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Saying Yes to Your Perfect Dress | Interview with Perry Angelo and Justine Szargowicz of Alexandra’s Boutique | Wedding Secrets Unveiled! Podcast

Today’s highly anticipated episode of Wedding Secrets Unveiled! is one you won’t want to miss! Whether you’re deep into wedding planning or just daydreaming about saying yes to the dress, Perry Angelo and Justine Szargowicz are here to share their years of expertise as stylists at New England’s premier bridal shop—Alexandra’s Boutique. Tune in as they reveal how they help brides find the perfect dress that beautifully balances authenticity and elegance, ensuring every bride feels confident and radiant on their wedding day.

Saying Yes to Your Perfect Wedding Dress: tips from bridal stylists Perry Angelo and Justine Szargowicz of Alexandra’s Boutique

Meet Perry and Justine. 

P: My name is Perry and I work at Alexandra’s Boutique. We are the premier Bridal Salon in New England. I’ve been with the company for six years, and I could gush on and on about how fantastic we are, and how amazing our brides are. 

J: I’m Justine, and we are VIP stylists, so we do all of the VIP appointments at the salon. 

Ooh, what’s VIP? 

J: So basically, it’s a three-hour experience. You get this dramatic curtain, you get some champagne, charcuterie and we have the special room. It’s more upscale, which is nice. 

I love that! 

It’s a new addition. When we reopened in 2019, we expanded to the third floor. We have been in business for 38 years, all on the same street. We’ve had three physical shops, all on the same street in Fall River.

I’ve been in the industry for 25 years, so I know you’ve been around! Is Fatima still there as the owner?

She’s taking a bit of a back seat now – to more buying and overall operations, but she’s still very involved. This is her baby, and it’s amazing to see a woman owned business survive for so long and flourish. 

I know she has her hands and everything. I’ve seen her expand and expand into such a thriving business. Alexandra’s Boutique is always top notch, and I can tell that most of my brides have dresses that come from there. They have nothing but wonderful things to say.

We have a very strong team to help support and run the business, and we grow every day. We need more bodies every single day. Her son has really taken a huge part in the business. Zach – I don’t think the business could run without him at this point. He’s amazing. 

P: I am our marketing coordinator, as well as still being a bridal stylist. So, I have a part in making sure that we keep our good name and are an experienced focused boutique. It’s really not just about the dresses, it’s about making sure the brides feel amazing and that they look amazing. 

J: I know that we’re such a big boutique, but we’re still family owned. And I think that’s what makes it so special and unique. We don’t just want to be every other Bridal Salon, we want it to be very exclusive and make it a full experience. 

How many people are on your team?

Roughly 20 with managers and stylists for our bridal side.

So it’s a well-oiled machine going on over there, right?

Oh yeah. We have multiple floors, multiple dressing rooms and each is unique to the section, which is really nice. 

I’m gonna put you on the spot. How many dresses do you stock and have on site? 

I think the running number right now is 4000. But most boutiques that you go to aren’t going to have that amount of inventory. That’s why we’re the largest in New England, which is really special. 

I was going to say, in New England, you don’t see that type of inventory often. So let’s get into it now! What’s a bridal stylist? 

P: I think a lot of people assume that we are sales associates that guide them and make it so they don’t have to shop themselves. But really, it’s a career that’s emotionally driven. I don’t think that you start this because you want to make money, like other sales positions. I don’t think you start this because you need something to do, like this is labor of love. There is a feeling in every single appointment you walk into, and you want to make this the best day ever. You want to make a woman feel beautiful, and you do want them to have this moment just feel so special, because it really is. This is the singularly most self-expressive garment you’re ever going to purchase. 

I always say I am here as a stylist to empower and to guide. I want you to feel powerful when you walk in here. And, I want you to feel the most beautiful you ever have and like the most royal, gorgeous, stunning – really any word you want to use – and I want it to come from a place that is so authentically beautiful from you. And I do believe that this is not something that you can just decide one day to pick up. It’s a job of passion. 

J: Truly, we don’t just say, “okay – you booked your appointment, coo” And that’s it. When you meet us, we’ve reached out and done our research for our brides. We send them a very cute email introducing ourselves and getting inspiration photos, learning their budget, and the wedding vibe. We get to know them on a personal level and know what they’re looking for. Generally, we know what we’re going to pull before they ever walk in because we love our jobs and we love our brides. 

Saying Yes to Your Perfect Wedding Dress: tips from bridal stylists Perry Angelo and Justine Szargowicz of Alexandra’s Boutique

I can tell by the five minutes talking to you here that what you have, you can’t train. You have to have it. I can tell the love and passion that you have and you’re right, it’s very emotionally driven. Can you hear about the vibe of someone’s day and know what the bride is going to wear?

