Our blog has a new home!

For those of you following our blog and for those of you that have our blog linked on your page or bookmarks, please update the address to this one: http://www.thewhiteclosetco.com/blog/

Also we are excited to announce our special events coming up for the month of September. We have a lot going on including our 1 year celebration all month long!

Girls Night Out hosted by Flawless Occasions

Last night the girls from White Closet Bridal went to a FABULOUS event called Girls Night Out hosted by Flawless Occasions at Mangroves in SOHO Tampa. We met so many beautiful brides and talked to them about their wedding.

Flawless Occasions pulled together some of the best of the best wedding vendors in the greater Tampa bay area and welcomed brides, their friends, and families. Cocktails were abundant and cocktail hour h'ordeuvres were served all night. Girls were on the dance floor dancing and even the girls from TWC were out on the dance floor!

One of the vendors there was Blue Lane Studios and they set up a fabulous and fun photo shoot type booth. WELL! Once all the brides had their fun in front of the camera, the girls from TWC and their models decided to celebrate by rocking it in front of the camera. And this was the result of TWC getting fabulous and silly in front of a camera:




It is the professional suggestion of the White Closet, that brides should come to the NEXT Girls Night Out. Come meet and great some great wedding vendors, have a little bite to eat, and party with your girls! Make sure between your good time you stop and say hi to TWC. We look forward to meeting all of the lovely brides next time around!

The next Girls Night Out will be held on September 15, 2011 at Nova 535 in St. Petersburg and will run from 6 P.M. to 10 P.M. Make sure to RSVP Here with the names of who you are bringing.

Your Wedding TV Bridal Show

Come see us at The Your Wedding TV Bridal Show! We'll have some of our dresses being modeled and we'll be giving away goodies! We look forward to seeing you on August 28th at The Double Tree Hotel in Tampa!

Ella Bridal Trunk Show!!!

We are happy to announce our next trunk show August 6 & 7th! We will be presenting the Fall 2011 ELLA Bridals collection!

All ELLA gowns will be $100 off. This designer is very popular and appointments book up fast! We are scheduling appointments starting now!!

Contact us today to make your appointment before we're booked up!

We're in the TBT!

Be sure to check out our sample sale ad in the recent issue of TBT (page 19 online)! Tell your friends and family too!

A great gift to THE BRIDE ~

Something very interesting happened today at the store that I just had to blog about!

I know many of us don't expect in any way AT ALL to have our future daughters wear our bridal gown in 20-30 years from now. Never would we expect that of our daughters.. so the importance of preserving our gowns, for many of us, is non existent.

A bride came in with her mother for a second visit to purchase her gown. I noticed that this time her mom was carrying a garment bag with her. I asked the mother, "what's in the garment bag?" With a sweet smile the bride answered, "it's my mothers wedding gown and I brought it in because I would love to use the lace somehow in my own gown".

The daughter looked up at me and said, "I know it's dirty, but it would be very special if I could use some of it?"

I told her we could, but it wouldn't match her dress color because it was yellow. We all opted for her to use a piece of her mother's dress and sew it underneath her dress that way it is still a part of her dress and also acts as the 'something old' of the wedding tradition.

The bride said to me "its very special and means alot to me that I wear a part of her dress on my wedding day."

I almost cried!

So its very important that you give some thought to preserve your gown. You may not think your future daughter will want to wear it, but she may want to incorporate it into her wedding attire somehow.

It also makes a great gift from the bridesmaids to the BRIDE :o)

Bridal Fashion Show

Last month we showcased our gowns at the 'Your Wedding TV Bridal Show' at the Doubletree Westshore Hotel!

It was such a fabulous event! Great vendors with fabulous prizes and giveaways!!!

The White Closet Bridal gave away ten $100 off your gown coupons, two $50 gift certificates, and a GRAND PRIZE of $200 off a bridal gown!

We had so much fun meeting all the newly engaged brides and listening to all the GREAT bridal ideas they had! We had a blast playing dress up with the Models who showcased our gowns and executed a Great Fashion show. It was definitely a HIT for sure!

We will keep you posted for the next YOUR WEDDING TV Bridal Show!

A Few More Teaser Photos

Curious to see a few more photos of dresses in our sample sale?
Of course you do!

If you need a particular size or would like to know the size of a certain dress that you see, feel free to contact us!

How can you pass up such a great deal on a designer gown?!
These gowns are going to be 30-50% off the ORIGINAL PRICES!!!!

