Vendor Series 2020
You just got engaged and what is the first thing you do? Most likely, share the exciting news with everyone, start looking at venues and go dress shopping!
It’s one of those things I was excited about doing when I got engaged, but again, I didn’t know that much about it. More importantly, I didn’t know what to ask or what to expect.
That’s why I’m so excited about this Q&A with Kayla at The Crystal Bride!
Kayla shares how she got started, what to look forward to when visiting The Crystal Bride AND what every Bride should know when looking for her perfect wedding dress. 🙂
The Crystal Bride has been a Watson Brides favorite for a long time, so I hope you enjoy this post!!!
Q&A with Kayla at The Crystal Bride
How did you get started?
Kayla: I worked at a bridal shop throughout college and really caught the “bridal bug”. I enjoyed working with women on their special day and helping them style their wedding from top to bottom. I have my bachelor’s degree in psychology and found that it can really come in handy when working with people planning a major event. I started at The Crystal Bride almost 8 years ago and have worked my way up to sales manager. I truly love my job.
What do you love most about what you do?
Kayla: I think my absolute favorite thing about my job is truly getting to meet people at such an exciting time in their lives. I form a relationship with these women and their families over the course of their planning process and often feel I become a part of their story. I’ve been invited to weddings from clients and truly love getting to see my brides completely glow on their big day. It sounds super cliche, but seeing your hard work in action is such a huge payoff. Aside from that, seeing the newest fashions has always been an exciting part of my job as well. Selecting the best styles and picturing what type of bride would wear this dress is such a fun and often challenging task.
When looking for a wedding dress, what should every Bride know?
Kayla: I’d say one of the most important pieces of advice would be coming in with an open mind. Shopping for a wedding dress will surprise you and often the professional will be able to pick out some styles that you may not have thought of. Another helpful tip is to bring your most supportive crew! There is nothing more overwhelming than selecting the most important dress you’ll ever wear. If you have any negative energy or confusing opinions, it can easily turn an exciting day into a spiral. Lastly, it is super important to understand the full process. Dresses can take 4-6 months to arrive and alterations can take 3-4 months to complete – that being said, don’t wait too long to start shopping! Your selection may be limited if you wait to shop!
What is the best part of coming to the Crystal Bride?
Kayla: Its a bit of a two-fold answer – The Crystal Bride truly starts with a relationship with your consultant and making sure from start to finish, the bride feels heard, taken care of and most importantly, beautiful. Each consultant takes time before every appointment to look over the bride’s vision. We ask that our brides fill out a questionnaire before coming in. On that form, we ask to include as many or as few details about her wedding day before her appointment. Once we receive that form, we always want to call and speak directly to our new bride to introduce herself, gather any additional information about what she may be seeking and give her an overview of what to expect when they walk through our doors. We often find brides are overwhelmed or anxious about coming in because they don’t know what to expect or they aren’t certain of what exactly are looking for. It’s comforting to talk that through with a professional.
What is your favorite thing to do in your free time?
Kayla: My husband and I love to travel and experience new things together. We love doing wine tastings around town or finding a fun painting class to try. We like to be out and trying new things, but most of the time you will find me playing with our new golden doodle, Maverick, or spending quality time with my family.
Reviews from Past Watson Brides
“I always knew I wanted a big dress and I wanted it to be blush, so I already had a bit of a start. I found a designer that I loved but her dresses are pretty expensive and outside of the budget I was looking in, so naturally, I googled “wedding dress designers similar to Hayley Paige”. I was lucky enough to learn about Stella York and the Essence of Australia! I lived in St.Charles at the time and drove through downtown Geneva for work every day. After months of staring into the windows of The Crystal Bride, I finally realized it was a no-brainer that I wanted to go dress shopping there. I made my appointment and walked in with my mother, future mother in law, bridesmaids, and a laundry list of Stella York and Essence of Australia dresses that I wanted to try on. Irene got right to work looking up styles and pulling the dresses on my list that they had in stock. After trying on what felt like 100 dresses, something kept bringing me back the first one. It was my dream dress from the beginning. It was a big, blush ballgown with a lace sweetheart top. It couldn’t have been more perfect! I said yes to my dress and from that point on, The Crystal Bride made everything so easy for me. We scheduled my fittings, they helped order bridesmaid”s dresses, and all my alterations were done in house. As soon as I walked in the door for a fitting, the girls were always ready and waiting. The dress was in the fitting room, already prepped and ready to go. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of women to assist with my wedding dress and the dresses of my bridal party. They truly created an amazing experience!”
-Cj
“I had a nightmare time trying to find a dress. I went to 6 shops that all treated us to feel very rushed, most were very pushy and inattentive! However, The Crystal Bride was very different and I’m SO lucky I found them! Our consultant Kayla sat down with us. After speaking to what I wanted (and I showed her pictures) she let us look at the racks, and she pulled a dress that I immediately said, “That could be the one!” When I tried it on, I had that feeling that this was it! Even though I had that feeling, she let me try other dresses on and didn’t rush us or push us. The dress ended up being the one! The other thing I LOVED about the store was that pictures of each dress were attached to the dress. This made it easy to see what each dress looked like off the rack. I have never seen that before in a store.”
-Lizz
I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit more about The Crystal Bride! As always, if you have questions or other things you want to see Behind the Lens, just let me know!
I’ll see ya’ soon!
Much Love Friend,
Team Watson For Life: Our Story: How We Met
More from our Vendor Series…
Vendor Series: Taylor Slager Design
March 18, 2020