Vendor Spotlight - Judy Ferrara - The Dressing Room

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