Your Search for the Pefect Wedding Dress is Over!

Every little girl’s dream is shopping for and finding the “one” – that special wedding dress that gives her the “this is it!” feeling! There are so many choices out there; a-line, ball gown, trumpet, off-the-shoulder. It can be quite overwhelming for anyone to navigate the beautiful bridal gown world.

Shopping for your wedding dress should be a wonderful experience, it should make you feel special, beautiful and excited! In fact, visiting a bridal boutique should be an “experience”, one that you will never forget.

I was excited to stumble across Union Bridal’s Instagram and instantly fell in love with the unique and sophisticated style of their collection. If you love boutique shopping as much as I do – this is the bridal studio for you! They offer unique designer gowns not found anywhere else in Vancouver, ones that will make you swoon over their intricate, uber-feminine details. I had to get the inside scoop of what they offer.

I reached out to the lovely owners of Union Bridal and was thrilled to be invited to visit their studio. I always want to make sure I am recommending the best of the best to you so I took this opportunity to see first hand what brides will experience when they visit Union Bridal. The brains behind this gorgeous boutique are Emily Milardo and Sarah Frood. Two absolutely lovely, down to earth women who are honestly so insightful in helping a bride on her journey to selecting the perfect dress. Their studio is located in a beautiful historic building in Gastown. It is a bright, airy and calming space that provides the perfect intimate setting for a bride-to-be and her family and close friends. A one-on-one personalized and catered experience is what you can expect as only one appointment is booked at a time.

Want to learn more of what you will experience at Union Bridal? I am over-the-moon excited to share my exclusive interview with Emily, Co-Founder of Union Bridal with you and hopefully help you on your search for the gown of your dreams…

How did Union Bridal come to be?

We started Union Bridal out of a need for a different kind of bridal boutique and experience in Vancouver. When I got engaged, I was looking for a dress and I couldn’t find anything that really spoke to me, so I ended up going out of the country to get my gown. In doing so, I discovered that there are other ways to experience a bridal boutique. I was inspired by a more one-on-one experience, and a smaller, edited collection. I met my business partner, and we opened Union Bridal!

How did you and your business partner meet?

We didn’t know each other beforehand. Her name is Sarah. I was working on my business plan for this bridal boutique and found out that there was someone else in the city doing the same thing and wanting similar designers, so eventually I reached out and pitched her on doing it together. We meshed really well, and the rest is history.

What makes Union Bridal unique?

I would say that the answer is twofold. One is our experience. We’re one-on-one. We only see one client at a time. It’s a very personalized experience. In addition to that, our gowns are really unique from what you can find elsewhere in Vancouver. We have a range from modern to bohemian, and you can only find all of our dresses at our boutique unless you’re going out of province or country. They’re a step outside of the traditional bridal box.

Our gowns range from modern to bohemian, a step outside of the traditional bridal box.

What is a typical day at the boutique like?

It’s so hard to answer that question, because every day is so different. It includes everything from answering emails, client management, running appointments, washing champagne glasses, running to the store to get flowers, we do it all!

How would you describe Union Bridal’s fashion style?

I would say our style is discerning and fashion forward. We are incredibly careful when choosing our gowns to ensure that we have a really strong selection that are ahead of the curve, unique and special.

I see that you don’t really carry ball gowns, correct?

That’s right, we don’t have ball gowns. We definitely have gowns with more voluminous skirts that still make you feel like a princess, but there are already lots of ball gown options for Vancouver brides, we wanted to provide something different.

What keeps you inspired, and how do you stay up to date with bridal trends?

Our brides keep us inspired! It’s so important to listen to their vision for the wedding as a whole, what they’re after in terms of the dress, their feedback on our gowns, and what they end up going with. Otherwise social media is our go to – that’s where we get a lot of our inspiration, be it from other industry professionals, our designers, and then other new designers from around the world. We are also always looking outside of the bridal industry, looking at fashion trends as a whole to see what’s up and coming and how that might translate into bridal. And then of course, going to New York and Paris for the bridal shows and getting inspired by all the different collections that are available. I mean, seeing them all in person is just amazing.

Our brides keep us inspired! It’s so important to listen to their vision for the wedding as a whole, what they’re after in terms of the dress, their feedback on our gowns, and what they end up going with.

How do you go about selecting the designers and their gowns for your boutique?

