Your Dream Day Wedding Planning Podcast with Kathy Piech-Lukas
Your Dream Day Wedding Planning Podcast with Kathy Piech-Lukas
What's Your Vision: The Customized Wedding Dress Experience with Renee Grace Bridal
Have you ever wondered why wedding dress shopping can feel so limiting and overwhelming? Owner Terry of Renee Grace Bridal challenges the traditional bridal shopping experience by offering fully customized wedding dresses designed specifically for your body and vision.
During our delightful conversation, Terry reveals how the name "Renee Grace" honors her two daughters' middle names, reflecting the family values at the heart of her business. She explains the frustrations many brides face when shopping off-the-rack: loving the top of one dress but hating the skirt, or being told certain alterations are possible when they actually aren't. At Renee Grace, these problems disappear because everything is designed and created in-house.
The most valuable insight Terry shares is about the emotional connection to finding the perfect dress. When you find the right dress, three things happen --You swish back and forth, you start petting yourself, and you don't want to take it off. This visceral reaction is something every bride deserves to experience, which is why Terry advises against visiting too many bridal shops and becoming mentally exhausted by options.
For brides eager to experience this unique approach to wedding dress design, Terry will be at the Bride's Mafia "Mimosas with the Mafia" event on March 23rd at Memorial Hall, where you can play with paper dolls and sample components to design your dream dress. Whether you visit her downtown Sharonville boutique or catch her at an event, you'll discover why the right wedding dress is about far more than following trends—it's about celebrating your body and personal style on one of life's most significant days.
To listen to more episodes visit www.yourdreamday.com
We are making our own story as we go. Hi everybody, this is Kathy Piech Lukas, with your Dream Day. I'm at Renee Grace Bridal with Terry, the owner, and today we're going to talk about custom wedding dresses that are personalized for you. Thank you so much for joining us today. You're welcome. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:So where does the name Renee Grace come from? Oh, that's a question I get asked all the time. So it's actually the middle names of my two from. Oh, that's a question I get asked all the time. So it's actually the middle names of my two daughters. Oh, wow, yeah, so I don't know. I'm just, as a designer, I didn't really want to name it after me and so they're very special to me, so naming it after my daughters.
Speaker 1:So it is a family business. It is. My husband used to work in the business for a little bit. He doesn't anymore, but he did. My husband doesn't either. He actually it's a funny story he assisted me at a wedding and after that he he just said get your own stuff. Literally, just like that -- "Just get your own staff. Yeah, well, my husband, we actually, you know, we make all of our dresses here, and so for about six months my husband was the cutter, because we cut a lot of things on a laser and so he was in the back trying to work with fabrics. It was good. It was good for us. We learned a lot and learned how to train someone by having him on the program Makes a marriage stronger. Fortunately, we work really well together, which is good, and we're all about weddings here really well together, which is good. And we're all about weddings here, yeah, wonderful.
Speaker 1:So with your dress lines, how does the process work? If somebody wants to purchase a customized dress? Yeah, so what we do is we have over a hundred different designs here and how we're different than other stores. As you go to another store, you're going to try on their dress and you're going to purchase it as is, and they may tell you you can get these changes done, but they're going to have to be done in alterations later. Sometimes the alterationists can do what you want, sometimes they can't, and sometimes the salespeople don't know what they're telling you can't be done.
Speaker 1:So here, because we design and make all of our gowns here, everything's done in-house. You get to work with me as a designer and then we can personalize the gown to however you want. You know how. We've all gone to stores, we've all gone looking for something and we're like I love this dress, I like the top of this dress, but I hate the skirt, or vice versa. So here we can mix and match and combine and change fabrics and really personalize that gown to what you are looking for and to create your vision and bring that to life. That's huge.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because every person has a different body type. Yes, and what I think what a lot of ladies who are shopping for their dresses don't realize is that what looks good on a model in a magazine may not look good on your particular body type Exactly. And I have so many girls who will come in and they'll say, well, I want X, y and Z, but I don't want these things. And so I always pull one. That's not what they would think, and a lot of times they're like, oh, I didn't think I'd like that on me. Or the things that they put on their Pinterest board they're like, oh, I don't like this on me at all.
