I Said Yes To The Dress! BHLDN Houston Bridal Salon
Hi gals! Eek, I could not be more excited to finally share my wedding dress shopping ins and outs with you! After an iffy start to dress shopping in Austin (let’s just say I had no idea what I was getting myself into!), I finally found THE bridal salon that felt right and had a selection of dresses that was definitely more suitable for my style and what I had in mind for our “big day” – at BHLDN in Houston! BHLDN is Anthropologie’s bridal boutique…hence the stunning storefront and perfectly whimsical, lovely vibe of not only the dress selections, but the decor, too. Needless to say, I felt right at home in this store!
Given that I’m in Austin, my mom and I actually made an appointment at BHLDN a few months ago and took a little weekend road trip (it’s a 3-hour drive) to stay with my aunt who lives in Galveston (a little beach city about 45 minutes from Houston) and made plans to enjoy a relaxing girls weekend together and of course, head over to BHLDN for my appointment on a Saturday afternoon. (Ps. Make your appointment weeks in advance, this store fills up quick!!). It was so nice for my aunt to come along, too, we had THE best time and our first bridal associate, Paige, was such a gem and so helpful along the way! (Seriously…get us gals sipping champagne during a sappy occasion such as wedding dress shopping = we were in for a good time, ha!). It was during this appointment that I found THE dress of my dreams – happy tears, hugs and all that good stuff ensued once I made my choice!
After trying on every style of dress in Austin, I realized my taste in wedding gowns for myself is much more minimalist and classic with a little vintage-y feel. I tried on ball gowns and I just didn’t feel “me” in them (but hey, you gotta at last try those on though, ha!). BHLDN is really the perfect store for the bride seeking a dress that’s timeless, sweet, elegant and ultra romantic – they have an array of dress options, but generally stick to a more minimal silhouette and embellish with intricate details such as beading and lace, etc. From bohemian to whimsical, there’s definitely a dress to match this particular style!
A little background info: Truth be told, before I got engaged, I never planned out what my dress would be like (true story: I created my “wedding board” on Pinterest within the past year), so I didn’t do any prior research into bridal or wedding shopping in general – thus, I had NO idea how much things cost and how quickly a wedding gown budget can be set at $1200 walking into a bridal boutique, and instantly change to $3000 after finding “the one.” In my case, I am pretty rigid about sticking to our set wedding budget, so shopping at BHLDN was a serious breath of fresh air! Honestly, I cannot stress this part enough – most of the dresses are under $1500 and by top bridal designers (y’all…a Marchesa gown for under $2,000?! Unheard of!). An affordable wedding boutique with an amazing dress selection and as pretty as this one? Now that’s tough to find! I should also mention that the sales associates don’t work on commission, so if your budget is set at $1200, they aren’t going to talk you into “needing” a gown outside your price point – and these gals are SWEET! Like, crazy adorable and kind…yes yes and more yes to that. This in itself is reason enough to make an appointment at BHLDN, in my opinion! (Can you tell I am passionate about this part? Haha! Hey, the dress shopping experience is something you want to look back and think very fondly of, so I’m happy to share any tips I can to make that happen for you!).
Phewww, now that you have some background info on the aesthetic of BHLDN and price point references, it’s time to share a peek into the BHLDN Houston storefront! I ventured back to BHLDN about a month ago to shoot some fun spring dress styles (any excuse to try on more wedding gowns…sign me up, ha!) and give you all a front row seat to all of the action when it comes to having a bridal appointment at BHLDN. So…without further ado, here it goes! 😉
^^How stinkin’ cute are these dessert plates and this gold dipped cake serving set?! #majorswoon
^^Blush bridesmaid dresses in different shades – so perfect for a mix & match bridal party look!
^^If I wasn’t getting married when it’s going to be 100 degrees outside (sorry guests!), I would totally scoop this dress up for my sister (matron of honor) to wear…I fell in LOVE with this gorgeous dress! The color and detailing are magical.
