Alterations: The Hidden Gap in the Bridal Industry

What do brides fail to understand and what impacts does it have on the industry?

The bridal industry is vast and contains several other sectors that all combined lead up to the big day — also known as the wedding day. The day is also more than likely to be referred to as the “thank god it’s finally over” day. But thankfully that sentiment is reserved only for people within the industry: so the florists, wedding planners, photographers, and the bridal dress consultants. Although the industry is both thrilling and exciting, it does come with a massive downside which is the emotional aspect. There is little to no room for error; and often the slightest change, delay, or inconvenience can result in an angry and upset bride. Bridal consultants similarly go through variations of these emotions when dealing with bridal alterations. Managing expectations and trying to match that with the actual possibilities and outcomes is simply every consultant’s worst nightmare. There is a gap in the industry and a misconception around what alterations means and exactly what is possible within that term, along with the scope of work. Bridal consultants, including seamstresses, need to use their prior experience and knowledge to convey limitations and specific standards when it comes to the bridal alterations. The Power of Speech

Words are powerful, and they are exactly what distinguishes an average sales consultant from an excellent one. There are many things a consultant must bear in mind when approaching a bride, client, or potential sale. They must understand the power their sales pitch and specific words have on a bride and their respectful guests, at the consultation. More importantly, they must always be truthful and understanding. The key is to neither underpromise or underdeliver. It might seem like a paradox, and as if it’s contradicting itself, but it’s an essential skill. A great sales consultant can easily deal with and approach brides from varying backgrounds, lifestyles, as well as different expectations and body types. A sensitive issue in the industry would definitely be the plus-size brides.

A Brides article regarding size inclusivity claims, “being able to find wedding dresses and other big-day looks in a full range of sizes should be the norm, not the exception” (McGill).

Brides conscious of their bodies or overall look in a dress often turn to their consultants for guidance. Exigence, or the call to action, is a strategy that can be applied here. Not only is this an issue that must be looked into, but there should be a wider range of sizes available to allow consultants to properly cater to plus-size brides. In this case, it is imperative to focus on easing the bride, while not conveying unrealistic expectations and possibilities.

Hayley Segar, a consultant who worked in the bridal industry for several years, talks about how, “Dress alterations can be a high-ticket additional expense and the majority of brides need a thorough workup of tailoring, which can be costly” (Segar).

Bride’s often forget just how expensive massive changes can be, and perhaps a reminder on this earlier on from the consultants can save a lot of unnecessary requests later in the process. Knowing that brides want their day to be magical, putting a price tag on a dress can get tricky. A good sales consultant, though, can allow a bride to leave the boutique confident and excited, instead of feeling overwhelmed and anxious for their big day. Taking Control

It is so easy to put a bride’s demands first, that it’s almost easier to fall in agreement with any crazy requests they bring forth. Understanding that it’s their day is only step one when it comes to handling the alterations. The only other and more important step would be to steadily manage all those expectations.

In a research article based on the long term relationship between a bridal consultant and their client, they highlight how, “By establishing familiarity with their clients and demonstrating their expertise, bridal workers can give orders to their customers and chastise them when they deviate from appropriate behavior without fear that the customer will not return” (Corrado).

Consultants often take on the role of an expert, friend, sister, or mentor. Brides are more than likely to listen and heed your advice, you just need to know how to convey your opinions in a harmless manner. Applying ethos, consultants can use the ethical appeal of having more experience, knowledge, and background in the field. Capitalizing on this trust can actually be beneficial when handling alterations — after all, you’re the expert in the room. When looking at pathos, which is an appeal to emotions, this would be the perfect strategy for every sales consultant to apply. The use of current trends, timeliness of styles, and importance of certain elements based on weather and location are all strategies that can be a complete game-changer during the fittings.

In a conversation with Woman and Home, Helen Bride — a bridal boutique owner — talks about how as brides, “You need to put your trust in the bridal shop and stylists. Go with an open mind as they may choose something for you that you would never have looked at — remember we’ve got lots of experience” (Cherrington-Cook).

