I had the chance to sit down with Mia Antalics, owner of Garnish Boutique, which was just named "Best Bridesmaids Dresses 2010" by Baltimore Magazine.
Mia started Garnish Boutique back in 2006. Growing up in Baltimore she found that it was really hard to find cute cocktail dresses. When she was a bridemaid in some of her friends weddings she found that there was no place to go to find modern bridemaids dresses. She saw a need for her community and decided to give something back: an adorable bridesmaids boutique featuring modern cocktail-inspired dresses!
Mia believes her boutique is different (and Baltimore Magazine agrees) because of the personalized service her brides and maids receive. Garnish has appointment based hours, that way each bride gets one-on-one personal time with Mia. In addition, all the dresses at Garnish are made-to-order (not ready to wear), so each bride and maid can get a "pseudo-custom look."
The designers Mia has chosen to carry at Garnish all share a similar "essence" in quality and style. Keeping the dresses at a high caliber, Mia chooses to work with designers that use quality fabrics and modern cocktail-inspired cuts. Mia explains, "the dresses are more versatile so the maids can get more wear out of them." They can be worn by bridemaids or women attending a wedding or party. Check out some of Garnish's designers: Jenny Yoo, Siri, and Thread.
What trends are you seeing? This past year Mia has seen more ruffles, jewel tones such as emeralds and eggplants, sleeves, collars, and softer fabrics, such as chiffon.
Mia loves working with brides because no one bride is the same; every customer is unique. She feels that makes every day a new day with its own sets of challenges. And that's what keeps it exciting!
Mia recently planned a wedding in Maryland, so I asked her what advice she would give other brides. Don't be afraid to ask what a vendor can do for you. "Use your vendors." Clients would be surprised at what a vendor can do!
I also asked Mia if there was a vendor she would recommend and why? She immediately said The Floral Studio (also one of my favorite vendors)! Shawn Nocher (owner of The Floral Studio) is an incredible florist! She did Mia's wedding and added so many amazing details, including goldfish swimming in tall vases (see photo below). People still talk about that detail, Mia explains.
Photograph by A Bryan Photo
No comments:
Post a Comment