Letter to a Bridal Shop

Dear Bridal Shop,

My friend told me a pretty horrifying story the other day about bridesmaid dress shopping in Boston. If you've ever been a bridesmaid, you know that more often than not, bridal shop sizes run big, and the dresses are not always the most flattering. This would not be a problem if it didn't often result in spending more money right before the wedding to get the dress altered. This is an inconvenient truth all women face when they are shopping for a bridesmaid dress at a traditional bridal shop. It's not something we put up a fight about, and it is to be expected. But this one particular story, which absolutely broke my heart, is beyond all negative expectations one may have when walking into a store. And I hope ALL stores listen up and act out!

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My friend was shopping for a bridesmaid dress with a fellow bridesmaid at Priscilla's of Boston. Apparently, when they got to the store, not only did the shop not have the correct dress, they also did not have a single dress in my friend's shopping partner's size. This is ludicrous. As if the amount of stress the typical woman feels picking out a dress to wear in front of a crowd isn't enough, now this woman, this beloved friend of the bride, who set aside precious time in her Sunday, made a trip all the way to the Back Bay in Boston to find out that the store didn't even carry her size, because it wasn't part of the store's inventory size range (or something bogus like that). While my friend said her fellow bridesmaid stood tall and didn't show signs of soul crushing, you can only IMAGINE how frustrating this must be.

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So my plea to you, bridal shop (especially Priscilla's), is to please make sure that you carry at least one of every size per dress in your inventory. After all, this is what you do. Women come in all beautiful shapes and sizes...the least you could do, as a dress shop after all, would be to honor them.

Thanks for your attention.

Guiltlessly yours,
Stephanie