Speaker 1:And so it's really important to try on a dress, try on a variety of dresses, and that's my job is to help you find out both what looks good on your body and what you're comfortable in, because you're so nervous on your wedding day. Anyway, the last thing you want to do is feel uncomfortable in your dress, the way it fits or the way it feels, and you don't want to be tugging. You don't want to be tugging at your chest all night. Yeah, exactly the worst feeling ever. Yeah, well, and you'll know when. It's the dress, yeah, three things happen you swish, you swish back and forth. Then you start petting yourself, like you start petting your, your, your, like your core area and your hips, and you start checking yourself out and then you don't want to take it off. After that, yeah, and there's usually a big smile on your face yes, yes, and that's usually. They're like I just don't want to take it off. We're like that's when you look at it.
Speaker 1:And if I had a tip for brides, I would say don't go to a ton of bridal stores there. You know, in Cincinnati area you can find the one that you want to go to. Go there, try it, and if they don't have what you want, then go to somewhere else. I know we have this fear of of missing out, that we're we're not going to find the right dress, but if you put that dress on and you feel all those things. That's the dress, just get it. You don't need to spend hours and hours and you don't need to exhaust yourself trying to find the right dress, because you'll know it. You'll know, and that's exactly true. You'll know exactly when, when you find that dress. Yeah, I remember when I found mine, my mom started crying before I did. I'm like, okay, this must be it. Then, yeah, yeah, and you really do know. And if you don't, then go somewhere else. You know it's, it's fine.
Speaker 1:But I've just seen brides get exhausted by going to like six stores oh, mentally exhausted, mentally exhausted, mentally exhausted. And then they just forget what they've seen. And they don't. You know, it's just go to one. It almost becomes like the Pinterest experience, and I think a lot of engaged couples can relate to that, because what will happen is you'll go on Pinterest and you'll say, oh, I like this idea, oh, I like this idea. And the next thing, you know, you have 500 pins and you have them look anything alike and you're like how am I going to make this into a wedding design? Exactly, and it's probably the same type of thing with wedding dresses. There's just so much visually out there and then, yeah, so I always like keep it simple, start small, and then, if you have to go to other places, do Well.
Speaker 1:And one of the things that you're going to be doing in the upcoming weeks is you're going to be at a bride's mafia I am mimosas with the mafia on march 23rd, from 12 to 3 at memorial hall, and what do you have planned for? Yeah, so that will be really fun, because what I have is I have a bunch of paper dolls so you get to come and play with the paper dolls and create your own dress right there on the spot. I'll also have some actual dresses and samples of things that they can try, like put on a dress form and take off and put on and see what different laces would look like or sleeves would look like, or different skirts, and they can really play with it while they're there. You know what's coming to mind. I'm going to totally date myself right now. Do you remember fashion play? Oh, yeah, know what's coming to mind. I'm going to totally date myself right now.
Speaker 1:Do you remember fashion plate? Oh, yeah, everybody says that that's what it sounds like and I used to love that. Yeah, I used to love to be able to design their own dress. Well, that's what you get to do here. We get to. You get to be the Barbie. You get to be the fashion plate where we're putting things on you and we're trying to figure out what looks best on you. Oh, how fun is that. Yeah, wonderful. You want to go check out? Um, uh, renee Grace Biddle, be sure to come to downtown Sharonville. You're located right inside the loop. Right inside the loop, yeah. Or you can also head out to um, a bride's mafia mimosas with the mafia on March 23rd at Memorial hall Hall. Yeah, I hope to see you there. Yeah, fantastic. Well, thank you so much for joining us today. This is Kathy Piech Lukas with Your Dream Day. Happy planning!
