Appointments are required so that we can fully prepare for your special time and ensure that you have the best experience possible. Brides receive their own private bridal suite when shopping at Margaret Ellen Bridal therefore we require appointments to secure a suite is available. You can submit a request on our website and we will reach out to you via phone within 24-48 hours. Appointments are not set until a stylist confirms after the consultation phone call.

We do charge a $50 booking fee. The booking fee covers your two-hour private bridal appointment with a personal stylist assigned to you for the entirety of the time as well as refreshments.

We suggest bringing the people whose opinions matter the most to you and those you could not say “yes to the dress” without. We have seen that it is best to bring 1-3 guests, however, our seating area comfortably seats 5. We ask that you do not exceed the 5 member guest count.

We love children and as a mother I understand that children take a lot of attention and extra care. Our store is set up with many glass displays and many racks full of delicate dresses. What sets Margaret Ellen Bridal apart from others is the experience provided to the bride. To allow the brides our full attention and to not interrupt other appointments, we kindly ask that you not bring children under the age of 12 to your appointment.

Bridal appointments are two hours ensuring plenty of stress-free time to find the perfect one.  We do ask that you are on time for your scheduled appointment and not earlier than 5 minutes before your scheduled time as your stylist may still be working with a bride. Mother of the Occasion appointments are 1.5 hours long.

The two most important things are confidence and an open mind!

You can bring your wedding day shoes and any undergarments that you may plan to wear on your wedding day, including shapewear. However, these items are not necessary. We suggest wearing nude undergarments. Most wedding dresses do have built in bras, so no bra is needed for trying on. However, if you feel more comfortable being measured covered, please wear a thinly padded bra or the stick on pasties.

We suggest shopping for your dress 10-12 months in advance of your wedding day. Since we special order your wedding dress, it will take 4-8 months to come in. Once the dress arrives, you want to give 2-3 months for alterations. Have a shorter time frame? See the next question below.

There are rush options with some of our designers and also in-stock inventory at certain times. Rushes do incur an extra fee.

Our samples range from sizes 8-26. Keep in mind that we are a special-order store. We measure you and order your gown in your size presenting you with a dress that is specially made for your body.

Many times we can! This is the beauty of having wonderful relationships with our designers. If you see a dress that you would like to try let us know and we can put in a request to have it in store for your appointment. There is a $75 loaner fee to cover the shipping of the gown to us and back to the vendor, however you are credited the fee back with any wedding dress purchase from our boutique.

Our dresses range from $2,500-$13,000 with most ranging between $3,000-$6,000.

Appointments are required so that we can fully prepare for your special time and ensure that you have the best experience possible. Brides receive their own private bridal suite when shopping at Margaret Ellen Bridal therefore we require appointments to secure a suite is available. You can submit a request on our website and we will reach out to you via phone within 24-48 hours. Appointments are not set until a stylist confirms after the consultation phone call.

Trunk shows are limited time only sales events. During the trunk show dates, brides are able to try on gown styles from the featured designer which are not in the permanent collection of the store. Many designers offer incentives to brides if they buy their gown during the trunk show dates, making it a great time to find your dress.

Our sample sales happen twice a year, typically in December and July. This is when we clear out our current inventory and sell the try-on gowns for 30-90% off. This sale is great for brides who have quick wear dates, want a second look, or who love a great deal!

Dresses are paid in full at the time of ordering. However, we can arrange a 3-month payment plan to be created if needed on all special order wedding dresses. If you purchase a sample gown, full payment is required. We accept all major credit cards, cash and check. Checks will not be accepted on in-stock wedding gowns.

Tips- We have had many brides and family members ask to leave a tip for their stylist. Therefore there will be an option to leave your stylist a tip via credit card. Please know while tips are always appreciated, they are never expected.

Margaret Ellen Bridal only recommends seamstresses for alterations. We have a list of well known seamstresses all over Northwest Florida, lower Alabama, surrounding states and all over the country.

We are so excited to share that beginning February 2026, our Margaret Ellen Occasions side is opening!

You can bring us your wedding dress and accessories and we will send it to our cleaning partner to have your wedding memories cleaned and preserved so your keepsakes can be around for the future generations. We strongly encourage this service to avoid yellowing over time. Please see our preservation page on our website for booking.