The mother of the bride plays a key role in the wedding. She is one of the main characters and the bride’s favorite partner in crime.

For this reason, we create this style guide exclusively for the mother of the bride. If your daughter is getting married, take note to have a classy and impactful look.

1. Dress style

There are dozens of dress styles to choose from. To make your decision a little easier, a good idea is that you compliment the bride. That is, if her wedding dress will have lace, yours should too. If it is of vaporous fabrics, then choose one with those types of fabrics too.

Communicate with your daughter so you can both decide the dress style you want for that big day.

Once you’ve chosen the style of the dress, you can think about the color.

2. Color of the dress

The color of the dress depends mainly on whether it’ll be a day or night wedding.

If it’s a daytime wedding, you can go for bright colors like yellow, mint, and coral. Just make sure you’re not going with the same color as the bridesmaids.

If the wedding will be at night, then a dark-colored dress is the most elegant option. While black is the first color that comes to mind for an evening event, shades like gray, aubergine, burgundy, and navy blue look incredible and elegant too. If you’re more of an extrovert, choose a red dress, which, with the right accessories, will make you look lovely.

If you want to go for a more classic and timeless look, you can choose a neutral color. Shades such as beige, mauve, champagne, silver, and rosewood work well both day and night.

3. Shoes

The shoes are the main complement of any dress. On this special occasion where you will be standing for a long time greeting guests or dancing on the dancefloor, it’s better to prioritize comfort over design. Look for a pair of beautiful shoes that are comfortable enough to wear for a long time.

Choose a neutral tone so that you can use those shoes with many other colors of dresses.

4. Accessories

Accessories are essential for any look, and their style must depend entirely on the dress.

If you choose a simple dress, your accessories can have a more prominent role in your overall look and be flashy with large earrings or a necklace with an eye-catching colorful jewel. But if your dress already has rhinestones and other details, the best is to keep the accessories simple. For example, classic pearls are discreet and elegant.

5. Hair and makeup

After checking out of your list for all of the above, it’s time for hair and makeup. Once again, the time of day in which the wedding takes place is key.

If it’s a day wedding, choose soft and natural makeup, with pink and peach tones that’ll give a delicate touch of color to your face.

On the contrary, weddings at night allow more intense makeup with smokey eyes and bright red lips.

As for the hairstyle, an updo is always a good idea: it’s timeless, elegant, and lasts longer than the loose hairstyles.

Now you’re ready to be a stunning mother of the bride!

In other articles, we’ve discussed the importance of suppliers for your business. They are its basis, especially when it comes to a dress boutique.

If you’re looking for reliable suppliers, probably you’ve heard some advice on how to choose them or how to manage your business relationships. Among all the tips out there, some are really bad and can jeopardize the quality and prestige of your dress boutique.

Here we share bad advice you can get about suppliers. Avoid them at all costs, so you can have a healthy business relationship and allow your dress boutique to thrive.

Bad Tip #1: Go for the cheapest supplier

It is said that “cheap is expensive” and it’s completely true.

It can be tempting to do business with the supplier that offers the cheapest products in the market and thus have a higher profit margin. But before doing so, it’s very important that you analyze why they sell their items at such a low price. Usually, this is because they are sacrificing something that is of utmost importance to a dress boutique: quality.

There are hundreds of suppliers that offer dresses that are pleasing to the eye, but they turn out to be of very poor quality. The fabrics are poor and the manufacturing is terrible.

If you want to have a reliable dress boutique where women want to buy and become loyal customers, you have to prioritize the quality of the dresses you sell, and for this, it’s very bad advice to go for the cheapest supplier.

Bad Tip #2: Go for the fastest supplier

Just like the previous point. Quality takes time, so the suppliers that offer to have the products too quickly are usually doing something without too much care.

This is not a general rule, some suppliers can offer quality and speed at the same time, but ultimately it’s better to consider that the right dress supplier must have enough time to supply your stock.

Bad Tip #3: Have a single supplier

It’s never good to put all your eggs in one basket, in this case, that all your stock depends on a single supplier.

The main reason is that if you have only one supplier and she fails you for some reason (time, company’s internal issues, etc.), your boutique may come down. Therefore, even if you’re pleased with a specific supplier, it’s important that you consider having more. The variety of suppliers (without exaggerating and having dozens) will make your boutique stronger.

Bad Tip #4: Impose your ideas

Humility is an extraordinary quality. Even if you know what you want for your boutique, it’s always good to take into account the experience of suppliers to make the business thrive. In other words: don’t impose your ideas just because the store is yours, be aware of your strengths and weaknesses, and respect the opinion and expertise of your suppliers.

