Maine, Connecticut, and Rhode Island wedding attire, The White Dress by the Shore, is featured on my Kate Parker Wedding.  Beth Chapman, of The White Dress by the Shore, brings us into the world of trunk shows!  Trunk shows can be very beneficial to brides during the process of finding the perfect wedding gown.  Beth shares some tips and insight into trunk shows and gives us a heads up on some upcoming trunk show events.  Enjoy!

“Tackling Trunk Shows”

Trunk Shows can provide the perfect opportunity for a bride to find the gown of her dreams.  But what is a trunk show, and what are the benefits for the bride to be?

Beth Chapman, owner of The White Dress by the shore, an upscale bridal boutique located in Clinton, provides this explanation: “A trunk show is an event hosted by a bridal boutique where a broader representation of a designer’s collection is sent to the store.” According to Chapman, “There is often a representative from the company present or in some instances the designer themselves attend the event.  There is almost always some type of discount or special offer that is provided during the course of the trunk show if a purchase is made at the event”.

Store owners are generally not able to purchase a designer’s entire collection.  A trunk show allows an extended version of the collection to be sent to the store, and oftentimes, designers will send new styles to the event that are not yet available in stores.  One of the primary benefits for a bride is that she is able to work directly with the designer or company representative to learn about the intricacies of the line and make custom changes to create her own, one of a kind gown.  Notes Chapman, “We recently hosted a Modern Trousseau trunk show and we customized almost every gown that we sold.  Trunk shows are the perfect opportunity for a bride to work with a designer to create her dream gown.”

The designer benefits from the trunk show as well.  They are able to watch brides try on their gowns and listen to their comments.  It is an excellent opportunity for them to get direct feedback from brides that they can apply to future collections.

Generally there is a discount or special offer associated with a trunk show.  It is commonplace for a bridal store to offer a 10% discount during a bridal gown trunk show.
Chapman notes, “Trunk shows are not recommended for a first time shopping experience.  In order for a bride to fully benefit from a trunk show, they should come into it knowing the types of silhouette that they are looking for.  Having this knowledge will allow them to receive the benefit of the discount and the opportunity to work with the designer to customize their gown.”

A trunk show is an excellent time to purchase your gown.  If there is a particular designer that you are interested in, a trunk show will allow you to see the full breadth of the designer’s line and allow you to purchase one of their gowns while receiving a discount or special offer. But, be sure to book an appointment early.  These exclusive events book up quickly!

Schedule of Upcoming Trunk Shows at The White Dress by the shore:
February 12th & 13th- Amy Kuschel bridal trunk show
February 19th & 20th- Winters and Rain veil, headpiece and accessories trunk show
March 4th-6th Melissa Sweet and Priscilla of Boston bridal trunk show
March 11th-14th Modern Trousseau bridal and mother of the occasion trunk show
March 19th & 20th- Us Angels flower girl trunk show
April 2nd & 3rd- Haute bride accessories trunk show
Additional information on these trunk shows is available at www.thewhitedressbytheshore.com

Beth Chapman is founder and owner of The White Dress by the shore, a couture bridal boutique located in an antique home in historic Clinton Connecticut.  The boutique features couture bridal gowns, accessories and chic attire for mothers and maids. For more information visit www.thewhitedressbytheshore.com.

Maine, Connecticut, and Rhode Island wedding attire, The White Dress by the Shore, is a member of my Kate Parker Wedding your online wedding resource guide geared towards directing couples to quality vendors based on their price range and state.