Here are some commonly asked questions to help you prepare for your experience at Plume Bridal. If you have any other questions, please contact us if you need clarification or additional information.
The ideal time to start shopping for your wedding dress is 9-18 months prior to your wedding date to allow for the most variety and options. But don’t panic! If you have less than 9 months, the fairy godmothers at Plume Bridal can still help you find the gown of your dreams. Most of our designers allow us to see their active inventory, much like when you can see if a store has something in-stock. This allows us to show you the gowns that are available for a faster delivery, additionally, some designers offer rush orders for a fee. Lastly, we do offer dresses that are included in our Ready to Wed collection featuring archived gowns that are able to go home with you the same day.
Generally most gowns will arrive in 4-6 months although some may arrive sooner or slightly later. We prefer to order dresses a minimum of 6-8 months in advance to allow for alterations.
Appointments are strongly recommended to try on dresses. We always try to accommodate walk in appointments as we have time and space available. When you schedule an appointment you are also reserving time and space with your fairy godmother, our version of a bridal consultant. Our team is trained to guide you to the right dress while keeping in mind your personal style, goals, and budget.
We encourage you to book your appointment on our Book Now page. If you are unable to find an appointment or if you would like to be put on our waitlist, please call us at 406-577-2070. We do not have an appointment fee, however we do require a credit card on file to guarantee your appointment. If you fail to show for your appointment or cancel less than 48 hours in advance you may be subject to a no-show or late cancellation fee.
Plume Bridal has seating for up to 5 guests to come with the bride. When you choose your group we recommend bringing supporting guests who are excited to help you find the perfect dress for your big day. This may be best friends, parents, or siblings. If you would prefer to shop by yourself or with just one person, we are a professional hype crew and are happy to help take photos, FaceTime and more with your bestie living far far away.
1. Bring any people that you will require their feedback and support to purchase your dress.
2. You are required to wear underpants to try on gowns. Bras are optional, and some brides choose to wear nipple covers or sticky boobs. Shape wear is recommended if it will make you feel more comfortable or confident.
3. If you are expecting to wear a heel with your dress for the ceremony or reception, please bring a similar height heel so we can best determine any special hem requirements.
Yes! We all know that sometimes we are starting with wanting to get married in the fall but are waiting to hear back on which exact date. When we ask for your wedding date, please provide us with the earliest date you are considering for a wedding date.
Budget shouldn’t be treated like an ugly word, as your budget is just a number that helps us narrow down options. Here at Plume Bridal, dresses that are available for order range from approximately $1500 - $5000, with the majority of gowns priced from $1800-$2800. Ready-to-Wed dresses are available for immediate purchase at a discount with many being offered for under $1000.
Alterations are not included in the cost of the dress, however we do try to order your dress as close as possible to your measurements to minimize your alterations. We have a robust list of alterations specialists throughout the state to help you find the best seamstress for you.
Alterations can range from $300-$1000+ depending on what you require, the amount of customizations, and if they need to source additional fabric. Alterations specialists will give you an estimate prior to starting work.
Plume Bridal offers accessories, veils, capes, gown preservation, and more for additional fees. We are always happy to provide as much information as possible at the time of purchase to minimize additional expenses.
When purchasing at your appointment you are able to pay the balance in full or chose to do a 50% deposit with the balance due 30 days later. Additional payment plans are available for a fee.
Let us help with that! Each designer has a size chart. We will take your measurements, and compare them to the size chart to select the size that most closely matches your measurements. It is very normal for you to be between 2 sizes, and we will discuss how you want the dress to fit and alterations to ensure we order the best option for you. Most importantly as a store that only works with contract alterations specialists, we do not have a vested interest in alterations, we want to help you minimize that expense.
Every dress can be altered and SHOULD be altered to look like it was made for you. A general rule of thumb is that most dresses can be let out to be 1 size bigger, or taken in to be up to two sizes smaller. Common alterations are: hems, shortening straps or sleeves, changing bra cups, adding a bustle for dancing, and taking in or letting out the sides.
Small changes are typical of all of us, if you are planning an aggressive weight loss plan, having surgery, or are pregnant, please let us know so we can best advise you on sizing and our experiences with these body changes.
Yes! We have a plus size section available in store plus we generally do at least one plus-size trunk show each year. All of our gowns are available up to a size 24 with most available up to a size 32. Many of our designers also order custom lengths or specialty sizing for taller or more petite brides. We have been able to successfully help brides ranging in height from under 5’ tall to our tallest bride glancing down at us from 6’4.”
This will depend on your personal preferences as well as your breast size. For example, large natural breasts may need more support than an enhanced breast of the same cup size. We have lots of tricks up our sleeves with recommendations for taping, contouring, cup changes, etc.
We highly recommend saving dresses on Pinterest, Instagram, etc. Any dresses that you like, save them, please just make sure you have fronts and backs of styles. From your saved styles we can identify styles you might gravitate to. If you are trying on dresses for the very first time, we recommend trying a few different styles to see what makes you feel like the best version of yourself! Just ask Mckenzie, her dress was the one she almost removed to try on.
We can add sleeves or straps to almost any dress whether through the designer or by helping connect you with an alterations specialist. Many designers will offer additional customizations (sometimes with a fee), and your seamstress is the real VIP for extra customizations!
The best fabrics and styles for your wedding are the ones that make YOU feel like a bride and the best version of yourself.
Many of our brides decide on their first visit and often the winner is one of the first 5 dresses they try on! We recommend trying to avoid over-shopping because it makes the experience overwhelming, and we have learned that often a bride is ready to say yes to the dress but her friends and family are having fun and want to keep shopping. Just like you knew when you wanted to say yes to your partner, trust yourself to know when you find the right wedding dress.
All purchases are final and non-refundable as wedding dresses are made to order for each client.
One of the major reasons for you to shop with a small business like Plume Bridal instead of online is that you have actual people who are a part of the community that show up to work and can get answers for you. We work with designers that believe in the same type of customer service that we do, meaning they are working for brides. In the extremely unlikely event of a delay or error, you have real people ready to help. We are honored to say that after helping thousands of brides, we have never missed a wedding date.
It depends on your alterations specialist and their work process. Generally you will have a pinning with them when you drop your dress off, and a follow up appointment or pickup appointment. Additional appointments may be needed for customizations or additional alterations.
As with most made to order items, all purchases are final, non-refundable and unable to be changed after the order is processed.
It is never too early to contact an alterations specialist, however you will actually start alterations 8-12 weeks prior to your wedding.
Unfortunately we do not offer storage as we have extremely limited space.
Yes! We would love to ship your gown to you. All gowns are shipped fully insured via UPS or FedEx with a direct signature required. Prices are set by shipping companies and not Plume Bridal.
No we do not at this time. We recommend visiting the other women's apparel stores in Downtown Bozeman.
The short answer is if you are hoping to try on dresses, an appointment is highly recommended so we have the staff and space to accommodate you. Our doors are always open during business hours to browse however.
We do not rent dresses.
We do not buy or offer consignment.
Please book at our website using the Book Now tab or by visiting PlumeBridal.com/Book-Now
Please call us at 406-577-2070 or email ido@plumebridal.com
and we will gladly assist in making your appointment.
Yes please! We would like to set aside a few minutes to review dress care as well as allowing time for you to try it on and discuss any accessories you might need!
