Do Your Bridesmaids a Favor with Joielle

Five ways Joielle is doing bridesmaid shopping better

40b750de22f620e38aba72cf20ebf916

Lela Rose Style LX160 ($300)

When a close friend got engaged during the holidays last year, one of the first vendor recommendations I made to her was the online bridesmaid dress shop Joielle. Why? Pure selfishness. I knew I was going to be a in the wedding party, and I wanted to do myself a favor. Bridesmaid dress shopping is notoriously archaic and difficult, and for no good reason (seriously, can someone tell me why?). For starters, most designers don’t list their prices online, not to mention it’s impossible to coordinate dress buying if your bridesmaids don’t live in the same town and aren’t all the same shape and size. On top of which, my experience in big box bridesmaids salons has been… less than stellar. But Joielle? Yeah, they make it all way easier, and have incredible customer service to boot. Here’s why they are always at the top of my list when friends (or anyone within earshot) get engaged:

1.Transparency ftw: Joielle offers a huge selection bridesmaid dresses, with one hundred percent transparency. Which means that not only is the dress selection super hot, but you also know exactly how much each dress costs before you fall in love with it. The designers Joielle carries are names you’ll actually recognize (think Watters, Dessy, Lela RoseWToo, Alfred Sung, to name a few), plus a few that you maybe haven’t heard of, but are going to wish you had (hello, Lily Bridesmaids).

So now let’s say you’ve got some bridesmaids who want to try their dresses on in store, and some who’d rather do everything from the comfort of their home. Well the ones who want to try their dresses on before buying can go to almost any big box bridesmaid dress retailer to find the dress that fits them best (since most Joielle brands are carried at stores), and the ones who would rather stay home can just order a sample dress directly from Joielle. Everyone wins.

APW_0219

 

Clockwise from top right: 1. Lela Rose Style LR188 ($260) 2. Dessy Collection Style 2894 ($220) 3. Dessy Collection Style 2874 ($220) 4. Dessy Collection Style 2921 ($224) 

2.The Dresses really don’t suck. Most traditional bridesmaid dresses are… not great. But the ladies at Joielle have impeccable taste. And with literally hundreds (and hundreds) of dresses to choose from, in prices ranging from $150–$300, the chances of finding something for everyone in your wedding party is actually pretty damn high. And since Joielle doesn’t have to limit their offerings to what samples they have in store, or which styles are most popular, you have a much wider variety of options to choose from, most of which come in sizes 00–30. Joielle is constantly adding new designers to their roster (keep an eye out this month for a few new designs to hit the store), and as an added bonus, almost all of Joielle’s dresses come in white, making for stunning, affordable wedding dress options.

But it’s not just the dresses themselves that don’t suck. Joielle makes finding the right dress way easier too. It’s a common misconception that telling your bridesmaids to “wear whatever you want!” makes anyone’s life easier. (And you’re crazy if you think your wedding party won’t ask your opinion anyway.) Joielle’s simple filtering system lets you sort dresses by designer, fabric, price and style, so you can set parameters like shades of pink, floor length, Dessy, chiffon, and your bridesmaids can go pick the dress they like best, knowing it’s already been approved by you.

APW_0221

Clockwise from top right: 1. WToo Style 796 ($194) 2. Lily Bridesmaids Style LM113 ($138) 3. After Six by Dessy Style 6631 ($185) 4. Watters Style 4259 ($300)

3.

One-Stop Shopping: With Joielle, ordering for your whole wedding party is super easy. They offer 10% off to bridal parties of four or more, and if you have your heart set on making sure everyone’s dress is the exact same color (even if they’re different styles)Joielle will do everything in their power to get your order cut from the same dye lot (and will keep track of who has already ordered their dress and who hasn’t, so you don’t have to).

4.

Real People Who Can Really Help You. Joielle is a woman-owned small business helmed by real people, who actually care about your wedding. When I was shopping for bridesmaid dresses this year (and having a panic attack because I’d waited until the last minute to do it), all I wanted was to talk to someone who could walk me through the process, reassure me that two months is indeed enough time to order a bridesmaid dress, and tell me that everything was going to be fine. Joielle goes way beyond that. Founder Tammy says, “All along the process, we go the extra mile to make sure our customers are informed and comfortable. Online shopping can be very detached and impersonal, so we try to bridge that gap through friendly correspondence and transparency. We focus on developing personal connections with our customers to give them a sense of ease and confidence in shopping with us and to make the stressful job of wedding planning a little easier.”

APW_0223

Clockwise from top right: 1. WToo Style 590 ($236) 2. Dessy Collection Style 2885 ($220) 3. WToo Style 504 ($238) 4. Lela Rose Style LR174 ($290)

5. They Don’t Keep You In the Dark: Managing a large wedding party can be exhausting (and if you have a procrastinating friend like me, potentially disastrous). With Joielle, you can log in and see who has already placed orders, plus get notifications about when the designer has confirmed your order, if the dresses are going to arrive on time or early, and when they’ve shipped. In short, customer service isn’t just about helping you choose dresses. It’s about making sure the whole process, from start to finish, is streamlined and stress free.

If I could go back in time, I wouldn’t just suggest that my friend use Joielle for her wedding. I would shout at her until she got the point. Buying your bridesmaid dresses with Joielle ensures an easy, pain-free process not just for your bridesmaids, but for you too. Because shopping is only fun when it isn’t work, and wedding planning is complicated enough as is. At the very least, this part should be easy.

For a limited time, Joielle is offering APW readers 15% off storewide (including menswear, gifts, and accessories). Just use the code 15APW at checkout. Not ready to order yet? Get $10 in free swatches when you use the code 10swatch.*

*Only one discount code can be applied per purchase. Cannot be combined with 10% bridal party discount. Expires February 7, 2015.

Featured Sponsored Content

Please read our comment policy before you comment.

The APW Store is Here

APW Wedding e-shop

go find all our favorites from around the internet, and our free planning tools

Shop Now
APW Wedding e-shop

Planning a wedding?

We have all the planning tools you need right now.

Budget spreadsheets, checklists, and more...

Get Your Free Planning Tools