More Minnesota brides are buying off-the-shelf, vintage dresses or renting dresses for the big day

Asymmetric hems, bold slits, puff sleeves, floral fabrics.

These are just a few of the wedding dress trends. But whether a bride-to-be goes minimalist and modern or vintage-inspired, one of the biggest shifts in wedding dresses may not be style, but how they’re purchased.

Supply chain issues, rising inflation and an increase in weddings caused by pandemic-related delays have combined to alter the way some brides say yes to the dress.

Bespoke dresses now require longer delivery times. Instead of giving the typical four to six months for special orders, “we like to play it safe and say six to eight months,” said Colby Tredway, CEO and creative director of Ivory Bridal at St. Louis Park and Flutter. in Minneapolis.

Those with weddings scheduled for 2023 or 2024 might not mind the wait for a couture dress, a custom design, or a dress straight off the runway.

Others are frustrated that the fallout from the pandemic has made wedding planning a contradiction in terms. They want their dresses and they want them now. This has led to an increase in off-the-shelf shopping or opting for vintage or rental dresses.

Marie Suchy, the owner of Posh Bridal, has witnessed the change.

Before COVID, the Hopkins-based boutique sold both special-order dresses and ready-made dresses. But the lockdowns that shut down shops, churches and most venues have caused some couples to cancel and reschedule their weddings once, twice or even three times.

When the world – and the bridal shops – reopened, Suchy realized that some brides were looking for certainty as well as style.

“I noticed women coming in and wanting to buy dresses off the shelf,” she said. “Brides weren’t necessarily set on dates and locations anymore. They wanted to have the dresses with them so they could get married in a year — or a month.”

Malia Henschel was one of them. Minnetonka’s wife got engaged in May. Her wedding is scheduled for October. She knew it would be difficult to get her dream dress with a six month lead time. She was right. She visited four bridal shops, which had wait times ranging from nine to 11 months.

The fifth store she tried was Posh Bridal.

“I walked in and walked out with a dress on the same day,” she said. “I loved the process. It was so easy.

After 12 years in business, Posh Bridal has shifted to selling mostly new designer sample dresses or other stores. Business, Suchy said, is good.

Have and share

Business isn’t just good at Freya Wilde, a Minneapolis wedding dress rental store.

“After COVID, it was crazy,” said co-owner Andrea Collins.

Freya Wilde’s more than 300 dresses (which Collins describes as “the Airbnb of wedding dresses”) are privately owned. In the matrimonial version of the sharing economy, owners receive a percentage of the “reservation fee” for a dress, which can range from $350 to $750 depending on its design and retail value.

Collins said her clients — both the owners who gift their dresses and the brides who rent them — aren’t part of the “old mentality around wedding dresses, the ‘Oh, I’ll keep it and I’ll am going to give it to my daughter. “

Whether driven by a desire to be sustainable, cost-conscious, or to outsmart supply chain issues, rentals are finding their way into the wedding market.

“Somebody can come in with a month’s notice and walk away with a designer dress,” she said. “There is no hesitation in renting whatsoever.”

timeless appeal

Finding a dress at Andrea’s Vintage Bridal is a “very curated experience,” owner Nikolina Erickson-Gunther said.

“I prefer to book by email because I bombard our brides with a long list of questions,” she said. Then she draws 10-20 dresses for each bride to try on.

The dresses, which range in price from $700 to $1,800, date from the 1930s to the 1990s (“Yes,” she said, “’90s dresses are considered vintage”). In addition to being cleaned and restored, many dresses are updated – with long sleeves, high collars and “fluffy bows” removed.

Like most wedding dresses, vintage dresses often need to be tailored to fit modern brides. These alterations, quite classic, are carried out by a seamstress specialized in vintage clothing and construction.

“We’re a fully sustainable wedding studio,” said Erickson-Gunther of the family-run Minneapolis boutique.

Simpler and smaller

Clothing shopping isn’t the only aspect of weddings that has changed, of course. With churches and reception venues reserved, many celebrations have become smaller and simpler. Some couples have taken a two-step approach.

Instead of a grand, lavish affair, some couples share their vows at backyard or courthouse ceremonies, then hold one or more receptions later.

“I’ve never had so many requests for dresses that can be flexible” to be worn at more than one event, day or night, even in different seasons, Erickson-Gunther said.

While the upheaval in the wedding industry has undoubtedly created stress for some engaged couples, not all changes are for the worse.

“It’s gone from these huge weddings to what it’s really about,” Suchy said. “Dress is always important, but it’s about marrying your partner.”