Trunk Show...Say What?

Ah, the trunk show. For all you brides-to-be out there, I felt it would be helpful to explain what a trunk show is.

Trunk shows can be held for gowns, accessories, lingerie - anything at all. How each bridal salon throws their event differs from boutique to boutique, but what a trunk show is remains pretty constant.

When a bridal boutique selects a designer to carry in their collection, usually the buyer or owner makes a selection of a certain number of gowns per designer. This "buy" takes place twice a year at Bridal Market. This means that, each bridal season, a good portion of each designer's collection is not represented in the boutique. A trunk show is essentially a period of time (usually a weekend) when the entire collection is at a boutique, with (or sometimes without) the designer present. The idea is that brides-to-be have the opportunity to see and try on styles that they have been hungrily eying online or in magazines that are not usually available in the boutique.

Usually, because of the limited time the dresses are available at the boutique, there is a promotion during the trunk show for ladies to select their gown (often this is 10% off, or customization fees waived, or both - it depends on the designer). Thus, and I am trying not to be blunt, but how else do I say it (and besides, we are nothing if not honest at Promise!) the idea is that a bride purchases her gown during the trunk show. However, keeping this in mind, you are our customer, and we are here to help you find your gown, not to freak you out! So when you attend Trunk Shows at our boutique (or anywhere else), don't forget - when a gown speaks to you (even if you are making changes in the design), follow your instinct. This goes for both good feelings and bad ones. It is muddling through and figuring out what you are feeling that is hard for most of us. This does not only apply to bridal gowns! I know, I am waxing Oprah on you, but it's true!

So, that said, we generally have at least one trunk show per bridal designer per year. Often, we have two - one with the designer or a representative present, and one "dress only" Trunk Show. That allows us to provide our customers with a chance to see both the Fall and Spring collections of each designer every year. Sometimes we skip a designer or season for whatever reason, though!

At a Promise Trunk Show, you can expect to focus your appointment on the designer that the Trunk Show is featuring. At the beginning of your appointment, your consultant will try to get a feel for what you are planning for your wedding, what you picture yourself wearing (or not wearing), and she will then guide you through the collection. We will do our best to help you find the gown that was made for you to walk down the aisle in, feeling good about it the whole way!

- Jessica

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