10 Questions with Stanley Korshak Bridal Salon

1.  What is the attraction of shopping at the Stanley Korshak Bridal Salon for a wedding dress? Where is it located?

Stanley Korshak Bridal Salon’s unique store is located in a courtyard between the Crescent Hotel and Stanley Korshak department store in Dallas, Texas. The salon is 2 stories full of beautiful gowns and accessories. Despite the size, it feels very intimate and friendly. We offer a luxury shopping experience that brides dream of without being stuffy.

2.  What is the advantage of being in this department store?

We are independent from the main store. The salon was purchased from the store by Mackenzie Brittingham in 2016. She remodeled the salon with white marble, new furniture, beautiful lighting and gold framed mirrors. We have the advantage of being a privately owned boutique but with the perks of having a relationship with the department store next door to service the brides every need.

3. Who is the bride that shops at Stanley Korshak?

Every bride is welcomed and will find something she loves here. We have as many classic brides as we do edgy, casual and fashion forward brides. I love buying for all of them!

4.  Do you hold special events at the boutique?

Yes, we are constantly hosting trunk shows and parties to introduce new designers and new collections to our brides. We have many designer personal appearances allowing our brides the opportunity to interact with the artist who will make their gown. Having events often creates a very exciting and positive energy in the salon. We have a very happy salon.

5.  What designers do you carry or how do you decide who to carry?

I select designers for a variety of reasons, eye pleasing design, quality of materials, craftsmanship, fit, as well as the professionalism and integrity of the company are key. I develop strong personal relationships with the designers I buy from. We work together as partners to bring beautiful gowns to future brides. A few of the current ones are Galia Lahav, Vera Wang, Anne Barge, Ines Di Santo, Naeem Khan and Sareh Nouri.

6.  What do you recommend your customers do before making an appointment?

There a few things that every bride should do prior to shopping for her gown: have a wedding date (so you know if you have time to order the gown), have a location (so you do not buy a huge satin ball gown for a beach wedding), know your budget (better to say no to the 10K gown before you can’t live without it), bring supportive people with you (not the person who will make you cry), be ready to buy (when you find the magic one be ready to say “Yes”)

7.  What kind of weddings and venues do Stanley Korshak brides have?

I would say most of our brides still have a traditional wedding. By that I mean a religious ceremony with all the family and friends followed by a large reception complete with dinner and dancing. Hotels and Country Clubs are the most popular but we also have brides who are married on the beach, in a vineyard, at a cabin in the woods… you name it!

8. What is your feeling about trunk shows today? Are they important to the salon?

Yes, Very Important! Trunk shows allow us to bring in gowns that may not be in stores because they are new. They create excitement and increase the options for the bride. Trunk shows are a way we can bring new designers to the salon and see how brides react to the designs before we buy the collections.

9.  What is your opinion about having one or two bridal markets per year in New York?

I always enjoy market but having one big NYC market in October would be a good solution to a long standing problem. We now have 2 markets but are not able to analyze the sales from the previous market before we are faced with having to buy again. Often the items we bought at April market have not even arrived when October market begins. The better business model would be to order in October then have at least 6 months of data before considering the next buy.

10.  How long have you been a buyer of bridal and how did you get into it?

I have been a bridal buyer for 15 years - 10 of those years I spent as the buyer for Neiman Marcus before joining Stanley Korshak Bridal in January. I fell in love with the bridal industry when I worked alongside my husband who was a prominent society wedding photographer. I’ve worked over 1000 weddings with him, so I really have a unique insight and knowledge of bridal gowns and weddings.