The Changing Times of the Bridal Industry...

Why Price Shouldn’t be The Only Deciding Factor When Choosing A Gown

By: Erin Bouchard

Owner of Once Upon A Time Weddings

For years, retailers and manufacturers thought that the wedding industry was recession proof. They thought, surely girls will continue to get married and we’ll be safe where doing what we do. While it may be true that the recession certainly hasn’t hit the wedding industry as badly as it has hit other industries, it is a mistake to think we haven’t been affected. You see long time bridal giants like Priscilla of Boston closing their doors and you know that it’s not smooth sailing for everyone in the bridal industry. Thankfully and graciously they will remain open until the end of the year to fulfill all orders. Some brides haven’t been as lucky. London has seen two of it’s bridal stores close, and Sarnia has seen two of it’s stores close as well. Some of these stores have left brides in a panic.

The other change in the wedding industry is that some department stores, see that the wedding industry is a huge industry and decide to jump on the bandwagon. So we suddenly have stores where you can buy a 40 pack of toilet paper and a wedding gown in the same visit. These stores are seriously lacking what today’s bride needs, which is attention to detail and excellent customer service so that she can have the wedding of her dreams. After all, it’s still her wedding day.

Customers who are looking to purchase a wedding gown, or bridesmaids attire should be wary of stores who sell gowns at a much lower price than other stores in the area. I’ve had brides into the store in the last couple of weeks who have had the store they purchased their attire from go out of business before they received their gowns. Many of them have said they decided to purchase from the store they did because they found the lowest price there. While price shopping for some purchases, like a new vehicle, is a good idea, customers need to be wary of doing so for such an important purchase as their dress. The recession has taught us Canadians to look for deals and to be cautious of how we spend our money. This is a good thing. We need to be aware of where we’re overspending and cut back on it. The problem is that when stores are in trouble, they often lower their prices. So if you can find a gown at a store for $150-250 less than other stores are selling the same gown, the truth is they are probably really hurting and are just trying to get some money into the door. This should be a red flag, not a good thing. It’s going to cost you more if that store goes out of business and you’ve put down a deposit there and then have to go and order your gown at full price from another store.

Customers believe that a store that is new isn’t going to be around for long. The truth of the matter is that stores that are closing are those that have been open for years. Do a little research and you’ll find that the stores that are closing are those that are continuing to sell like they did before the recession. They aren’t staying current with the changing industry. Girls today are still getting married and still purchasing wedding gowns, they just do so with a different mentality. They want excellent customer service before and after they buy their gown. They want unique, beautiful styles that will flatter them and wow their guests. And that’s why brides are turning to Once Upon A Time Weddings in Strathroy because they listen to their brides and they stay on top of current bridal trends. We travel all over to find the most fashion forward gowns, so that you don’t have to travel far. Shop with confidence at Once Upon a Time Weddings at 6 Front St. W in downtown Strathroy. For more information check out Once Upon A Time Weddings at

www.onceuponatimeweddings.ca or call the store at 519-245-7997.