For more than 70 years, thousands of brides have traveled to Kleinfeld Bridal in New York City to find their wedding day looks. From the moment you walk through the doors, you’ll feel the magic of Kleinfeld. Not only does Kleinfeld have 30,000 square feet filled with the largest selection of wedding dresses in the world, it also has the greatest professional staff of over 200 employees who are dedicated to finding and perfecting your bridal look.
You might have seen us mention these words on our blog before, heard them on the show, or perhaps your consultant talked to you about some of these during your appointment—either way, these buzz words can be a little difficult to understand if you don’t work in the bridal business.
Never fear—we’ve rounded up our most commonly used bridal lingo, from special order to stock room, to make dress shopping easier for you! Check out the list below, or better yet, watch the video.
Trunk Show
Trunk shows (A.K.A. Designer Events) are days (or weekends) when designers bring their newest collection of wedding dresses to Kleinfeld. Typically the designer (or a representative) is available in-store to meet with you as well and even discuss customizations, like extending your train or adding a sleeve. Keep in mind that brides who purchase during a trunk show might also get a special discount—so book your appointment today!
Stock Room
This is where our wedding dresses live at Kleinfeld. We have a few stock rooms, however our largest one is featured on the show. When a bride meets with her consultant to discuss styles she likes, her consultant will then head to the stock room to pull options for her to try on.
Sample Studio
To make room for new dresses at Kleinfeld, we mark our used samples (and sometimes brand new cancelled dresses) on sale and place them at our sample studio. Now you can shop our sale dresses ANY time during the year—no more waiting for a sample or blowout sale. Our Sample Studio is located across the street from the Kleinfeld, and you can come by anytime—no appointment necessary.
Silhouette
The shape of the wedding dress is also known as the silhouette, and our silhouettes range from mermaid, to sheath, to ball gown and more. Want to learn more about silhouettes? Read Silhouettes 101!
Lining
Sometimes sample dresses have portions of the dress that are unlined—meaning they are sheer, and you can see through that area. If you’d prefer that area covered, you can choose to have your dress lined at an additional cost.
Illusion
Illusion is a sheer, see-through fabric, typically used on the sleeves, neckline or back of a dress. Check out some wedding dresses with illusion here.
Sample
A sample dress is a wedding dress you’ll try on before ordering your very own brand new dress, just for you. Kleinfeld has samples available to try on in store in sizes 2 through 22.
Open a Cup
Most of our samples available to try on have a B-cup. Don’t worry if you’re chest is larger than that—designers can make a pattern change and ‘open the cup’ to accommodate a bigger bust.
Special Order
Congratulations—you’ve said ‘yes!’ to your dress! The next step will be one of our bridal managers will measure you at your bust, waist and hips and special order your dress to your largest measurement. You’ll then schedule your first fitting 12-14 weeks before your wedding date and over the course of 3-5 fittings, your special order wedding dress will be fitted and sewn to fit your body like a glove.
Hollow to Hem
If your dress needs a hollow to hem measurement, we’ll measure you from the hollow of your neck to the hem of your dress, and take into consideration the height of the shoe you’ll be wearing down the aisle, so that your dress is the perfect length for you.
Feeling like a bridal wiz and want to learn even more? Read our blog!
Already purchased your gown but looking for your bride squad? Shop bridesmaids dresses here!
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