^^Cutest reception dress – you’ll have no problem groovin’ on the dance floor in this one! 😉
^^This store is basically a stunning museum…except you’re free to touch and try on any and everything you see! But really, the art installations on the ceiling? I die!! This is what you see when you walk into the middle of the store (there are three different parts of the boutique – the entrance where you see all of the bridesmaid dresses, the middle – this – where you’re surrounded by sitting areas and bridal accessory displays, and that gorgeous hallway that leads to the wedding gowns…)
^^Voila! The wedding gown hall. I walked through this section with my bridal associate, Sydney, and we picked out a few of my favorites to try on during my appointment. So much fun!
^^Of course, the fitting room experience is nothing short of wonderful, complete with the cutest canned champagne beverages (that come with a straw so you don’t have to ruin your lipstick, ha!).
^^I love this shot so much! Kayla perfectly captured a candid “Oooh I feel pretty!” moment and I think my face says it all! This is the Marchesa ‘Lilou’ gown, it’s actually a very light blush pink with beautiful lace detailing (tulle over lace – so as you get closer you can see the lace pattern underneath). Such a gorgeous dress and very light weight and comfortable!
^^Awkward mirror photo of me looking at myself haha, but I threw this one in here 1. so you can see the full length gown and 2. did you check out the fitting room?! The rug, mirror, light fixture – too perfect for words!
^^Sydney working her “size down” magic – if you’ve never tried on wedding gowns, prepare to be clamped all over in what appears to resemble mini jumper cables (right?! ha) but are really there to be your bff and make the dress fit as it should – these things work wonders!
^^…But then I died and came back to life in this dress. Holy mother of all gorgeousness – is this one not INCREDIBLE?! Insert all the heart eye emojis ever. Whimsical, magical, romantic, ethereal… basically the holy grail of strappy back dresses. I kind of never wanted to take this one off…! (This is the ‘Rosalind’ gown by Willow by Waters).
^^Oh ya know, champers breaks are 100% necessary. 😉
^^Sydney told me this is one of BHLDN’s most popular spring styles, and I definitely understand why! This is about as “ball-gown-y” as BHLDN gets. The detailing is just incredible and this dress definitely makes you feel like a princess. So lovely with the dainty bracelet, too! (This is the ‘Ariane’ gown by Etoile). 
^^Calling all boho queens, this dress is made for YOU! Beyond comfortable and SO flattering! Would be amazing for a Gatsby themed wedding (the beadwork is tuhh die and the ombre coloring, too) and I am in LOVE with the headpiece paired with this dress. My hair is a bit of a hot mess at this point in the shoot (y’all, we worked hard that day, ha!) but you can see the general idea of where I’m going with this style. Sydney said a lot of brides that opt for this dress actually get married in Marfa, TX – how adorable is that?! (This is the ‘Cate’ gown – size up because it runs snug, I’m wearing a 4 and it fits like a 2).
^^Special shoutout to my main girl Sydney for being a serious TROOPER and so patient with me and Kayla while we shot a million different looks!! She’s a super GEM and if you’re lucky enough to be helped by her, please tell you read this post!! (And also, prepare for a fabulous hour of fun and feeling crazy beautiful – she is pretty darn amazing at achieving that!!).
So there you have it, an in-depth look at the BHLDN storefront in Houston (well worth the drive, I must say) and hopefully a better understanding of what BHLDN has to offer bride-to-be’s for all their bridal and bridesmaid needs!
As you can see, I had a truly wonderful experience the first go around with my mom and aunt – so much so that I wanted head back to the store for more and feature BHLDN on my blog. When brands are good to their customers, they deserve to be loved back! I am so excited that I have this platform to share any wedding planning knowledge with fellow brides, bridesmaids and mothers-of-the-bride (their dress selection is pretty lovely for that, too!) – and I am thrilled to collaborate with BHLDN to share just how amazing this store truly is. From the dress selection, to the price points, to the wonderful sales associates, I honestly can’t say enough good things about my experience.
If you have any questions at all about BHLDN or wedding dress shopping in general, please feel free to leave a comment below! Ps. I didn’t feature my wedding gown in this post, haha! Just to let you know! 😉
PS. If you’re looking for my lace top (the one I wore in the first part of this post) you can shop it here! 😉
Photos by Kayla Snell.
You can shop my looks from this post below:
SHOP THE DRESSES
SHOP THE ACCESSORIES
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A big thank you BHLDN for sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own.
