A couple’s wedding day is a memory they will never forget, and a big part of it is a bride’s dress.
Be-In Bridal Studio in Atlantic Beach is doing its part to make sure each pride finds the perfect dress that they are both comfortable and beautiful.
“I’ve had my own studio since September, but I worked in bridal for about four or five years in a past life and that’s where I learned everything,” Be-In owner Haley Guiette said. “I just fell in love with it so much, and not because I’m obsessed with weddings, but I’m really obsessed with bridal fashion and going to New York for fashion week.”
An interesting concept Guiette has brought to Be-In is that her entire selection of dresses is made from sustainable and ethically sourced materials.
“All of my designers have a hand in every step of the process,” Guiette said. “It’s not just shipped off to a production company oversees, but everything is made right in their studios, which is something I value a lot. When you have control over your design, you can do just about anything.”
Trends are ever evolving, and new ones are always being as brides and their views of fashion change.
“It’s crazy looking back to what the trends were when I started in bridal and what it is like now,” Guiette said. “It is so amazing to see brides as the ones setting the trends and doing what they want and making it happen.”
As with the planning of the wedding itself, choosing a wedding dress is often an involved process that takes place about a year in advance.
As a result, many of the trends this year are a product of what brides found popular while shopping for dresses last year.
“What we’re seeing a lot this year is sheer side panels, which I think are beautiful because they really elongate the waist and give a little bit of sexiness without it being a too risqué,” Guiette said. “Square necklines are also a huge trend right now, which are also such a classic look, and brides are going more dramatic in terms of low backs and going with more sparkle.”
Big wedding gown trains are also a trend that she has seen begin to take effect, as well as the return of veils which are becoming more and more popular after it had become a tradition Guiette had seen brides were shying away from for a while.
“Now we’re seeing embroidered and colored veils are also becoming a thing,” Guiette said. “Girls are really just going out of their comfort zone and realizing that this is a very special experience. I always tell my brides that, yes, it is a very special day, but you still want your dress to be an extension of you.”
There are so many different types of wedding dresses because there are many different personalities of the people that will be wearing them.
Guiette takes it upon herself as a studio owner to be a soundboard that brides can rely on as they engage in the process of making their dream wedding dress a reality. Sometimes, it has been a dream that has developed since childhood.
“My whole goal is to give them that platform, and that there shouldn’t be any rules,” Guiette said. “I’m here to give direction but they what they like.”
One of the things she has noticed is that brides walk into the studio with so much more knowledge and a much more refined idea of what they want their potential dress to look like than ever before.
Guiette credits social media and all of the information that is available to brides that past generations did not have access to gather ideas from.
“It’s amazing the tools that we all have now that really help with inspiration,” Guiette said. “I’ve had brides send me mood boards and pictures of what they are looking for, and I think that’s only a good thing. The challenge that I love to accept is knowing how to reign it in, because almost every bride that has ever tried on a dress will tell you that she’ll walk in with one idea and then go in a different direction after trying stuff on.”
Another aspect that Guiette takes pride in at Be-In is that she understands that not all brides are the same and that includes the shape of their body.
She makes sure to have a variety of dress sizes and styles not only available through her design partners but also to choose from in studio at its location at 20 Seminole Road in Atlantic Beach.
The in-store selection is something she likes to have for those planning to have a wedding on a tighter deadline.
At the end of the day, weddings are a moment that will be cherished forever, as it is the beginning of the next phase of a person’s life, which with it can naturally bring about stress to get everything “right.”
However, Guiette believes choosing a dress should not be something that adds to that stress level, and she has strived to create a fun and relaxing atmosphere in her studio for brides and their bridal parties.
“I’m creating a space of calmness and happiness, because I feel that’s what people want and need,” Guiette said. “This should be the fun part.”
