DEL.ICIO.USSharing the bridal joy, tears via the Internet
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 07/21/08
Twirling in a Cinderella-like wedding dress, Jenny Sturm beams.
She just knows this is The Dress.
 Alexander Acosta / aacosta@ajc.com | ||
| Bride-to-be Jenny Sturm talks to her mother in St.Louis as the latter watches Jenny try on wedding dresses at a Sandy Springs bridal shop. | ||
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Still, the designer piece won't leave the rack without mom's approval. And mom is 450 miles away in St. Louis, where on June 27, 2009, Sturm will walk down the aisle.
But today, that's OK.
Flush with excitement, Sturm faces blacked-framed mirrors and, more importantly, looks up at a Web cam discreetly perched on a wall near the ceiling.
In St. Louis, her mother Judy watches.
With her right hand pressing the cell phone to her ear, Sturm stands on the wooden stage and waits for mom to weigh in.
"Don't slouch," her mom insists.
Sturm sheepishly nods, stands taller. Her long, lean frame looking picture perfect in the Reem Acra designer gown.
Mom asks her to move closer. Sturm waits for more directions — there's a delay. Mom, glued to the computer screen, inquires about the beading and fabric.
It's silk satin with a ball gown skirt and a smooth waist band.
After a long pause, mom says she loves it, and then she cries.
And now Jenny tears up.
•••
"I really have that princess-type feeling," says Jenny Sturm, a blonde, blue eyed biomedical engineer looking as if she walked off the set of a Disney movie.
At Bridals by Lori, an upscale bridal boutique in Sandy Springs, giddy brides-to-be with reservations slip in and out of waves of silk, satin, crystals and organza. The designer dresses typically fall in the $4,000 to $5,000 range but run as high as $14,000.
The women often want to buy a dress. And many times, what's holding them back is not the staggering price tags.
"A lot of brides wouldn't buy the dress without their mom," said owner Lori Allen.
In the transient city of Atlanta, that scenario plays out frequently.
About five years ago, Allen installed six Web cams with the help of her husband, Eddie Allen, who designed the software for the cameras.
Allen estimates at least 50 percent of the clients use the Web cams to pull mom and others into the decision making process.
But it's not just families in far-flung places logging on. Many traffic-weary locals opt to view the big moment from home.
Christa Vangnozzi, senior editor at WeddingChannel.com, knows of only one other bridal store in the country — high end Kleinfeld bridal store in New York City — with Web cams. She sees it as savvy perk designed to give shops a competitive edge.
"It's very important to have my mom be part of the process," said Lauren Manzo, of Atlanta, as she faced the Web cam. Manzo, 24, waved to her mom, who watched from Nebraska. And then she spun around in a simple silk dress with lace.
She had narrowed the field to three gowns — a form-fitting mermaid dress in champagne, a flowing organza dress with an empire waisted one and a simple A-line dress.
"She really likes this one," Manzo said to her friends.
But mom also really liked the next one, too.
Manzo decided to wait to make a final decision until her mom's upcoming visit, when her mom could see the finalists in person.
The Web cams, or course, aren't for everybody.
Lisa Abernathy scoffed at the chance of having her mom — or anyone else — seeing her strike a pose in a beaded dress adorned with swarovski crystals and ball gown skirt.
"I want everyone to be surprised," said the 37-year-old.
But for Sturm, the Web cams were a dream come true.
She didn't know about the cameras until she openly wished for her mom to be there with her, and a sales associate overheard and pointed to the cameras.
No wand was needed. Just technology.
"I felt a little funny about coming here alone today," she said. "But you know, it really was just like having my mom here."
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