04/30/2026
Today is a great day. It is my beautiful daughter's birthday. She is the inspiration behind Bridal House of Nashville. When she married, I was the mom sitting on the couch. The last time I bought a bridal gown before was my own almost 30 years earlier. I had no idea what to expect or really how to help my daughter.
As soon as she was engaged, I did what moms do and started looking on-line and social media. Wow, I was so surprised to learn that bridal gowns took 5-6 months after ordering to arrive. When I had purchased mine, I walked in, took it off the rack, and went home with it. No alterations, no hem, and no bustle. Don't know if that was normal back then or not, but it is not normal now. Once I saw how long it took to get a gown, the pressure was on. How could we make this work when we didn't live near each other?!?!?!?!
We ended up going multiple places on multiple days trying on way, way, way too many dresses. It was like being blinded in a snow storm. We could have really used a stylist that helped us focus and guided us through this big decision.
The experience could have been so much better. I expected clear pricing, guidance on options, and privacy. We didn't really get any of those. So, I opened Bridal House to make it better for other brides.
When the gown did arrive, she didn't trust anyone to alter it but me. So, the first bridal gown I altered was the one my daughter wore down the aisle. While that was flattering, I was super stressed about it. She was also in another state and I had a single pinning session with her. We had no idea how it would fit till two days before the wedding at the venue when I had no sewing supplies to fix anything. As you can see in the picture, I worked on a dark background with a lighted magnifying glass. The hem had to be done and shoulders taken up. The picture is taken as I was working on matching up the lines of the dress with the lines in the hem lace before trimming away the excess.
I found I really enjoyed using my lifetime of sewing skills to alter wedding gowns. This is why alterations are offered at Bridal House. We order as close as possible to the perfect fit and have estimates on alterations when a bride purchases. We know the designers and what is possible with which gowns.
I am so thankful for my beautiful daughter. She inspires me and has let me see where my skills can help other brides and moms have a great, relaxed experience when choosing and altering the perfect bridal gown.
Happy Birthday!!!
