HOW I STARTED MY DRESS RENTAL BUSINESS
Backstory: I am a flight attendant and elopement photographer, as well as owning this dress rental business. In the summer of 2019, I started building my elopement photography portfolio. I was flying to Utah with other flight attendants who were also photographers, bringing along dresses to photograph in epic locations like the Salt Flats. We were planning our own styled photo shoot to build our portfolio. We were at the cusp of a trend that we all wanted to be a part of which was photographing adventure elopements.
Photos of the Andres dress by Destination Anywhere Photography
At the same time, I started to dream of taking my husband to Greece for our own photo shoot. Walking barefoot in Santorini around the white-washed caves, up and down cobblestone stairs and the famous domes with crosses is what I envisioned. With the Mediterranean sea as a viewpoint, I wanted an epic vacation with the most dramatic photoshoot for myself and my husband. So, I searched for months for the perfect outfit and finally came across a gorgeous skirt, now known as Skye. The color was sky blue, hence the name, with a gorgeous full tulle skirt and long train. She had a painted layer on the underlayer, and unlike any other skirt that I’d ever seen. She was unique and full of dimension. I booked our trip almost a year in advance and lined up another photographer friend and her husband to meet us there in October 2020. This was going to be a trip of a lifetime!
Skye is an epic blue-painted tulle skirt with a long train. What makes her unique is the extra “painted” layer on blue and white satin that brings added depth and dimension.
Photo of Skye skirt by Shana Bailey
AUGUST 2020
The entire world has been shut down in the middle of a pandemic. 2 months prior to our intended vacation, our flights cancel. I was devastated. I must have posted about my disappointment on social media. Out of nowhere, an event planner reached out to see if she could rent the skirt. I said, “why not” totally hiding under my disappointment that it was a skirt meant for “our photoshoot!” She used it for a styled shoot off the coast of Rhode Island, and it was such a hit that my skirt went “viral!” Photographers and other event planners started reaching out to me to find out what “other” dresses I had in my closet. Since I was building my own portfolio, you bet I had some! And when I recognized that I may be the only dress renter on the East Coast, I built an IG page to show off my dresses. My original name was “Rent The Loft” because I had an amazing photography loft. It then morphed into The Wild Love Collective, for my love of all things “boho,” but especially boho-style wedding dresses.
That is exactly how my dress rental business fell in my lap. It started with a styled shoot and a need for epic dresses!
At any other time in history, it may not have been so simple. As the pandemic took hold, people left their jobs, looking for work they enjoyed. Many people left their jobs specifically to become a photographer while part-time photographers became full-time. A new generation of photographers started finding me and renting my dresses. They needed epic skirts, boho wedding dresses, and couture gowns to build their portfolios, and I had what they needed and wanted. 
Photo of the Gatsby gown by Alyssa Rae Photography
As time progressed, other dress rental companies started cropping up, and I started working specifically with my own seamstresses to be sure that my dresses were always different. I found my niche in epic skirts and boho wedding dresses. Not copying, but being completely different in my offerings of dress choices is how I differentiated myself. I can’t tell you HOW many people have reached out to me to ask “how do I start a dress rental business?” So I’m going to tell you how I got started. Keep reading… But before I do, know that YOUR journey will be completely different from mine, for reasons that neither you nor I have control over. In 2020, the job market was shifting drastically, people were becoming photographers in droves while losing their full-time jobs, there was a huge trend on the horizon called adventure elopements ready to burst onto the scene, and the pandemic lead to social distancing where large weddings weren’t allowed. Seriously, those elements aligned. My first year was fast and furious, not having a website, doing all of my contracts by hand, and using social media to communicate.
Phoenix is a boho lace wedding dress that hugs the body to flatter the figure from all angles made with luxury embroidered lace for the modern bride
Photo of the Phoenix dress by Emily Arwine
Want to read more about my business? Click here for 14 reasons why my dress rental company is different – and how it will benefit you!
7 ways you can get started on your dress rental business… or ANY business, for that matter!
- Research, research, research, and dig deep within yourself! Find the Who, What, When, Where, and Why to get started, the same way you’d start ANY type of business!
- Is there a need? if so, WHAT is that exact need? Have you done research?
- Do you know your target clientele? WHO are you trying to rent dresses to? Research, research, research your ideal clientele. The more you narrow this down, the more success you will find.
- What is your WHY, the vision of your business, and the motivation behind your service? Your “why” is the mission that you stand for. Want more info on this topic? I recommend the book – Start With Why by Simon Sinek.
- Do market research – research the current trends in fashion, your niche, or what you’d like to sell/rent for gowns. What niche speaks to you?
- Ask yourself – what is happening in the world and would it make sense at this time? Sometimes timing is everything. Not always does a worldwide pandemic mean you can’t start a business… don’t let it hold you back, but be smart about what is truly going on in the world and calculate WHEN is the right time?
- Find wholesale providers. WHERE are you going to get your products from? Research, research research!
- Your brand: YOU are your brand, not the logos that you create. What can you do with a dress rental business to make it stand out differently from the other dress rental companies?
Elopement inspiration in Alaska, a bride wearing the gorgeous silver mirror sequined dress, Rain.
