Editor’s Note:

In 2011, I told a professor of mine that I wanted to drive Yow Yow! in the direction of collaborations. Since then, the Nordstrom Wedding Suite has always been my number one. Founded in Seattle and my favorite brand since I was a little girl shopping alongside my mother, I respected the brand’s innovative ideas, responsibility and urgency in customer service, and company values. With an exquisite reputation recognized in the Northwest and across the entire country, Nordstrom is a company that continues to expand on their core competencies to deliver quality and style. With the weekly Wedding Mondays and occasional Wedding Wednesdays, I’m sure all of you know by now how much I think about this topic on the reg. A long time dream of mine to work with the Wedding Suite, I knew that I couldn’t leave Seattle without this collaboration. Thank you so much to Sarah and Cara for not only being flexible in scheduling so that I could visit before I moved, but having Veronica and I visit and sharing your space with us. You’ve truly made a dream come true!

“It’s so much like Say Yes To The Dress!” shouts Katie when we walk into Nordstrom Wedding Suite’s fitting room. We were fortunate to get a glimpse inside the Wedding Suite before opening hours a few weeks ago. A Yow Yow! dream for ages, we luckily had a chance to sit down with Stylist, Sarah Walton after touring the suite.

Just a little over 2-years old, the Nordstrom Wedding Suite began as one of the brothers’ vision that began in Bellevue before it moved to the flagship store in downtown Seattle. Since then, there are 18 suites across the country with the flagship store suite being the only one in the Pacific Northwest.

Nordstrom is renowned for its exceptional customer service and it doesn’t disappoint in the world of weddings. With several exclusive designers, style concierge, and a love of making brides happy and satisfied with Nordstrom’s reputation for customer service, the Wedding Suite is more than just a gown boutique; it’s a commitment to unparalleled wedding services. Here’s a small glimpse into Sarah’s everyday life at the suite:

Katie: How do you define the Nordstrom bride?

Sarah: Every bride is so different! Truly. I’ve seen every kind of bride. I’ve seen a budget bride, I’ve seen a bride with no budget. I’ve seen everything in between. It really varies, but they do expect that customer service and that’s why they come here for that.

Katie: What would you say are some of the best summer wedding trends you’ve seen this year?

Sarah: As far as bridesmaids go, doing the different styles, different colors – that eclectic mix. As far as brides, a lot of brides don’t want the full dress, they want something fitted like the mermaid style. They want the lace, something simplistic, not over-the-top, but really elegant and effortless.

Katie: There are several wedding boutiques around here in Seattle, so other than customer service, how do you feel Nordstrom sets themselves apart?

Sarah: A lot of the designers that we carry aren’t offered at other boutiques. Some of our designers are Nordstrom exclusive. If there’s a particular gown [brides] want, they know they can get it here. Another thing we’re able to do is certain designers, even if we don’t carry their style here, we can look into bringing the style from the vendor so there are options. We can’t do it with Vera Wang unfortunately but we can with other vendors.

Katie: For fall wedding trends, what are you looking forward to seeing this season?

Sarah: Again, lots of lace. The fall color palette for the bridesmaids are gorgeous. Lots of jewel tones, lots of cranberries. It’s rich colors. 

Katie: I think I’d want to see for fall, a burnt orange a little bit. I feel like that hasn’t shown too much or been showcased at all.

Sarah: I have a bride that’s getting married next month who’s maybe doing a burnt orange. So we decided in her hair, instead of doing a headpiece she’s going to do orange dahlias.  And then we styled her fiancé in the men’s department and he’s doing a grey suit with a burnt orange pocket square and a light baby blue shirt to kind of tie in those colors.

Katie: I love that new brides and couples are actually drawing away from the traditional scope and kind of playing around with it and making it more their personal styles. So just a few opinion questions now, headpieces or veils?

Sarah: Probably a headpiece but sometimes both.

Katie: You can wear both at the same time? How does that work?!

Sarah: I had a bride recently who did an art deco themed wedding. She had an original 1920s headpiece that she paired with a Vera Wang veil that her aunt had actually kind of bustled. So she sculpted the veil and added the headpiece overtop it and it looked absolutely incredible.

Katie: Would you prefer a first look or wedding until the ceremony?

Sarah: I’m a big advocate for at the ceremony. You can capture that moment of genuine surprise, you know? It’s a really authentic moment and I think it’s worth waiting for.

 

Katie: In the next few years, where do you hope to see the Wedding Suite go from here?

Sarah: Wow, I just think that this has already seen such immense success that it’s just going to keep growing bigger and bigger. We’re going to reach more brides and I think we’re going to see a presence in more cities as opposed to now we just have 18. I definitely see that number growing. I think a lot of women don’t think to come to Nordstrom when looking for wedding gowns and I have so many brides who say, “Wow, I didn’t even know this existed!”