Frequently Asked Questions
YOUR APPOINTMENT
Booking: Book your appointment at least a few weeks in advance. Since this is a small, boutique shop, we will be closed to other customers during your appointment, to ensure a private and comfortable atmosphere. When you schedule your bridal appointment, we'll ask you for a list of your favorite songs and bands to build a customized playlist for your time in the shop.
PRICING & PAYMENTS
Bridal Gowns: $1200 - $2800 (average price: $1400-$1900)
Bridal industry standards state that all dresses are non-returnable. This is to protect every bride, bridesmaid and prom girl who deserves a dress that has never been removed from a store.
SIZES
Special occasion gowns typically run 2 sizes smaller than regular clothing. For example, if you are a size 16 in regular clothing, you may be a size 20 in bridal, or bridesmaid brands.
TIMING & ALTERATIONS
Most bridal dresses take 5-6 months to arrive from the designer. It's ideal to order your gown 8-12 months prior to your wedding to allow time for proper fittings and alterations. Don't be discouraged if you can't find the perfect fit - 99% of dresses need to be altered in order to achieve the perfect fit.
STORE POLICIES
All special order sales are final – no returns, refunds, exchanges or cancellations. Deposits due at the time of ordering are non-refundable and non-transferable.
All ship dates are approximate; Lena & Mae Bridal is not responsible for delays out of our control, such as the manufacturer going out of business or being unable to meet the order specifications.
You are required to try on and inspect your dress before it leaves Lena & Mae Bridal. All claims of damages will not be accepted after merchandise has left our premises.
In an effort to keep our gowns clean, Lena & Mae Bridal requires that customers remove their footwear. Please bring clean socks to wear during your appointment.
COVID-19
As of May 15, 2020, the following policies and procedures have been put in place to keep all visitors, staff and families safe. New Brunswickers have done an exceptional job and we want to continue to keep our Covid-19 numbers down. Some policies will be loosened in the months to come, while others will stay in place, as our “new normal”. Please read this section in full, prior to coming to the shop.
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BEFORE YOU BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve you! While we never assume that a customer will purchase from us, we do hope that you thoughtfully consider your intent of finding your dress when you book an appointment. We are eager to work with brides who are ready to have their YES moment.
We recommend shopping for your gown 8-12 months prior to your nuptials. Most designers require 6+months to create your dream gown. If your wedding is in 2020, all gowns are currently available to be purchased right off the rack, and can be taken home with you on the day of your appointment.
The number of appointments that we can have in a day has decreased due to the strict cleaning and disinfecting schedule that we must adhere to, between appointments. Because of this, we encourage you to book your appointment for a weekday, if at all possible. Saturdays will be booking up faster than normal.
We are currently operating by pre-booked private appointments only, with a MAXIMUM of 2 guests per customer. This means, as a bride, prom shopper, or mother of the bride/groom, you can invite 2 people to join you for your appointment. You are encouraged to Facetime and Zoom with your friends and family members who can not attend your appointment. Please do a quick test call prior to your appointment – your Great Grammy may need some pointers!
Bridesmaid appointments are the ONLY exception to this rule – the bride and bridesmaids will only be allowed to attend these appointments.
We will no longer be able to accommodate the trying on of bridesmaid/mother of the bride or groom dresses during a pre-scheduled Bridal appointment. A separate appointment must be booked if your guests wish to try on clothing.
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PRIOR TO YOUR APPOINTMENT
We will contact you 3-5 days prior to your appointment, to ensure that you and your guests are healthy. If you are feeling unwell, please stay home to avoid infecting others.
If you, or someone you have been in contact with, have traveled outside of NB in the past 14 days, please stay home. If you are feeling fine, but have been in contact with someone who has traveled, please consider that you may be asymptomatic.
Should your health (or the health of a close contact) change prior to your appointment, please contact us to reschedule. I have worked with a few brides in the past (prior to Covid-19) who have not been feeling well, and while they pushed through their appointment, it was not enjoyable for them. We can always re-schedule – no questions asked.
Prior to your appointment, please visit our Facebook albums to view all current inventory, and save 3-5 favourites to your phone. In your appointment reminder email, we will ask you to supply photos of your fav dresses – those dresses will be ready for you to try on when you arrive. If your dream dress doesn’t end up being in that group of gowns, have no fear – we have an amazing selection of gowns, and your consultant will continue to select dresses based on the elements that you love.
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WHEN YOU ARRIVE
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Please arrive for your appointment ON TIME. If you arrive early, please return to your vehicle and TEXT us @ 323-1956. We will let you know when the shop is ready for you.
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Since it is impossible for us to maintain 6 feet of distance from our clients during a private appointment, all staff and shop visitors are REQUIRED to wear facemasks for the duration of the appointment. Please bring your own facemask. Visitors must put on their masks with clean hands, prior to entering the shop.
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Hightouch surfaces will be disinfected prior to each appointment, and gowns tried on will be steamed between each appointment.
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All visitors must remove their shoes upon entry. Please bring clean socks as bare feet are not permitted.
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If possible, please leave your jacket in your vehicle. All jackets, purses and bags are to be hung on the coat rack in the entryway. Coat rack will be disinfected after each appointment.
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All visitors are required to wash hands upon entry. Hand sanitizer will also be available during the appointment.
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No outside food or drink (except for medical reasons). Bottled water is available for all customers.
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Cash & Cheques will no longer be accepted. Payments can be made by DEBITCREDIT-or ETRANSFER
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DURING YOUR APPOINTMENT
Your guests will be asked to remain seated for the duration of the appointment. Browsing the racks while the bride is in the changing room will not be permitted.
To limit the number of people handling the gowns, only consultants will be allowed to remove dresses from the racks, and adjust the gowns on the bride to be. All clipping, fitting, adjusting, fluffing of trains, etc., will be done by the consultant ONLY. Some guests can be quite hands-on, which can be very stressful for the bride – we hope that this rule will allow your guests to relax and just enjoy the show!
We will be limiting the trying on of a gown “just for fun”, as that gown will then need to be steamed, prior to being put back on the racks. For example, some guests want to see the bride in a style that they would never normally wear, and they say “come on, just try it on for me”. Most often the bride doesn’t want to try it on, but they do, to appease the crowd. We’ll be your back-up in these situations, and remind your guests that our extra Covid-19 precautions would require that dress to be steamed again. Don’t worry – we’re always on your side.
Since we’ve had to increase the amount of cleaning and sanitizing between appointments, all time must be focused on finding your perfect dress. For this reason, we will be limiting photo-taking to your final gown selection. This will allow the appointment to flow, uninterrupted, and typically makes for a more relaxing, low pressure appointment. Don’t worry - we’ll reserve time at the end of your appointment for your “I SAID YES!” photo moment.
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THANK YOU FOR READING!
We know that reading this must be very overwhelming. Planning your wedding during a pandemic was surely the last thing on your mind when you fell in love and said YES to your fiancé. We promise that your appointment will be an exciting and memorable experience with your nearest and dearest.
We want to ensure that every single person who enters our store will stay healthy. We are making the best of a strange new normal, and hope that you will come along for the ride!
Please reach out to shop owner Katie, directly, if you have any questions or concerns, prior to your appointment.
Email: hello@lenamaebridal.com
Text: 506-323-1956
Shop: 506-328-4376
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