Buying a wedding dress should be a personal,
memorable, and above all, enjoyable experience. Since July 2006, Judy Ferrara has
sought-out to give that exact experience to every bride-to-be who walks through
the doors of The Dressing Room, located on 2433 Central Avenue in St.
Petersburg. With her great sense of humor and her unofficial mantra: “No stress
with the dress,” it is no wonder why her clients rave about her and why we at
Confetti Events absolutely LOVE working with her. So grab a cup of coffee and
get cozy as we throw the Confetti Spotlight on Judy Ferrara from The Dressing
Room!
picture courtesy of Pezz Photo
T: “How did you get The Dressing Room started?”
J: “I was
working overseas – very demanding, a lot of traveling, a lot of high level,
professional people and I did that for almost 9 years. I wanted to do something
where I could live in my own condo, drive my own car and go home every night
and sleep in my own bed. My daughter-in-law did some feasibility studies and
determined that there was not a bridal salon in the Tampa-St. Petersburg region
that was developed and catering towards a specific clientele. We did the
research and that is how we got started. That was back in July 2006.”
T: “How do you stand out from other local bridal
boutiques?”
J: “That’s
a very good question and that’s hard to answer because I am not privy to how
other bridal boutiques are internally structured. Here, I like to think that I
stand out because I have a very high touch coming from the corporate world and
I am able to focus on and offer an experience that is more educational and less
sales-oriented, which I think enables brides to make better decisions. Also,
being a sole proprietor, I offer a private appointment. The store is completely
exclusive for the individual appointment. I never pre-qualify brides by asking
them how much their budget is over the phone. I don’t like to present the
boutique as so difficult or so exclusive that you aren’t going to feel
comfortable making that first appointment.”
T: “It is also quite unique that you have your own
in-house tailor, right?”
J: “Yes.
He certainly is my wonderful angel – Hugh is an amazing, gifted man. He is just
an amazing person – his personality, but his resource, his experience, and his
expertise. His ability to take a bride’s vision, to design it, and to create it
exceeds people’s expectations. He certainly exceeds mine on a weekly basis.
Finding the dress emotionally, getting it in the budget you were aiming for are
so important, but then comes the work of getting it altered. I believe that we
offer a far superior experience because, Hugh and I meet with the brides and
they really enjoy that individual attention.”
T: “I have heard you say in the past that purchasing a
wedding dress should be an emotional experience. Could you explain what you
meant by that?”
J: “Oh,
sure. It is a very, very mini version of the moment you fell in love with the
man you’re going to marry. So, that is very similar as far as once you found
that right man, that you’re going to marry, that right person in your life –
that was all based on an emotional connection that’s hard to define for each of
us individually. Finding THE dress can be similar in that, you just have a
connection to that dress and that’s when all the pieces that you’ve had in your
head start coming together. This dress represents that to you, and only you can
make that decision. So, the emotional is much more important than all the
pricing, and the designer name, and the trends – that is all really secondary
and tertiary.”
T: “What keeps
you passionate about the wedding industry?”
J: “I like
the change and the diversity because diversity has always been second nature to
me ever since I was a young person growing up in the suburbs of New York City.
I always gravitated towards foreign languages and ethnic studies and then
having a career overseas, so all of that diversity was such a joy and such an
adventure. I find here in the store that as I meet with so many different
brides from all different parts of the world that the Tampa Bay area has become
very culturally diverse, which really adds to my passion to not be in the
position where I am hearing and doing the same thing every day. Also, the
dresses, the collections, and the trends change so often, it really keeps me
motivated and interested.”
T: “How would you describe your personal style?”
J: ”My
personal style is very classic and understated. I really like the timeless and
the “less is more” mentality for myself, personally.
T: “What should every bride bring to her first
fitting?”
J:
“Ideally, her shoes so we can start working on the hem line. Then, accessories:
any jewelry she thinks she might want to wear, a veil that she bought or that
someone is lending her. It is important for brides to remember that the first
fitting doesn’t need to have an heir of mystique – there is so much other
stress and other demands going on, so my unofficial tag line is: “There is no
stress with the dress.” Really, the highest compliment I can receive is when a
bride says to me that out of all the wedding planning, this has been the most
fun and the most stress free. That gives me a really good sense of closure with
a client when that has been said to me.”
T: “What is the most challenging aspect of your job?”
J:
“Challenging is either too much business going on or not enough business going
on. The extremes of having eight back-to-back appointments in one day or having
a day like today in which I have the entire afternoon completely open. But, I
always find something to do, like catch up on maintenance or housekeeping. There
are always things to do.”
T: “What is your favorite part about helping a bride
choose the most important dress she will ever wear?”
