by Tali Gallo - Stylist & Co-Owner of The Bridal Finery

Photos by Kristen Weaver Photography

How we prepare for New York Bridal Fashion Week as an Orlando Bridal Boutique 

New York Bridal Fashion Week (NYBFW)  takes place two times a year, every April and every October. Before we book travel arrangements, we talk through what the main focus will be for us as a bridal retailer attending. Each market the focus shifts, so it’s good to be in the same room and talk through what we feel the boutique is lacking. For this Spring 2025 bridal collection, we really felt like we did a ton of research in October. This season we focused on our core bridal brands and added some fun fashion shows to the mix. Typically we start planning our trip out three months in advance. Normally Roberta will book the flights and I’ll book the hotel. Photographer Kristen Weaver joins us just about every year to capture behind the scenes.  Once flights are booked, Roberta builds out the schedule and I start looking for new foodie places to test out. Then the group chat start going with all of our personal wardrobe ideas! 

Why do we attend New York Bridal Fashion Week? 

As a fashion focused bridal shop, it’s important for us to know the latest trends and to carry the highest quality for our brides. We feel very confident in our bridal designers; however, we always love to shop new brands to make the best decisions moving forward. With each designer we meet, we always learn something new. If a bridal designer is getting a lot of attention on social media, we will check out the dresses in person. We want to see how the dresses fit and feel. There have been times where the dresses are less impressive than their marketing strategies. On the other hand, the opposite is true as well. There are some under the radar brands who really stand out in person for their quality, attention to detail, and desire to serve the bride. In order to save our brides times, we love to look at all the brands and bring the best back home to Orlando for our brides. And the not so fun part… budget. As a responsible bridal shop, we run a tight ship on how much we spend at market. If we overspend, that can put our bridal shop in a place where we are not as healthy. Of course there are so many beautiful wedding dresses, but the budget allows us to really follow our intention and be selective of what we bring into the our Orlando bridal boutique. 

A Day at New York Bridal Fashion Week 

The whole trip to NY Bridal Fashion Week is about three days. It depends if we pack in some extra time for our foodie adventures. For this past trip, we took the red-eye out on a Tuesday, did a quick change at our hotel, and headed to Drybar to freshen up. From there, we hit the ground running to our first fashion show followed by some private designer presentations, and ended the night at Eataly. The following two days involved a packed day of private fashion presentations, fashion shows, stylist parties, and dinners with some of our favorite designers. The whole trip is a whirlwind. We’ve learned our lessons throughout the years, when you see water, hydrate, hydrate. Plus, these days we try to not see every designer there is. It’s like a bride going to multiple bridal shops, at certain point, all the dresses run together and it’s impossible to make a decision. 

Attending a Spring 2025 Collection Fashion Show

This season the fashion shows were back in full effect! Sadly, we haven’t seen true fashion shows since pre-covid days. For many reasons, the designers were not able to create the highly anticipated shows of the past. Designer Ines Di Santo brought the full fashion show back this season, and let me just say it sent chills through the audience. From the production to the dresses, you could feel the momentum in the air. Roberta and Kristen Weaver sat in the front row, but I truly had the best seat in the house. I happened to pick the seat right behind Ines Di Santo’s grandson. Watching his pride as his grandmother came out at the end to nod the crowd, was an expression I’ll never forget. After the fashion show, news crews took over to catch a quick interview with Ines and a few of the engaged celebrities in the audience were crowded with fan girls. We caught up with our friends in the industry and headed to our next event. 

How we order the dresses for our orlando bridal boutique 

Throughout the week we attended a few other fashion shows. The shows are mainly for press, celebrities, influencers, and retailers. It’s a time to sit back and enjoy the art of design. Not necessarily a time to narrow down the exact dresses are are buying for our Orlando bridal boutique. All that work happens during a private buying appointment. The buying appointments happen all over the city from a hotel room at The Plaza to a private studios is Soho. This is where things get tricking and we have to pack snack bars and watch our time. Buying appointments are about 1-2 hours long. We meet with the designer, see the latest collection on the models, discuss pricing, sizing, and delivery dates. 

The Top Wedding Dress Trends from Spring 2025 Bridal Collection

During our time at Spring 2025 Bridal Fashion Week, we had the opportunity to see the latest trends before they become viral or are worn down the aisle. Some of our favorite upcoming trends are the dropped waist skirts, corset bodices, and modern laces. There has been a favoritism towards the “clean” bridal look, but now designers are really thinking out of the box to create looks that feel unexpected. The return of the dropped waist on a clean dress gives that fresh approach for the effortless look.

How can brides shop Spring 2025 Bridal Looks? 

The Spring 2025 dresses won’t be in stores until late Fall 2024; however, there are so many ways to get the look now. Before stepping into your bridal appointment, text or email us inspiration photos. Regardless of the dresses being from Spring 2025 or past seasons, we can always look at something from your dress inspiration. Inside of our Orlando bridal boutique we have a collection of over 300 dresses so you are bound to find your dream dress. Also, we have the ability to make custom changes to our dresses so we can always change a Spring 2024 dress and incorporate a Spring 2025 neckline to it. This is a way to get that up and coming trend you are dreaming of!