Bridal appointments · South Congress, Austin

One party on the floor at a time, and the price named before you try anything on.

Book a bridal appointment in Austin at a&bé, 1506 S Congress Ave. Ask about a specific gown, suit, jumpsuit or cape, or about wedding dress alterations on something you already own. The form reaches a person in the shop.

By appointment only Pronouns asked first Reply by email or phone 1506 S Congress Ave

Book an appointment

Tell us your wedding date first. It decides almost everything else. Order at least six months out if the piece is made to order, so if your date is under four months away we will say on the reply which pieces can still arrive in time and which cannot. Nobody wants to fall for a gown that lands the week after the wedding.

The appointment itself is unhurried. Your party has the fitting room to yourselves. We ask your name and your pronouns, then what you want to feel like standing up there, and only then about sizes.

Your name

Phone optional

City or ZIP

Only so we know if you are driving in from out of town.

What is this about

Piece you are asking about optional

Your date, your pronouns, anything else optional

The wedding date, how many people you want to bring, days that suit you, and anything you already know you do not want.

You may use these details to answer my inquiry and arrange an appointment. I have read the privacy notice and the terms.

Nothing here is a purchase or a quote. Prices are set by each designer and confirmed in store.

ABefore you send it

How prices work here

Price is set by the designer, not by us, and we tell you the number before you step into anything. Gowns go at the designer's current list price. The Cathedral Cape is priced by length. The Tulle Separates are priced as a bodice and a skirt, each on its own. Alterations are quoted per job after the first fitting, never before we have seen the piece on you. If you want a rough sense of a piece before booking, ask in the notes and we will reply with the current list figure.

What happens after you send

Someone in the shop reads it and replies with two or three appointment times. If your date is tight, the reply says so plainly. If you asked about a single piece, the reply covers its fabric, its lead time and its price basis. You can see every piece first in the collection, and read why the floor is sorted by silhouette.

Changing or cancelling

Reply to the confirmation email or call. Moving a slot is easy. We ask for a day's notice, because a slot held for you is a slot someone else with a close date could have used.

The shop

1506 S Congress Ave
Austin, Texas 78704

United States. Appointments only, so book before you come by.

Open in Google Maps +1 512-580-555 [email protected]

What to bring

Bring the shoes

The shoes you think you will wear. Hem length is decided by a heel height, not a mood. A close match in height is fine if the real pair has not arrived.
The underwear you plan to wear. A strapless bra or none changes how a low back on silk crepe sits.
Two or three people, at most. The fitting room is small, and so is the number of opinions anyone can take in an hour.
Your date, and the venue. A Hill Country field in August and a courthouse in January want different fabrics.
Pictures of what you like, and of what you hate. The second set is usually more useful.
A veil or heirloom piece if you want to wear one, so we can match the ivory against the gown in daylight.

Quicker question? Use the chat button at the bottom corner of the screen. A person in the shop answers, not a script. If we are mid-fitting, the reply comes once the room is free, and the conversation stays in your browser so you can come back to it.

Silk crepe
Chantilly lace
Wool suiting
Charmeuse
Tulle
Hand-beaded
Made to order
Alterations on site

Asked on the phone most weeks

Before you book

Is there a fee to book an appointment?

No. Booking and trying on cost nothing, and nobody expects an order at the end of the first visit. Money only changes hands when you place an order with a designer, in the shop, after the price has been confirmed to you.
I am not a bride. Is this shop for me?

Yes. The rack is sorted by silhouette. Nobody here will ask whether you are the bride or the groom. Choose the suit and jumpsuit option in the form if that is where you want to start, and we pull the ivory wool suit and the charmeuse jumpsuit before you arrive.
Will you alter a dress I bought somewhere else?

Often, yes, workroom time permitting. Choose alterations in the form and tell us the fabric and the date. We quote after seeing it on you. Heavy beaded bodices and gowns that need re-cutting rather than taking in are the jobs we sometimes turn down, and we will say why.
My wedding is in ten weeks. Is that too late?

For most made-to-order pieces, yes. For accessories, some pieces bought as they hang, and designers who offer rush production, maybe. Call rather than write: +1 512-580-555. Five minutes on the phone settles it faster than an email thread.