BOISE, Idaho — COVID-19 changed a lot of wedding plans for couples looking to tie the knot. Some brides would say the dress is the most important part of the big day and B.B. Bridal in Boise says at first, they didn't exactly know how the pandemic was going to impact getting these dresses to brides.
At the start of the pandemic, business at B.B Bridal was put on a short pause, but brides started coming back in almost instantly after doors re-opened to pick out the dress of their dreams.
“We were really nervous. We didn’t know what the future held,” Owner Stephanie Darrow said. “We ending up having to shut down for about six weeks and we had brides that did postpone their weddings. We did curbside pickup for them which was great. We shipped dresses out to different states, different cities and then we've also been storing dresses for brides and no additional cost.”
Darrow says the first few weeks after re-opening was the busiest it’s ever been since brides were deciding to get married quickly and have smaller ceremonies.
“We were steadily busy which was awesome. We were really happy that brides were being able to have their moment and have those photos on their walls forever,” Darrow said.
Now, business continues to thrive as more weddings have been re-scheduled for this year.
Dresses typically take about four to six months to get in. Darrow is thankful the store's designer took extra precautions to make sure dresses weren’t delayed and brides here in Idaho could still say “yes to the dress.”
“Our designer that we carry, The Essence of Australia, did a great job. They pre-planned, they stocked up on some styles, and so for last-minute brides coming in, there's a chance that we could find a dress that they want in stock and get here quicker than the four to six months,” Darrow said.
B.B. Bridal says it's super exciting to still be able to help out these brides who are preparing for their big day.
“When we shut down for COVID, two years in the future they didn't know what was going to happen. Maybe they weren't going to the dream wedding, but now they are coming in and they're very confident and they know what they want which is really great,” Darrow said.
They are keeping a lower headcount in the stores because of COVID-19, but they are still taking appointments daily.
