Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Stacy Diffendorf. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Stacy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Before we talk about all of your success, let’s start with a story of failure. Can you open up about a time when you’ve failed?

I initially started Beautiful & Borrowed Bridal with the idea of being able to get past wedding dress owners a return on their (typically) large investment, and new brides an opportunity to have a full bridal experience without the regret of spending thousands on a one-time use dress. This is still my business model today, but my offerings have changed. I originally was offering brides a buyout amount that was set in stone, in contract, and had to be paid out to them within 18 months of signing a contract whether their dress sold or not. I thought to myself, that is plenty of time to be able to market and rent or sell this dress. Lessons learned; it wasn’t. Sure, some dresses sold in the necessary timeframe, but given the variety and quantity of dresses we have in stock, it was a literal 1 in 100 chance the dress I needed to pay off sold in the timeframe I needed it to. I found myself constantly accumulating debt and stressed every single day over making sales by offering this option to my consignors. I sucked up my pride and allowed myself some grace by reminding myself I don’t know everything, and I have never worked in the bridal industry let alone own a bridal boutique. I made contract changes, updated my website, and made social media announcements to let followers know of our updated terms. My original offering was a complete failure (from a business perspective) but it taught me a lot about thinking ideas through end to end, evaluating business processes regularly, and accepting that sometimes my first idea won’t be my best.

Stacy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Back in 2019, I was engaged and went dress shopping at a beautiful bridal boutique here in North Carolina. I found my dream dress, paid the invoice, and the non-refundable purchase was complete. 3 months later, I ended my relationship and 2 weeks later I received a call that my dress was ready to be picked up. I made the dreaded drive back to the bridal boutique, shamefully picked up my dress and tucked it away in my closet. After about a year, I was brainstorming what to do with my dress. I was upset I had spent so much money on something I never even got to wear and thought I couldn’t be the only former bride-to-be in this situation. I sat down and came up with a business model and name before I met with a small business consultant to really put my ideas to use. I made social media accounts and began requesting dresses. After I had 25 dresses in stock, I was ready to launch.
I had a friend help me out in the beginning with bouncing ideas off of and attending my first pop up shop event (which was a total flop but a good learning experience nonetheless). I wasn’t ready to commit to a brick and mortar, so I reached out to local businesses in an effort to partner by renting a space as needed. I met a wonderful small business owner who had some extra space in her suite that she was willing to rent to me on an as needed basis.
Every bridal appointment, I would pack up all of the dresses from the spare bedroom in my house that would potentially fit the bride, load up garment racks, drive 45 minutes to my rented space, set it all up, host the appointment, and break it all back down. After about 6 months, I knew this was not sustainable and began my search for a physical location.
On May 1st, 2022, I signed a lease for our Apex location, had custom racks built, furnished the space, and began taking appointments within 10 days.
I am so proud to say we now have 100+ dresses ranging from sizes 00-22 in stock, as well as 20+ veils from elbow to cathedral length available. We offer rental and purchase options for our dresses and veils, a private experience with a bride’s closest friends and family, and a no pressure, relaxed environment so all of our guests can really feel comfortable.
We are able to give brides a full bridal experience on any budget, and that genuinely makes my heart happy.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I document each bride’s wedding date that rents or purchases with us. Every few months, I send an email blast to those brides whose wedding has passed, requesting a photo. There is a “bridal wall” in the foyer of the shop that I proudly display each bride’s photo on. I also display content from styled shoots and publications. New brides coming in love to look at the wall and envision themselves being added to it in the future. It is a great way to connect, thank the bride for trusting me, and show my appreciation for their support of my small business.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I fully attribute my positive reputation in the NC bridal industry to working FOR my brides. What this means to me; I go above and beyond each and every appointment to make the bride feel relaxed and comfortable. I remain calm and understanding, open minded and non-judgmental. I am always willing to share trusted vendors, follow up when I say I will, and always leave an open line of communication. I also have policies in place for renting dresses that allows some flexibility in their commitment. There are so many big decisions that go into planning a wedding and giving a bride piece of mind that they won’t be harshly penalized if they change their mind is very settling for them.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.beautifulborrowedbridal.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/bbbridalnc
• Facebook: facebook.com/beautifulborrowedbridal

Image Credits
@cirque91photo @savvyleighphotography @cameronthompsonphotos @ligia_gathright @melissamaureenphoto @jennlynnephotos @vmastudios