As with all of our events, we predict appointments to fill up quickly and recommend you make your appointment as early as possible so you don't miss out on this once a year event.

Sample Sale in July Pictures

So many of you know we are having our...

CHRISTMAS IN JULY SALE

coming up in a month!!

These gowns are going to be 30-50% off the ORIGINAL PRICES!!!!
Now THAT'S a STEAL!

Make sure you call and check for our available sizes if you're interested in one in particular before someone else snatches it!

1st Annual Christmas In July Sample Sale!!!

The White Closet Bridal Co. will be hosting it's first annual Christmas in July Sample sale! What a great way to get out of the awful July heat and find a great deal on your wedding gown!

Starting July 5th until all of the samples on sale are gone, we will be heavily discounting several of our gorgeous samples. Not only will our sample gowns be on sale, but we will be offering great discounts on sample accessories as well!

As with all of our events, we predict appointments to fill up quickly and recommend you make your appointment as early as possible so you don't miss out on this once a year event.

Here is just a preview of some of the gowns we will be discounting:

Icing On The Cake Event has been extended!!!

Since our Icing On The Cake accessory event was such a hit, we want to extend it one more weekend ( now till April 17th)! If you missed the event, now is the perfect time to come in and find those finishing touches for your wedding day look! Contact us today to set up your appointment before we fill up! We look forward to seeing you!

Things that make you smile...

In the past six months we have worked with many wonderful brides and bridal parties.

We are just elated to work with such wonderful girls and be part of their very special day. For some its 'THE' Dress, the necklace, a garter, clutch, a crinoline skirt and for others it may be a bridesmaids dress or alterations.. and we are just filled with joy everytime we hear about every individual touches to all the weddings we are part of.

Here are some specials notes from our brides to us...

Everyone at The White Closet is Amazing! Sarah and Cindy are the most helpful that I have come accross. I found my dress at my first stop on my first day looking! I would reccomend them to anyone. Thank you Ladies once again! Cant wait to see the finished product! xoxo

Ms. Kelly

Thank you for providing such a heartwarming shopping experience for all of us in Lorian's wedding!!! Cant wait to get those gorgeous maids dresses.

Ms. Sue

Sarah you made my experience an amazing one!

Ms. Erin

Thank you for such a great gown shopping experience! I am so excited to wear my Mikaella dress :o)

Ms. Julie

The owner Cindy and Sarah are great. BEST customer service ever, the store is nice, clean and dresses are BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!BUY YOUR DRESS AT THE WHITE CLOSET :) Ms. Jay

LOVE LOVE LOVE this place... small boutique with great personal attention. I found my dress on the first day of shopping ... Cindy and Sarah are amazing and really make you feel at home. The prices are affordable and the nice selection of gowns are gorgeous .. not to mention they have one talented seamstress on hand!

Ms. Kelly

Where do I begin?! Before going to the White Closet I looked EVERYWHERE within a 100 mile radius of me. All the dresses were beautiful but none were me. Some places were attentive, some were just plain rude. My maid of honor saw an ad in TBT for the white closet and suggested we go. Our appointment was Ah-Ma-Zing! Sarah was there the first time I went and she was attentive, charismatic, and genuine. After all the places I have been to, these qualities are rare to find in a salesperson. Sarah never pushed a dress on me or told me untruths how great a dress looked ( when it didn't) just to make a sale, which you may find out there in the wedding dress world. The dress I chose was equally amazing as the experience. It was flirty, sexy, and romantic: the quintesssential me! Perfection does not describe it. Everything else was seamless. The second time I went was for my fitting and I met Cindy, and it was if I was meeting family. Cindy has an aura of warmth and understanding about her. Her easy going-ness ( make words your own! :) put a client at ease and stress melts away. The seamstress at The White closet is giddy, fun, entertaining and has an expert eye for what she does. I fit into my dress better then a glove, it was like 2nd skin. The White Closet staff makes me want to get married all over again just so I can go dress shopping with them!!!This is not one of the best places to get your dress, but THE best place. As a bride we deserve platinum treatment and you will get it here. I am not at all the type of person to take the time and write reviews, but these ladies are doing such an impeccable job that their services warranted one!!! Bravo ladies for being a ray of sunshine in a the foggy world of dress shopping and wedding planning!!!

Ms. Francesca

Preview to our 'Icing on the Cake' Event !