If you find a reliable supplier, it’s time to start negotiating with her. To help you in the process, you can read our article with tips for negotiating with suppliers.

The purchasing process covers the period from the first communication with the supplier until the signing of the contract. The way to a successful negotiation with a supplier is a key step in this process and can be as simple as trying to get a discount on specific orders or improve the overall costs of the products.

Negotiating with suppliers has become essential because it allows companies to reduce their costs while increasing their cash flow and profit margin. For this, buyers must negotiate lower rates with suppliers while maintaining or improving quality and service.

A necessary step to optimize your purchases is negotiating with suppliers. Here are some tips that you can implement in your next business negotiations.

Communicate

Building a lasting relationship with your suppliers is essential. Therefore, it’s necessary to communicate and exchange ideas regularly with them. By staying alert to each other’s problems and successes, the buyer can obtain excellent bargaining power during meetings.

Many buyers often make the mistake of remaining distant and cold, while, in general, when the person at the front is warm, friendly and smiling, suppliers are more inclined to make deals and negotiations.

Know your value in the eyes of the supplier

Without customers, all businesses die, so you need to determine the potential value that you represent for them.

For many companies, the cost of acquiring a new customer is high. They pay for advertising, marketing, shipping, packaging and many other expenses, just to be able to show a product. So, once there’s a potential big client in front of them, it’s in their best interest to make the necessary negotiations to strengthen that business relationship. For this reason, it’s important that you know your value as a buyer and that you make sure you let the supplier know.

Find mutual gains

It’s important to know the supplier’s objectives to identify mutual gains during negotiation. In fact, if you can’t lower the price, you can find other benefits such as a guarantee period, a discount at the end of the month, faster shipping at no extra cost, etc. This can represent very important long-term benefits.

You can also offer to make larger down payments to get a better discount on your part. Suppliers also have accounts receivable just like another business owner, so getting a strong deposit (think over 50%) can be extremely attractive to them and will increase your bargaining power.

Help save money

Treating suppliers as partners is essential to the success of a business. Whenever possible, determine how you can work with your suppliers while saving them money or time. By understanding their business model, you can place orders efficiently, which should reduce costs for everyone. This point can be important in negotiations.

Be honest

Be honest with your suppliers. If you’ve received a more interesting quote from another supplier, let them know, but don’t lie. In the end, everyone in the industry knows each other.

If you’re about to go to a cocktail party, you will want to look amazing.

Cocktail parties are so much fun as they have all the elements that a good event should have, but without being very formal. It’s a good opportunity to pamper yourself by buying a beautiful cocktail dress, doing a different hairstyle, and going a bit wild with makeup.

Are you ready to get a perfect look for your next cocktail party? Here are some tips to make it happen.

Tip 1: Cocktail dress

Cocktail dresses are characterized by being short. There are many styles and designs to choose from, so simply follow your instinct and personal taste. If the party is exclusively at night, you can choose dark colors but with a lot of sparkles and sequins. If the event starts during the day, then choose pastel colors.

The idea is that you choose a cocktail dress in which you feel comfortable but beautiful and that the style fits perfectly with your personality.

Remember that the shoes complement the look, especially in cocktail dresses, as they are seen all the time. Choose comfortable shoes with which you can dance and have fun without feeling pain in your feet. As for the color, the easiest is to wear the same tone of your dress or a neutral color like nude or silver.

Tip 2: Hairstyle for a cocktail party

The overall look for a cocktail party should be fun and glittery but at the same time with not that much of an effort. Elegance is for more formal events like prom or weddings. This night is to show your personal style in a chic way.

Thus, don’t go for an overly elaborate hairstyle. If you want to go with your hair up, do it, but make it a simple and clean bun. You can also choose to go with your hair down, but style it with some beachy waves. An ideal hairstyle is half up, which you can upgrade by curling your hair, making a braid, or adding a headband.

Tip 3: Perfect makeup for a cocktail party

A cocktail party is ideal for showing off colorful lips and impact lashes.

Don’t be afraid of intense colors, welcome the different shades of red and purple to give a fun, chic, and irresistible touch to your lips.

As for your eyelashes, they can truly change the look on your face in an instant, so be very generous with the amount of mascara that you apply —you will see how your look automatically sparkles.

For your cheeks, go for a blush with a delicate pink tone or make them glow with a bronzer.

Now you’re ready to party! Dress, hairstyle, and makeup! The important thing in a cocktail party look is to keep things feminine and fun.

Many factors and decisions can make your dress boutique successful; without a doubt, one of the most important are your suppliers.

Having the right suppliers will help you to have constant sales because you will never lack stock and you will have the certainty that you can trust in their times of distribution and problem solving related to the dresses.

