If I were to get married all over again you can bet your butt I would be in Trish’s shop, White Peony, about an hour after I was engaged. But alas her shop has only been open about 6 months and I have been happily married for over 2 years, so I had to make do with a dress from J. Crew (a dress that I LOVE to this day and still hangs in my closet). Trish’s shop is located downtown on Government and I am always happy for the excuse to pop in there and say hi on my way to my studio. If you are looking for an amazing experience purchasing a wedding dress head on down and say hello, or better yet give a call and schedule an appointment.

Here is Trish:

Why the name White Peony?

I love all flowers, though I must say I have a soft spot for the peony. Could there be a more gorgeous flower?  A little while back I kept a blog, titled A Peony Princess.  And while that burst of blog writing slowed down when I began to work on opening my shop, the name kept coming to mind as I tossed around potential boutique names.  In the end, to me The White Peony felt pretty and feminine, things that I hoped for my shop to be.

What sets your store apart from the others in town?

The difference lies simply in the design of our shop.  We are a smaller, more intimately-run boutique, featuring just one dressing room, with only one bride trying on gowns during our appointments.  I wanted to create a boutique-style bridal experience, where brides were welcome to relax and linger while shopping for their dream dress.

How do you pick which dresses to carry?

For the initial purchasing, I flew to New York with a girlfriend to attend New York Bridal Market, where each gown was hand-selected for the shop.  After months of research, I knew what designers I wanted to carry, and from there, I choose the dresses that were most loved. We will be attending New York Bridal Market again this fall to pick up new collections, and already I have my eye on a few great designers.  And as a lover of all things pretty, I cannot help but try on new dresses when they arrives at The White Peony.  Some days my sister and I will close the shop, and continue to play a bit of dress-up. There really is something special about a wedding dress!

How far in advance does a bride need to order her dress?

An often asked question! Keeping in mind our designers lead time, we recommend no later than 6 months before the wedding date, allowing enough time for production, shipping, and any alterations that may be needed.  If we have a bride who doesn’t have that time on her side, we can look at the option of rush fees, or even buying off the rack.

Where would you like White Peony to be in five years?

I don’t typically ask myself questions of this nature! I have always lived in the moment. Though if pressed, I would say that I hope for my little shop to be well-known, and considered the place to go in Victoria for all things lovely in bridal.  Okay, I suppose when I look ahead that far, I smile. ♥

Trish was sweet enough to invite me to come see her in action with a bride to be, earlier this month. I had a great time being a fly on the wall watching this lovely lady, and her family, ooh and ahh over dresses.