J: We also ask what their venue is too, because that also helps us picture the event. I used to be an event planner, so I want to be able to picture the day. So, I want to be able to picture her walking down the aisle. I want that dramatic moment. And I want to see all the colors come to life. We really want to envision the whole day because this isn’t just some dress. You’re trying on wedding dresses and looking for something that’s special and a bit more emotional. 

P: I think the funny thing between us is that she does have an event planning background, and it makes so much sense. I am 100% such a fashion girly, I do this because I love fashion, and I love making people feel amazing. And I feel like I’ve had brides tell me their venue, and I’ll tell them I don’t really care – I want them to feel beautiful. Like, I don’t care that we are getting married on the beach, if we want to be in a ball gown, we’re going to be in a ball gown. It’s going to be full of sand, but we’re going to be in a ball gown. People just get so overtaken by all the expectations of their day. And I’m sure you see this too as a photographer –  where you watch them talking and they have to get this shot because it’s the Pinterest photo, and it’s like, “yeah, we can. But does that feel authentic to you?” I feel like I’m very focused on making sure that their fashion and that what they’re wearing is  representative of them.

Yeah. I mean, it does resonate in the photos and their overall demeanor of the day. If they don’t feel comfortable in that dress, it just pours out of them. 

All right, so break it down: what are some things that you would love just to tell a bride?

J: I always tell my brides that I’m just a real person. I’ve been through it. I just got married last year. My best friend’s getting married this year. If there’s anything that I can provide, especially being in the industry for so long, honestly, it’s just how you feel no matter what. Like Perry even said, I don’t care if you’re doing a ball gown on the beach, if that feels more like you just do it. Don’t try to force yourself into something that you don’t like. Be true to who you are and how you feel. If a plain dress feels more special to you than lace and sparkle, great. Go with that feeling. Go with that emotion. I always say its emotion based. You don’t have to bawl your eyes out, but one’s going to feel more special.

tips to say yes to the perfect dress shared by bridal stylists

Find the Perfect Wedding Dress

P: It’s so true. The person who’s shopping for your wedding dress is not you. You – the adult person who pays their taxes and writes a grocery list every week and bought their car because it was the best value in Kelly Blue Book is not the person buying your dress. The person who’s buying your wedding dress is you at eight. You are the little girl sitting there excited to be married to someone handsome in a pretty dress. This has to be a feelings-based decision. 

We get a lot of brides that come from out of state, specifically because we have designers, because their families close, because they want to come see us, because we are so big and so beautiful. It’s not that crazy to hear. I think the thing my number one advice always is: Don’t over complicate this. This decision should be easy. This should not be like the most stressful thing for you. And I understand that it’s a priority for people, and it absolutely is to me. You shouldn’t be pulling your hair out, visiting 17 stores or having a full PowerPoint presentation. If you need all those things to feel safe and comfortable, I respect it, but truthfully, just letting yourself just have the moment is all you need to do. And staying in the moment. 

I guess three specific things that we really wish we could tell our brides are: number one – don’t over shop. Number two – make sure you are doing your research, and number three, I think this one’s the most important, is just to be honest and ask questions. 

Saying Yes to Your Perfect Wedding Dress: tips from bridal stylists Perry Angelo and Justine Szargowicz of Alexandra’s Boutique

Our Stylists Walk You Through It

J: Yes, I basically, when you first come in, especially if it’s your first time, we go through the process. We make sure that you are seeing a little bit of everything – that way you feel fulfilled. I don’t want there to be a question later of you wishing you’d tried on something different. In the first five dresses, we know what you like and don’t like and we don’t need to do a million dresses. We can break down what you do and don’t like. We know our inventory, so as long as you’re being honest, we can go pull things that will fit what you’re sharing. 

P: The other thing that I will always remind people is that I am bringing you my A-team in the first four dresses. These are the four best options of what you’re asking me for. If I keep going, it’s gonna get worse. I only have, like, a certain amount of starting lineup. 

We always try to have you start off with the dress that you like the most on the hanger. That’s just to get it out of your system. 

That first dress right off the hanger – what’s the percentage of it that ends up being the dress they keep? 

P: More than half the time, because it’s what we’re sent and what brides think they want. A bride sees it and is just drawn to it. They get a feeling from seeing it on the hanger and want to get it on. The excitement is what we’re looking for. When I see girls dancing and twirling, I can just tell – it’s that energy. 

J: I’m going based on energy. I can tell I’m getting goosebumps and can feel your energy in this. People think that they need two different options to go back and forth between, but they don’t. They just think that they do – when really they’re having such a strong reaction to one of them.

