By Gabrielle Joffie
As soon as I said, “Yes,” to my fiance, both my mom and mother-in-law started sending me dress ideas. I come from a big family, but unfortunately, there weren’t a lot of formal weddings. So, luckily, my family would like to live vicariously through me. Since I knew how important the dress fitting was for them, I decided to find the chicest bridal boutique in Atlanta and planned to share a day with an all-encompassing dress fitting and champagne toast.
I discovered Winnie Couture, a bridal boutique that was founded in 2001 by wife-and-husband duo Winnie and Chris Lee. The pictures on the website were beautiful, and I immediately gave them a call to book my appointment. When I secured the fitting, the bridal rep created an account on their website so I could add my favorite dresses. Keep in mind that when you book an appointment for a bridal fitting, most companies will make you to place your card on file to secure your visit.
My mom and future mother-in-law came with me to the fitting, and they were so impressed with the storefront. The beautiful dresses inside the display screamed luxury! I had to admit that I was skeptical when they said that they would have my size. I am very much so a curvy bride. I usually wear a size 12 in dresses and have a hard time finding tops that fit.
As soon as we arrived, we were greeted with champagne flutes along with a consultation on what my aesthetic is. I was happy to know that they were familiar with the venue that we selected, so the dresses that they picked all worked well!
I had an idea of the style of dress that I wanted, a fit and flare, but was also open to trying on different styles. I immediately ruled out lace, because I did not think it would work, so that narrowed our options a bit.
Chloe and Erica at the Atlanta Winnie Couture boutique were so helpful and kind. For some of the gowns that I liked the bodice of but not necessarily the bottom half, they were more than willing to hold up the two different styles to show me that they can fully customize the perfect dress if that’s what I wished for.
A few weeks before visiting the bridal boutique, I went to their booth at a show and saw a gorgeous dress. I did not think that a dress like that would fit me, but when I saw the same dress during my fitting, I asked Chloe if they had my size, and she said yes.
Low and behold, the dress fit my curves perfectly! We agreed to do some modifications to the bust area, but other than that, it was the dress. The fact that they can recreate your dress by hand, hence couture in the title, is an impressive feat because it guarantees that they will get it to fit in an excellent way. I highly recommend brides-to-be to visit Winnie Couture. They have locations in Beverly Hills, Atlanta, Chicago, Frisco, Houston, and Charlotte.
How did bridal gown shopping go for you? Share your stories with us below!
