The Barefoot Bride

We do fab from veil to toes!

Every bride should be able to wear her dream dress without having to sacrifice style & elegance because of budget. Serving the Mid South area as well as internet customers, The Barefoot Bride provides personalized bridal consultations to make your day special without breaking the bank.


The Barefoot Bride offers over 2000 BRAND NEW beautiful designer wedding gowns off the rack at 30-80% off retail. In addition, we have an amazing selection of custom gowns available in sizes 00-30.

We have gowns arriving daily (and leaving daily) so our website doesn’t represent our complete inventory. Be sure to check us out on insta ~ @the_barefoot_bride or facebook ~ thebarefootbriderocks

The Barefoot Bride believes that your special day begins with a fun, stress free shopping environment where brides can kick off their shoes and enjoy the experience of finding their dream dress!

At The Barefoot Bride ~ We do fabulous from veil to toes!

OPEN

BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

Open 7 Days a Week

Appointments are scheduled via online booking

Click HERE to request your appointment

Questions? We should have everything covered on Gown Shopping 101

or

Not so silly questions

But if we missed something, feel free to call, text or email for more info!

901-481-6906 ~ cheers@barefoot-bride.com

Appointments available 7 days a week

We get a LOT of calls & only serve one bride at a time~ so if you get our voicemail we are either on another line, assisting a bride or not in the shop.

Be sure to leave a voicemail and we will get back to you as soon as we are able.

Cheers!

 

Secrets to shopping like a Barefoot Bride

 

 

AKA - how to keep your cool and have fun despite feeling overwhelmed, nervous and scared about one of the most important gowns you'll ever wear!  Unless of course you are the queen of England or Miss America **wink wink! 

Here are a few tidbits of info to help you maintain your sanity while shopping for your wedding gown ~  

 

KNOW YOUR BUDGET

Don't be tempted to try on an $4k gown if you have a $1k budget - it's guaranteed that you'll fall in love with it and you'll A. be forced to feed your guests crackers or B. B. regret that you passed up your "perfect" wedding dress months even years after your wedding.  

Stick to your budget and you'll find the dress that's perfect for you. Our off the rack gowns range from $1000 - $4500 with the average being in the $1200 - $1800 range.

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Be open minded

The number one pinterest gown is the gown that every girl asks for when they walk into our shop. Ironically, it has also been one of the gowns that has not left with a bride! Try on different styles, shapes, textures and find out what works for your body type, personality and wedding.

Be Prepared (and ON TIME!)

Check directions, parking options and traffic delays and plan to arrive 10 minutes early to check in. Your bridal appointment is scheduled for 1 hour (which is plenty of time, our record is 4 minutes) but if you get lost, can’t find parking, need to use the restroom, are waiting on your bestie (who’s always late), you’ll feel frustrated and rushed.

Be sure to wear minimal makeup and appropriate under garments. You will be spending a lot of time with a stranger who will be helping you in and out of gowns. Seriously remember to wear underwear! You’ll be in close contact with a stranger (aka your new very bestest friend) in a dressing room ~ trust us panties are a plus and a requirement :) **we do have underwear for sale $25 if you happen to “forget”

Be honest with your gown whisperer - if you hate a gown ... move on. Don’t take pics or try to disect why you hate it ~ move on so you can try on something you like or LOVE!! Your feedback helps your consultant find what will work for you!

 Don't try to cram shopping into one day.

Two bridal salons in a day is a LOT and can be so exhausting that by the time you've gotten to shop three you will likely have forgotten where you even started your day. If you need to do speed shopping due to out of town Mommas, then try to keep your "trying on" to about 3-4 gowns per shop. Take pics if the salon allows and ask for designer/style info on the gowns that you like to help keep them straight.

 Your CREW, YOUR Posse, Your peeps

You are entering a BrideCHILLA zone!

We know everyone wants to come help you pick out your gown! But keep your entourage to a minimum. This is for the bride's sanity more than anything else! Any more than 3-4 additional cheerleaders can become extremely overwhelming for a bride.

Too many times we've seen brides melt under the pressure of everyone else's opinion. There's nothing worse than seeing a beaming face turn to tears because of a crowd who couldn't agree on what the bride should wear.

The Barefoot Bride has a guest limit of 4 in addition to the bride. Children are INCLUDED in that guest count.


Speaking of children ~

Some boutiques limit the number of guests you can bring with you, some do not allow children.  Bridal salons are not child proof & several do not allow children or strollers in their shops.  

If you do plan on taking children, be sure they are well supervised and don't distract from "your" time :)

We do not have the capability to have strollers in the dressing area.

Virtual Guests

Each of our bridal suites are set up with a 50” smart tv to include offsite guests via iphone or android mirroring

The Barefoot Bride Guest Policy

Due to limited seating (did we mention that we have over 2500 gowns in stock?)

We can accomodate 4 guests  

Supervised children are allowed and considered as part of the guest count.

Strollers are not allowed in the bridal suites

In fairness to the rest of our brides, we do not make exceptions to this policy.

Don't wear satin in summer :) ...