P: Well, I think that that’s the thing with the over shopping: can it get better? Can we go bigger? I think it is also harder to do if you’re not shopping with your gut or your feelings. It’s harder to judge because you aren’t in tune with yourself. This happens so much when we have a bride that goes to four stores on a weekend. They cried at the first store in the third dress they tried on, and they’ll come to us, and we’re just trying to recreate that first moment. And now we found a better dress. We beat that dress from the first store. But now we’re not crying, and now we’re not having that feeling. And they’re like, “well, it can’t be it, because I’m not having that feeling.” We don’t want you to miss this amazing kind of experience. 

Saying Yes to Your Perfect Wedding Dress: tips from bridal stylists Perry Angelo and Justine Szargowicz of Alexandra’s Boutique

What do you see with the social media world when it comes to dress shopping?

P: It has definitely changed the wedding dress sphere. It’s changed a lot of what’s going on. I run our social page so I spend a lot of time doing research, looking at people, and talking about it. Social media is why we’re so terrified of FOMO. It increases the panic of wanting this perfect moment while going shopping and it makes it impossible for the bride to have a perfect moment – because perfection is not possible. We’re all human beings. 

I think it’s great, though, because on some level it gives people access to education. You can come in educated. You can come in knowing what you’re looking for, knowing what’s out there, knowing designer names, and that’s amazing. I love that. I’m all for education and making sure that you arm yourself with everything you need to feel comfortable and safe, to be able to look up a designer and see their history. 

Find Your Own Journey

J: I feel like it does make it hard when we know brides are coming in and saying that someone else had their bridal journey that was made up of different shops or trying on all these dresses. They think they have to have the same journey. You don’t have to have the same journey as someone else. Everybody has different personalities. You have to go with your gut. 

P: There’s one TikTok video that I think about whenever we talk about this. It’s old. Now, this is kind of  old news, but it’s such a great explanation for anybody listening. There is a video of a woman who tried on all these dresses in a video – like 100 dresses. She went mega viral, but it turns out she’s an influencer and like, half of those visits were paid collaborations. The boutique asked her to come in to try on some styles, to show her the store, to have her do a vlog of shopping there. But she included the dresses in this post and others thought they had to try on those kinds of dresses or have that experience.

Social media is a great tool for research but this process is definitely emotional. Can you tell me about the bridal appointment? Who should be there and who should not? 

J: We just want to make sure that you have the people that are going to be most supportive. You want the people whose opinion you value. Some people want to just come in by themselves at first because they’re nervous about other people’s opinions or they just want to test some stuff out. But realistically, if you’re coming to our shop the first time, you’re probably going to make sure you have the people who are important to you with you. At the same time, that can become overwhelming, so you want people with your best interest at heart. 

Think About Who You Want Dress Shopping

P: I think the other thing is that I don’t think it’s a quality over quantity thing, but I don’t think quantity is a bad thing, which is a very controversial thing for me to say. I don’t think anyone would agree with me on that, but if you have 10 people in your life that you want there, and they’re all supportive, loving, they get you, and they’re happy to be there, bring all 10. Let’s do it. I’ve had 15 guests, and they were amazing. And I’ve had a mom and a bride come that were so bad, I had to take a lap. You could just tell that she’s not there to cheer her on. I think it’s also about letting your party know what’s gonna happen, especially if you’re sensitive or having a hard time feeling good in your body. It’s about sitting your people down and telling them that. 

J: There are a lot of people that don’t have that conversation, and I feel like they need to, because a girl will come out in a very simple, clean, classic dress. It looks gorgeous. And everyone will say it’s too simple. Okay, well, auntie that’s your opinion but that’s what she’s looking for. So, there’s always two different sides. We’re there to guide them and are their professional hype women. I like to guide the group as well. I’ll come out and tell the group “First dress – this is exactly what she sent me and I want you to see it on her”. I’ll share if she’s vibing it in or not. You have to play the room. 

Saying Yes to Your Perfect Wedding Dress: tips from bridal stylists Perry Angelo and Justine Szargowicz of Alexandra’s Boutique

That’s a great nugget if you’re about to shop for your wedding dress. This is a very emotional purchase and you want to have people that are going to cheer you on. Just be there and zip it. 

Truly. This is a very specific piece of advice for the bride. When you’re hearing people give you feedback, it’s like showing them a piece of artwork. If you love modern artwork and I’m showing you Thomas Kinkade, you’re going to think it’s ugly. There’s nothing you can say that’s going to change it. It doesn’t mean that you can’t love that piece of artwork, because you see the beauty in it and you feel amazing in it. If they don’t have the visual context and they don’t like what they’re looking at, they’re gonna say something. You have to remember the context of the feedback. 

Let’s talk about trends. 

I think our trends have been great. I think right now, we’re seeing a very strong renaissance in the early 2000s, but two very different sides of the coin. We’re seeing hyper modest and very scandalous, very sheer, boning, and very sparkly dresses. That side of the coin has not reached New England yet, and I don’t think it ever will. I think definitely New England brides are very heavy leaning into that more modest feel. 

