Bridal Service of the nation offers a wide variety of wedding planning services. From coordinating vendors to creating timelines, they work hard to make the process as stress-free and easy as possible for soon-to-be-weds.
On a active weekend day at the Bridal Mall in Hartford, Connecticut, brides-to-be and their friends and family members coo over tulle. The shop looks more like a petting park. The store also sells engraved requests, multitiered pastries and floral arrangements, tuxedo-rental clothes for bridesmaids and groomsmen in their choice of colors and tuxedo sizes, and other supplies necessary to organize weddings.
Although the company's owners have been able to fend off a few risks, such as those from online retailers, their biggest issue is a ring called David's Bridal, which has about two hundred stores nationwide and has been greeted by independent bridal retailers with all the passion that modest booksellers have shown toward Barnes & Noble or general stores toward Wal-mart. David's is the largest retailer of bridal and formal wear in the united states, and accounts for twenty per cent of all American bridal gown sales.
Numerous bridal shops are having a tough time putting up a fight with the bigger names, especially in terms of costs. According to a survey conducted by the national Retail website Federation, women spend an average of$ 650 on their dresses, an increase of 30 % over the past ten years. The average cost of a dress at a full-service department store was$ 350, while a dress at a discount store was$ 250, respectively.
Offering more services and better customer service, which is one of the most common ways to engage, can be difficult in a highly competitive industry. Numerous bridal shops now provide a complimentary consultation where the specialist discusses the couple's goals for the big day and takes a close look at her closet. Some marital shops have actually embraced technology by offering simulated fittings so that brides-to-be can see themselves in the gown before making their last purchase.
In the bridal industry, Pat Mahoney has over 20 years of experience. She is the author of" Wedding Information," four newspaper rows with advice for brides-to-be, a contributing editor for" One Perfect Day," a collection of wedding planning guides, and a speaker at American donation and tabletop trade shows. She has even taught hundreds of affiliates in the wedding industry wedding lessons.