J: “For
me, I think going through the discovery process with her, going through her
eyes and trying to allow her the opportunity to discover what is working for
her. So, what do I enjoy? I enjoy being a background, silent therapist that
lets her explore and develop her style, and lets her own it in a way that gives
her piece of mind. My job is to manage her expectations, even though she might
not know exactly what she is expecting. I also enjoy giving her room to make
mistakes – choosing a wedding gown there is no right and there is no wrong. It
is a real creative, developmental adventure. So, I try to make it as light
hearted as possible. It is a happy time in her life and the experience should
be a happy one, so I try to extend that to my brides here in the store.”
T: “Are you seeing any emerging trends in the coming
year?”
J: “The
trends I’m seeing are very figure conscious, a lot of lace, and a lot of
intricate details on the back. You have these polar opposites: classic and
elegant but with glamorous, open backs and very figure flattering.”
T: “What is the most important question every bride
should ask before buying her dress?”
J:
“Really, for the bride’s sake, what is her budget?”
T: “What is the number one thing for a future bride to
avoid when beginning to look for her wedding dress?”
J: “I
would say overbooking herself. By making too many appointments to try on
dresses in one day, she can get fatigued and have way too much going on in her
head. I use the analogy of eating out for breakfast, brunch, lunch, then dinner
– all the food may be delicious, but it is just too much to enjoy. The ideal
situation would be to space appointments out to give the bride some time to
think.”
T: “What is a common mistake you see brides making?”
J: “ Not
staying true to who she is and not staying true to her silhouette, her bust
line, her height, her weight, what her groom is wearing, what the theme of her
day is. Choosing a dress that is trendy
versus choosing one that coordinates well with the overall theme and look of
her wedding. I don’t mean coordinating to mean matchy-matchy. I mean
coordinating to fit her personality, her expectations, her budget, and her
reality. I wouldn’t ever say the bride’s gown needs to match her venue, but I
would say the bride should consider what her priorities are and how much
physical activity will be involved. She should consider the environment she
will be in. If it is a summer wedding on the beach, she should really take that
into consideration.””
T: “What is the best advice you could give brides who
are still searching for the perfect dress?”
J: “The photos are so important and when you look at them, you want to see that
the dress you’ve chosen is the right one for you and it’s got that lasting
quality. But, most importantly, I would say to be realistic – be realistic
about your budget and about your body type. So, be realistic and stay off of
Pintrest. It is like crack because you just cant get away from it. That is the
difference between the real world and dream world. I always tell my brides the
same thing – he loves you just the way you are. So, try not to be so
self-critical.”
T: “Everyone says you have that “WOW” moment when
you’ve found THE dress. In your experience, is the “WOW” moment a myth or
reality?
J: “I
think it’s a little bit of both. It depends on the bride. With some brides,
there is what I like to call analysis paralysis. It also sometimes depends on
who the bride has brought with her, which is why I recommend to the bride to
bring people who she really loves to be around, who she is comfortable with and
who she doesn’t feel like she has to please. But at the end of the day, I can always tell
because that “WOW” moment it pretty much always expressed through their body
language, whether the bride knows it or not.”
T: “What are 5 things you could not do your job
without?”
J: “1) I’ve got the have
a good inventory here. 2) I’ve got to have a telephone so they can call
me. 3) Facebook/website/social media,
which are my virtual street window display, and are how people find me because
they really do their research these days before they make appointments. 4) I could not operate without the support of
my amazing suppliers, vendors and colleagues in the industry – I am very
grateful and dependent on those referrals. They are all very significant and
important to me. 5) And finally, my sense of humor.”
T: “What is your most favorite item you have in The
Dressing Room?”
J: “My
photos of my past brides and I keep a large shoe box of all the thank you cards
I have received throughout the years. That gives me pleasure. Those are
tangible acknowledgements of my work and whatever experience I have imparted on
people.”
T: “What is the most satisfying part of your job?”
J: Working
with women who have extra-ordinary circumstances and being able to create a
nurturing, safe and comfortable environment to experience the joy of getting a
wedding gown and giving them an experience that perhaps they weren’t so sure
they would ever get. That is very, very satisfying. Working with women who are
so in love and are three feet off the ground because they are getting married really
leaves me in a good mood. As I drive home, I think, that was a great
appointment.”
T: “Any parting words…?”
J: “There is no perfect wedding dress. Defining the perfect wedding dress is
like defining the perfect chicken recipe. There are so many versions. Everyone
has an opinion and a preference. So, it is really about informing yourself, and
getting to know what is out there because the more educated you are, the better
decision you can make. “
-Written by Theresa Mezzari, Associate Coordinator
