Photo: Courtesy of Mon Amie
From the best wedding dress styles available to the latest designer trends to finding the best gowns for your body type, we're talking about the ins and out of wedding dress shopping with bridal boutique owners from across the country. They're sharing their top insider secrets, hottest local intel, and everything else you'll need to have a blast finding your wedding dress (Think mani-pedi with your mom, brunch with your bridesmaids, and cocktails with your besties!).
Mon Amie, a bridal salon in Costa Mesa, California—the largest on the West Coast—is operated by director Shawna Stanger and her family.
Brides: Describe your customer.
Shawna Stanger: Our brides tend to choose nontraditional wedding venues like barns and vineyards, and want a unique gown to match. They also love metallic accents and that effortlessly chic "goddess" look—a long, flowy gown worn with their hair down.
Brides: How do you decide what gowns to buy for the salon?
Shawna Stanger: Our store also caters to plus-size brides, so I love finding wedding dresses that will flatter most body types and sizes. When that happens, I'll buy a sample in size 14/16 as well as size 4/6.
Brides: Steer clear of...
Shawna Stanger: Anything too tight! Skin bulging out of your gown is not okay.
As for wedding musts around Costa Mesa...
Engagement photos: "The Laguna Beach Boardwalk, downtown San Juan Capistrano, and, of course, Disneyland!"
Wedding Flowers Flower Fusion "They did the flowers for my and my brother's weddings!"