There are tons of blogs, articles, etc that offer advice on shopping for a gown. You can watch brides shopping on television to get all those “what not to do” tips like don’t take a bridesmaid-zilla with you, leave mom at home if she’s awful, and the list goes on. We thought we’d reach out to a real bridal specialists to get some real advice – not “made for tv” advice – to help brides who’ve not make their first trip into a bridal boutique yet.
Laura Cieglo of Lace Bridal Experience in Brandon, Mississippi has years of southern bridal style experience, and her boutique offers some different services. 
Her take on bridal shopping? Be prepared.
What are the most important things brides need to know before they start to search for their wedding gown?
Shopping for a bridal gown is a more custom experience than brides may be used to with normal retail shopping. We tell brides to come with some ideas about what you like, but be open to being introduced to fabrics, styles and cuts you may have never thought of before. The fit specialist’s job is to help you find the gown that you are going to look and feel amazing wearing. We like to tell brides to look at magazines, online and on Pinterest to get ideas, but not to be married to a particular dress before they get here. Brides need to look for details they like rather than particular dress styles. What fabrics do you like? What type of beading? What sleeve appeals to you? It is easier to work with their preferences than it is to make a particular dress work for them. Not every dress is going to look great on every height or figure, but if a bride knows she hates lace, loves pearl beading, or wants a lot of bling, we can start with those details and pull a number of gowns that will work for her.
Also, we encourage brides to be realistic about her budget. Magazines and Pinterest are full of $30,000 custom gowns with detailing that a bride isn’t going to find for $3,000. National magazines are full of gowns that are custom and couture, some of them straight from the runway. Not to mention that there are teams of people pinning and clamping gowns in place, hair and makeup artists, fans blowing and hours of Photoshop on every picture. Nobody is going to look like that in a bridal boutique, and all those special fabrics, lace and beading details are really expensive.
What are the trends in bridal you see coming in 2019 southern weddings, and what designers do you have that embrace those trends?
Capes are still on the horizon and you’ll see a lot of them at weddings in the coming year. There is a return to the A-line ballgown silhouette, and we are seeing lots of floral embroidery on gowns for brides, bridesmaids and mothers. Veils are really big again. Almost all of our brides are purchasing veils now. We’ve even sold some fascinators for brunches, and gloves, gloves of all lengths are being paired with simple gowns for a really elegant look. A few of our most fashion forward designers are Jaclyn Jordan, Desiree Spice, southern designer Laine Berry, and celebrity designer, Philippe Matthew.
Let’s talk about styling. There’s more to a bridal look than just the dress. Tell us about Lace’s styling services.
Our styling services are available to all of our brides. We will work with a bride’s wedding planner or directly with the DIY bride to help coordinate the wedding fashion to the style and design of the wedding. We make sure all the looks are coordinated together, the bride, bridesmaids, and mothers, and help her select styles that make sense for her venue and theme. We ask our brides lots of questions about her wedding in the pre-interview and ask her to bring us photos of her plans to make sure the gown she is choosing works with her complete wedding. We also offer styling to brides who may have purchased a gown elsewhere. She can bring her gown in, and our specialists will help her coordinate veils, belts, shoes, and accessories to complete her look.
You mentioned budget. I know you have great gowns in all price ranges. Tell me about Lace’s new, budget gown offerings.
Yes, we have expanded our service area with an online shopping experience we call The Closet at Lace Bridal. Brides can choose a ready to deliver gown in their size from our gown inventory. They can select from online or set either an online virtual, video shopping appointment, or they can set up a 30 minute, in-house, 4 gown maximum appointment on Wednesdays to choose from gowns that are samples and discontinued gowns in outstanding condition at 20%-50% discounted prices. As a matter of fact- you may find these gowns in shops listed at the current MSRP pricing. These gowns are part of our “Just For You” Inventory and are available for immediate delivery.
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Lace Bridal Experience carries beautiful gowns and special occasion wear for brides, the wedding party, and mothers as well as great special occasion looks for rehearsal dinners, engagement parties and showers. Lace Bridal designers embrace the beautiful southern bride with her curves and height, love of traditions, desire for vintage flair, and bohemian coastal influence. Wedding gowns at Lace can be designed in sizes 00-32 and range in price from $1,200 – $10,000 in store. Lace Fit Specialists spend time with brides ensuring an exceptional fit for your special day.
LACE BRIDAL EXPERIENCE
109 Grants Ferry Road, Brandon, MS 39047
(601) 665-4860
https://www.lacebridalcloset.com
Facebook: @lacebridal
Instagram: @Lace_Bridal
