WHAT DOES A BRIDAL STYLIST DO?

Written by Gina Vinnitsky of Silk and Style Bridal

I recently had the opportunity to work with Gina V of Silk and Style Bridal. Having recently moved to Las Vegas from Denver, Gina brings years of wedding salon management and bridal styling to the city of Las Vegas. Her day of dressing services are a lifesaver for brides who are looking for steaming, styling, and general assistance on the day of their wedding. Whether you were a destination Bride, a local Las Vegas bride, or a wedding professional looking for on-site assistance in the styling department, Gina offers a number of services that can be customized to meet your needs.

Gina and I had a wonderful time working together, and my bride Arianna absolutely adored her. I asked if she would contribute a few thoughts on bridal styling for the blog, and she jumped at the chance to share her thoughts.

Get to know Gina below and don’t forget to follow her on Instagram!

Five Ways a Bridal Stylist Can Help You Look and Feel Your Best on Your Wedding Day

First comes love, then comes marriage, but not before an endless search for the most perfect wedding dress to wear down the aisle! As a bridal stylist, I step in to make the search for the dress and all the other pieces of the puzzle fall into place as effortlessly as it was to say “Yes!” to your man when he popped the big question. Keep reading to learn about just a few of the ways that a bridal stylist can take your wedding dress fashion from fiasco to fabulous. 

Finding Your Bridal Style

Determining your bridal style is very different from deciding what to wear to a birthday party, and many brides struggle with the pressure of finding the one perfect dress for their one perfect day. That’s where I happily come in with years of expertise and industry knowledge. I love helping brides distill and explore their personal style to determine what their true bridal style looks like. I start out with each bride by doing a consultation that dives not only into their fashion preferences, but the emotions they want to feel and evoke on their wedding day. Finding the right gown is so much more than just “Am I a mermaid or ballgown girl?” or “Do I like Berta or Monique Lhullier?” Finding the right gown is more about how a bride wants to present herself to the world on her wedding day. I won’t give away all my secrets just yet, but I ask a number of thought-provoking questions to help my brides push past silhouettes and famous designers to reach that perfect combination of style and storytelling. 

I Research, You Relax

There are thousands of bridal designers all over the world who continuously put out new styles and collections at least twice a year. On top of that, there are a countless number of bridal boutiques out there carrying hundreds of dresses, mostly all white, and sometimes indistinguishable to the untrained eye. The sheer number of options out there can be mind-numbing to brides and knowing where to start your search can seem like an impossible feat. 

Once I’ve determined a bride’s style, I’m easily able to comb through all those options and come up with a curated style guide that visually shows my clients the designers and gowns that fit their style, timeline, budget, and overall wedding day vision. I cut down the number of decisions my brides have to make about their wedding dress from a couple hundred to just a handful. Instead of biting off more than they can chew, I turn the process into bite-size and easily digestible pieces so my brides don’t get lost or overwhelmed in the multitude of possibilities out there.

Next, I schedule all the shopping appointments, arrange for any travel plans, and come up with an agenda that is strategically designed to keep my brides feeling positive and stress-free. I’ll also pre-shop each boutique’s inventory so when my brides show up, they’re shown gowns we already know they’ll love. No need to sift through hundreds of wedding dresses that ultimately won’t end up being the one. Finally, I guide my brides through the decision-making process, assisting them in further narrowing down their choice until they can finally say yes to their dream wedding dress.

Assisting with Alterations

If you thought the work was done after finding the dress, you’d be very, very wrong. Instead, the next part is one of the most important and also one of the most stressful parts of the wedding dress experience. Alterations. If a bride hasn’t been around tailors or seamstresses much before, it can be nerve-wracking to hand over a gown worth thousands of dollars and trust them to take it apart and put it back together again. 

I’ve been around some of the best wedding dress seamstresses in the business, and I know exactly what to look for when entrusting your dress to someone. Some seamstresses know some designers better than others. Other seamstresses specialize in major alterations, such as taking a sample from a size 16 to a size 6 or altering the hem to a high-low gown to show off those fabulous shoes. Much like matchmaking, I assist my brides in finding the right seamstress for their dress and later attending fittings to lend a second opinion or provide support. The alterations process takes months and multiple fittings and remembering what the original vision was can sometimes seem elusive. As a bridal stylist, I’ve seen it all and have worked very closely with seamstresses to confidently shepherd my brides through the process with ease.

Curating the Perfect Wedding Wardrobe 

Maybe weddings used to be a one-day, one-dress affair, but that’s not the case anymore. Between bridal showers and bachelorette parties, engagement photoshoots to farewell brunches, brides now need an entire wardrobe of dresses and outfits for each and every occasion. As an added service, I offer to curate a number of looks that will get my brides through every event in style. Once again, I create a personalized and shoppable style guide catered to my bride’s style and which events she needs to attend. These style guides include everything from shoes to sunglasses, no details are overlooked. I can even pull from a bride’s existing closet so she can mix in pieces she already owns with new pieces she will be excited to purchase.

Furthermore, I offer that same styling service to more than just the bride. I’ve styled everything from bridal parties to custom mother-of-the-groom dresses to even honeymoon outfits. While bridal stylist might be my title, I love assisting in curating looks for everyone and every event.  

Day of Dressing

One of my absolute favorite services that I offer is onsite “day of dressing” services. This allows me to be there for my brides on their big day, making sure their dress is immaculate as they take photos, walk down the aisle, and dance the night away. I start by steaming the gown or gowns the morning of the wedding to get rid of all the wrinkles and creases it acquired from being stored in a garment bag. I’ll do the same for the veil and any other garments that will get worn that day (think lingerie, robes, groom’s tie, etc.). 

Then, after assisting my brides in getting into their gowns, I stick with them during portraits to ensure their train is fluffed and the veil is beautifully laid out for every single shot. While many photographers do try to keep this in mind, it’s always helpful to have a bridal stylist dedicated to the task.

If there’s a second look, such as a reception dress or a grand exit outfit change, I help my brides out of their wedding dress and into the next look, then carefully pack up their wedding gown into its garment bag for safekeeping and easy transportation back home. 

Conclusion

Just like wedding planners are an invaluable asset to bringing the wedding day to life, a bridal stylist is crucial to realizing your vision for who you are as a bride. Drawing on my expertise, I’m able to assist brides every step of the way so they end up looking and feeling fabulous when they walk down the aisle. If you’re in the midst of wedding planning and you need some styling assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out because I’m always here for my brides!