Meet Deborah Badillo of Elizabeth Findlay Bridal in Laguna Beach

Today we’d like to introduce you to Deborah Badillo.

Deborah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I got married a year ago and fell in love with a dress way above my budget. I started researching online and found out there were websites for brides to buy and sell “once worn” dresses and there were thousands of brides on these sites. The only downside was it was final sale so if it didn’t fit, too bad! You were out thousands of dollars, so it was really a risky chance you took. (I know because it happened to me lol) that made me start thinking, what if there was a cool, intimate little shop where you can buy floor sample dresses and once worn cool dresses in great condition while having the whole customer experience like you were in a fancy bridal shop. When you shop at a bridal shop you try the sample dress on and then it gets custom made to your size, I thought “why isn’t there a shop that just sells these sample dresses in one place?” so that’s how the shop came about 7 months ago and now it’s already evolved… We sometimes take in preowned dresses in great condition but that’s becoming a smaller part of our business. The sample dress side of the business is growing and we’re doing some cool things. I’ve connected on Instagram with some up and coming indie designers and we now have 2 designers sample dresses that we carry (one from Brooklyn and one from Hackney, east London) and next week I have a meeting with an amazing new French designer. So, the shop becomes kind of a showcase for indie designers, Brides can get a beautiful dress at 40-60% off retail price since it’s a sample and they get to take it home that day. These sample dresses are usually dresses that the designers take to market to show bridal salons or they could be last season or discontinued styles. (We also have a great local alterations lady that we work with if the dress needs to be altered)

Social media…especially Instagram, word of mouth and Yelp reviews have all been beneficial in building the business. So basically in a nutshell, it started from me wanting a dress I couldn’t afford to selling designers sample dresses at an affordable price by buying it off the rack instead of having it custom made 🙂

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not at all!!!! The initial struggle was learning how to open a business as I’d never done it before. I had the idea then I had to put it into action lol, between the permits, rules, having a website built, logo’s , shop renovations, reaching out to designers etc. it was challenging, let’s just say there were many nights where I just sat and bawled and said “I can’t do this “ha ha!!!

The other struggle was and still continues to be the challenge of getting the word out to potential brides. not only just brides but brides who are a little edgier, more nontraditional, the ones who want to check out new designers and pretty much just be a little more adventurous with their dress choice. That would be my main challenge, just letting brides know that we’re here and that we have these amazing, beautiful dresses at an affordable price.

Elizabeth Findlay bridal – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We partner with some established designers, up and coming indie designers and sometimes high end bridal salons to have their sample dresses in our shop and to offer our brides these dresses off the rack (instead of having them custom made which adds thousands of dollars on) at a more affordable price, 40-60% off retail. The majority of the dresses are in perfect condition while some may have a minor flaw such as a pulled thread or a loose button.

We like to say “affordable luxury”, it’s great for last minute brides who don’t have time to have a custom made dress, brides who want the beautiful dress at an affordable price and/or brides who just want a dress that’s a little more unique and designers you can’t find in most of the other boutiques.

As a company I’m pretty proud that we are able to offer the dresses at these prices, it’s always great to see how happy a bride is when she realizes she can wear this great dress to her wedding and still stay on budget.

What sets us apart is that as far as I know we are the only dedicated bridal sample dress shop in all of OC. I believe we’re the only upscale bridal consignment shop also, although the consignment part of the shop is becoming a much smaller part of the business.

I’m also proud that I get to meet and work with these incredible up and coming, indie designers and that I get to carry their cool dresses in my shop.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I think my proudest moment was seeing my mums name (Elizabeth Findlay) on the shop for the first time. My mum passed away not long before my wedding so this kind of felt like having her around, it makes me smile when people call me Elizabeth as they think the shops named after me.

Another moment where I felt proud was recently I had a bride, mother and granddaughter in the shop. The bride lived in NY but here family was here, and she wanted the dress shopping experience with her mum and grandma. She ended up choosing the dress that grandma loved, and it was just touching to be a part of it…I felt proud that she chose a dress from my little shop!

Pricing:

• 40-60% off retail prices

Contact Info:

• Address: 763 South Coast Highway
  Laguna Beach, CA 92651
• Website: www.elizabethfindlaybridal.com
• Phone: 949 395 5387
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: instagram.com/elizabethfindlaybridal
• Facebook: facebook.com/elizabethfindlaybridal
• Yelp: yelp.com/elizabethfindlaybridal

Image Credit:
Alex Rossman
Amy Fyfe

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