Santa Monica-based VOW TO BE CHIC (link) has already revolutionized the wedding industry with its bridesmaid dress rental marketplace (which, for anyone who has been chosen as a bridesmaid, knows how expensive such an honor can be – especially chosen for multiple weddings over the years), but has taken the process a step further by introducing THE BRIDAL SUITE.
THE BRIDAL SUITE, the first and only online group shopping platform that allows a party to recommend, vote on, and select dresses as a group. The Bridal Suite also help the planners monitor progress in the fitting and renting process.
Every year, there are 11 MILLION bridesmaids, the average cost of which is $1700, not including all the time involved in every step of the process, usually bridesmaid dress shopping, the bachelorette party, and the wedding itself. The average purchase price of a bridesmaid’s dress is $234.
Typically, a bride and her bridesmaids must meet together in one location to shop for bridesmaid dresses. The Bridal Suite alleviates the problem of gathering friends separated by geography and busy schedules in order to complete this necessary and special shopping experience.
Vow to be Chic leverages modern technologies to offer a higher-quality experience at a lower cost; the Bridal Suite simplifies the shopping process, and Vow offers high-end designer dresses for under $125.
According to the company’s press release, “The Bridal Suite is the first and only online group shopping platform that allows bridesmaids to recommend choices to the bride and vote on their favorite dresses. Also, rather than a bride chasing her bridesmaids around to make sure they’ve ordered a dress, the bride can simply monitor the order and shipment of her bridesmaid’s dresses.”
The Bridal Suite almost sounds like a Salesforce for bridesmaid dresses, complete with your own in-house dedicated stylist (yup, planning a wedding can be akin to launching your own business): “The platform has a message center that allows bridesmaids to discuss their preferences and concerns. This message center retains a record of all conversations held amongst the bridal party. It filters out possible dress choices based on the bride’s preferences. It connects users to a dedicated expert Bridal Stylist that can help bridesmaids select dresses that best suit their body type.
“The preview/try-on experience also adds to that by allowing her to try the dress on in her own home. The bridal suite tool extends that service for the bridesmaids by saving the time and reducing the hassle associated with bridesmaid dress shopping.”
The collaboration tool has not only helped streamline communication amongst bridal parties, but has offered tons of rapid insights to help VTBC build additional features to the site, which will roll out in the coming months.
Kelsey Doorey started Vow as an entry to UCLA Anderson’s business plan competition, KNAPP (link) which she won in spring 2013. She immediately launched Vow To Be Chic in Santa Monica, and publicly launched in June 2014.
