Appointment Prep
- Inspiration.
Bringing along wedding dress inspiration to your appointment is very important. Some great ways to share your wedding inspiration are your personal Pinterest board, printing out photos or telling your consultant all about your favorite designer. If you’re not sure about what you’re looking for, sharing venue, decoration or theme ideas can help your consultant lead you in the right direction.
You can also utilize our wishlist feature of our website https://audrasbridalgallery.com/wishlist/ and send dresses for inspiration. Please be aware that we may not necessarily have each dress in our stock, but they are gowns we can order from our bridal gown brands. We always strive to carry a variety of different gowns in a variety of sizes.
- Proper undergarments.
While shapewear and the perfect bra aren’t totally necessary until your first fitting, feeling and looking your best will ultimately help you feel more confident to find the dress of your dreams. We suggest bringing along or wearing a supportive nude strapless or convertible bra, seamless nude underwear (such as boyshorts, thong, or high cut underwear), as well as any shapewear you’d like to wear under your dress. There are plenty of shapewear options out there, so keep this in mind before you arrive at your appointment. If you do not have shapewear, it is not necessary to bring.
- Hair & Makeup.
Not only are you going to want to sweep your hair out of your face so you can get a full view of the dresses you’ll be trying on, but pulling your hair up with a hair tie or clip will also help you envision your wedding day look if you choose to wear an updo and also help you envision your wedding day if you choose to wear an updo OR VEIL.
Light makeup or none at all is highly recommended when trying on gowns. It can be easily transferred to our sample gowns and we try our best to keep these in pristine condition. Also, any heavily scented lotions or self tanners are not advised as they can also easily transfer to our gowns.
- Appropriate shoes.
Make sure you bring along proper footwear to try on with your dress. Already bought your wedding shoes? Great! If not, bring along similar-looking shoes to the pair you’d like to wear on your wedding day (think heels vs. flats). We do also have a variety of shoes in stock for you to borrow during the appointment as well.
- Your squad.
Make sure you bring along a few close family members and friends to help you “Say Yes”. Keep in mind though that less is definitely more—too many opinions from eager family members and friends can ultimately make your decision tougher. Our largest room seats up to 8 comfortably. Our other appointment areas seat 4-6 guests comfortably.
If you plan on bringing any more than 5 guests (not including the bride) we do charge a larger party fee of $100 to book our bridal suite. If more than 8 guests are attending, we will charge a $150 reservation fee. This ensures you are in the bridal suite which is the largest area.
Children – children are allowed in the store, but must be supervised at all times. We are a specialty formalwear store and as with many bridal stores- Audra’s Bridal Gallery included- would recommend leaving the kids at home since this is a focused occasion. However, we understand that circumstances arise and that might not be an option. In that case, make sure to let us know children will be present for the appointment when relaying your guest list.
- A realistic budget.
Come with a relative idea of how much you’d like to spend on a dress. You should also include room in your budget for alterations, headpieces, a veil and any jewelry.
Our reorderable bridal gowns start at $900 and go up to $3500, so the average reorderable bridal gown in our store ranges from $1500-$1800.
We do have a wide selection of clearance bridal gowns that can no longer be reorderable and those are $500 and under.
So, you’ve set the date for your bridal appointment at Audras Bridal Gallery—the next step is deciding who your ultimate ‘say yes’ squad is! It can be such a tough and overwhelming decision—you might think you want everyone there, but that might not be the best choice.
Less is more. Remember, less is more. Too many opinions from too many people at your appointment can make for a stressful and overwhelming overall process. The goal is to be shedding tears of joy when picking out your wedding dress, not tears of stress!
Our largest room seats up to 8 comfortably. If you plan on bringing any more than 5 guests (not including the bride) we do charge a larger party fee of $100 to book our bridal suite.
Please note, you may bring up to 5 guests to your bridal appointment without the larger party fee. Give us a call if you would like more than 5 guests. Our bridal suite does book up quickly, so be sure not to wait to call.
Children – children are allowed in the store, but must be supervised at all times. We are a specialty formalwear store and as with many bridal stores- Audra’s Bridal Gallery included- would recommend leaving the kids at home since this is a focused occasion.
However, we understand that circumstances arise and that might not be an option. In that case, make sure to let us know children will be present for the appointment when relaying your guest list.
*We do include children in the guest count so please take this into consideration when counting your guests.
First and foremost, remember this is your daughter’s day though your ideal styles for her dress may differ from her style she still needs your approval! We find that moms tend to have the most influence on the bride’s decision to ‘say yes’ to the dress. So MOB this one is for you.
Listen.
We all know mother knows best, but take the time to listen to what she wants, what makes her feel good, and therefore makes her happy! That is what the experience is all about.
Suggest a family heirloom over wearing your wedding dress.
Wedding dresses have changed so much over the years that chances are she has no interest in wearing your gown. Perhaps offering a family item, i.e., veil, brooch, earrings, etc. may be more suitable offer.
You’re her rock.
She really needs you there for stability and support. It’s crucial to keep the atmosphere as calm and relaxing as possible. Wedding dress shopping is a very emotional experience and creates a lifetime memory and needs to be treated delicately.
Wait on the MOB dress.
Don’t start shopping for your MOB gown before she has her gown—she will love to be a part of your dress shopping experience too. Wait to shop until the bride-to-be is comfortable with her selection.
Don’t pre-shop without the bride.
Unless she asks you to, don’t start pre-shopping online or otherwise—do it together. Listen to what she wants first. Styles have changed significantly over the past several decades with the influence of Hollywood and the red carpet;there are more dresses and bridal dress designers than ever!
Trends have changed.
Just like you needed a dress with mutton sleeves in the 80’s, your daughter might also want a dress featuring the latest trend. So bare with the bling and pops of color because it’s not your dress!
Come with a budget in mind.
We are located in the heart of Downtown Rapid City. As this is an iconic location, parking can be limited, especially during our busy season and during tourist season.
We ask our guests to plan accordingly for parking and give themselves extra time to find parking. There are parking meters that charge from 8:00 to 6:00pm Monday through Saturday. There are also two hour parking available down the block from us on Kansas City Street.
Our bridal appointments last an hour, but if you feel you need more time, we would be happy to book a 2 hour time slot for $100 in advance. If this is something you would like to book, please call our store directly to get that reserved.
When you come in, you will be greeted and a sales consultant will then take you to your space if it is clean and ready for you. If you arrive early, not to worry, we will get you started browsing.
For any additional information, please visit our FAQs portion of our website: https://audrasbridalgallery.com/faqs/
Or please don’t hesitate to call us directly at 605-348-8816.