When a bride walked into La Rêve Bridal Couture one day, she was crying. Her wedding was a few weeks away, and she had not yet found a dress.
Manager Aisha Osanyin said her staff found a dress for the bride that day and helped secure alterations in time for her wedding. It is those kinds of moments that Osanyin said is why she does what she does.
“We do get moments like that,” she said. “It’s so rewarding to be able to help them.”
Prior to moving into Sugar Land Town Square in 2012, Osanyin owned another wedding shop in Houston and has been in the wedding dress business for nine years.
In fact, she is keeping it in the family as she grew up helping out at her mother’s wedding store, and her husband is a wedding photographer.
Wedding gown styles have changed over the last nine years, Osanyin said. Strapless gowns used to be in, but when Kate Middleton married Prince William in 2011, brides began asking for more gowns with long sleeves, she said.
Big, blingy belts have been replaced by thinner, sparkly versions, and brides are looking for gowns in shades of ivory and champagne rather than white, Osanyin said.
As the wedding industry continues to change, Osanyin said she strives to stay current. One of her goals is to provide a stronger online presence for La Rêve that will provide more photos of styles available in the store as well as a shop online function, she said.
Despite wedding gown examples readily available on the internet and in bridal magazines, many brides walk into La Rêve without a style in mind, Osanyin said.
“We try to find out as much as we can about the wedding so we can pull the right dresses. For example, if you are having a beach wedding, we would pull out some lighter-weight dresses,” she said. “Many times, a bride will come in with an idea and end up buying a dress that is the opposite.”
La Rêve Bridal Couture
15989 City Walk, Sugar Land
281-201-8145
www.larevebridalcouture.com
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m.,
Sat. 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m., closed Sun.