OK better stated, understand that you'll be in your wedding gown all day. Keep in mind the "theme" of your wedding, time of day, season of your wedding day to be comfy on your special day. Of course you are the bride so if you want to wear a full satin ballgown for your August beach wedding, by all means go for it ~ we're just saying that you are gonna be HOT and not necessarily in the way that you may want to be on your wedding day.

Same goes for chiffon on a ski slope for a winter wonderland wedding ;0)

We want to make sure you are happy, gorgeous and comfortable!!

Positive body image zonE

The Barefoot Bride is a POSITIVE BODY IMAGE ZONE!

No, we really mean it! No crazy, “I hate my arms”, “I’m fat!”, “I look like a linebacker” talk in the shop. We promote healthy and positive body images, after all someone thinks you’re pretty darn amazing and we do too! ps - if we hear any crazy talk from the bride or guests, we will charge a $1.oo to be donated to a local women’s charity. ;)

Wedding gown sizing is TERRIBLE!

Generally you will be 1 - 2 sizes larger in a wedding gown than you are in your regular clothes. Be prepared to be shocked and appalled by this little detail. EVERYONE says "it doesn't matter" but because we have been programmed by magazines and super models, even the most self-assured bride can be rattled slightly by this fact.

Just be prepared .... it's no biggie. A size 10 wedding dress generally fits a size 6 dress size. Size 0's are more like kid's size 14s. Whoooaa - yup! It's true!

 

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More on sizing ....

Wedding gowns are made to be altered!

Alteration specialists can be our best friends when in comes to fit and comfort. Have you seen the brides with the strapless gowns that are forever tugging to keep the darn thing up? Well, they didn't have a good alterations person.

A seasoned wedding gown seamstress can have your gown so it looks as though it was made for you without extra undergarments or heaven forbid SPANX!! (imagine trying to wrestle out of those on your first night as a married woman - not exactly a vision your groom may be prepared for)

Wedding gown specialists are just that - they know what to do to make that once in a lifetime gown fit the proper way. Trust me ... a great wedding gown seamstress won't leave you tugging on that strapless gown or having your girls scratching their heads on how to decipher the bustle code!

Brand new wedding gowns generally have an extra inch inseam on each side allowing for your gown to be let out a whole size, just in case stress adds a few extra lbs. Wedding gowns can generally be taken in 1 - 2 sizes ~ trying to alter any more than that can significantly change the look of your gown. Be sure to ask your bridal consultant what you might need in the form of alterations - It's best to find out before you've invested a bunch of moola and emotion in a gown that won't look like it did when you tried it on.

Make sure to COMMUNICATE with your seamstress regarding expectations and desires. If you have something that bothers you, SPEAK UP! After all, this will be the most photographed dress you’ll wear.

 

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It normally takes 4-9 months to order a wedding gown

Yup, 4 - 9 MONTHS and that doesn't include alteration time. If you order your gown, your consultant will measure you for sizing. Be sure to get a written copy of the gown designer, style number and your measurements to ensure you get exactly what you wanted in the size you need! Don't be shy about asking to see the manufacturer's size chart either, just to be sure you are all on the same page!

Be sure to find out if you are buying "off the rack",

This means that the gown you try on is the one you take home or if you will be ordering your gown.

At Barefoot Bride 90% of our gowns are "off the rack" so you can save BIG MOOLA ~ up to 80% off original retail prices.

We also have a great selection of orderable gowns if you've got the time!

Last but not least -

Wedding gown shopping is not like the reality shows

Crying happens sometimes and sometimes not .... The truth is every bride is different. Some need to sleep on it and some just know. Most of the time we will see a dramatic change in the look on your face or the way you walk in your gown. Remember, this is all about you and your future hubby. All eyes will be on you on that magical day ~ so have some FUN while shopping!!

Get excited ~ be silly ~ do your thing!  

This will be one of those moments you'll never forget!

HAPPY HAPPY DRESS HUNTING!!

CLICK HERE to Schedule an appointment 

THE BAREFOOT BRIDE

Wedding Dress Shopping Checklist 

You’re about to spend a lot of time in close quarters scantily clad with a complete stranger

who will become your super bestie in less than 10 minutes!

Be prepared ~

  • Wear your undies ~ we don’t care if they are grannies or thongs, we just wantcha covered :)

  • So fresh and so clean, clean … please refrain from spray tanning or vigorous exercise prior to your appointment … we want to keep our gowns beautiful for YOU and the next bride to try on

  • Minimal makeup please ~ it’s just us girls and we love your natural glow :) and we like to keep our gowns beautiful and make up free for the next bride to try on if it’s not your dream gown :)

  • We are POSITIVE body image zone … any negative body comments will result in $1.00 charge ~ we donate proceeds to a charity promoting women :)

  • Be on time … or better yet early to allow for traffic or other variables. Your appointment is scheduled for 1 hour, appointments arriving more than 10 minutes late will need to be rescheduled in order to respect our next bride’s appointment time. If you are rescheduled due to missing your appointment, there will be a $50 rebooking fee. If you are a no show, you will not be able to re-book an appointment with us.

  • Bridezilla, Momzilla, Friendzilla ~ We are a loving, positive image, happy space. We don’t do the “Zillas” ONLY BRIDECHILLAS allowed! xoxoxo

WOOT! WOOT!

Let’s get this party started!!