All Brides Beautiful marries smart service, beautiful gowns

by Rosemary Downing

Wednesday June 10, 2009, 2:00 PM

“SHOP TALK”

Latest local shopping and fashion reviews from Sun News

If someone you know is looking for a wedding gown, here’s a bridal boutique she might want to consider. All Brides Beautiful is in a house at 219 N. Main St. in the center of Hudson. This store met all my standards for a shop where a woman might choose to buy the most memorable dress of her lifetime.

The owner, Bobbie Lopez, is a trained seamstress, and she employs graduates from Kent State’s School of Fashion Design as her associates. When meeting a new client she can assess the bride-to-be’s body’s architecture and immediately know which dress design will compliment her figure.

Her collection of designer wedding gowns includes Priscilla of Boston and Melissa Sweet. For bridesmaid gowns she carries Jenny Yoo, a designer whose dresses offer interchangeable tops in a variety of shapes and sizes, so each bridesmaid has a style that flatters her body.

Often, according to Bobbie, Jenny Yoo clients recycle their bridesmaid dresses into party apparel for future occasions. That is an appealing prospect for a woman investing in a bridesmaid’s dress.

The shop has a warm decor that doesn’t distract from the gowns, which dominate two showrooms. Dressing rooms are spacious and feel like you are in a friend’s bedroom trying on dresses.

Bobbie suggests brides-to-be order dresses eight months before their wedding. Four months allows time to receive the dress from the manufacturer. The other four months are needed for alterations.

Gowns can cost up to $5,000. A limited supply of discontinued styles is available at anywhere from $300 to $1,500. Sample wedding gowns come in sizes 8, 10 and 12. There are usually several styles in sizes 6 and 16 to accommodate those future brides who aren’t a match for the sample sizes.

I learned some of the hottest trends in bridal fashions are cage veils, replicas of antique brooches, and feathers used as decorative embellishments.

What I wanted to know was why so many modern brides choose strapless dresses. Bobbie told me a well-made strapless gown is often the most flattering design for female torsos.

A recent client wanted a dress made in the style of Grace Kelly’s at her wedding to Prince Rainer. No problem. Bobbie and her staff can creating such a dress.

All Brides Beautiful was named one of the best bridal boutiques in Northeast Ohio in both 2008 and 2009 by Knots Best of Weddings, a Web site resource for brides.

WHAT’S THE SCOOP? Appointments are appreciated. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Call (330) 655-1339 or go to AllBridesBeautiful.com.

Rosemary welcomes your comments, your questions and all of your suggestions. Contact her at downingrosemary@yahoo.com.

SHOP TALK

Latest local shopping and fashion reviews from Sun News