Behind the Curtain: Conversations with Our Stockists

Behind the Curtain
Conversations with our stockists

Every dress has a story — and so does the place where you say “yes.” In this series, we step inside the boutiques that bring our collection to life. We’re sitting down with the owners, curators, and dreamers behind the bridal counters — the women (and men) who pour their hearts into your wedding dress experience.

From how they built their brand to the one piece of advice they’d give every bride, this is your all-access pass to the people who make luxury bridal personal. No script. No small talk. Just honest conversation, beautiful boutiques, and the stories behind the stockists you trust.

Welcome to Behind the Curtain.

Introducing: Laura, September Bride

Can you tell us the story behind your boutique and what inspired you to start it?

“I started September after working as a make up artist and hairstylist for brides. The idea of starting a bridal shop was bubbling under the surface for a long time and, in classic me-style, I just took the jump at the end of 2022.
When I look back on it, it's the most logical, most true-to-self thing I've ever done. I'm obsessed with the how and why of fashion and the one day you can truly choose yourself, and celebrate yourself... your wedding day. What better way to combine these two but in a bridal shop? I started September because of that but also because there isn't anything like September. Sure, there's fancy boutiques with wonderful dresses, but those are often old fashioned and stiff. There are fashionable boutiques, but those are often lacking in quality and kindness. September combines all the good things: fashionable dresses, good quality, beauty-with-brains, fun and kind, a place where you are free to be; yourself, yourself as a bride, yourself as something you've never explored before. We're here for it.”

How would you describe the unique style and atmosphere of your boutique?

“Best of both worlds wouldn't be right; you never have to choose at September. It's the best of every world. The shop is designed like a showroom, clean and cool, without forgetting a warm welcome for every bride who enters. We're fashionable and stylish, without the snooty attitude. We know what works and why, without lecturing you. We gladly add on your ideas and built custom looks, without forgetting to be realistic. I feel so proud when I slip behind the curtain to give my bride a chance to feel the dresses for herself and they mention how different everything is. September is different.”

What makes your selection of bridalwear stand out from other retailers?

“I feel that our designers collections are so uniquely theirs, but what makes it come together so well at September is that they overlap, accidentally. I tend to choose pieces that have design features, ideas or fabrics that you can find in other pieces from other designers, but completely taken apart and built again in their own way. Tafta, silk or organza are such classic fabrics, all the designers September stocks use them, but each in their very own, very interesting way.”

Are there any special services or experiences you offer brides that set you apart?

“Buying a dress at September is not just buying a dress. Because my background in fashion styling and the bridal world, I gathered quite a bit of extra information. There's a PDF file with about 75 footwear brands brides receive, there's underwear recommendations, and if you're looking for a special vendor, I got you. The benefits of having spent the last fifteen years in the bridal bizz, I want my brides to totally benefit from that.”

What advice would you give to brides beginning their search for the perfect dress?

“Delete Pinterest. Just kidding, Pinterest and Instagram are wonderful tools to see what's out there and to see what you're naturally drawn too. Every now and then, I see brides coming in wanting a dress that signifies something; the unobtainable 'cool bride' vibe, thinness, a certain status, all the latest trends, or even more unobtainable; timelessness. It's only cool when it makes sense to you, otherwise you're just wearing a costume. I know it's rough out there on social media. Try not to get lost in all the inspo and trends and things to do and buy. It's hard to stay true to yourself and figure out who you are as a bride when you are bombarded with choice. Try to limit yourself. Not everything is an option.”

How do you curate or choose the designers and collections featured in your store?

“Good vibes, trust and pieces that are so them, they could never belong to any other designer. I avoid anything and anyone that feels transactional. I often start with day dreaming. I imagine a bride a whole wedding. Suddenly, I find myself in the hustle and bustle of a big city and there she is, my bride, dressed in a cool two piece, with long gloves and sunglasses. Or I'm having a signature cocktail on a long table in the middle of a garden, of course the bride is wearing a cool tafta ball gown with a fun short veil with flowers on it. If I can't imagine anyone in a certain piece, I'm not getting it for the store.”

