Vendor Spotlight | Bella Bridesmaids - Jacksonville, FL

We LOVE working with Bella Bridesmaids in Jacksonville Florida and we are so thrilled to have them as our vendor spotlight this week!

We interviewed the owner, Ashley English and she shared some amazing info and insight into what makes Bella Bridesmaids so special and why Brides are loving the unique treatment they get while shopping at this super chic boutique in the San Marco neighborhood!

Hi! Tell us about yourself and how you got started with Bella Bridesmaids!

I worked in the corporate world until I opened Bella Bridesmaids Jacksonville. We heard about Bella Bridesmaids from some friends, which brought the opportunity to us in early 2007. It was a year long process, but we finally opened in 2008. Upon making this decision, we weren't sure if Bella Bridesmaids was going to be a success, or failure, due to opening when our country was in a recession. We looked for a small space (we got a space that was 600 sq ft in San Marco) and hoped for the best! Almost immediately, I grew out of the space, and within 8 months of opening in my tiny store (the itsy bitsy 600 sq ft), I moved Bella Bridesmaids just one space over, (thank goodness for the easy move) to a space of 1200 sq ft. Talk about another scary move, but a larger space was needed, so again... I prayed for the best outcome. Then, fast forward a few more years, moved the store again (yes, this was my 3rd move, but just two spaces down, in the same shopping center...easy, peasy move!) and moved in May 2014 to where I'm at now, in 1600 sq ft!  

THIS IS THE FINAL MOVE...I PROMISE!! 

What is your favorite part about owning a Bridesmaid boutique?

Being a business owner is awesome! First, working with Brides and Bridesmaids to find dresses is always fun! And, even though I work A LOT (there is always something going on that needs immediate attention after hours!!), it's always worth it when girls are excited to share their pictures from their wedding day and thank us for helping them find the perfect dress(es)! That is always a happy time! 

What are the current trends and colors in the Bridesmaid world?

Brides are loving slate blues, merlot/wine and hunter green! Don't get me wrong, champagne and blush are still very hot, but many Brides, have been Bridesmaids in their best friends weddings, and wore champagne, or blush. Now, in 2016, Brides want to change it up a little and have some pop of color to their Bridesmaid dresses! One of my favorite colors is from Ceremony by Joanna August, color called Into the Mystic, which is a pretty slate blue! This color is so pretty and looks amazing with any color skin and hair!

What advice do you have for a Bride shopping for her Bridesmaids gown?

#1. Start shopping with trusted decision makers. We have found it less overwhelming when the Bride brings 1 to 2 key decision makers and not the whole Bridal party. Many times, especially our Saturday appointments, you will have only one fitting room, so less opinions makes sure the Bride see all the dresses she can handle.

#2. Many Brides with larger parties can schedule a "preview appointment" during the weekday, for 30 minutes, to come and see what dresses she likes before the appointment.

#3. Believe us -- there are a LOT of choices! Choosing your general color scheme and preferred dress length before visiting will ensure you leave your appointment feeling accomplished, not confused.

When should a Bride start shopping for Bridesmaid dresses?

First, we recommend the Bride have her wedding dress picked before she visits our store. The wedding dress can play a huge part with the Bridesmaids dresses for her wedding! As for timing and when the Bride should come in for a first appointment, we recommend 8 to 9 months before the wedding date. During the appointment, we talk to the bride about ordering and timing for when all of her Bridesmaids need to submit their order to us. We recommend all orders be submitted to us about 6 to 7 months before the wedding date. Depending on designer, the dresses can take 3 to 4 months to be made from when the order is placed. The designers dresses carried at Bella Bridesmaids are made to order, not custom made, so alterations are almost always needed. Ordering 6 to 7 months before the Brides wedding date will allow her Bridesmaids to have their dresses altered in a timely manner.  We want to avoid a Bridesmaid paying a rush fee on delivery and a rush fee on last minute alterations with a seamstress or tailor. One way to stress out a Bride, is when her Bridesmaids order at the last minute and the dresses end up arriving right before her wedding!! Ordering in a timely manner will help the Bride focus more on her wedding date and less on her Bridesmaids getting their dresses and alterations in time for her BIG wedding.

What do you recommend for a Bride with a lot of Bridesmaids? 

How should she style each girl but still get a cohesive look?

Lots of Bridesmaids in her wedding party? How fun and great that she has so many friends who adore her and want her day to be special! The wedding is the Brides day, so we want the day to be about her, but with her Bridesmaids celebrating her happiness! With that said, keep it simple! Gone is the Bride looking for each Bridesmaid, to be in a different color, as well as a different dress...and different designer! That was soooo three years ago! And, talk about an incredibly exhausting experience for the Bride while trying to style each of her Bridesmaids...whew! Brides now want her Bridesmaids to wear the same designer, fabric and color, with either various styles, or finding ONE style that flatters all of her bridesmaids. Yep, many brides are doing ONE style for her Bridesmaids now and they all LOVE IT! Dresses have come a long way and these dresses are not your normal Bridesmaid dresses!

