Giving Women an Option

The task of finding a modest wedding dress can seem near impossible with today's fashion trends. Still, some might be surprised to find modest options where they least expect them".
That is a quote from the latest article to appear in which The Yellow Rose was mentioned once again. Here is the link so you can read the entire article.

http://www.mormontimes.com/article/19468/Bridal-shops-provide-modest-options-for-brides?s_cid=addthis

The hunt begins for some with optimism and ease, while others are in for a long day, sealed with sweat and tears from an unsuccessful chase.

For Mormon brides, the task of finding a modest wedding dress can seem near impossible with today's fashion trends. Still, some might be surprised to find modest options where they least expect them.

In the small town of Lilburn Ga., Julia Kilgore has operated The Yellow Rose modest dress shop for the last three years.

When Kilgore's first daughter was going to get married, it was hard for her to find a modest dress. She finally found one about an hour away, but it got Kilgore toying with the idea of starting up her own shop.

About four years ago, Kilgore's daughter asked her if she was actually going to open up the dress shop.

Kilgore said her response was, "Well, I'm not getting any younger, so I'd better do it now."

About 50 percent of the customers who come in to the shop are members of the LDS Church.

There are a lot of women who prefer modest dresses, but because that is not the "norm," they don't wear them, she said.

"There was a need, so I took the plunge and opened the shop," Kilgore said.

Most of the business The Yellow Rose gets is from out of town and from outside Georgia. One bride-to-be ordered a dress from the Netherlands.

In St. Louis, Debbie Welcher has also started and sustained her own modest dress shop.

"My husband's family is Apostolic, and I was very familiar with their modesty standards, so I wanted to open up something to help girls choose modesty," she said.

Welcher's store, Chatfield's Bridal Boutique, is part of a small niche in Missouri and only carries modest dresses. The shop also has LDS temple dresses in stock and carries dresses that fit the needs of various religious backgrounds.

Like Kilgore, a high percentage of Welcher's customers are from outside the state.

The LDS dresses at Chatfield's are the most revealing of all the dresses in the shop, as the standards for the dresses begin with the LDS modesty standards. For example, the Jewish brides that she deals with need to have their elbows and collarbones covered.

For customers not within driving distance of a modest dress shop, ordering dresses online is an option.

Welcher said she probably mails about four or five dresses to girls in the U.S. every week but that there are many things to consider when ordering a dress that are easier to see in person than online. Such things to consider are that a dress might fit differently than originally estimated, and it might even look different than it did online.

Nancy Barrus, the artistic director and co-owner of Avenia Bridal in Provo, Utah, said purchasing dresses online is cheaper than physically going in to purchase from a bridal store, generally speaking.

However she, too, expressed concerns about buying online.

"You may get a better price, and if you're going for price, then maybe that's the better option," Barrus said.

When buying online it is not possible to see how the dress fits, and ultimately you get what you pay for, she said.

"If you can spend the time shopping, that's highly recommended," Barrus said.

For the bride-to-be who is not geographically close to any modest options, and who doesn't want to buy something online, alterations are yet another option.

The price for basic altering can range from $150 to $300, and the prices for build-up alterations can range anywhere from $200 to $700. Barrus recommended that those looking to get a dress altered speak with a seamstress, not just a sales clerk, to check prices on alterations.