Friends, bridal market is coming up NEXT WEEKEND and we are so excited to attend! We’ve been getting a lot of questions, like…”what is bridal market and why do you go?” We plan to document as much of market as we can on our Instagram stories throughout the weekend runway shows and festivities, so go follow us there! @adorebridals.
What is bridal market?
Bridal Market is a much anticipated, 3-day event that happens twice a year. Think of it like New York Fashion Week…but for all things weddings!
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Who is at bridal market?
Bridal market is an industry only event, meaning it is for bridal shop owners and bridal buyers to attend, and is not open to the public. We have to be verified buyers through their system and show proof at the door when we arrive. Wedding dress designers of all sizes are at bridal market; from couture gowns to big name designers to small, private designers. There are all types of wedding vendors at bridal market as well, it’s not just for bridal wear! We’ll see suits & tuxes, accessories galore and even vendors that provide services and items for bridal shops (think POS systems, gown bags, display window items, etc.) Bridal Market is attended by bridal shop owners around the country, so it’s a fun place to be when you’re surrounded by people who a job similar to yours!
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Where is bridal market?
We will attend National Bridal Market in Chicago, but markets are held in various cities throughout the year, including Chicago, Atlanta and New York.
National Bridal Market Chicago is held at theMart - which spans two entire city blocks! - and it’s bustling with models in wedding dresses, full racks of brand new bridal gowns and so much more!
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Why do bridal shop owners & buyers go to market?
You may think we go to this bridal fashion event to see pretty things, go to fun events and hang out with other bridal shop owners…and yes, we do a little of those things…but really market is oh so much more than that and A LOT of work! Bridal market is full of decisions, meetings, crunching numbers, evaluating data, busy schedules and late nights. Bridal Market is the one time that bridal buyers get to touch and feel the gowns they will buy for their stores. We go to place orders with current designers and also to find new designers to bring into the store! Our goal by the end of market is to buy dresses that we know are right for our brides - the right price point, the right styles and the right sizes in the samples we choose to buy.
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How do you choose the dresses you’ll buy? And how many?
Many designers have a minimum number of dresses we need to purchase each season in order to continue carrying their dresses in our store, so for those designers we evaluate the number of dresses available in the new season’s collection and decide which gowns we think our brides will love, or fill a gap that we don’t currently have. It really is less about looking through pretty things, and more about numbers. If we bought all the dresses we loved and personally thought were gorgeous, we would buy ALL the dresses! Since that isn’t an option, we have to narrow our purchase down to gowns that our brides will love and want to wear on their wedding day!
Our bridal shops are in two very different locations across the US. Purchasing for our Arizona store looks different than purchasing for our Illinois store. Styles and trends and different in each location, so we tailor our buy to the brides shopping at each store.
We alway go to Bridal Market with the option of bringing a new designer to our stores, we’re just keeping our eyes open for the next big thing our brides will love!
Every night on our trip, our group meets in our hotel room to discuss the things we loved that day and dresses we are still looking for. We make decisions about what to buy, then re-evaluate and change our minds, then the next night make another change - until our buy is *perfect*!
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So tell us...
Do you have more questions for us about bridal market? What styles should we be looking at buying for our stores?