Many of you may already know of our 'Icing on the Cake' Event Sunday April 10th 11am-4pm by appt. Here are pictures of a few things we have in store! This will be a great event to complete your finishing touches to your Wedding day Look! This will also be a great opportunity to find the perfect gift for your bridesmaids!

Stay Tuned for more pictures ~

Icing On The Cake Event!

Now that you've got the perfect dress, for the most perfect day of your life...

Now you need to find the perfect finishing touches to complete your look!
The White Closet Bridal is hosting an in store accessory event in April! If you have your dress with you, feel free to bring it to your appointment and this way you'll be able to see your accessories with your dress. Have your dress, but it's not in yet? Bring photos with you, we're really good at using our imagination to help you create the look you're going for. Don't have your dress at all?! We can help with that too! We'll work with you to schedule you on another day to find your dream gown!

We look forward to seeing you soon and to hear all about your wedding plans!

Before You Go Gown Shopping, Part 2

Don't buy a designer knock off online. We have heard SO many heartbreaking stories of brides who ordered their dream wedding dress online. These brides received their dresses in damaged boxes, wrong sizing, wrong color, poor craftsmanship, poor quality fabric, and wrong style. A lot of these knock off websites are based in China and have no return policies or recourse for their customers. We have brides come to us in tears trying to order a dress in time for their wedding after they received their ruined knock off wedding gown. It just isn't worth all of the stress for a few hundred dollars.

Don't try on dresses way too early. It is good to shop early, but if you try on a dress, fall in love with it, but aren't ready to buy, you run the risk of losing your dress. It is very common for wedding gown designers to discontinue a hand full of styles. So when you do decide to go shopping early make sure that if you find your dream gown, that you will be ready to buy it then or within the month.

Do prep yourself before your appointment. We recommend wearing very minimal makeup. this helps to protect the gowns. Avoid perfumes, scented lotions, fresh nail polish, and more importantly, wait a week after using spray tans. If you have special jewelry you want to wear, like your mother’s necklace or your grandmother’s bracelet, have a family member or friend who is with you hold on to it until you come out in the gown. We don’t want the jewelry to get caught and break your irreplaceable heirloom and this helps prevent rips in on the dresses.

Don’t plan on holding off buying your dream gown at a trunk show. When boutiques have trunks shows, they get in dresses from the designer that they normally wouldn’t carry, and the dresses will go back to the designer the day after the show ends. Also be sure to bring any special people like your mom or your sister to the show. This way they will be able to see you in the dress before the dress is sent back to the designer. So be ready to buy your dress during the show to take advantage of any savings offered and to show others how fabulous you look in your dress.

Do be honest and realistic with your consultant about how much you want to spend on the dress alone. Falling in love with a dress that is out of your budget will only break your heart.

Don’t be caught in an embarrassing situation. Be sure to wear neutral colored under garments when you go to your appointment. Although your leopard print /favorite team undies may bring alot of laughter to us all when we see it through a dress, it wont be the true wedding day look. A lot of bridal gowns are made with fine fabrics and will most likely have a slip liner. But sometimes even the puffiest tulle ball gowns will showcase those funny undies.

Most of all, have fun and relax. Buying a gown shouldn’t be stressful and it should be one of the most memorable moments of planning your wedding.

Great posting by Lauren from Every Last Detail

With SO many conflicting stories from other brides and maybe even out dated advice from Grandma, (not to put down Grandmothers, they do tend to know more than the average bear), all sorts of rumors and myths take on lives of their own. Here is a great blog posted by Lauren from Every last Detail on the myths of wedding costs:

Wedding cost myths

Thursday, March 17, 2011 in wedding planning

View Comments

After writing last week’s Thursday Tips post about why weddings cost “so much“, it brought something to my attention- that there are a few myths that continue to be perpetuated about wedding costs. When I say “wedding costs”, in a nutshell I mean budget and/or pricing. And now I would like to attempt to dispel these myths. Why? It’s what I do. And I want you all to know the truth- because I didn’t know when I was planning my wedding!

So what exactly ARE these myths that have to do with budget/pricing?

Wedding cost myth #1: You should barter and/or ask wedding vendors for discounts.

I’ve SEEN this said on blogs and forums before. The only way that a barter miiiiight work is if you own a company that the vendor could SERIOUSLY benefit from. (Like if you’re a floral wholesaler and you barter with a florist, or if you own a camera company and you barter with your photographer.) My question for you is this: do you straight-up ask your server at a restaurant or your doctor for a discount? Or tell them you’ll give them (insert-your-product/job/hobby/whatever-here) in exchange for food or a blood test?