Sharing your experience with previous brides, while shedding light on your knowledge on the field can provide brides and their guests with much-needed insight into the process. It all comes down to having a sense of control over the fittings and not letting emotions, demands, and preferences dictate the process. How Do You Manage The Expectations?

Wedding dress shopping is built on a girl’s bridal dreams and visions, all things that bridal consultants and wedding boutiques know to capitalize on. A majority of brides have a predetermined plan on just how she wants the dress to look or even how she wants to feel in the dress and on her wedding day. This can often cause resistance and impact decision-making on both ends. What brides sometimes fail to realize is that the alterations are done by humans, so there should already be room for unexpected mishaps and mistakes. There is also a common theory that once an alteration has gone bad, it can’t be fixed. What alterations should be known as is a trial and error attempt to get the dress to fit perfectly — with any changes and fix-ups as required. Every designer, magazine, and bridal show now has an active and trending Instagram page. This results in unreal transformations within seconds, or insane before and after shots that showcase a quick and easy turnover. Truthfully though, it may take weeks, even months to completely rework a dress.

A research article dives deep into the psychology of super brides, and finds that there are, “the recently formed consumer identity of the ‘superbride’ to reveal two underpinning aspects of her personality: the rational ‘project manager’ existing alongside the emotional ‘childish fantasiser’” (Boden).

Sometimes, as a sales consultant, you will pull all the moves to close a sale, from “I will make you a beautiful veil,” to “Oh! Once it’s fit to your size, it will look perfect,” or “Don’t worry about the sleeves, we’ll fix it — not a problem!” After all, more sales do equal more commission, which can sometimes be the perfect incentive to overpromise. The reality is that this is the one industry that is beyond a sales pitch strategy, each bride deserves our full attention, emotion, and presence. It’s their day and in a way, they have earned it. Which in hindsight is also what makes this industry so difficult, despite the advertisement and hype around it.

The Takeaway

We could sit here and produce a hundred how-to’s along with thousands of do’s-and-don’ts lists, but truthfully, the reality is that this issue is here to stay. Kairos, the appeal to time, is always present within the bridal industry. Simply put, people will always get married, no matter the circumstances. Not just the consultants, but the entire bridal industry, has to work hard to keep up with trends, media, and growing demands. It’s a quick “adapt and attack” strategy. This means that no matter how hard we try, our knowledge will, in some sense of the word, always be lacking. It could be culturally, economically, financially, or even emotionally, we are not able to connect and understand every bride — there are just too many. So we do the next best thing, which is we try our best anyway and hope that all that knowledge, time, effort, and dedication will truly be worth it. Or in most cases, and from personal experience, simply appreciated.

Works Cited

Boden, Sharon. “‘Superbrides’: Wedding Consumer Culture and the Construction of Bridal Identity.” Sociological Research Online, vol. 6, no. 1, 2001, pp. 1–14., https://doi.org/10.5153/sro.570.

Cherrington-Cook, Jayne. “Wedding Dress Trends 2022-the Styles Brides-to-Be Should Look out For.” Woman and Home Magazine, Woman & Home, 15 May 2022, https://www.womanandhome.com/fashion/wedding-dress-trends-2022/.

CORRADO, MARISA. “Teaching Wedding Rules.” Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, vol. 31, no. 1, 2002, pp. 33–67., https://doi.org/10.1177/0891241602031001002.

McGill, Alison. “Beyond the ‘Norm’: 9 People Share What Size Inclusivity Means to Them.” Brides, Brides, 9 May 2022, https://www.brides.com/what-size-inclusivity-really-means-5223319.

Segar, Hayley. “I Worked at a Bridal Salon for 7 Years. Here Are 8 of the Biggest Mistakes I Saw Brides Make.” Insider, Insider, 10 May 2022, https://www.insider.com/things-not-to-do-when-shopping-for-wedding-expert-says-2022-5.