The Red Carpet Experience for the Bridal Party

WORDS BY JELENA BOJIC PHOTOGRAPHY BY TREVOR TSOI

How Sandra Weber created a business to focus on bridesmaids, mothers and grandmothers

When Sandra Weber started looking for a mother of the bride dress to wear at her daughter’s wedding, she realized there weren’t many options that catered to moms and bridesmaids. Most of the stores focus on the bride, and the rest of the group comes as an ‘add on’, with fewer options and way less excitement. Moms, grandmas, bridesmaids, even grads, Weber realized, are a bit forgotten in the process that revolves around the bride, making the experience at times stressful for all these women who work so hard to ensure the bride is having a memorable experience. The business idea was born for The Dress Lounge - a store that has a special focus: to make the rest of the bride’s team enjoy and cherish that special time, and look and feel great. Weber focused on bringing in dresses that mothers of the bride or groom would enjoy, offering a whole range of styles from cocktail to formal. When she realized how exciting this venture was, she started branching out to bridesmaid’s dresses, grad dresses, and over time became a one-stop shop for a number of special occasions.

Going into The Dress Lounge is quite an experience. At first glance, it’s a dress shop with a wonderful selection of colours and styles. But exploring the store, you realize it’s much more than that. There are soft seating areas, makeup and hair stations, and light rings for high quality photos. Ensuring that the store is wheelchair accessible, Weber’s mission is to provide a fantastic experience for every single customer.

Weber’s vision comes to life with an exceptional team of women who make that happen. Her daughter, Chantel, who graduated with an honours degree in business, is the general manager and runs day-to-day operations. Kaitlyn, the assistant manager, runs the hair and makeup team and helps with operations along with Katie, who successfully juggles work and university. Sheena, an architect by trade, comes in regularly to help with social media and makeup artistry. And during our visit to the store, they modeled some of their favourite dresses to remind us that we are getting closer to the time we can gather and celebrate important occasions together again. Whether you’re going with form fitting, off shoulder black classic elegance, or a trendy satin midi dress that is trending right now, The Dress Lounge can not only ensure your dress is a perfect fit, but make your experience memorable. With full service hair and make up, catering options, photography, and so much more, you’ll enjoy the exceptional customer service by the enthusiastic group of women behind the boutique.