26 Comments
Hi Olivia! What a great post. Ever since I discovered BHLDN a couple of years ago, I have been in love with their dresses! Although I am nowhere close to getting married, I know that I definitely want to get my future wedding dress there (and I love the fact that it is associated with Anthropologie- win,win)! I’m from Austin as well, and would love to see the BHLDN store the next time I make my way to Houston. Anyway, love your blog, great pictures! Congratulations and wishing you all the best! 🙂
Aww, thank you Megan!! Love to hear that!! It’s such a great place to go for bridesmaid dresses, too (or really, even just occasion dresses, honestly!). I really appreciate the kind words – especially from a fellow Austinite, love to read comments like yours!! XO!!
Congratulations you are going to be a beautiful bride! I’m actually wondering where you purchased the lace top you’re wearing 🙂
Thank you, Stacey, that is so sweet of you – I sure hope so!! You can get the lace top here: http://rstyle.me/n/8hpkjba99f
Enjoy!! XO!
Thank you…best of luck to you!
Such a great post! Honestly, if I were to get married again tomorrow, I think I would wear that sassy strappy back number! Oh em G at the cuteness! I can’t wait to see what dress you chose! 🙂
Katie http://www.summeronwinterlane.com
Thanks, Katie!! Eek, can’t wait to wear my actual dress now, ha! This post got me SO excited!! And seriously, I was worried that strappy back dress was going to give me second thoughts! 😉 (Pheww, we’re still good to go on my OG choice, ha!).
Glad you enjoyed the post!! XOX!
Hi there! I have tried on the Penelope dress, which you did not include in any pictures above. Anyhow it is very light weight in comparison to other dresses I have tried on. On a side note, I am unable to get to a store anytime soon and I was wondering how heavy you thought the Ariene gown was in comparison to one of the dresses you alluded to being very light weight in one of the pictures? Also, do you recall if you became very warm in the Ariene gown simply due to the fabric? Thank you for the input!
Hi Cari! Oh how exciting – congrats to you and so much fun to be looking at dresses! I actually tried on the Penelope dress during my first appointment (with my mom and aunt) and it’s GORGEOUS! Very light weight, soft and airy – I’d say it felt as light as the one I tried on in this post. Definitely whimsical and very feminine, it’s a lovely gown. As for the Ariene gown, it’s quite a bit heavier than the other dresses due to the layering on the bottom half which did make me a little hot (great for a winter/fall/spring wedding, I probably wouldn’t recommend for an outdoor summer wedding (at least not a summer wedding in Texas, ha!) – but totally up to the bride, of course!). Happy to answer any more questions – I love this stuff, so much fun! 😉
Hi Olivia! Congratulations on your beautiful blog. I live in Peru and I’m getting married on february 2017 (summer outdoor relaxed wedding). After trying several dresses in my city I decided to order the Rosalind gown since I’m in love with it before I got engaged. I’m a little concerned about sizing since an international order makes returns and exchanges a little more
difficult. Normally I wear a size 2 (benetton, mng, warehouse, zara) or 4 (h&m) depending on the brands and on the top Im usally XS, sometimes S (narrow shoulders, small boobs) If I follow the dress sizing guide, according to my messurements I should order a 0 but I’m anlittle scared since it sounds small. How was your experience with sizing? is it true that it runs big if you wear your street size? I know its better to order big, but I would like to do the minimum alterations possible and the input from someone who’s actually tried on the dress is very valuable. Thank you so much!
Hi Cleia! Thank you so much and major congrats to you, too! I would probably order a 0 in that dress, your body type sounds similar to mine. The only dress I would recommend ordering up in would be the ‘Cate Gown’ because I normally would wear a 0 in BHLDN gowns and with that one, the 4 was the best size for me when I tried it on (it runs quite small!). With the Rosalind gown (it’s seriously incredible, you’ll be STUNNING in it for a summer wedding!) they didn’t have a 0 in the store to try on, so I am actually “clamped” quite a bit (it was a size 8, I believe) – but you can’t see it in the photos. Honestly though, it sounds like you’d be a 0 to me because I am the same sizes as you’ve listed and the 0 would be what I’d order for most BHLDN dresses… The dress I ordered for myself wasn’t available in a 0 by the time I placed my order, so I got a size 2 and will have to size it down to a 0..