What designers do you carry in your shop? Any favorites?

Well...I carry over 30 different designers in my store, with over 1300 dresses hanging on my racks (EEK!!), so I think it would be easier to just tell you my favorite designers!!

I love Hayley Paige's new styles! They offer different necklines, with gorgeous beads to show off the amazing talent of Hayley Paige!  

I also love Ceremony by Joanna August 

as well as Nouvelle Amsale 

 

which are more of an effortless look, but looks great on everyone! They have many colors and style options, so the Bride will definitely find something she loves!

  

Do you offer gowns for other members of the Bridal party, such as the Mother of the Bride/Groom and Flower Girls?

Bella Bridesmaids really only carries Bridesmaid dresses, but if you have a fashion forward Mama, she can definitely find a dress at Bella Bridesmaids! If a MOB/MOG is looking for something more conservative (i.e.,The Jacket Look), we don't have that, but we do have options with some sort of sleeve. We have many Brides who make an appointment for her Bridesmaid dresses, & they bring their mama, or soon to be mother-in-law, to the appointment for moral support, but end up finding a special dress for them too!

We also have flower girl dresses, which are so incredibly cute and fun! I carry 5 different flower girl designers and have about 30 dresses in the store.

What is the dress buying experience like from Bella Bridesmaids?

I like to think we offer the best dang service at Bella Bridesmaids Jacksonville! When a Bride comes in for her first appointment, the Bella Stylist gives the Bride our undivided attention and talks to her about her likes and dislikes. We pull some best selling dresses (based on what she is telling us!) and ask her to take about 5 minutes, 10 minutes at the most, to browse the showroom floor. We then ask the Bride, and her Bridal party, if she is ready to start trying on and move to our dressing room area. We then start our "Lightening Round!"... "What is a Lightening Round?" you ask? That's when we ask the Bride to pick one model, any ONE bridesmaid, to quickly try on the dresses. If she LOVES/LIKES, the dress, yay! We put the dress in our Love/Like pile! If she hates the dress (Boo!), we take the dress away so none of the other bridesmaids try on the dress she HATES! We've found after doing this for 8 years, the "Lightening Round" is less overwhelming to the Bride and really let's her decide on the dress, or dresses, that she absolutely LOVES! Then, once she decides on her top favorite dresses, we then ask the remaining Bridesmaids to join in the fun, grab the dress they were drooling over, and start trying them on!

What happens after the Bride has found the Dress or Dresses for her Bridesmaids?

After the Bride decides on THE dress, OR dresses, we then go over the order process, which is super easy! Not to bore the Bride who is reading this, but we will give the down low about ordering during her appointment. A Bridesmaid not able to be at the appointment with the Bride, but lives in Jacksonville? No problem...that Bridesmaid can email or call us for a fitting. Have a Bridesmaid who lives out of state? Again, no problem! Bella Bridesmaids is a franchise with over 50 stores in the good ole USA! They can schedule a complimentary fitting (scheduled during the week) with the closest Bella Bridesmaids. Then, the Bridesmaid will place her order with Bella Bridesmaids Jacksonville.

Give us a little info about the first appointment time:

The first appointment time is allotted for an hour and a half, which we found to be enough time for the Bride to make a decision. BUT, if the Bride needs longer, & if we don't have another appointment coming in after them, we can keep going with the appointment. If a second appointment is needed, we can schedule that time when she is at the store! We never want to rush a Bride and we want her to feel great about her decision.

And, to show that we LOVE working with Brides who buy their dress from 

The White Magnolia, we offer each member of the Bride's Bridal party, 10% off their bridesmaid dresses. And, if the bride finds a dress she loves for her rehearsal dinner, or any of her showers, she too will receive the discount.

What is your personal favorite gown in the shop at the moment?

Oh goodness! That is a hard one! But, if I go by the dress that I have in my closet, that may help me narrow down all the ones I love! So, the FAV in my closet, is designer, Ceremony by Joanna August, the Elena Long gown. You can wear this with, or without a belt, and it looks great both ways! And, it doesn't just have to be the sash that goes with the dress, you can grab a gold belt out of your personal closet and dress it up! Put on some pretty sandals and you have a dress you can wear at any time of the year!

Contact Info:
Jacksonville@BellaBridesmaid.com
BellaBridesmaids.com
Instagram: @BellaBridesmaidsJax
Twitter: @bellabridesmaid
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