Each visit to a bridal shop marks a different milestone on life’s journey. (Jennifer Bardsley)

Each visit to a bridal shop marks a different milestone on life’s journey. (Jennifer Bardsley)

Bridal shop visits are full of memories — with more to come

Bridal shops aren’t only for brides. They are places where women of all ages gather to celebrate each other.

The first time I visited a bridal shop, I was 21 and by myself. I lived away from my family and bridesmaids. That initial visit was lonesome. I needed to order a wedding dress, but not like that. Not surrounded by daughters and mothers drinking champagne. Still, I learned something important on that scouting mission: I wanted a silk dress. The other dresses were beautiful too, but I liked the way the silk dresses rustled when they swept across the floor.

The second, third and fourth times I visited a bridal shop, I was with my family and bridesmaids. We scoured the racks for silk dresses and found one for the bargain price of $500. Yes, I said bargain, because most dresses were three times as much. I learned important things about my bridesmaids too. They were gracious and loving and also had specific preferences about their dresses that I did my best to honor.

The fifth time I entered a bridal shop was many years later when I was trying on a bridesmaid’s dress to wear for my friend’s wedding. I had just given birth, which meant the dresses fit me in weird ways. By the time the dress arrived, it needed to be altered because I’d lost baby weight. That appointment was the sixth time I visited a bridal shop. I remember being relieved that the garment would hide nursing pads so I wouldn’t leak milk during the wedding.

The seventh time I walked into a bridal shop was to buy a flower girl dress for my daughter. My sister was getting married in a swirl of gauzy pink tule. We picked out a coordinating dress for my daughter that had a heart cut out of the back. It was an inch too long and couldn’t be hemmed. The plan was for her to grow before she tossed flower petals at the wedding. That hoped-for growth spurt didn’t fully materialize, but I bought my daughter white shoes with tiny heels to make up the difference.

The eighth time I visited a bridal shop was last weekend. My oldest niece will be married this summer and my daughter is helping with the guest book. My youngest niece will serve as the flower girl. For a moment on that visit, I felt wistful. My daughter is no longer the little girl in white patent leather shoes; now she was selecting a junior bridesmaid dress designed for tweenagers. But oh what a special time it was with my sisters-in-law and nieces. The mother-of-the-bride took us out to lunch afterward, too.

Someday in the future, I might visit a bride shop again, either as the mother-of-the-bride or the mother-of-the-groom. What a full-circle moment that will be. Bridal shops aren’t only for brides. They are places where women of all ages gather to celebrate each other.

Jennifer Bardsley publishes books under her own name and the pseudonym Louise Cypress. Find her online on Instagram @jenniferbardsleyauthor, on Twitter @jennbardsley or on Facebook as Jennifer Bardsley Author. Email her at teachingmybabytoread@gmail.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Photo courtesy of Graphite Arts Center
Amelia DiGiano’s photography is part of the “Seeing Our Planet” exhibit, which opens Friday and runs through Aug. 9 at the Graphite Arts Center in Edmonds.
A&E Calendar for July 10

Send calendar submissions for print and online to features@heraldnet.com. To ensure your… Continue reading

Snohomish County Dahlia Society members Doug Symonds and Alysia Obina on Monday, March 3, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
How to grow for show: 10 tips for prize-winning dahlias

Snohomish County Dahlia Society members share how they tend to their gardens for the best blooms.

What’s Up columnist Andrea Brown with a selection of black and white glossy promotional photos on Wednesday, June 18, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Free celeb photos! Dig into The Herald’s Hollywood time capsule

John Wayne, Travolta, Golden Girls and hundreds more B&W glossies are up for grabs at August pop-up.

The 2025 Audi A3 premium compact sedan (Provided by Audi).
2025 Audi A3 upgradesdesign and performance

The premium compact sedan looks sportier, acts that way, too.

Edmonds announces summer concert lineup

The Edmonds Arts Commission is hosting 20 shows from July 8 to Aug. 24, featuring a range of music styles from across the Puget Sound region.

Big Bend Photo Provided By Ford Media
2025 Ford Bronco Sport Big Bend Increases Off-Road Capability

Mountain Loop Highway Was No Match For Bronco

Cascadia College Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Midori Sakura looks in the surrounding trees for wildlife at the North Creek Wetlands on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Cascadia College ecology students teach about the importance of wetlands

To wrap up the term, students took family and friends on a guided tour of the North Creek wetlands.

Mustang Convertible Photo Provided By Ford Media Center
Ford’s 2024 Ford Mustang Convertible Revives The Past

Iconic Sports Car Re-Introduced To Wow Masses

Kim Crane talks about a handful of origami items on display inside her showroom on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Crease is the word: Origami fans flock to online paper store

Kim’s Crane in Snohomish has been supplying paper crafters with paper, books and kits since 1995.

The 2025 Nissan Murano midsize SUV has two rows of seats and a five-passenger capacity. (Photo provided by Nissan)
2025 Nissan Murano is a whole new machine

A total redesign introduces the fourth generation of this elegant midsize SUV.

A woman flips through a book at the Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Pop some tags at Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley

$20 buys an outfit, a unicycle — or a little Macklemore magic. Sales support the food bank.

Two visitors comb the beach at Kayak Point Regional County Park on Friday, June 14, 2024, in Tulalip, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Nate Nehring and WSU Beach Watchers to host beach cleanup at Kayak Point

Children and families are especially encouraged to attend the event at Kayak Point Regional County Park.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.