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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