Insider Look: Bridal Fashion

We had the pleasure of joining Erica Trunk, owner of Solutions Bridal, for New York Bridal Fashion Week to see what it takes to get your perfect wedding dress into their Orlando bridal salon.

It’s 8am on a Friday as we head to New York for Fall Bridal Fashion Week, with a jammed pack long weekend schedule of designer appointments and fashion shows. Erica is on the search for beautiful new bridal gowns and accessories to include in her bridal salon. Since purchasing Solutions Bridal in 2017, she has been immersed into the bridal fashion world. Being her third bridal fashion week, Erica is more confident in the process and knowing what her brides are looking for. One might think that a bridal salon owner goes to fashion week, picks out some gowns, then brings them back to their shop to sell to brides. However, there is so much more that goes into it!

Quality of a Dress

At each appointment, the designers have their newest collection of bridal attire. Models show each piece so that the bridal salon owners can get an idea of the movement of the gown. Gowns quite often look very different on a hanger than on a bride. Along with seeing the flow of a gown, Erica wants to know the quality. Looking over each dress meticulously, she makes note of the gowns fabrics and seams to make sure that they align with the standard that Solutions Bridal is known for and their brides have come to expect.

What Brides Want and the Trends

As we attended more and more designer appointments, you can start to pick up on the trends for that season. 3-D floral appliques, as well as more simple, classic gowns (no doubt influenced by the Royal Wedding), made frequent appearances. You can see more from the Fall 2019 New York Bridal Fashion Week here. Erica balances the trends with what the brides that come to her shop are actually looking for.

What may sell great for a salon in California may not sell at all here in Orlando, so part of this process is really knowing what their brides want. To assist with this, she brought along the lead stylist at Solutions Bridal, Jessica Vargas. Since each stylist interacts with different brides, Jessica gave Erica her perspective of what her brides have been requesting. Together, they would talk over the different options to make sure they can assist all their brides.

Photo: Kathy Thomas Photography

Getting Dresses in the Salon

Designers begin planning their collection several months before bridal fashion week. This includes the design and the production of the samples to show to the bridal salon owner. If a salon is interested in the gown, they purchase it to showcase in their shop. This allows for the shops to select the gowns that they feel their brides will like most. However, these gowns are made to order and it takes, on average, several months before they are available for you to try on.

Pictured Left to Right: Jessica Vargas and Erica Trunk of Solutions Bridal, Amanda Schmidt of Orange Blossom Bride Photo: Kathy Thomas Photography

Being able to tag along with the lovely ladies of Solutions Bridal was a great experience that opened our eyes to the extensive process that comes with selecting your perfect wedding gown.

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