Photo of the Rain Dress by Connor David Photography
A few more pieces of advice specific to dress rentals:
- I originally had dresses I purchased “off the rack” before I even rented my first skirt out – not for a dress rental business, but for my elopement photography business. I was “up” on current trends in the wedding industry and knew what I wanted to photograph myself. But I was also always digging deep, looking for dresses that NO ONE ELSE had to could easily get their hands on.
- Honestly, having a handful of dresses let me understand what types of dresses were in need. So I think it’s okay to buy a few dresses “off the rack” at the beginning. Just don’t buy what everyone else is renting. Make it unique. If you can’t find it, that’s when you’ll get good at building relationships with seamstresses and dressmakers and have a totally unique closet to rent out.
- As with a photography business, remember: inspiration is one thing, but copying is another and won’t get you any points (or business) for originality. Not being original will instead water your efforts down and leave you frustrated. Check out a book recommended to me before I started my business: Badass Your Brand by Pia Silva.
It’s just a start, but exactly where you need to be! Good luck with your journey! Send me a note if you start YOUR dress rental business! Mentorships are on the way! XO Sherry Feature image at top of the page: Photo of Skye skirt by Destination Anywhere Photography
ABOUT THE WILD LOVE COLLECTIVE
The Wild Love Collective is a dress rental company based in Boston, MA. Sherry is an international flight attendant who takes her dresses to photograph in her travels and rents for photoshoots ONLY. Her rental clientele comprises mostly photographers, event planners, venues, models, influencers, and other wedding industry creatives like florists, wedding venues, and jewelry designers.
Other uses for these dresses include models and social media influencers trying to build their portfolio; Sherry’s clientele also includes mamas looking for an epic maternity shoot, brides-to-be looking for a couture gown for an engagement shoot, or high school seniors for senior portraits.
Sherry’s dress rentals are NOT intended to be used for any type of event, including but not limited to: real weddings, real elopements, birthday celebrations, baby gender reveal parties or any other type of events. Again, these dresses are NOT TO BE USED in a real wedding or event. Use them, instead, as a handy resource to help you save money on building your photography portfolio YOUR way!
Thank you for understanding! For more information, please read the Terms & Conditions listed on the website before you rent!
QUESTIONS?
If you have any questions while browsing my dress rental website, please ask! I am very accessible by email (sherry@thewildlovecollective.com) or IG messaging. Sherry
Need a photographer? I photograph a limited clientele(Destination Anywhere Photography), but I can also refer you to someone amazing in your area.
Thank you for the advice! I am wanting to start my own dress rental company and have looked any many websites and rules. I just can’t seem to understand why no one wants to rent their dresses for real weddings or any real event. I would think that broadening your demographic and getting more exposure would be a good thing. Also, what if someone did rent and wore it to their baby shower. What would you do? I am genuinely curious and am wondering if you could explain the reasoning behind renting strictly for photo shoots further please!
Hi Elise,
It was never in my interest to rent my dresses to brides. I am a photographer, and I started by using dresses to build my own portfolio and then started renting to other photographers.
It’s just the way I ran my business.
Brides are not only a wider demographic, but a very difficult demographic for this type of rental service. First, they deserve a dress that fits them to a T, and I did not allow alterations.
For photoshoots, the dresses could be clipped.
Renting a wedding dress to a brides is also more liability. With photoshoots, the dresses were better taken care of, used by a model who were under contract to take care of the dress
or they would pay for it, and it is used max 1 1/2 hours during the shoot.
With a wedding that could last 4 – 10 hours, have the dress torn because of dancing, or have wine split on the dress, I was not willing to deal with those issues.
Brides also want to try the dress on, and understandably…my business was not local, so this was an impossible feat by mail. It was too costly for brides to ship dresses to themselves to try on.
If that interests you, you should build that cost into your business model. It was not for me.
Good luck with your business!
Sherry
I’ve been looking into doing this also! I am a photographer and I’m always renting for styled shoots and I would like to cut out the middle man and tailor more towards photographers in my area. Where do you recommend looking for those first on the rack dresses? There are a lot of scam/knock off websites
hi! Yes, definitely look out for the scams.
I would FIRST find a unique dress or two that YOU want to photograph. Make it epic, find a good price on it, and photograph it on various models, different circumstances, various backgrounds. Worst comes to worse, you will photos to post to gauge interest, and if no one rents it, you will still love it and not regret your purchases.
Then research other “dress rental” companies on Instagram. See what they are renting, and make sure you buy unique.
Lastly, get familiar with the brands that people love that are more off the rack, or that may have a handful of unique dresses. Free People, Nordstrom and so many more. Look for the bigger brand names and don’t just stick to buying white. Get bold. I just saw an amazing bold floral dress on Freepeople that’s being used for an elopement in Texas. It’s stunning. Once people see photos of it, they’ll want it for themselves!
Lastly, don’t go crazy right away buying dresses that you don’t know will rent. You will waste money. My second round of dresses that I purchased were so much more popular than my first “off the racks” because they were better quality and more unique. But I didn’t know what would rent when I purchased at first. You will need to learn this for yourself. This dress rental business is ever-changing! Stay up with trends.
Good luck in your endeavor! thanks for your post! xo Sherry