I hope that helps!! I know you can also call a stylist through the BHLDN website just to get another opinion before ordering, so perhaps do that too and then you’ll be even more certain you’re ordering the best fit. Good luck with everything, you’ll be a beautiful bride!!! XO!
Thank you so much!!! The stylist I contacted suggested a 00 but I wil play it safe with the 0. Thanks again, it was very kind of you answer <3
Hi there! I am thinking of doing a fitting at the BHLDN store in LA. Is there a cost for just the appointment alone? Thanks!
No fee at all 🙂 , you’ll have the best time – enjoy! XOXO
Hi! You look gorgeous in the gowns – especially that strappy back number! Just wondering, what size were you wearing in the Ariane Gown?
Hi Whitney, thank you so much!! I am wearing a larger size for my frame ( I normally would wear a 0 or 2 but I think I’m wearing an 8 in this one) and they clamped it tightly so we could get a sense of what it would look like if it was fitted to me. The good thing about BHLDN is that they have a 30 day return policy, so you can order a few sizes and return the ones that don’t fit – I actually ended up doing that with the dress I chose since they only have a few size options in store. 🙂 Hope that helps and have so much fun dress shopping!! XOXO
What dress did you end up getting? I’m curious because your style seems so similar to mine. I ordered the rosalind, but i am having second thoughts on elise 🙂 you look great in all of them above too btw
Ohh you’ll be stunning!!! I actually didn’t feature the one I ended up getting, so it’s a total surprise! (It’s still a BHDLN gown, though, just not in this blog post). Eek..!! We get married in September, so I’ll be sure to post a photo, of course! 😉
Hello love your blog!
I’m just wondering if you were able to try on the “Elise” gown as well? I currently live in Germany and don’t have the opportunity to try on the gown.
I’m seriously torn between the Elise and the Rosalind!!
Also I noticed you added a belt to the Rosalind, would you suggest doing that?
thanks! xx
Hello love! Thank you for the kind words!! Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to try on the Elise, but it sure is stunning!! With the Rosalind, I added a belt because I love really being cinched at the waist – it isn’t necessary, but I always find a gorgeous embellished sash is really stunning on wedding gowns that hit at the waistline (…so long as a belt won’t overdue the look!). I recommend the belt, but that it just my personal preference. It is a more casual wedding gown and an embellished sash/belt adds some formality to it! Sorry I can’t be of more help with the Elise – it looks like you could either go classic and ladylike with the Elise (never a bad choice!), or a whimsical and dainty with the Rosalind. Either are beautiful options – you can’t go wrong!!
Good luck with the dress shopping and congratulations!! XOXO
I found the dress of my destination wedding dreams in Cate! I purchased her in January for my upcoming November wedding in St. John. BHLDN was more than I could’ve hoped for and the pricing was shockingly reasonable. Congrats on your September wedding!
Aww, I love that!!! I completely agree – amazingly affordable and GORGEOUS dress options!! So fabulous that you worked with Cate, she is the sweetest!! Congrats on your upcoming wedding, enjoy it all!!! XOXO
Hi Livvy! I am getting married in two weeks (woo hoo!) and am wearing the Rosalind dress. I had not planned on wearing a sash with it, but stumbled upon your post and LOVE the look of it! I am curious though, how did the sash look from the back? I’m worried it will conflict with the beautiful lace. Also, I have had issues with the sizing of this dress. The size I ordered was perfect for my waist, but at the bust it was a little big. I didn’t end up having my seamstress touch the bust because I was too nervous it would ruin the beautiful lacing. It is not too noticeable, but when if I slouch at all then it looks a little big. Do you think a sash would help with this issue?
Thank you!
p.s. LOVE your blog!!
Hi Olivia
Thank you so much for this insightful blog. I am based in the UK and will be having my wedding in Dec 2018 in Cape Town, South Africa. I have my eye on the Ariane Gown and each time I come straight back to this one. I’m just concerned because I am so short, 5.2. I also need to order a 10 which will make it even longer. Do you think I will lose the style of the dress if I shorten it that much? I have also emailed the stylist for advice.
oliva
you look stunning in the picture.thnku for sharing this beautiful blog.
you have a very beautiful collection of dresses.