, so Strut has a couple of payment options:

1. When you order a wedding gown, you only need to put down 50%. You can make payments on that 50%, but your dress won't be ordered until you've paid 50% of the cost. The balance is due when the dress comes in. Again, brides are welcome to make payments on the remaining balance; after the wedding dress comes in, it must be paid in full within 30 days.

2. If you purchase a bridal gown off the rack you can put down just 20% of the purchase price. The balance is due within 90 days. You can make payments over those three months, or make a lump sum payment, it's up to you!

We hope that our bridal store's payment plan options make buying a wedding dress easier for our Phoenix area brides!

An Update on Wedding Dress Order Times

Alright, you summer and fall brides, you always hear you should buy your wedding dress at least six months in advance, and we heartily agree. But just in case you're wondering how late you can wait to order your wedding gown, here's an update on wedding dress order times from some of our favorite wedding gowns brands.

A dress ordered this week would ship to us around (add a 2 week cushion for late orders--it DOES happen!):

• Eden bridals: April 26th
• Sincerity: May 21
• Justin Alexander: May 21 (note: if you love Justin Alexander 8465, the tea length wedding dress, the manufacturer can NOT do a rush order for this dress and get it to you sooner; they are keeping some very limited stock on hand, but it's not usually on anything over a size 12, and this gown runs about 3 sizes smaller than your "street size")
• Allure Bridals: April 26th

So if you have a spring or early summer wedding, don't panic. We still have lots of options. Allure and Eden will both still cut a custom wedding gown on a rush, which typically takes about 8 weeks and costs an extra $100.

Allure and Sincerity both do a great job of stocking plus size wedding dresses, so we may be able to get you a gown in stock and have it shipped right away.

Our third option is to find something in stock at here at Strut. Our store has just received over 20 new gowns (with more on the way), so you have a selection of over 120 wedding gowns to choose from in sizes 16-32.

Give us a call if you're concerned about getting a wedding dress in time for your special day. We can work miracles!

Some Tips for Choosing Your Wedding Officiant

I admit, choosing an officiant for your wedding is like choosing your DJ, photographer, florist, baker... It's TOUGH. There are so many great vendors in all of these categories, and, if you're like me, you don't really know how to choose the person that's just right for you and your beloved. What makes them different, other than price? How do you know if that person can help make your dream wedding come true?

Well, Reverend Mary Riley, a local officiant, sent out a helpful email newsletter with some key questions to ask a wedding officiant. We thought it was so great that you might want to know these, so, with her permission, we're posting them here!

Key questions to ask when selecting your wedding officiant/minister
	1. Is the officiant/minister available on your wedding day?   2. Can the officiant/minister travel to your chosen wedding site?   3. If you don't have a site/venue, can the officiant/minister suggest one?   4. What are the officiant/minister fees, what does it include, does the officiant/minister charge for a rehearsal, travel time or a Unity, Rose or Sand ceremony to be added to your ceremony?   5. How long has the officiant/minister been preforming weddings? Why does he/she do them?   6. Does the officiant have sample wording, readings or vows to show you?   7. Will the officiant/minister let you specify ceremony detail such as music, readings and vows? Can you include religious touches if desired?   8. Is the officiant/minister available for ceremony rehearsal?   9. Does the officiant make you comfortable? Does he or she seem genuinely interested in you as a couple?   10. Be sure you like and respect your officiant/minister and that the feeling is mutual.

These are helpful tips to keep in mind when you meet with possible wedding officiants. We also recommend evaluating them based on personality--for example, if you are a funny couple and want your guests to be entertained during the ceremony, then pick someone who is outgoing and can crack jokes. If you are looking for a more serious ceremony, then choose someone more solemn. We always recommend meeting with three possible officiants to see if you're compatible!

Thanks, again, to Reverend Mary Riley for sharing these helpful tips! She's available in the Phoenix area and travels all over Arizona to perform wedding ceremonies.

How Soon Should I Shop for My Wedding Dress? 3 Reasons to Buy EARLY!

Most bridal magazines say you should shop for your wedding dress 12 months before your wedding. And some brides will shop early, find a favorite dress, and decide to wait to buy it. Other brides shop just six months (or even fewer!) before their big day. But let me give you three good reasons why you should buy your wedding dress as soon as possible:

1. Wedding dresses sometimes come in the wrong color. Strut recently had a 10/2011 bride buy her wedding gown in August. It just arrived last week but Allure sent us the wrong color. Instead of being panicked about replacing her gown, we simply sent it back, knowing we have 11 months before her wedding, and plenty of time to get the right color in.
2. Wedding dresses sometimes ship late. We have a November bride who shopped in August. She paid a rush fee for her wedding dress, which was supposed to ship in late October. But it didn't come in from the factory on the original date. In fact, we didn't get it in the store until just two weeks before her wedding. We know that's nerve-wracking for brides (and believe me, we were calling every day to get that dress in faster!), but manufacturers don't promise ship dates and, frankly, don't have much control over when they'll get in gowns.
3. Wedding dresses sometimes come in damaged. Yep, as much as we don't want to admit it, they are sometimes shipped to us in, ahem, less than perfect condition. We've sent back a stock gown to have a large stain on the skirt cleaned. And we had a bride's dress come in with the ruching not fully tacked, so we had to send that back. You want your wedding dress to be perfect, and so do we, so we want enough time to be able to fix these kinds of things.

Finally, there's the human error option. Yep, we might right down the wrong size when we place your order. Or it might get entered incorrectly at the manufacturer. Or it might be placed wrong at the factory. There are so many points in the ordering process where a person can simply make a mistake. We want enough time to be able to fix that, without stressing out the bride.

Some manufacturers keep stock in wedding gowns. That means, if you buy a popular style, they might have it in their warehouse and be able to ship out the correct one right away. However, most brands do NOT stock plus size wedding dresses, which means that yours, if wrong, will have to be re-cut from scratch, which takes months.

It really can take up to six months to get in your gown, so please shop early--it's the only way we'll have time to fix a problem, should one arise!

Phoenix Area Wedding Dress Rentals

We frequently get phone calls asking if we rent wedding gowns, which is a popular choice in some areas of Los Angeles, for example. It's a great idea for some brides who want a couture wedding gown but may have a more limited budget. When you rent a wedding gown you can often wear a $4000 designer wedding gown for as little as $1400.

The reason that plus size wedding dresses make poor rentals is a little bit complicated, but here it goes... Think about a size 4 bride. She's fairly proportionate between her bust, waist and hips. There's little variation in body shape between size 4 women, compared to plus size brides. Now think of a size 20 woman. When you have more curves, you have more options for body types, like apples, pears, hour glasses and triangles.  So plus size brides can carry their weight in different places.

This variation in body types means that plus size brides are less likely to perfectly fit the size chart for their size. Which means plus size wedding gowns require more alterations. And usually when you rent a wedding dress, you can't do alterations for a better fit.

Having said that, if you're still in the market to rent your wedding dress, try calling IrisD bridal in Tempe, or SO Creative in Peoria. Both of these ladies rent wedding gowns. And if you hear of any others locally, please let me know!