So, what you’re saying is that the other style – like West Coast or New York is coming this way, but you’re right. We’ve got New England brides. They’re a little more conservative. 

Conservative, but they do pop up. We are seeing a lot more brides trying to do funkier things. 

We’re seeing a lot of uniqueness. But the thing that Justine was prompting me about is by my weird hatred of AI. That’s the big trend that I keep seeing, people sending me photos of AI generated wedding dresses. It is so heartbreaking. People want this great dress, but I have to tell them it doesn’t actually exist. 

AI is creeping in so many industries. 

Yeah, it is. It’s creeping in very slowly and AI imagery is my white whale because it’s really frustrating for everyone involved. I don’t want to burst your bubble. You are excited, and what you’re showing me does not exist. And we’ve always had this to some degree, because we’ve always been photoshopped designs, and Photoshop has always been a thing. 

Saying Yes to Your Perfect Wedding Dress: tips from bridal stylists Perry Angelo and Justine Szargowicz of Alexandra’s Boutique

Trends flow and it’s so hard to be on trend or in fashion, because they’re already one step ahead. What you’re wearing right now was already rolled out a long time ago. 

It trickles down. If you’ve seen the Devil Wears Prada and listened to Miranda’s big cerulean blue speech, it’s so true. 

You make a good point – with fashion, it’s driven by the runways and fashion week. Anything else you’re seeing? 

3-D designs have been here for a minute. More of a textured, popping look. It’s not just traditional lace anymore. 

I think the other trend has been patterns. Like brocade, sublimated, printed organza have all ben massive lately. And Chantilly lace is back. Chantilly is like a thin, almost vintage inspired looking lace, but that has been back in like that came in like gangbusters. I have never seen a trend sweep in and just stick as fast as this has. 

What about the bird cage? You think we’ll ever get that back?

Bird cages were really popular 10-12 years ago. They came in and came out. 

I know there is a wide range of prices, and it depends on where you are in the country, but what is the average price point you should be setting aside for a wedding dress in this area? 

J: Well, it also just depends on what you’re looking for. If you want a fully beaded gown, it’s going to be a little bit more because there’s more detail. A completely simple dress might cost a little bit less. 

P: I think in my head, I can do a lot for under $2500. So, if you came to me and said you wanted to spend two grand, maybe a little bit over, I can do a lot with that. 

Saying Yes to Your Perfect Wedding Dress: tips from bridal stylists Perry Angelo and Justine Szargowicz of Alexandra’s Boutique

That’s a realistic expectation for what you guys are working with. 

I can make a lot happen with that. I think the closer we get to $1500, the smaller your choices get. 

Everybody’s budget is different. So, $2500 is just a really nice spot with a comfortable wiggle room. 

J: It comes down to the designer, and also the fabric. 

It’s a very emotional purchase like we said earlier in the show. But you have a budget for the whole day. So, if you’re going to spend in one area, you’re going to have to pull it back in the other. You know, I spent a lot of money on my dress. I don’t regret it, but I had to sacrifice in other categories.

J: And I will say too, if you are going in with a budget, let us know realistically if it’s with alterations, because that becomes really almost frustrating to us if we didn’t know that. If we had known that we could have found another great dress under budget that gives you room to pay for alterations. 

It may be more helpful to find out where a specific designer sits because that’s changed over the years due to cost increases. 

Wrap Up Question

What are some key points that couples should be asking their bridal boutique, or, you know, dress shop companies when they’re inquiring, to make sure that they’re going to be working with a professional company to make their wedding day absolutely perfect? 

Genuinely asking the boutiques what their price point is and digging a little further beyond their response. Ask where they feel comfortable with a bride prince point wise and ask yourself where you feel comfortable. 

Get the vibe of the shop and the dresses they have there. Look on social media, call, DM. You might realize a boutique is not for you, and that’s okay. 

Determine what your ideal bridal look is. That’s the kind of shop you need to find and work with.

Saying Yes to Your Perfect Wedding Dress: tips from bridal stylists Perry Angelo and Justine Szargowicz of Alexandra’s Boutique
Saying Yes to Your Perfect Wedding Dress: tips from bridal stylists Perry Angelo and Justine Szargowicz of Alexandra’s Boutique

What We Discussed: 

Meet Perry and Justine (2:08)
Discussion on the Importance of a Wedding Dress (4:38)
Role of a Bridal Stylist (4:54)
Tips for Brides Shopping for a Wedding Dress (15:02)
Impact of Social Media on Wedding Dress Shopping (27:56)
Practical Tips for Wedding Dress Appointments (33:11)
Trends in Wedding Dresses (40:32)
Wrap Up Question (48:37)

Links Mentioned in the Episode

Find Alexandra’s Boutique Website | Instagram | Facebook | 372 South Main Street |  508-679-8770

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