Inside the Fitting Room // Embracing Genderless Design When Branding Your Wedding Business

/
Inside the Fitting Room // Embracing Genderless Design When Branding Your Wedding Business

As the designers of their own businesses, wedding professionals have the choice to design gender neutral spaces to better accommodate folks who do not identify with the gender binary. I hope they embrace this approach because creating more inclusive businesses benefits us all.

The boundaries are blurring and evolving into a new normal. To put it simply, wedding industry professionals who claim to care about inclusive feminism need to put in the work it takes to create gender sensitive businesses.

Read More

"It Only Happens Once!" // Sales Tactics Used to Get You to Say "Yes" to the Dress

/
"It Only Happens Once!" // Sales Tactics Used to Get You to Say "Yes" to the Dress

A phrase I heard repeatedly when I worked as a bridal consultant was, “it only happens once!” Bridal consultants and guests frequently used this phrase when a bride thought twice about a purchase.

For example, let’s say a bride was trying to decide whether or not she should wear a veil. A bridal consultant could then reply with, “It’s your wedding, it only happens once! You’ll only be wearing the veil a short time, and it’ll make such an impact.” In this case, the bridal consultant is appealing to a bride's emotional desire to both look fantastic on her wedding day and to plan a successful and memorable party. This sales tactic is often times effective, as the desire to plan the perfect wedding is the fuel that keeps the wedding industry alive.

Read More

Inside the Fitting Room // Body Neutrality

/
Inside the Fitting Room // Body Neutrality

In order for bridal boutiques to provide an inclusive and authentic experience, body neutrality needs to be the standard both online and in their daily interactions with customers. Unlike body-love, a state of complete body confidence, “body neutrality” instead emphasizes acceptance over loving one’s body. In other words, it’s the chill pill of the self-image revolution.

Read More

The Bridal Norm // Inside the Fitting Room with Michelle Avitia

/
The Bridal Norm // Inside the Fitting Room with Michelle Avitia

As a feminist wedding professional, I have a responsibility to challenge and critique the wedding industry. I work with brides each week, and in the intimate space of a fitting room I'm told about their greatest joys and anxieties. I owe it to them to make sure they're equally represented in an industry that continually discriminates against them. 

Read More