Bridal Shops Jilted as Brides Go Online

CASTRO VALLEY, Calif., March 19, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As more brides are finding their dream dress on Amazon, Ebay, and Zappos, the online marketplace has become a nightmare for local and national bridal shop owners.  After 22 years in the bridal industry, Dori Anne Veils Bridal Salon, one of the Bay Area’s leading bridal stores, is closing its doors. There’s a massive shift in how and where brides are purchasing their wedding gowns. These changes helped local bridal shop owner Debra LaSpina Goldwater, who’s helped thousands of brides dress for their special day, decide it was time to retire. And recently, the nation’s largest bridal retailer, David’s Bridal, filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.

Debra LaSpina Goldwater with one of her brides and her mom

“I love spending time with our brides and I’m passionate about finding them their dream dress, but today so many women come into the store only to try on our gowns, then they call me later and say they found their dress online,” says LaSpina Goldwater. The traditional model of wedding dress shopping has changed now that brides can see a photo of a dress on Instagram, do a quick google search and find the same dress online without ever stepping foot inside a store.  Brides in the past may have spent weeks and months shopping the local salons or flying to Los Angeles or New York to find the perfect dress. But, these days, the ritual of trying on gowns, teary-eyed viewings, followed by lunch with the bridal party are going the way of the past.  More and more brides are purchasing their dream dress with the simple tap of a screen.

Mimi Novak, curator of A State of the Union, a vintage bridal store on Etsy, an online vintage and hand-made marketplace, sees a rapid rise in brides buying her vintage wedding dresses on Etsy. “It can be challenging for brides to buy such an important garment online, but today’s bride is looking for the best deal, she’s eco-conscious, and she knows how to navigate the on-line world,” says Novak. 

Online bridal shopping is uprooting other bridal traditions, too.  The days of preserving and boxing up your bridal gown as a keepsake for future generations may also be tapering off. The website “Preowned Wedding Dresses” boasts more than 20,000 used wedding dress listings where brides can buy a used bridal gown or get a return on some of their wedding expenses. Online shopping is creating a situation where many bridal traditions may become a thing of the past - much like the local bridal shop, itself.

About the Company: Dori Anne Veils Bridal Salon has been one of the Bay Area’s top-rated bridal salons with five-star ratings on Yelp and has been helping brides find their perfect wedding dress since 1997. Debra will be having a liquidation sale, then turning out the lights and closing her doors on March 31, 2019.

Debra LaSpina Goldwater
Dori Anne Veils Bridal Salon
(510) 690-0100
[email protected]

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c7e3af94-1280-4b42-96ae-7dedc2419309