Chicago Trip

We recently took a trip to Chicago for The National Bridal Market and had an absolute blast! It was a 2 day trip that wasn't hardly long enough. We left Richmond on Sunday morning and got back to Richmond on Monday night. The 4 hour drive there included lots of coffee and story telling. We made a few stops here and there for refills and sugar treats but really the determination to get there minimized the stops! Now, even though it was a short lived trip it was a very educational and inspiring trip. It is always great meeting other store owners and finding out the little things that they do to stay successful.

Co-Owner Kim English, store helper Annette Trotter, and myself, intern Brooke Alderman were the lucky ones who got to go on the trip. We went there looking for Bridal merchandise and we found exactly that along with diamonds, prom dresses, and The Style Maxx floor! The trip was definitely a successful one! We got to see our vendors such as Allure, Clairisse, Benjamin Walker, and MacDuggal! We also got to see gowns from possible vendors in the future. Things that we saw in a lot of vendors collections were lace, flower embellishments, and vibrant bridesmaids dresses. Allure and Mon Cheri rocked the runways with their exquisit gowns covered in lace and crystals. Those two vendors favorited the key hole in their lace embroidered mermaid silhouette styled gowns. It looks spectacular on the models and we loved the look so much that I can almost guarantee you will see it in our store next season. 

Overall this trip to Chicago was another fun day away from the store that we were so lucky to do. Attending fashion shows, seeing beautiful gowns all day, and sneaking off to The Style Maxx floor are all things that made this Chicago Trip a very special one. Luckily we get to go twice a year :)

xoxo,
Formal Affairs

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Chicago National Bridal Market..

In less than a week we will be traveling to the Chicago National Bridal Market, April 7-9! We have booked the hotel, registered our employees and are all set to go! This trip is mainly focused on buying for the upcoming Bridal Season but we will also be looking at accessories for Prom as well. Two of our employees are going on this trip, Kim English, who is a store owner, and Brooke Alderman who is our intern. This will be an educational and fun trip for the both of them. Since we attend this market twice a year, the trip will be nothing new to us, but it remains exciting each time that we go. One of the designers that we are looking forward to seeing work from the most would have to be Allure Bridal, we carry their line for both seasons compared to alternating it every other. Their gowns are always a big hit in the store and we love the quality service they give us. It's every day that you have a company who maintains their inventory! Things like that just make our selling experience so much easier. Also, we will be attending a Social Media Marketing Seminar to better our knowledge in this area that is so vastly growing. We want to make sure that we are giving our viewers all that they need in way that they'll enjoy.

Anyhow, there will plenty of pictures to come in the next week or so and maybe a video or two here and there from the Windy City!

xoxo,
Formal Affairs

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New Dresses Still Coming In

Even though prom season will be coming to an end soon we are still receiving dress shipments! We have gotten new Sherri Hill, Terani Couture, and MacDuggal dresses in the last couple weeks. This prom season has been on of the best one's for us. Dresses are coming into the store quickly and leaving just as quickly. We also have been more involved in coupons and discounts lately and we have seen great business come from that. All of this new business allows us to bring new merchandise in the store which we absolutely love doing. We are looking forward to the remainder of this prom season, in hopes that the upcoming Bridal season will be just as exciting.

xoxo,
Formal Affairs

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Photo Shoot with Jade Matters!

We were recently so lucky to have the lovely Jill from Jade Matters Photography do a photo shoot with our dresses. Jill is a photographer located here in the Richmond area. She does senior pictures, baby pictures, along with engagement photos and much more! Our model was Haylee Mitchell who is a senior at Richmond High School. Her spunky and playful attitude really showed in these fabulous photos! Haylee is pictured wearing Angela & Allison, Sherri Hill, and Coya Collection. Her make-up and hair were done by Whitney Mosey who's salon is attached to our store! We hope you enjoy these photos as much as we do! Below is just a preview of the shoot! You can see the rest of the shoot in our galleries under Photo Shoot!

You can also check out Jill's work on her Facebook and her blog!
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JadeMattersPhotography?ref=ts&fref=ts
Bloggy: http://jademattersphotography.com/bloggy/
xoxo
- Formal Affairs

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Prom Season!

Prom season is in full effect and we have been busier than before! Sherri Hill dresses have been our most popular this year which makes us very happy! The girls seem to really love the fun and glamorous gowns that she has to offer! Along with Sherri Hill, another one of our new vendors, Angela & Allison has been extremely popular! Her one shoulder and beautifully beaded gowns have been a big hit at the store! We still have another month until the dances begin, so we are looking forward to seeing more girls in the next couple weeks! And we have plenty of options left! Check out our eBay store and comment with any questions.

xoxo
- Formal Affairs

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Strapless, Sweet, & Sequins

This past month we have been SO BUSY! New dresses are coming in every week, new Toms are coming in every few weeks, and future brides are coming in and planning their wonderful Fall weddings. We couldn't be happier with the business! It is what allows us to keep the sales floor full with the newest styles for our customers. Some of those new styles include strapless and short prom dresses with studs, sequins and crystals, or just anything that shines, hi-lo prom dresses, and Spring lace Toms! Lace was reported as one of the Top 6 Trends for Spring 2013 by Harper's Bazaar, so if you want to add some style to any outfit, do it with the NEW Lace Toms. They can be seen on our eBay Store and in our Gallery under "TOMS, Feature Styles". Also pictured is just a small preview of our newest gowns from our favorite designers! 

Come in and see us, or check out our eBay store! 

xoxo,

Formal Affairs

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Welcome to Our Blog

We are so excited to have our very own blog! This blog will be different then our other social media sites. Unlike our website, Twitter, and Instagram, through our blog you will be able to see the fun things that we do, along with the trips we go on, and projects we do around the store! You can also see the products we have in our store such as TOMS Shoes, Prom Dresses, Bridal Gowns, and much more. 

Even though we will be posting whats going on in our store we will also be posting about fashion (trends, tips, etc.) 

Give us a follow and stay tuned for more!

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