[Personal wedding experience side note: The funny thing about this is that in looking back on planning my own wedding, I seriously asked my dad (who is a dentist) if he would barter veneers with my event decor company. The event decor company of course said no, because nice teeth don't translate into anything beneficial for flowers or rentals. OMG, so embarrassed. I totally forgot about this!]

Wedding cost myth #2: Things are marked up just because they have the word “wedding” in them.

Ah, I was a believer in this one. Wedding dress, bridesmaid dresses, wedding cake, etc etc etc. And I also have seen this one- plus a viral video or two- perpetuated among brides. The truth is, it is what it is- and it’s also what you’re asking for. A venue is perhaps cheaper to rent for a meeting because that meeting is occurring on a Wednesday, not on a Friday or Saturday. And that said meeting isn’t consuming as much food and beverages as a wedding does. Or a wedding cake- it might not be the same price as the cake on the shelf at a bakery, but that’s because that cake is literally just cake and icing and a single sheet. Chances are that wedding cake you’re wanting is probably a few tiers, has all sorts of designs, and requires hours of work. I could go on and on with this one… perhaps I need to just do a whole separate post just for this myth?

Wedding cost myth #3: It’s cheaper if you do it all yourself.

Okay, SOME things are cheaper- but keep in mind that you’re also paying someone to do it FOR you, thus paying them for your time. That’s why it’s cheaper to do it yourself. Just ask yourself how much of your own time you actually want to take up doing things yourself to save a few bucks. (Note: I’m not hating on DIY, just stating something.)

[Personal wedding experience side note: I wanted to make my own menus. Because I was clueless and ordered run-of-the-mill invitations from a big giant book and didn't have someone custom design paper products for me. And I did make my own menus- until about 3 am the night before my wedding. When I had to wake up at 7 am to start getting ready. Missing out on those hours of sleep during my 18 hour wedding day? Um totally would have PAID someone to do them.]

And here are a few more myths that fellow wedding professionals shared with me via my lovely friend Twitter… (names have been withheld juuuuust in case…)

“That you can save a ton of money by having Uncle Charlie photograph the wedding with his new Canon 7D!”

“Spectacular weddings for 150 or more being $5000. Total.”

“You need to spend tons of money on the venue! If you are creative & stick to your wedding style you can have a gorgeous wedding in a reasonably priced venue!”

“(MYTH) Catering over $50/person is a rip off – I can go to Outback for $50/person!”

“You can get a good wedding videographer for $500″

“That invitations should be $1 (myth) yet you pay $4 for a crap card from Hallmark.”

“Rent a linen for $50? I can buy one for that!”

“That beautiful flowers for ceremony and reception are only $1500 ….”

These are all myths, being spread wrongly by inexperienced people. Don’t believe them! They could be true in some cases, but that chance is very slim. Slim meaning that if we’re talking percentage, it’s a single digit. And I will have you know that I myself thought of and/or said every SINGLE one of these things when I was planning my wedding. Now you know, and it’ll save you a lot of heartache, pain, blood, sweat, tears, hemming, hawing, etc etc! If you have any other things that you’ve heard that you might think are myths, put it in the comments! I’ll let you know!

Justin Alexander Trunk Show

The White Closet Bridal Co. is excited to be hosting it's first Justin Alexander Trunk Show at the store! The show will begin on Friday March 18th through Sunday March 20th. JA's wedding gowns are absolutely stunning and even more luxurious when you put them on. We will be getting gowns from Justin Alexander that the store normally doesn't carry and will be presenting them in our store for you to try on one weekend only! This is also a great time to take advantage of the savings we will be offering that weekend as well. Our trunk shows are very popular and appointments fill up quickly. We would hate for you to miss this opportunity, so please contact us today to set up your personalized bridal appointment! We look forward to meeting you and getting to know all about your wedding plans!

~The White Closet Bridal Co.

Ella Trunk Show March 4th-6th

The White Closet Bridal is hosting a Ella Bridals Trunk Show next weekend!

Ella bridals has a beautiful collection of elegant bridal gowns. This designer has an eye for beautiful fabrics and shines with her affordable designs. Her simplicity is definitely spectacular on all the 2011 bridal gown collection.

Make sure to call us and check for this weekends open availability. 813.249.4696