Cindy of A&BÉ: A Wedding Dress Shopping Guide
So many elements about the wedding industry have changed with the pandemic. One of those crucial elements for many of our couples has been wedding dress shopping! We got the inside scoop on how A&BE is handling the pandemic and how to enter into your fitting with the best mindset. Cindy Nguyen, a Bridal Stylist at A&BE who is also currently studying for her nursing degree, shed some light on how to make your wedding dress shopping experience as positive as it can be!
— Kelleen, Tapestry Content Manager
Why did you decide to work at A&BÉ? What is your story?
It is kind of a funny story —- I was in the middle of the wedding dress process, trying to find the right one, and I randomly called them to see if they had this dress I was looking for. They didn’t have it, but the Denver location did. So we did this whole loan process thing, and I ended up finding my dress at a & bé! I seriously loved every moment I was in the store. The staff was terrific, it’s freaken CUTE as HECK in there, and their mission was something that really sealed the deal.
I loved my experience so much that I decided to go out on a whim and apply to be a stylist! They were only looking for full time, so I thought it was kind of a shot-in-the-dark with applying, but I think the wedding universe was totally with me because I got called in for an interview and got the job!
Being here, a year later, I still love every moment about being in the store. I get to give brides the same experience I received, which is what makes this job so special. Especially in 2020, where the year was kind of chaotic, this little moment of giving brides the normalcy to continue wedding planning is truly special.
What do you want the bride’s experience to be when they come to A&BÉ?
I want them to feel relaxed, themselves, and confident. Trying on wedding dresses is literally one of the most unnatural feelings because it is not something we do very often! So when you initially come out in a dress, feeling overwhelmed is normal. I want brides to take in the moment of “WOW, I am in a wedding dress” and then realize what you love or what you don’t like about it. My goal for the appointment is to make sure that all the dresses after the tour of the store and inventory feel like the bride’s style, and to make sure they feel like themselves. My biggest advice is to feel like yourself in a dress; you should feel like an elevated version of yourself, not like you’re playing dress up.
What is one thing you would want to tell a bride to set her mindset before dress shopping?
It is okay to feel like you have found the dress at one shop! I think a lot of the time the bride or their crew thinks it is a must to go to several places and try all these options on. It is 1000% possible to find your dress at one shop, and sometimes it is even the first dress. I have seen it happen before, and it’s pretty magical!
Can you speak to dress fatigue and how A&BÉ empowers their bride’s decisions and emotions?
Dress fatigue is something that we have run into a lot recently with brides going to several bridal shops, and trying on one too many dresses. All the dresses start to look alike, and everyone is just so exhausted. Trying on dresses is not only a physical workout, but it is mentally/emotionally exhausting too! We see it a lot when the whole crew dedicates a weekend to trying on gowns from several shops. It is definitely fun, but sometimes it can make the experience have a little less shine. My advice to avoid dress fatigue is do your research — look at which shops match your vibe, look at the designers, set a price point, and save some photos from each shop! It will be a huge life saver in the end.
How are your values integrated into your business operations and mission?
When I first started looking for jobs, I told myself I wanted to make an impact and work with people who felt the same. Asking myself what “impact” I could make took me a while to think about, but it landed on me wanting to empower women, and to share their voices, ideas, and dreams. When I found out that Babes on a Mission existed, my heart kind of exploded into a million happy pieces! Babes On a Mission was founded in 2017 and works alongside The LoveLand Foundation, ACLU, PlannedParenthood, and Girls Inc. So far in 2020, we as a company have donated over $26,000 to organizations supporting women! Another thing that I think is personally amazing is our CEO, Anna. She is a POC woman, making her mark in the wedding dress world. The drive and passion she has for our store is impeccable, and I hope that people get the chance to see that.
Photos courtesy of Jenna Bechtholt Photography, Sotiris Bougas, A&BÉ, Bryan Daughtery and Harmony Molina Photography.
What have you adapted in your business during COVID-19 to make sure every bride’s experience is safe?
Things look a little different when it comes to the bride and the entourage — we can only have 11 people in the store total. That includes our staff, the brides, and their guests. We have two appointments going on at the same time, and a bride can bring up to two guests with them during the appointment. Before their appointments, we like to chat with each bride to make sure we understand what look they are going for, and to talk to them a little about our health statement (mask must be worn at all times, no outside drinks/food allowed, and when we go on a tour of the shop we stay in our little pod). When the appointment starts, we take the group to their spots and show them to the bathroom to wash their hands. There is a sanitizer pump in each room, and we make sure when we give tours of the space that each group is separated from each other. Something fun that we also incorporated in with COVID-19 is our Shop-At-Home program. A bride can take home up to 3 gowns and try them on in front of their crew at home, then the next day the bride can just return the dress! It’s not the most traditional way, but it gives the normalcy of having your crew there in the comfort of your own home!
Any final words you want to share with brides shopping for dresses right now?
As a bridal stylist and a bride during the wild year of 2020, my biggest advice is do what you want. Find a dress that you feel comfortable/confident, have a wedding of YOUR dreams, and remember why you are marrying your significant other. Sometimes through the mist of planning, we forget why we are even planning a wedding in the first place. Remember why you want to show people your love, and have them celebrate this amazing milestone. Good luck on your wedding dress journey — it is a pretty magical time!
— Cindy Nguyen, A&BÉ Bridal Stylist