The fashion industry is quite competitive, so having the right suppliers can be the difference between success and failure.

Consider the following aspects that are essential characteristics that the products of your suppliers must have and that will make your dress boutique very attractive for customers.

✦ Innovative designs

With so many fashion stores that exist – both physical and online – new designs abound and the style that is now super trendy, may be totally forgotten tomorrow. Therefore, it’s very important that your dress suppliers are innovative in their designs. It’s good to have some iconic models that never go out of style, but women always want to look different, and if you have original designs and unique dresses, you’ll be ahead of your competition.

A good recommendation on this topic is to try to build a base of loyal customers and keep them abreast of when new pieces arrive at your boutique. You can also ask for their feedback on the latest styles and designs you’re selling. This is useful for two things: to create stronger bonds with your customers and to know if the new dresses in your boutique have good sales potential.

✦ Quality of the dresses

Ok, you already have the most beautiful and original designs of the market, but what about their quality?

It’s pointless to have the most glittery and eye-catching piece if it has a poor fit on the body,  and the quality of the fabric and seams are poor.

Quality is as important as the design, so don’t go only for the sparkle. Make sure that all the materials and making are of excellent quality.

✦ Price

Of course, the price is an essential factor to take into account. If your suppliers have good prices, you can get a better profit, at the same time that you can sell the dresses at a better cost for your customers.

If you are looking for suppliers for your dress boutique, read these tips that will help you find the best ones for your business.

Your quinceañera party is coming. How exciting it is to celebrate this great moment in your life with your loved ones!

You already have the venue, informed your guests of the date and time of the big event, and planned the dance you’re presenting with your court of honor.  Now it’s time to focus on your look!

Here are some tips for a memorable quinceañera.

1. The most important element: the dress!

Quinceañera dresses are characterized by having a charming princess air, so enjoy the moment and make yours that beautiful fantasy silhouette. Choose your favorite color or dare to use a tone that you’ve never used, but that you’ve always wanted to. This is your night, and with your quinceañera dress, everything is possible!

Remember that in dresses, there are different types of necklines: halter, sweetheart, straight with spaghetti straps, strapless, etc. Choose the one that best suits your personality and that’ll be very comfortable to dance and have nonstop fun.

2. Shoes

Remember that you’re going to dance a lot, so it’s better to use very comfortable shoes. We recommend that you buy them well in advance and use them at home whenever you can. With use, shoes become looser and more comfortable. Either way, it’s always a good idea to have a change of footwear during the event –you can change your party shoes for your favorite sneakers or flats. You’ll also need them for the shoe changing ceremony!

As for the color, the most natural thing would be to choose the same tone of your dress but to give an interesting contrast, you can pick them of an opposite color. If you are wearing a light tone dress, choose dark shoes and vice versa.

3. Hair and makeup

You don’t want to have a mess in your hair by midnight, right? For that reason, it’s better that you choose a hairstyle that lasts long and that resists all the dance and jumping that you’ll be doing, in addition to all the hugs you’ll receive. To give a special touch to your hair, you can add a delicate tiara or crown.

Your quinceañera makeup must be very subtle. Whether you do it yourself or a professional does it, focus on highlighting your eyes and just give a touch of color to your lips.

We recommend that you do at least two hair and makeup tests before the big day, so you’ll know how you’ll look and won’t get any surprises.

4. Pamper yourself before the party

It’s a very special day where all your family and friends will be together. It’s normal to feel a little nervous, so the best thing is to pamper yourself before the party doing things that make you very happy. Either eat ice cream, take a walk in the park with your pet, or laugh out loud with your best friend. This will help you relax and to be ready for your big quinceañera party.

That day you’ll be experiencing a lot of adrenaline, so it’s easy to forget to eat. Please don’t do it, as it could affect your mood and condition during the celebration.

Are you ready to be the cutest and happiest quinceañera in the world?

Building a relationship of trust is vital for any business. In the first place, it may seem that the most important relationship is with the client. While the relationship with the client is crucial, a relationship that can suddenly go unnoticed and that is essential for a business to work is with the suppliers.

As we’ve mentioned in other articles, without serious and committed suppliers, there would be no inventory to sell. This is why, once you’ve found a good supplier, it’s very important to create a trusting relationship with her.

To be competitive in retail, a successful relationship with suppliers is necessary. Of course, the relationship should mutually benefit, because together you can make each other’s business grow stronger and thrive.

Here are some valuable tips that will help you build a relationship of trust with your suppliers.