How do you balance heritage luxury pieces with emerging, cult-status designers on your sales floor?

“At September, everything really flows effortlessly. All pieces sit comfortably on the rack, nothing overpowers and everything is super unique. There's a big mix-and-match aspect. I think that's really important. To create your own look, but also to create some of that delicious tension which absolutely makes a look unforgettable. A clean cut gown with a very traditional mantilla lace veil works so well because of the tension. The same veil on a very classic ball gown is just bridal. No personality, no friction, no fun.”

What excites you most about working within the luxury bridal industry?

“I'm so lucky to be the middle (wo)man. On one side, there are the people who decide to get a dress at September. It's such a cool moment and atmosphere when they say yes. There's this unspoken vibe. You know, I know, we know. I love it when I notice they care about who makes their dress as much as I do. About fabrics, about personality and fun, exploring who they are as a bride. It's such a journey. On the other side there are the designers and their beautiful creations. It's so much fun to be so close to the process. I love how I can chat, trade ideas, find solutions, have a laugh with my indie designers.”

One rule you never break in the boutique:

“No making promises I can't keep. I think that no one benefits from me saying we can do something semi custom, or on a short timeline, or for this or that price when it ends in disapointment.”

Is there anything else you’d like our Rolling In Roses audience to know about your boutique?

“I guess the name? Why I chose September? It's such an underrated month. January gets so much credit. First month of the year and all that, filled with resolutions to reduce, quit stuff, diet. My year starts in September because it feels more easygoing, natural, lighter, more positive. Summer might be over but the weather is so nice. School and work starts again. There are so many new ideas. You pick up where you left things before the summer. You start again. And the September Issue from Vogue is the biggest issue. Same as mariage, you start again, together, in an easygoing, light and positive way.”

What’s one behind-the-scenes aspect of running a luxury boutique that most outsiders would never guess?

“How much fucking cleaning I need to do. Hoover the carpet, clean the floors, dry clean the dresses, steam the dresses, wash the dishes. Rinse and repeat.”

Are you planning any evolution in the next 18 months—a new category, a private atelier service, or a second location?

“I think bigger isn't always better. I'm thinking in the lines of becoming even more niche so I can offer truly unique pieces to my brides. A small drop of a few vintage gowns and footwear is in the works...”

What’s a piece from your current collection that you believe deserves to become an heirloom for someone, and why that one?

“A few come to mind. Sometimes because I know the effort that went in the making of the dress; from pattern to sewing, sometimes because of the way it totally fits that bride and that bride only, sometimes because of how emotional the bride became during all the fittings.”

What is your personal uniform at the moment?

“The same, but in reverse. Either a really slouchy pair of men's Levi's that make my butt look terrible, combined with a very structured vintage blazer. Or a pair of vintage Levi's that make my butt look amazing, combined with an oversized white crisp cotton shirt.”

Walk us through your morning before the boutique opens. Is there a ritual—coffee, silence, a particular playlist, a scent—that centers you for the day ahead?

“I'm so lucky I can walk to the shop, so that's what I do each day. It gives me time to think about who is coming and what they might want to see on. I prepare drinks, grab some sweeties in a bowl for them to keep the energy high (I have a few too), hoover and clean, quickly stuff some rice crackers in my mouth before I open the door to the shop, where bossa nova music is playing and a fun welcome card is placed on the table.”

What does the first hour inside the boutique look like for you? Lights on, then what?

“I always arrive way too early so I can do a quick inspection of everything. Then it's hoover, clean, fill the drinks and sweetie bowl, handwritten cards, go over each appointment.”

If you could invite any three designers (living or historical) to dinner in your boutique, who would they be and why?

“Schiaparelli, Danielle Frankel, Balenciaga. Creative, feminine, fun. Daring, very much their own person and style.”

What is your coffee (or cocktail) order.

“Flat white with oat milk. But I accidently and mistakenly got a matcha with coconut milk at my fave coffee place and now I'm so into that. Cocktails? Anything bold and slightly bitter. Negroni is my fave.”