An 'Occasion' for Silk and Lace

Gone are the days of a young bride walking the halls of her family’s Victorian home near the corner of Main Street and Commonwealth Road in Wayland.

That single late 19th century bride has long since passed from those halls, but she has given way to dozens of brides-to-be and their bridal parties who now wander through the rooms of the home in search of the perfect gowns.

Chris Bloch purchased in 2003 thinking that her oldest daughter, Cathy, a textiles and design major in college, could run the store. At the time of the purchase, the store was located in Natick, but that changed almost immediately.

Bloch said she found out while signing the paperwork to purchase the business that the Natick building was also up for sale. A search for a new home led her to a two-story, 1870s-era Victorian in Cochituate. The other major change: Bloch’s daughter Cathy decided running the store wasn’t a good fit for her and the job fell to her mother.

For the past seven years, Bloch and her team of stylists have dressed brides, bridesmaids, flower girls and, Bloch said, a growing number of mothers-of-the-bride.

“The mom’s niche is really difficult to fulfill,” Bloch said. She said moms no longer want to sit quietly in the corner wearing a stuffy dress during their daughters' nuptials; they’re looking for something flattering, fun and fashionable.

Bloch points to racks of mother-of-the-bride appropriate dresses ranging from long to short, one-shouldered to long-sleeved, full skirted to short skirted. She said the mother-of-the-bride has become an important part of her business.

And business has been good, if a bit slow thanks to the economy. Bloch said she’s adjusted her business to accommodate the tightened budgets for many brides, but she hasn’t needed to do much.

“Up until very recently, all our dresses were silk,” Bloch said. “The economy drove the decision to pursue synthetic materials.”

But, Bloch said she is seeing evidence that the economy might be improving, and the bridal business is “definitely up.”

When a bride comes into Occaissions, Bloch and her stylists – many of whom have worked for the shop for many years – spend a lot of time talking about what that particular bride wants.

“We listen to our brides,” Bloch said. “New England tends to be a little behind New York. They are a little more conservative. They like lace and not a lot of beading.”

But knowing what to show the brides is just a start. Salesperson Ashleigh Bowditch, a longtime Occasions employee, said there’s also the art of telling a bride that maybe a particular dress isn’t the most flattering one for her.

“You say something like, ‘I think there are better dresses out there that would work better with your body,’” Bowditch said. She added that handling the situation gently and then getting the bride into a dress that looks fantastic is an art, but most brides are responsive to gentle leading.

And, Bloch said, putting the customer in a dress she loves is what makes the job worthwhile.

“I enjoy working with brides, and I enjoy working with people,” said Bloch, who worked in her parents’ retail clothing store when she was a teenager. “It’s fun when you sell a gown and they get really excited. Sometimes we get a hug.”

Occasions’ busy season tends to be from January through mid-May, Bloch said. The dresses can take five to six months to come in after being ordered, so summer and early fall brides do their shopping at the beginning of the year.

And, since many people get engaged over the holidays, Bloch said her team will be ready when the new year comes around.

Editor's Note: Bloch's name was misspelled in the original. It has been corrected above.