❒ Keep good communication with your suppliers

Communication is essential. If you like a product or service, let them know. Also let them know if you don’t feel completely satisfied with the quality of another. This will help providers understand what they are doing well and what they should improve, which will be beneficial for your store.

Also, carefully check the orders you receive and if something is not right, tell them as soon as possible; this way you will avoid misunderstandings later.

❒ Get to know them better

If you can, visit their facilities and learn about their procedures. This will help you know what their strengths and limitations are, which is very useful to establish the expectations of the business relationship.

❒ Comply with dates and times

If you and your suppliers have an established schedule, respect it. Also, don’t cancel or change the meeting dates. Just like you, they are working, and those changes can affect them. Time is worth gold for everyone, so meeting dates and schedules efficiently will make both parties feel much happier and satisfied.

❒ Submit your orders on time

Plan your boutique’s needs ahead of time. This will avoid running out of stock, will help your suppliers to meet their delivery times, and will allow volume purchases.

Knowing your suppliers’ inventory and production schedule is essential to do this, so make sure you know them from the beginning of your business relationship.

❒ Pay your suppliers on time

And of course, pay your suppliers on time. This promotes respect and trust, plus they will feel happy working with you and will want to continue doing it in the best way. Also, you will increase their goodwill and it’ll be easier to encourage future discounts or synergies that benefit both.

A business relationship based on trust, loyalty, and transparency leads to the success of companies and to enjoy a competitive advantage in the market.

Bridesmaids play a significant role in the wedding. They are the women the bride trusts the most, with whom she has shared some of her best moments and those who have always been there for her, in both good and bad times. For any bride, her wedding is one of the most important days in her life, so having these special women close is very meaningful.

The choice of bridesmaid dresses can be simple if you consider a few essential points. At GLS, we want to share with you some tips that will make the decision-making process easier.

The first thing to consider is the place where the event will take place. Of course, it’s not the same to choose a dress for a beach wedding than for one in the city; for a day or night party; and for hot or cold seasons.

For daytime weddings, simpler dresses and soft colors are usually worn. On the beach and hot places, you should think a lot about the fabric is light and airy, and even take into consideration the neckline and length of the dress.

Evening weddings tend to be more elegant, with dresses in more intense colors and details such as beads and crystals. If it’s going to be a winter wedding, consider looking for thicker fabrics.

Once knowing the place, time, and season, you should be aware of the style of the wedding, which is determined by the couple. Maybe it’s going to be a winter wedding in the city, but with a very relaxed vibe; or perhaps it’ll be an event on the beach, but extremely elegant. So this is also important for choosing the bridesmaid dresses.

Some brides prefer that all their bridesmaids wear exactly the same dress. But others only want their ladies to wear the same color and fabric, and that each one of them brings their personal style to the dress. If this is the case, then by knowing the two previous points, each bridesmaid can choose the style that pleases her most. Maybe the halter neckline is more comfortable for one of them, or another loves the two-piece dresses trend. Options are endless!

The reason why there are different shapes and necklines in dresses is to accent the best of each body.

For example, for thinner bodies, A-line and mermaid shape dresses are very flattering; while more curvy silhouettes look wonderful in empire waist and two-piece dresses.

Girls with small busts can enhance their upper body with sweetheart and asymmetric necklines. Ladies with larger bust sizes will feel very comfortable with a strapless or high neckline.

Do you own or manage a dress boutique? Congratulations! We are sure that you will do everything in your power to make it a thriving business.

Of course, the most important element for a dress boutique to work are its suppliers. Without them, there would be no inventory to sell. Also, and equally importantly, the success of your business can largely depend on the quality of your suppliers.

Are you worried about how to find the right suppliers for your boutique? Here, we will share with you some useful tips that will help you find the best suppliers for your dress boutique.

➤ Search online

Let’s go to the basics: an online search -you can find practically anything and everything on Google.

And while the big search engine will find almost any piece of information you ask, it can’t guarantee the quality and professionalism of the options offered. For that, it’s necessary that you make initial contact with the company and begin communication to get to know how serious it is, the experience it has in the industry and the quality of the products it offers.

➤ Communication is key

Communication with suppliers is vital to ensure a healthy and fruitful relationship.

It’s useless to have a supplier with beautiful dresses, if communication is poor, because that will lead to operational difficulties, such as untimely delivery, lack of collaboration for business growth, unreliable customer service, and ultimately, and unsustainable relationship or even business failure.

Make sure that communication is transparent and efficient from the get go, and if it isn’t, it’s time to say: next!

➤ Shipping times

Be strict with shipping times.

If the supplier is not meeting shipping times, let her know that the business relationship can end -you simply can’t run out of stock due to poor organization of your suppliers!

Customer satisfaction is key and a fundamental part of that is to have their choices in stock.