That’s a good question. Where we start, obviously is aesthetic. We have to like the look of the gowns, and we have to believe that Vancouver brides are going to feel really good about them as well. The second thing, once we get past that, is quality. We need to ensure that the designers we’re working with are producing locally to them, so they’re not outsourcing, and that the quality is second to none. That’s really important to us. Then, we always look at their brand to make sure it aligns with our own. We want to make sure that they have really nice branding, good imagery, things that we can work with, because it helps to be able to promote them when we can share their images and feel good about that.

We ensure that the designers we’re working with are producing locally to them, so they’re not outsourcing, and that the quality is second to none.

When you bring a new designer into your boutique, do you test out a few gowns before you bring in more?

What we do is host a trunk show with the new designer where we’ll bring in a big portion of their collection for just a weekend or two. We’ll do a big promotion to get brides in, and then we gauge the feedback from there. If our brides are fighting over these dresses, we can see the quality, the designer has been lovely to deal with, all of those things that I mentioned before, then we do not hesitate with bringing them on as part of our collection.

Let’s talk about the fashion shows. What is your experience attending the Bridal Fashion Shows?

We absolutely love attending bridal fashion shows – they are so much fun. We go to New York Bridal Market every year in October, and most of our designers will host a presentation or fashion show, and from there we really get the opportunity to see how the gowns look on the body, how they drape, how they move. Shows are also a great way of seeing the designer’s inspiration for the collection come to life.

What type of experience does a bride receive at Union Bridal from the moment she comes in to your boutique to the moment she leaves?

As soon as a bride comes in for her appointment, we get her comfortable in the studio, and then we ask her about her wedding and her vision, not just about the dress, but where is she getting married? What colors? Who are her vendors? We like to get a full vision of what she’s thinking for that day. Then we will walk her through the collection. We’ll talk to her about each of the designers and different styles, after which she can pick out some of her favorites. We get her going in the fitting room – one thing brides can always expect with us is that we’ll be in the fitting room helping them with the dresses if they’re comfortable with it.

Then, we talk about each dress, the designer, and the fabric, we talk about the options, if there are customizations available, then, as we go through the appointment, we’ll likely bring in dresses that we feel she might like, and then we’ll begin to narrow down her choices and help the bride focus on her absolute favourite gowns.

Typically, a bride doesn’t buy on her first appointment, that’s very normal. She needs to think about it. We’ll follow up with information on her favorites, and then go from there. A bride is welcome to come back as many times as she needs, within reason of course, until she knows that it’s the one.

What are some questions a bride should ask when she comes in?

Budget is important – we don’t want brides falling in love with gowns outside their price range, it’s also important to consider timing, sizing and alterations. We also love when brides ask about the fabrics that are used on the gowns, where they are made and information on the designer. It’s important that brides know where their gowns are coming from!

Have you ever dealt with rush orders?

Oh, most definitely. I think the quickest rush order we did was a four-week rush, which was insane, and not recommended. The designers can accommodate rush orders as best they can, but it’s not always guaranteed. And it’s important for brides to remember that there is always an additional charge for rush orders.

What is the process a bride will go through when selecting and purchasing her gown?

As soon as she has decided that it’s the one, we have her look through our purchase agreement, this is getting quite technical, but it goes over the particulars of the purchase – for instance, gowns are always a final sale. We take a 50% deposit to place the order, and then that’s really all a bride needs to know! We have the gown arrive ideally two months before the wedding date to give her lots of time for alterations. Sometimes we don’t have that luxury of time, but we do our best to get it in as soon as possible.

Once the gown arrives, the bride comes in for a fitting. We talk about what will need to be done, and then we recommend her to one of our three wonderful tailors that we send all of our brides to – they’re all amazing. Then off they go! And we always ask that they send us photos after their wedding – there’s nothing better than seeing our brides shine in their gowns.

What is the price range of the selection of gowns you carry?

Our gowns start at $2,000 and go up to $8,000, but the majority of our gowns are in the range of $3,000 to $4,000. All of our gowns are designed and hand-produced in the studios local to the designer, and a lot of the time, the lace is designed by the designer themselves. Our prices are a reflection of the quality and craftsmanship that goes into these gowns.

All of our gowns are designed and hand-produced in the studios local to the designer, and a lot of the time, the lace is designed by the designer themselves.

Do you ever have sales?

