Fairy Godmother's Bridal helps economize Utah weddings

By Glen Warchol
The Salt Lake Tribune

On the surface, at least, Utah would appear a bridal business bonanza. With nearly 10,000 marriage licenses issued annually in Salt Lake County alone, marriage is unlikely to ever see a slump.

A deeper look, however, reveals a razor-thin profit margin for those who make a living off nuptials. Utah's wedding market is driven largely by members of The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints, who make up about two-thirds of the population. Many brides come from large families, marry much younger than counterparts nationally -- and usually do so on a tight budget.

Yet, the pressure to appear a traditional bride, radiant in a white wedding gown, remains irresistible.

Taken together, it's enough to make a Utah bride wish for a fairy godmother or, at least, a cut-rate bridal boutique.

Fairy Godmother's Bridal in Salt Lake City offers a little of both. Operating by appointment only from her home, Judy Miller started her wedding dress business 15 years ago. And while second-hand wedding gowns and wedding planning on the cheap might not be to everyone's taste, Miller has more business than she can handle. Upwards of 15 brides-to-be stop by every week -- as many as 25 during the spring wedding season.

"I offer as nice a wedding as possible -- within a budget. Even if she gets married in a gym, a bride wants a formal white gown," Miller says. "The average Utah wedding costs $4,000. It's about $19,000 nationally."

Nevertheless, Miller emphasizes personalized service and wedding consulting, including a packet of information on discount seamstresses, photographers, printers and floral services. "We only see one bride at a time. They love it when they come in here and get all this information and help."

Believe it or not, professional wedding consultants laud Miller's lowball approach to weddings. "One of the keys -- to gowns and everything else that goes into a wedding -- is to set a budget and stick with it," advises Gerard J. Monaghan, president of the Connecticut-based Association of Bridal Consultants. "That budget should be guided by the bride's style and what is important to her."

Still, he says, the number of brides   nationally who search out cut-rate wedding dresses is small. "The basic premise is that 95 percent of all gowns are sold in boutique gown shops. There is a percentage of brides who are going to go to a consignment shop or a discount store, but that's a very small percentage nationally."

Apparently, the number is large enough to support Baltimore-based Discount Bridal Service, which has a nationwide network of representatives (none, however, in Utah) who aid brides in ordering gowns at 20 percent to 40 percent discounts over retail.

"Everything is first-quality. They save because they've done the legwork," Discount Bridal spokeswoman Kim Strauss says. "This is the wave of the future. Last year, we shipped 10,000 gowns. Obviously, there are 10,000 brides out there that think this is a smart way to go."

Three out of four of the brides who come to Fairy Godmother's are Mormons, who are attracted both by Miller's reasonable prices and her extensive inventory of modest -- what Miller calls "temple-ready" -- wedding gowns, with high neck lines and sleeves to cover sacred undergarments.

"No dress is more than $449," Miller says. The least-expensive dresses run about $350. Monaghan says the average cost of a gown nationally is $800, down slightly from previous years.

Miller keeps her prices low by buying second-hand wedding gowns. She gets about 15 calls a day from people offering her pre-owned dresses, but will not take anything more than a year old. "Styles change too fast," she says.

An unused wedding dress is not necessarily sad evidence of a jilted bride, Miller says. It is not unusual for an indecisive bride to end up with two gowns by the time she decides what she will wear for wedding day.

Though Miller sells more dresses in size 4 than any other size, Fairy Godmother's specializes in plus sizes -- up to size 32. And with an inventory of 200 dresses, can offer a client 15 different styles in any plus size. "The girls feel like they've died and gone to heaven when they come to me," Miller says.

"The bride wants to be a princess the day she marries. I'm helping her accomplish that goal."

Fairy Godmother's Bridal
By appointment only
Phone: 801-277-6324 or 801-277-2708
E-mail: jmiller1@xmission.com
Fairy Godmother's Bridal: http://www.fairygodmothersbridal.com

A fairy godmother's wisdom for gown shopping:  

* Don't look at too many gowns -- you'll become snow-blind.
* Though not as popular in Utah as pure white, ivory gowns are more flattering to most skin tones.
* When you come for a fitting, bring your mother and a good friend who will tell you the truth.