I felt a bit apprehensive to schedule a virtual bridal appointment with BHLDN at first. I'm not the type of bride who leans toward any one brand. I hadn't scoped out the BHLDN site or stalked the Instagram page, ready and armed with the names of dresses I loved. I just knew what I liked — certain styles, materials, and details I had been pinning on my Pinterest board since I got engaged nearly a year ago. I'm not getting married until May 2021, so I still do have time to purchase a wedding dress. But with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic impacting so many people's wedding plans, I have to consider the fact that weddings might not look the way we generally envision them for awhile. During a crisis, we have to be aware of shifting norms — it's probably not going to be feasible for me to visit bridal boutiques for awhile.
I ended up booking my appointment with BHLDN — which is currently gifting 100 gowns to brides on the frontlines of the COVID-19 relief — for two reasons: 1) I do have a lot of time on my hands right now to at least dream about wearing pretty gowns, and 2) I wanted to answer all of your burning questions about virtual bridal appointments. If something is holding you back from setting up a video call with any of the designers offering this service right now — Lein Studio, Amsale, Lotus Bridal, and Anne Barge, to name a few others — allow my own experience to guide you in your journey. I met with BHLDN's brand stylist, Lindsey Love, who was kind enough to walk me through the process, stopping to answer every single question I could think of. Ahead, you'll learn just how efficiently these meetings can be run (so far, BHLDN has booked over 300 of them!) and decide whether they're right for you.