What we look for in a wedding dress designer

The relationship between a wedding dress shop like us and a wedding dress designer is a bit like a marriage. Actually, it’s a lot like a marriage.

It has to be one of balance and mutual respect. It also has to be fulfilling and meaningful for both sides. So at Say I Do, we have very specific things we seek in the designers we work for.

Exclusive relationship between wedding dress designer and boutique

We have an exclusive relationship in Munster with wedding dress studio Jesus Peiro

One thing we really appreciate is exclusivity. For example, we have a superb relationship with Spanish wedding dress designer, Jesus Peiro.

One of the reasons for that is because we are their exclusive wedding dress shop in Cork, Tipperary, Limerick, Waterford and Kerry. In fact, we’re only one of two wedding boutiques in the whole of Ireland who have access to their range.

This exclusivity works in both our favours.

Jesus Peiro know they have a partner in us who is dedicated to them and will work enthusiastically to promote and sell their dresses, because we don’t have to compete with lots of other wedding shops in Munster who are selling the same collection. We know we have an exclusive range and we want to make sure brides know that they have access to that exclusivity through us.

That said, exclusivity only means something if the design studio is vibrant, creative and innovative. Jesus Peiro is all of those things. Their lead designer, Merché Segarra, has managed to keep the brand at the cutting edge of wedding dress fashion for over two decades. She and her team have a clear vision of what makes a Jesus Peiro dress, while at the same time never settling for simply rehashing previous designs. They are exciting people to work with.

Their approach also means that when we go to buy from their collection, we don’t quickly run out of choice. Some designers produce collections of dresses that are so samey it's hard to pick a diverse enough selection from them. We never have that problem with Jesus Peiro.

Outfoxing the copycats

Another reason it is so important to work with a wedding dress studio that's always looking to move forward is that it makes it hard for the copycat studios to keep up.

For example, Jesus Peiro has created patterns on their wedding dresses that are exclusive to them. A dress that doesn’t have a pattern on it is much easier to copy. You’ll often find lookalikes of wedding dresses by recognised designers being sold by less creative dressmakers. That’s much harder to do when the dress has a pattern on it.

Unsurprisingly, a studio that doesn’t bother to design its own dresses also won’t bother to put much effort into the quality of the fabrics it uses, nor the fit and finish of the dress. Be warned. You get what you pay for.

Our shared reputation

We like to work with wedding dress designers who have a named designer who is the driving creative force in the studio

Because our reputation is based on the quality of the service we give and the quality of our dresses, we need to know that our suppliers have got our backs. And they do.

A wonderful example is AL Bridal Couture, which is an exclusive, high-end wedding dress studio here that both designs and handmakes its dresses in Ireland. We have direct lines of communication and head designer/dress maker Audra Levinskaite is able to say and decide exactly what she can and cannot do.

Having such access to the head designer herself is a wonderful advantage. We like to know who the lead designer is and that they have genuine control over the studio’s design process.

Even a much larger studio like Jesus Peiro, if they are managed properly, will make it possible for you to communicate effectively with them. And not only when you want to talk to them. Jesus Peiro is magnificent in this regard. They are always asking for feedback and input. They genuinely care.

They are also very proactive whenever we approach them with a special request. Sometimes it is to help solve a problem, which they always do brilliantly. And sometimes it is because we are working with a bride who is looking for something unusual.

Flexible wedding dress designs by flexible wedding dress designers

Some wedding dress studios don’t take any input. Worse, their attitude is that if you don’t buy the dresses they want you to stock, regardless of how good or suitable they are to brides in Munster, they’ll strike you off their suppliers list. It is a case of their way or the highway. We don’t like that. So we don’t work with studios who behave like this.

Jesus Peiro (yes, them again) takes the opposite approach. Instead of just dictating what a bride must wear on her wedding day, they will work with us to create something unique.

Their collections are so beautifully coherent that we have been able to mix and match from two dresses to create a new one. For example, we’ve taken the top of one dress and married it to the skirt of another, or transferred the pattern from one dress to a different dress.

We don’t do this frivolously, by the way, nor very often. Jesus Peiro dresses are exquisite as they are. But sometimes a bride’s personality or character means a tweak to the design of an existing dress will elevate it from a wonderful dress to the perfect dress. And we look for wedding dress designers who will help us make that magical step happen.

The difference makes the difference

We love working with designers like Eva Lendel who are always looking to push their designs forward

While Jesus Peiro and AL Bridal Couture make dresses that simply sing ‘Say I Do’, and utterly fit what we ourselves look for and love about wedding dresses, we also love working with wedding dress studios that are not only at the forefront of wedding dress design, but even go a step further and offer brides a visual aesthetic that is exotic and beyond what they would expect.

Enter Eva Lendel, a Ukrainian design studio whose dress designs are aimed at a younger, edgier market. These are dresses that will stop you mid-scroll. They are daring and social media-led. They are dresses that set the pulse racing. They aren’t for everyone, but for the right bride, they are spectacular.

We love working with a studio that has such boundless creative energy and seemingly bottomless innovation.

Again, here is a studio that is responsive and sees us as a valuable partner in bringing joy to brides. And because they are so easy to work with, we are able to take some risks with our purchasing. We can take a shot on a dress design that we think might appeal, but it is no big deal if it doesn’t catch on.

Big smiles, small budget

Above all, we feel at home with wedding dress designers who have a bit of fun about them, like Rebecca Whelan’s The Next Chapter

Another studio that is all about fun is Irish design studio The Next Chapter, established by Irish wedding dress designer Rebecca Whelan.

Rebecca’s off-the-rail dresses are for the bride who is having an easy-going day without all of the trimmings associated with a traditional wedding day; for instance, a civil ceremony. Her dresses suit the price-conscious bride who wants a dress for her wedding day, but perhaps also for wearing on other occasions as well.

A Next Chapter dress can also be worn as a second dress to change into after the ceremony, especially if the main wedding dress is less suited to partying in the evening.

What makes a dress a Say I Do dress?

You’ll have gathered that we like to work with wedding dress designers whose dresses appeal to us. We look at what is ‘us’ rather than what is ‘popular’. The dresses we sell have to fit our identity as a business.

We also like working with dress designers who have energy and vision. The studios we love are those that are always looking to challenge themselves and produce genuinely fresh collections, rather than repeats of their greatest hits. If we struggle to make a reasonable selection from a studio’s latest collection, we know it is time to look at new designers.

And we like to work with studios who have a two-way communication policy. We love being in a relationship of mutual trust and respect, in which we share a common goal: putting a bride in the ideal wedding dress for her on her wedding day.