Victoria's Bridal Shoppe

Are you ready to hit the bridal salons? Well before you do, there are some things you'll want to keep in mind when shopping for that all-important wedding dress. And to help us with that is BBA member Nikki Zimmerman, stylist and consultant at Victoria's Bridal Shop in Williamsville, where it's all about the dress. Welcome Nikki. Thank you. Now I know that Victoria's Bridal Shop has been serving brides to be for over 80 years. That tells me you're doing something right. Yes, this year is our 80th year in business. We originally opened in 1937 on Clinton Street in Buffalo. Were there for about 48 years and then in 1985 moved here to our current location in the Georgetown Plaza where we have been offering the same comfortable, fun, loving experience for the past 80 years. Okay, let's get right into it. A bride to be just got engaged during the holidays and she's planning, say, a fall wedding. How far in advance should she start looking for that gown and then why should she plan on ordering it? So that's a great question and a question we probably get every single day. We always recommend nine to 12 months prior to your wedding to start looking for your dress. They do take about six to eight months to come in from each designer depending on your order time. But we don't want girls who don't have that time frame to be discouraged because we have awesome discounts from floor samples and you could take them with you that day and we also have access to online portals from each designer that can kind of give us a closer ship date on specific styles, sizes and colors as well. Now I know there are many bridal shops in the western New York area. How does a bride determine if a bridal shop is reputable? For reputability, of course, how long a shop has been in business, which we just mentioned, this is our 80th year, which is a long time. But on top of that, online reviews is a great way to tell for brides who have had experiences at certain shops and then trust your friends and family and coworkers for who they have gone to, who they had great experiences with, where they have gone and then of course which shop carries an array of designers that you're interested in. And that's an all-important thing because designer lines, what are some of the brand names you carry here at Victoria's? Yeah, so we travel twice a year actually to handpick each gown from each designer that we carry, which would include allure romance, the allure mix and match collection, which is separate tops and skirts that you can put together to kind of have more of a custom look. And the Sky Collection, which are exclusive to us at Victoria's in western New York. We carry Stella York, two private labels that are only found here at our shop, and we carry Sheik Niselja, who we picked up last season, really unique designs. And our newest collection is White One by Pranovius. And those are all for the brides to be. But I can't help but notice some gorgeous bridesmaid's dresses to everything for the bridal party. And we carry them here under one roof. We do. We have actually the largest selection of bridesmaid's dresses in western New York. So you're bound to find something for all your girls, whether you do one dress, different dresses, one color, different colors, we have all of that. We also have a wide range of bridal sashes and belts. We have necklines you can add to each dress as well as straps that can be added, veils, headpieces, jewelry, all of that. Okay, now we've all seen TLC's iconic bridal gown shopping show say yes to the dress, right? Is this a real gauge of what goes on during the search for that perfect bridal gown? What's, and if not, what's the experience Yes, everybody has seen or heard of say yes to the dress. Here at our shop we provide a one-on-one consultation with the bride prior to her appointment, where you sit down with your bride and consultant. We get an idea of what you're looking for, what you're interested in, what you And then we really get down to work. Your consultant pulls your dresses for you. We provide undergarments if needed for each bride, a bride robe that they can slip on. And then we dive right in. If you don't know what style you're looking for, we help you find that. Once you do, we narrow down what you're looking for, what's interesting for you in that style. And then we help you pick your dress so we can give each bride that say yes to the dress moment. And we're by appointment only, which is super important to us, so we can provide one-on-one experience with each bride, each consultant. So not only are they finding their dream dress here, but they're also getting an experience that's going to last a lifetime. What's that one best piece of advice that you want to give the brides to be as she begins her search for that perfect gown that she's always dreamed seeing herself in? One piece is tough to pick, but I would definitely say don't be scared to try other things. Don't be set into something before trying other things. Things look completely on the body than they do on a hanger, than they do on Pinterest, than they do on a magazine. Also don't be scared to say yes. Some people are scared that they shouldn't find their dress on their first visit, that they shouldn't buy their dress that they find at the first shop, but it's actually a blessing if you do. So don't be scared to say yes. And also bring whose opinions truly matter. Appointments can get very hectic with a lot of people, with a lot of different opinions, so bring the people whose opinions are going to support you and help you find your dream dress. And keep that group of opinion makers as small as possible. Absolutely, yeah. Those people that are just the need to know very important people to you, absolutely. Now if our bride wants to meet with you to check out some of the selections, what does she need to do? Definitely our website. You can schedule appointments online right through our website. Make it nice and easy. You can also find our contact information there. We also have our designers all listed online, bridal and bridesmaids, where you can see a small selection of what we carry. And then also our Instagram and Facebook. Instagram we're posting every day. Facebook we're posting every day. Instagram we post new arrivals when we get things. We post giveaways. We try to do a giveaway on our Instagram every month, once a month. So that'something great for brides to be and friends of brides to be interested in. We post our events on our Facebook page, pairings for dresses and bridesmaids, and tips for brides to be. Well thank you so much. Thank you for having me. So ladies, start the process early. Rely on your salon to make their recommendations because they're the experts. And as we advise with every purchase for your wedding day, triple check the contract, get the designer, style n Finally, trust your instincts. When you find the right dress, you're going to know it. And now you'ready to sign on the bottom line.