This week we are taking a detour away from wedding planning and bridal fashion advice and focusing on sharing some tips for bridal stylists and wedding dress consultants. Whether you have been in the bridal fashion world for a long time or are a new bridal stylist, we are going to share some helpful tips for being confident as a bridal consultant so you can offer the best possible service and experience for your brides.
We, at Lovella Bridal in LA, think we have one of the best jobs in the world. Being able to play a role in a bride’s wedding day and helping dress them for one of the most important and memorable days of their life is truly an honor and we are always grateful when brides turn to us for our expert opinion and guidance when shopping for their wedding dress.
For any aspiring bridal stylists out there or current bridal stylists and even bridal store owners, this is going to be some great advice for you to keep in mind as you are aiding brides in finding their dream wedding dress and bridal accessories. If you have any experience in sales, you know that you are serving customers. You are helping people on a daily basis and that takes a level of confidence for you to show up every day and do your best. Sometimes you might be having a bad day, but you can't let your client know that.
You have to figure out how to deal with your confidence and ultimately show up and be the absolute best version of yourself on a daily basis. You want to set yourself up for success on a daily basis so be sure to be doing things in your daily practice that put you in a great mindset. Whether that is listening to an audiobook to learn something new, or doing yoga, or meditating, you want to have some go-to things in your toolbox to help reset your mind and your mood.
Be Positive
We all have good days and bad days and everything in between. Your confidence level is sort of like a yo-yo. It’s not always going to be steady and based on our daily activities and moods, our confidence can spike or it can decline. A lot of confidence has to do with your mindset and the way you view yourself.
The way you talk to yourself or think about yourself can greatly impact your confidence. Positive self-talk versus negative self-talk can go a really long way. Your mindset and the way you feel about yourself is going to come across to the brides you are helping and impact their experience. If you are putting positive thoughts and energy out, your clients will sense that and have more trust in you guiding them along the journey to find their dream wedding dress.
It’s Not Just Sales
When you work in a customer-based job, it might be hard to not focus on making a sale. That is definitely an aspect of bridal fashion that can’t be ignored. Everyone is showing up to work to make money and make a sale. But when in the sales world and dealing with customers, you also have to focus on the customers. You are not there just to make a sale. You should also want to make your brides feel good and find their dream wedding dress.
Obviously, if a bride buys her wedding dress or bridal accessories after her appointment with you, then you’ve done your job right. That is how we measure success in our world and know we’ve done a good job because you’ve completed the sale. But it shouldn’t just stop at the purchase.
Be A Problem Solver
The most important piece of advice we can pass along to bridal stylists and consultants or anyone serving clients is that you are not there to sell them. You are there to solve their problem. Now in the bridal fashion world and when working at a bridal store, that means finding their wedding day outfit. By solving your client’s problem, you’ve ultimately done a good job at providing the service you are supposed to do and have done a good job at closing that sale.
Don’t go into an appointment thinking you need to make a sale. Approach your clients with the mindset that you want to make their wedding dress shopping experience a positive and memorable one. There is a very different level of emotion wanting to solve the problem and wanting to help versus wanting to sell, sell, sell.
Leave The Baggage Behind
It can be hard to keep your confidence level up if say you have helped three or five brides shop for their wedding dress without any of them purchasing a gown. Anyone would be feeling bad about that because you haven’t solved their problem and haven’t served their needs. It’s understandable that you might not feel your most positive in a situation like that, but your clients will pick up on that.
You need to be able to head into your next appointment with a clear mind and a positive attitude. Head into your next appointment with confidence. Think of it as building a new relationship- you don’t want to bring any of your past, negative experiences into a new relationship. It an be difficult, but you need to separate past events. Maybe things are off at home or you had a disagreement with a co-worker or your previous appointment with a bride didn’t go as well as you hoped- whatever it might be, you should work to leave that behind you so you can focus on your next bride.
Find a moment to reset and clear your head. Go into the new experience with a fresh start. Keep in mind that every bride that comes in to work with you, they have taken time out of their day and this is the first time that they get to experience that with you and that's special. So if nothing else can bring you back down to what you need to focus on and have that level of confidence in your appointment, let it be the fact that this is a magical moment in someone's life. You have the ability to create a forever memory and to impact them in one of the most special ways. That in and of itself, no matter how exhausted you are from the number of brides you've helped that day, needs to bring you back to life to deliver not only the dress of their dreams but the experience and a forever memory that they get to cherish for the rest of their lives.
Video: How To Be Confident When Styling Brides - Tips For Bridal Consultants, Stylists & Sales Associates
Don't miss this week's video from our Wedding Fashion Expert where she shares all of her tips and advice for how to be confident when styling brides.
Bridal Stylist Training
If you are a seasoned professional and you've been in the wedding industry for a long time, or if you are a new bridal stylist, or even someone thinking about becoming a bridal consultant, we are so happy that you joined us for this blog post. We hope you found the tips and advice helpful in being confident with your brides.
If you want more tips and advice on being a bridal stylist, don't miss our Bridal Stylist Training Course.
About Lovella
If you're shopping for your perfect wedding dress, come visit us at Lovella Bridal in Glendale, CA. We carry wedding dresses in all sizes and styles, including plus-size bridal gowns and a full selection of veils and accessories. Lovella Bridal is the premier, luxury bridal wedding dress shopping boutique located in Los Angeles, California. Lovella features couture, feminine, modern and chic bridal gowns in all sizes from the best wedding dress designers. Schedule an appointment to find the wedding dress of your dreams at Lovella Bridal. We can't wait to help you!
About Wedding Fashion Expert
Our wedding dress shopping tips and advice are from Nayri, Lovella's own, in-house wedding fashion expert. Nayri is truly the expert when it comes to bridal fashion and wedding style. As the Wedding Fashion Expert, Nayri is the top bridal fashion stylist and the best-selling author of the book "I'm Getting Married And I Have Nothing To Wear," the ultimate guide to helping brides find their wedding day style and their perfect wedding dress. You can subscribe to her YouTube channel or listen to her podcast for more helpful and practical advice on wedding dress shopping.
