What is your favorite part about helping brides and working for Charlotte’s Weddings? How long have you worked here?
I love helping brides solve their wedding dilemmas. Whether it be helping them find a dress they feel beautiful in or figuring out how to get “the dress” of their dreams in time for a fast approaching wedding, my job allows me to be creative and help other people. I’ve worked at Charlotte’s Weddings since April of 1998. I work with wonderful supportive women. The shop offers me a flexible schedule that allows me to work and raise my son.
Do you have a favorite moment/story from working at Charlotte’s?
My favorite moments have been created by my customers. I have tons of brides who I’ve loved working with, three of which epitomize my favorites. The first is a bride I helped years ago. She was tall and plus size. At the start of the appointment she told me what she was looking for in a gown and then sadly told me what her dream dress would look like if she had the body to wear it. We found her dream dress. It was a dress that was flattering to her body and most importantly a dress she felt beautiful in. As she stood looking in the mirror crying, she told me she had never felt so beautiful. It is amazing to help women feel good about themselves and I think that’s why this bride has stuck with me for so long.
The second bride I helped this year. Despite all our efforts, her gown came in wrong from the designer and it was my job to figure out how to fix the problem. I scheduled and appointment with her to view her in her gown and go over her concerns about her gown. When she arrived, she was hopping mad and brought her parents who were there to defend their daughter. Although I was shaking (it’s never fun to help an unhappy customer), I could see and understand all of her concerns. To make a long story short, this bride and I worked together (and with the designer) to correct the issues with her gown and get her to the altar. When she came to pick up the gown from steam and press, she came bearing a gift and thank you card. We make mistakes, as do the designers we carry, and when we do it feels wonderful to make it right. I appreciated the trust this customer put in me to make it right.
The last bride that really has created favorite moments for me also got married this last year. She had an amazingly positive attitude and friendly demeanor. She was a super busy career woman, but still made time to smell the roses. She was excited about her wedding and so in love with her guy. She was great to her friends and bridesmaids and they were great to her. One of my favorite parts about my job is working with wonderful women.
What kind of advice would you give brides about dress shopping?
Buy your gown from the store you most enjoyed visiting. You’ll be working with the people at that store a lot and you should feel comfortable with them.
There may just be one soul mate for all of us to marry, but there’s more than one gown that can be “the dress.” Don’t worry if you don’t burst into tears and just know it’s right. Some of us don’t have that moment.
Limit the number of guests you bring to initial appointments. Once you’ve defined what you’re looking for and have a few favorite gowns, then bring the whole family.
What do you like to do when you aren’t working at Charlotte’s?
When I’m not working I spend time with my family. During the week I love to go on outings with my son (4) and my niece (5). I love to decorate, craft, garden, scrapbook and play soccer when I have time. I also have a wonderful network of friends and neighbors that I love to spend time with.