➤ Quality

In today’s day and age of online and other impulsive buying behaviors, customer returns are peaking. Thus, it is critical that you place a top priority on quality. The elements that make a quality dress includes materials, decorations, design, construction and fit. Selling a quality dress will keep customer returns low, and thereby enhance your boutique’s brand.

➤ Price, Margin and Price Protection

In addition to quality, price is also important. At the end of the day, you’re running your business to make money.  Don’t just go for the lowest priced product, but find a product that will leave your business with a reasonable margin. Also, in today’s competitive market, you will find cutthroat competitors that will slash prices with the primary purpose of outlasting their competition. Thus, it’s important to find a supplier that not only sets MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price) Guidelines, but also takes measures to prevent violations against its MSRP Guidelines. The MSRP Guidelines are important to protect you and your supplier’s business health, brand and goodwill.

➤ Business Growth Collaboration

In today’s digital age, the opportunity for business growth collaboration is bigger than ever. Make sure you find a supplier that understands how to grow your business, wants to help you grow your business, and knows how to grow your business. Growing a dress boutique in a traditional business and marketing approach is here to stay as many consumers prefer to see and try on more detailed and expensive styles at a brick and mortar store. Growing a dress boutique in a digital business and marketing approach is growing rapidly, as much of today’s generation like to purchase simpler and less expensive styles online. Thus, it’s important that you find a supplier that knows how to grow your business with both traditional and digital methods. A smart supplier will work with you to grow your business, because by doing so, it will also grow their business.

➤ Talk with other retailers

An excellent way to find out how professional and serious a supplier is by talking with other retail stores that sell their products.

Do the research and talk with as many as you can. It’s better if they are far from your area, as they will not feel that you are their competitor.

➤ Take your time

Choosing suppliers for your dress boutique is a big and important decision, so take your time and be patient. All the time you spend will be well invested because with the right suppliers, your business will not only have a better chance at success, but it will have a reliable partner and asset.

One of the most important moments for any girl is just around the corner: prom night! And, of course, you’ll want to look wonderful and for that, the essential element in your look is the dress.

There’s a wide variety of prom dress styles, so for some girls, the choice can be stressful, but don’t worry! We’ve created a basic guide on the different prom dress styles and the attributes that each one of them highlights the most. This way it’ll be much easier to choose the dress that will make you shine all night.

❣️ First of all, let’s talk about shapes…

1. Mermaid

The mermaid shape is beautiful, fun and elegant. It accents the waistline and hips, so it’s ideal for girls that are not that curvy and want to highlight these parts of their bodies.

2. A-line 

A-line dresses are full of princess-style charm. They are also very flattering for slender girls as they help add dimension around the hips and give volume to the lower part of the body.

3. Empire waist

An empire waist dress is always in style. It’s an elegant option for any body size and shape that gives a delicate accent to the bust.

4. Straight

A simple straight dress can be the most elegant of all. If you don’t like to be surrounded by much fabric and just want to go all the way simple, a straight line dress will be ideal for you.

5. Two-piece

Two-piece dresses are on fire! They are fun and an instant eye-catcher. They can be very flattering for short and petite girls, but also for tall misses.

❣️ Now, let’s go with necklines…

1. V-neck

The V-neck is one of the most popular necklines in dresses. It’s flattering for all types of body shapes.

2. Sweetheart

A sweetheart neckline will always draw attention to the chest area. It’s sexy but sweet at the same time. It helps enhance the bust, so it’s a good option for girls that have a smaller bust size.

3. Strapless

An all-time favorite… There’s a reason why strapless is one of the most popular necklines: it is elegant, fun, chic, and looks great on all girls! You can’t go wrong with a strapless dress.

4. Off the shoulder

Under the same premise of strapless, this style shows off both shoulders and the neck area, but it does have straps that go just beneath them creating a beautiful neckline.

5. High neck

High neck style is great for girls with a large bust as it disguises it. It’s timeless, elegant, and comfortable.

6. One shoulder or asymmetric

This neckline always gives a modern and fun touch. It helps add dimension to the shape of the body, so it’s especially good for skinny girls.

What about fabrics and details? 💞

Of course, the fabric choice has a lot to do with the preference of each girl. However, it is important to mention that heavy fabrics give more volume to the body than those that are vaporous.

As for details, don’t be shy, if you like sparkle, go all the way with beads and all kinds of crystals that give a super chic and elegant look to prom dresses.

If you’re more of a simple-style gal, then opt for a plain dress that will make you shine in a sleek way.

Are you ready for one of the best nights of your life? Enjoy your prom to the fullest with the ideal dress for you!