Hunt for the Bridal Boutique

The bridal scene in Singapore is really saturated. Just take a walk along Tanjong Pagar Road and you'll be overwhelmed by the number of bridal boutiques fighting for your attention.

It's almost impossible to visit all of them, and many of these bridal boutiques have a reputation to be extremely pushy and hard sell. Hence, it's really important to do some homework before hand, and go straight to the ones you think you may like. Also, 1 important thing to remember. Never, ever sign on impulse in road shows unless you've already done your research. I've seen so many people complaining in the forums that they signed on impulse and are now worried or is already totally pissed after reading/experiencing all the negative reviews others have shared. If you have been in the forums enough, you will know that there are a few bridal boutiques that are super famous for being a pain/horror stories/pushy/hard sell/unprofessional.

A few key factors that I look out for:

• Service: Does the coordinator try to understand my needs or just trying to brain wash me to sign their package? Do they try to understand my budget, style of gowns I like etc?
• Are they pushy and hard sell? This is a super no-no to me. Yes, you can recommend your stuffs, but don't try to hard sell me. It will just push me away.
• Are they honest? Some coordinators say 1 thing now, and another thing later. Hubby and I love to bring up the same question (or phrase it in another way) a few times just to see/test if they mean what they say, or if they are telling the truth.
• Range/Style of Gown. Each of the Bridal Boutiques have their own style. Go to the ones that suit you. If you love super bling bling, princessy and elaborated design, don't waste time on boutiques that are well-known for their simple and elegant design.
• Package Rate. Know your budget. Most packages these days are around S$3XXX, better ones at $4XXX - $5XXX. Once you know your budget, you can easily eliminate the ones that are definitely out. Be wary about those packages that appears to be cheap. Usually there is a catch. Most of the $2XXX packages seems to only allow gowns from a specific range (usually the old and tired gowns that makes you feel sian) and then they will show you the nicer gowns and tell you that you need to top up $XXXX to be able to choose from the nicer range (which you usually will cos the other range is so horrible, and the last thing you want for your wedding is a gown you dislike.) Usually, after you add up, those packages that appears to be cheaper ends up so much more expensive.

A few places I visit to do my "homework":

• Google: Google is, and has always been my best friend be it at work or for wedding planning. Any names I see/hear, I'm sure to google it and see what others are saying about it. I especially love reading blogs as these reviews are usually more comprehensive and usually more believable (some entries in the forums are so fake I really think they are posted by the boutique themselves)
• http://www.perfectweddings.sg/forums/: I love this forum. Very good for research and connecting with other bride-to-bes
• http://singaporebrides.com/weddingforum: Singapore Brides have been around for the longest time . I don't visit it as frequently, but if I've shortlisted any vendors, I'll usually check the reviews in this forum as well.
• http://www.weddingforum.sg/forum.php: Another forum good for reading other's comments, feedbacks. 
• Facebook: Go to the boutique's facebook page to look at their portfolio, collections and people's comments.

I LOVE FORUMS. Many of the people in the forums are really helpful and offer very valuable advice, feedbacks, things to look out for, things to bargain or request for. It has been a really important resource for me during my wedding planning.

When reading reviews in the forums, I'll suggest you read it with a pinch of salt, or use your own judgement. Some reviews or posters seems like advertisement and simply feels like it's the staff posting themselves or they paid someone to do it. Some have been known to remove negative reviews and keep only the positive ones. Some bridal boutiques received so much negative reviews that they locked the thread and stopped people from commenting about their bridal boutique (not a wise move if you ask me in this digital age since it simply shouts "FISHY FISHY". and it's impossible to prevent unhappy customers from ranting if they want to since there's so many avenues to do so now (blogs, facebook, twitter etc etc.). They're better off appeasing these unhappy customers than trying to shut them off. It feels like saying 此地无银三百两。