TRUNK SHOW SERIES: Is your Bridal Shop Trunk Show Ready?

Preparation and Decoration

You work in the bridal industry so it’s a safe assumption that you love fashion and design. It’s time to channel your inner Joanna Gaines and create an eye catching yet functional space for your event. As we’ve discussed before, if your designer provided you with any displays with their name, face, and/or logo, put them front and center or use them as window displays.

To showcase your trunk show dresses, it’s best to have the collection displayed in a central location so that all brides, crews, and stylists have easy access to them. Whether in your lobby or in an area between all suites, make sure these dresses are viewable from the front of your store! This is a great marketing tactic for both customers in your store and attracting those passing by. 

Although your trunk show dresses will be a focal point, don’t forget to leave space for guest arrivals. This is a HUGE day for both the bride and her crew, some will arrive early! First impressions are everything, and you want to ensure a smooth process from the minute they walk through your door. Trunk shows can get chaotic at times so have a designated waiting area with a staff member up front welcoming and directing guests. It is inevitable for brides to feel overwhelmed, so seize any opportunity you can to lift some pressure off of them!

Making the Most of Short Appointments

In the bridal industry, the average appointment time is 90 minutes. With a trunk show, your goal is to fill your calendar and assist a higher volume of brides, meaning your appointment time will most likely need to be shortened. Most bridal boutiques host 30 to 60 minute trunk show appointments. With shortened appointments efficiency is key!

How to make the most out of short appointments:

• Have a presell process
  • The more knowledge you have going into an appointment, the better. Send your brides a simple questionnaire before their appointment or do a style call with them.
    • Not only does this allow you to establish a personal connection with the bride-to-be, it will also help you break down their vision piece by piece before their appointment starts.

• Welcome more staff assistance
  • Invite your brides to go through the dresses with their stylist, this way they can get the most out of the appointment.
  • Set a limit on how many dresses may be pulled for one bride at a time to prevent crew members from interrupting and to be respectful of other appointments in progress.
    • We recommend appointing a ‘runner’ staff member to help return dresses from the suites to the racks and vice versa.    

• Keep a consistent schedule
  • This goes for both your guests and your staff.
  • Remind your brides of the time slot they have booked and the appointment duration.
    • This can be done through an automated reminder message the week of or day before their appointment. Encourage them to arrive a few minutes early and have all of their crew in attendance.
  • The ‘be on time’ rule also applies to your staff. If one appointment runs over, it begins a domino effect.

Preparing Your Team for Success

It’s critical to support your staff before, during, and after your trunk show. Pour into them to promote their confidence!

A few tips for preparing your team:

• Hold a staff meeting to communicate your expectations
  • You want everyone to be on the same page for success! Host a time to walk through the space together and open the floor up for Q&A.  Communicate and educate!

• Set goals within the appointment timeframe
  • To help with time management, set mini time goals to break up the hour for your stylists. Example:
    • Within 10 minutes of the appointment starting, the bride should be in the first dress. 
    • Within 30 minutes, the bride should have a favorite. 
    • Within 45 minutes, the bride should be saying yes, taking pictures, and preparing for payment. 

• Time is of the essence
  • Make sure your stylists have a means of tracking time. You can provide small timers for them to keep in their clip carts, ask them to wear a watch, or designate someone to provide time checks/signals for accountability. 

• Modify dress code for comfortability
  • Keep in mind that a trunk show is going to be a long and busy day. Encourage supportive shoes and match with your boutique t-shirts!

• Build in breaks for a quick reset
  • Don’t forget to build in breaks for your team. Create a snack station with easy to grab goodies!

Details, Details, Details

The more you put into your trunk show, the more you will get out of it.

Tips to help your bridal store stand out:

• Set up early
  • Dresses usually come in a couple days in advance so use this opportunity to take some unboxing videos for social media and organize your space. We recommend showing up an hour or two early on the day of the event!

• Capitalize on cleanliness
  • Although common sense, make sure your space is spotless! We’re talking over, under, and behind all spaces visible and nonvisible to your customers. It’s important for your staff to have clean areas too!  

• Traffic flow
  • It’s important for your guests to know where to go upon arrival. Although you may have a greeter, placing arrows on the floor or hanging signs for direction is a bonus! 

• Extra personal touches
  • If you’re providing snacks or refreshments, be sure to organize a display and process for guests.
  • Flowers! Whether from a local florist or the market, fresh flowers always add a little happiness! 

• Social media posts throughout event
  • Don’t forget to appoint a staff member to capture moments before, during, and after the event. Post in real time to attract more potential customers!
  • You can also do a ‘day one’ recap post to highlight all the fun and memorable moments of the day!

• Be ready to complete the look
  • We often think about trunk shows centered around wedding dresses. This is true, but don’t forget about accessories. Most brides love seeing a completed bridal look. This helps your bride visualize her big day thus helping her say yes to the dress!

• Know the payments process
  • Make sure all of your staff is on the same page with what discounts are being offered, what payment plans will be honored, and what the deposit amount will be. They should be prepared to answer any questions especially related to cancellation/return policy as that is non-negotiable.
    • Don’t currently use payment plans? Check out some of the benefits of offering payment plans for your store and your brides.

Congratulations, you are ‘show ready’! You’ve got this! 

After wrapping up your trunk show, it’s important to reflect on what worked well and what didn’t to ensure future success. Check out our next blog: Measuring Your Trunk Show Success!