We do, during trunk shows we always offer a 10% off discount, just because that’s a special event, and we want brides to feel excited about those. We also do sample sales where we will sell gowns directly off the rack that have been discontinued, and brides get a killer deal on those gowns. Sometimes they’re 50% off, which is great!

How far in advance does a bride order a gown?

Ideally it would be eight to nine months in advance before her wedding. Gowns take four to six months to make, and we want it to arrive about two months before her wedding, so the sooner the better. However, we can always accommodate shorter time-frames, if necessary.

Do you offer any additional items, accessories, veils, headpieces?

Yes, we do. We have a really great collection of veils. We actually just brought on a new veil designer, Daphne Newman. She designs and makes her veils in Calgary, which is wonderful, and they are the most beautiful heirloom quality veils. They’re as special as the dress – It’s the type of veil you’ll hand down to your daughter or keep forever. We also have veils at a lesser price point – we carry all different lengths and fabrics for brides to choose from. And then we have a really nice collection of headpieces and combs and pins as well.

What do you think of weddings in 2019? Have you noticed any trends so far for upcoming weddings?

We’ve just started seeing our 2019 brides come in, which is exciting! In terms of trends, I think brides are, especially in Vancouver, moving a little bit more towards a modern feel for their weddings. Of course, being on the West Coast and embracing our nature, we see a lot of weddings that are outdoors and have a more rustic vibe, but we are starting to see a shift towards a modern and refined style which is really exciting for us, because that’s right in our sweet spot.

In terms of gowns, at our most recent trip to New York, we saw a lot of rounded square necklines, off-the-shoulder gowns, and gowns with statement sleeves!

What are your favorite trends or styles currently?

Right now, we are loving the illusion lace bodice. Daalarna is a new line that we just brought on, and they have some really beautiful illusion lace bodices. We’re loving little details like pearls, little hints of lace in interesting places, and as always, interesting backs and especially interesting and dramatic fronts. We’re starting to see really fun elements like ruffles and ruched cuff sleeves that are understated but still special. I think the bridal industry just keeps getting better in terms of wedding dresses!

What’s next for Union Bridal? What are your goals for where you want to see yourselves?

I think for us, we just want to keep growing, keep expanding our collection – offering a great collection of unique dresses to our brides along with continued amazing service, and see where the wind blows us.

With so much great talent in the industry, can you name five professionals you adore working with, or would recommend as spotlight features for REVUE BLANC?

Two of our favorite photographers in the city are Sherri and Mike, they’re a husband and wife team. They’re amazing. Not only are they so lovely and down to earth, and I would imagine incredible and easy to work with, their photography is just out of this world. We love them.

In terms of event companies, we love working with Spread Love Events, and we think they’d be right up your alley. They’re very much our style. Modern, simple, but really beautiful, classic and timeless.

We’re loving Hana, Celsia Florist‘s new concept store, which is actually just up the street from us. We love what they’re doing with florals. It’s so different and so unique, and really exciting, and hope that brides are as excited as we are about it.

Park & Fifth – we talk about them all the time. We love them. They used to be in this building but they’ve just moved into their own studio space. They do bridesmaid dresses. Again, sort of modern, and easy, and truly dresses you can wear again. I’ve personally never been a bridesmaid, and I own three of their dresses and I have worn them multiple times. They’re just great to work with and always coming out with beautiful new prints and styles.

And then one new company that we’ve just started following recently is called The Wise Co, and they’re on Vancouver Island and they offer rentals. Their collection is so beautiful, and again, so different from a lot of what we’ve seen.

Other than bridal fashion, what are your passions and hobbies?

Well, after just having had a baby, which has been my passion for the last year, I am a runner. So, after being pregnant and having health issues, not being able to run or walk for the end of my pregnancy, and then just recovering from having a baby, it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to run, so I’m just getting back into it. I am really excited about that. That’s probably my one big passion besides Union Bridal, because I don’t have much time to dedicate to anything outside of family, so those would be my two.

See the hottest 2019 bridal trends straight from the runways of New York Bridal Fashion Week here.

Now, let’s learn Emily’s deepest secrets – well the ones she wants to share! Haha I had the chance to ask Emily random personal questions and loved hearing her responses. Want to find out her idea of the perfect date? Watch her video here!

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If you want to get in touch with Union Bridal, you can reach them at hello@unionbridal.com

Check out their full collection on their website here

Follow Union Bridal on Instagram to stay up to date with current bridal trends here

Want to learn more about vendors I recommend? Check out more of my Spotlight Features here