Punching the Clock: Here come the brides

Any girl will tell you that finding the perfect wedding dress is probably the most important part of creating your ideal wedding – almost as important as finding the right groom. So when it comes to helping the bride to choose the perfect dress, little things make a big difference.

On Saturday, I went to Lily Katherine’s Bridal Boutique in Norwich to spend a day working with Jill Eddy and her staff. After participating in numerous weddings over the years, I wasn’t sure what to expect in my day at the shop. Over the years I’ve seen controlling bridezillas, aggravating bridesmaids, flower girls throwing temper tantrums and members of the bridal party throwing their shoes at each other. To my surprise and relief, I saw none of that at Jill’s shop. She explained the staff works hard to make shopping for a wedding dress one of the more calming and enjoyable wedding experiences, and that listening to your customers and anticipating their needs is the key to success in the bridal business.

At 11:30 I arrived at the store and planned on taking a few minutes to talk to the store owner before we got down to business. Our time was cut short as one person after another walked through the front door. Between the tuxedo returns, the dress fittings, the appointments for alterations and the customers who just came in to browse the shop and try on some items, the bell on the door was ringing constantly, but after getting through the prom season, the staff assured me, this was nothing.

I spent most of the day in the alterations room with seamstress Nancy Snell and learned that although I thought I was handy enough with a sewing machine, I better leave the fancy work to a pro. From 11 to 2, Nancy pinned hems, shortened dresses, took in dresses, shortened straps and even had time for a special order, making cap sleeves for a once strapless dress. Although she said she might let me sew something simple, in my mind I imagined hems coming undone halfway through some bride’s walk down the aisle, causing her to trip over her own feet and break her leg, and I decided to pass.