WHAT do you do when you're a distressed bride lacking the perfect wedding dress?
Some women turn into a tantrum-throwing bridezillas while others take to the drawing board with a trusted tailor, but for Tann-Ling Loh, the eventual resolution was an unexpected extreme: quit your day job and start your own bridal boutique.
The former senior associate with legal firm Allen and Gledhill recalls of her pursuit for the perfect frock, which started last January: "I didn't really have anything in particular in mind. I wanted something simple and off-the-rack, but a little different from the usual designers."
The search took her to Hong Kong, which is when she noticed a comparable lack in Singapore for multi-label bridal boutiques stocking gowns by lesser known designers.
She eventually picked a gown by British designer David Fielden for her big day in January this year, but interest already piqued in the bridal business, she continued researching the industry - and even made a trip out to attend a wedding trade show in London last May.
There, she met with bridal gown designers and sales representatives for various labels, which is when she decided to take the plunge into the business.
She tendered her resignation on her return to Singapore later that month, and began dreaming up her ideal boutique.
"I didn't want a space in a shopping mall, nothing too commercial. I was going for something more quaint and private, where you wouldn't have people looking in all the time," she says of her four-month-old boutique, The Prelude Bridal.
The cosy 680 sq ft space is set on the second floor of a shophouse on Duxton Hill, just above Australian restaurant Broth.
She eventually signed on three up-and-coming designers, Amanda Wakeley, Junko Yoshioka and David Fielden for her boutique, which she picked for their "understated but distinctive style", she says.
Wakeley is known for body-skimming luxe numbers, Yoshioka for classics with a twist and Fielden for bold and edgy designs preferred by many young brides.
The gowns range from $3,500 to $9,000, inclusive of alteration.
The Prelude Bridal also stocks bridal accessories such as veils and headpieces by renowned British designer Jenny Packham, as well as brands like Haute Bride and Vivien Sheriff.
Though Ms Loh has always been an avid consumer of fashion, actually joining the industry as a business-owner presented a steep learning curve.
"I can appreciate fashion and style, but it was at the trade fair that I realised that I didn't even know the basics, like what questions to ask.
I eventually learnt by watching others talk about the price or material of the fabrics," she recounts.
Her biggest achievement in the creative field before this was sewing a pair of shorts in home economics class during her Methodist Girls School days, she laughs.
These days, homework includes reading up on the different types of silk blends, and measurement-taking practice sessions on a mannequin under the guidance of the seasoned seamstresses whom Ms Loh has engaged for her store.
It had always been her dream to run a fashion-related business, says Ms Loh, who previously considered starting a graphic print t-shirt venture when the trend was piping hot while she was completing her masters in Columbia University.
But she eventually pressed on with her legal career, clocking in two years in legal service and three more as a corporate lawyer specialising in financial regulatory law.
"With this experience, I know I can always go back to law next time, it's comforting to have this fall back," says the 29-year-old.
"I knew if I didn't at least try starting my own business, I would always regret it."
Furthermore, being a lawyer and running a bridal boutique are not as dissimilar as most think, according to Ms Loh.
Sure, she gets to interact with not just bankers and lawyers but teachers and film directors in her mix of clients these days, but both her former and current roles ultimately lie in the service industry.
"I have to see what the client's wants and needs are, and how to help them achieve those," she says.
"And what matters most is the quality of service: my availability when needed, the attention to detail and the ability to provide what they want."
Although initially skeptical, her parents, who run an investment business, eventually nodded at her change towards a healthier lifestyle.
[Photo: Ms Tann-Ling Loh, owner of The Prelude Bridal]
"My dad saw the long hours I was putting in as a lawyer," she says of work days that often end at midnight and occasional all-nighters, and - combined with savings from her and her husband, Daryl Chew, an associate at an American law firm - helped to fund start-up capital.
Now that the boutique is up and running, her next aim is to create brand awareness for the designers, which are exclusively stocked at The Prelude Bridal, as well as to let local brides know that smaller boutiques with independent designers like hers exist as an alternative option to the Vera Wang and Monique Lhuillier gowns that dominate the shelves of more commercial bridal outfits here.
She plans to also carry dresses and accessories for bridesmaids and flower girls eventually.
On advice for others considering a career switch, she says: "Of course no one demands that you quit your job immediately.
Take small steps and calculated risks, one at a time. Large businesses are not built overnight."
"As my husband always says, each small step taken will lend perspective and open new doors. You never know where it may lead."
This article was first published in The Business Times
