Shopping for your dream dress during the Corona Virus

We are healthy and still opened,
as always:  by appointment only.

Dream Dress Shopping During The Corona Virus

Some helpful tips to keep you safe while you search for your dream dress:

With information gathered from OSHA and the CDC along with our suppliers we are sharing to help you make the most of your shopping experience.

Be thoughtful of your health and the health of others.

Make sure you are vigilant on your symptoms and do not hesitate to reschedule if necessary.  Definitely reschedule under any of the following circumstances:

1. You are not feeling well.
2. You feel achy.
3. You are coughing
4. You are sneezing.
5. You have diarrhea.
6. You have any ill stomach feelings.

You have a fever over 100°

Ask Your Guests to Make Sure They Are Not Sick!

Your appointment will last from 1 to 1.5 hours.  We will all be cozy and in a closely confined area.  Do make sure that those who will be accompanying you are also feeling well and have no symptoms.  We can face time or video chat with people who are unable to be there.

What To Expect

Do not bring children.  During this high risk period we must strictly enforce a no child under 12 policy at the advise of CDC guidelines.
Guests are limited to 4 per party.  No exceptions, please don't ask.
Sanitize  your hands!
If you arrive early you will need to wait while we clean between appointments. 

What To Wear For Your Appointment

We have always recommended that you 'dress appropriately' ie: cover that which should remain unseen.  In order to comply with CDC Health recommendations:  Full coverage underwear are manditory to try on dresses at this time.  For further explanation please see this.

Anticipated Impact on Deliveries

Brides & formal wear clients are deeply concerned about experiencing delivery issues in regards to their special ordered merchandise.  At this time, some factories in the Far East are closed.  Others are running at less than full capacity.  Others unaffected.  So there is  no blanket answer.  Furthermore, as the virus spreads internationally: it's impact will be felt globally.  At Bella Sposa Bridal & Prom we are making all of our inventory available to service as many as possible in this time of need.  With over 400 designers on our rack we also carry dresses made in Europe and India.  This is minimizing delivery issues.  We strongly encourage everyone to buy off the rack to protect themselves.

Special Order Or Off The Rack?

Standard delivery in normal circumstances is 4-6 months.  If your event is less than 9 months away:  purchasing off the rack is our most sage advice.  You can save yourself potential risks and headaches that are anticipated in manufacturing in areas deeply affected by the Corona Virus.  

We have not recommended the standard 6 month delivery in over 20 years!  Why?  In the end of the 90's there was a UPS strike and this caused many very serious delays and much stress to our clients.  And on it's heels was an embargo that stopped imports from entering the country.  This added more stress on the situation.  So at that time we shifted and have strongly recommended all special orders be placed Nine full months before the date of need.

My Dress is 'In Production' and the original date is timely.  Should I rely on that date?

 Please know that an in production date is only an estimated date and has never been the guaranteed date for shipment.  At this time:  production dates are subject to change without notice.  For instance, if your wedding is only four months away and estimated delivery is 3 months:  it's advised you buy off the rack as many factories are not running at 100% production.  We have plenty to choose from! 

 Delays could be as long as three months.  If you are ordering please make sure you have allowed enough time for delays in production and or shipping. And don't forget to add on time for alterations!  Otherwise, please be safe and buy off the rack.  

Please remember:  these are real supply chain issues and are not limited to the bridal industry.  All businesses are facing this at the same time.  As of now we do not foresee any inconvenience to our customers due to our outstanding relations with our vendors and factories.  We will keep you updated.

Why the cost of Wedding gowns & formal wear?

What's in a gown?  What causes the prices to seem so expensive?  Have you ever contemplated what must happen before a gown is ready for you to ever try on?  Check out this very brief sneak peek inside a factory and what it entails:

There can be, literally, hundreds of hours of hand labor that creates these works of art.  Did you know that our product has been defined, legally, as works of art?  That many designers spend hundreds of hours creating every aspect of a single gown?  Have you ever considered or weighed the costs?  From the thread to make the fabric to the very specific beading details that determine that it is a work of art or a mass factory production.

Having devoted my entire life to this industry and making the dreams of girls and women come true.  This gives me a unique perspective on our industry and our product.  Is it wrong that I, on occasion, feel offended when women are disgusted by the costs of the gowns?  Working to educate and explaining that a hand crafted bridesmaid dress will take approximately 10 hours from the cutting to walking out the door.   Making hundreds of them, over the decades, has taught me much.  Then one must consider the cost of the materials.  Having made well over a thousand gowns in my life time I feel qualified to say that the ready to wear products in our industry are incredibly affordable when considering materials and labor values.  There have been gowns that the lace alone cost $500 per yard.  Keep in mind that the average brides maid gown will take 5 yards and the average bridal gown will take 10.  Plus interfacing, plus lining, plus boning, plus thread and other detail elements.  For many years I was in awe of how affordably these gowns had been produced.

There seems to be little awareness of what it takes to make these dreams come true.  As if we have mice in the back rooms with needles and thread stitching things up.  But no, there is no magic wand & there are no little mice or elves that work by our sides.  Most of the people that I know, in this industry, work a long amount of hours, some on little to no pay to make your dreams come true.

Today my goal is to create awareness.   Awareness of the consumers effects on others.  I'm certain it's totally unbeknown nor even considered by the majority.  Did you know that the majority of our products use to be made here in the USA in factories located here.  Now, there still are some.  But over time, in a quest to keep the costs affordable, production has been moved from the United States.  And the majority, for decades, has been made in China.

China, whose government system is the Communist Party of China / and the People's Liberation Army.  Under this form of government everybody works for the government.  Of course, there are those who fare better than others.  But my concern is for the lowly laborer.  The person that makes your gown.  I do not believe that most Americans are aware of the conditions that they labor under or the wages that they are paid.  Which is the primary reason the costs are so low.  If these gowns were made here, state side, at minimum wage (with benefits) we could expect them to cost 10x as much.  When I learned the long hours and low wages that were paid to these humans I became overwhelmed to think that Americans are afforded luxury on the backs of people who are made slaves.

Did you know that in some worker work all day for lunch? In some factories the people live in barracks outside the factory so they do not have to "waste time going home". Americans would never submit to these conditions or way of living. The Chinese employees are accustomed to working six or seven days a week at many plants in China. They typically live dormitory-style, several people to an apartment. Leaving work in time to get home for family dinner is not part of their routine. (One Chinese worker explains that she only gets to see her child once a year, when she travels from the factory to her home town.) The company attempts to bring some approximation of these labor standards to the U.S., but the Americans, many of whom had previously been members of the United Auto Workers union, begin to complain about their working conditions. I have to believe that people do not know and therefore they behave as they do. I could not believe that they are, quite simply, so insensitive. But I am sure there are those that are. That is deeply saddening. Now there is much talk to move the production to India. This does not cause me to jump for joy. There are also squallor conditions that people work under in India. There is are several documentaries on the subject if you care to learn more.

So the next time you think to complain that the cost of the gown is to high: I beg of you to remember these people who suffer in abject poverty, or the women in this country who have very small profit margins so that you may have luxury affordably.  Every discount you receive is at someone else's cost.