I’m just going to say it: finding your wedding dress deserves its own trip. From the stunning gowns I’d saved on Instagram to the gorgeous images I’d seen on their website, I already knew Ava Laurènne Bride was my dream bridal boutique. Its there I found not only my dream wedding dress but an experience just as special and meaningful as the dress itself. (View & fall in love with wedding gowns at Ava Laurènne Bride here)

Here is the literal perfect 24 hours in Greenville, South Carolina, for you and your tribe!

First things first, coffee at Daydrinkers

There was only one acceptable way to start a day this important: coffee. After landing in Greenville, we headed to Daydrinkers, just minutes from Ava Laurènne Bride, and immediately understood why the Ava Laurènne stylists love this place so much! It’s artsy, relaxed, effortlessly cool, and they make their syrups in-house in small batches, which means the coffee menu is anything but boring!

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NEXT STOP: A Bridal Glow-Up at Altar Spa

From coffee, we headed downtown for something I now firmly believe belongs on every wedding-dress-shopping itinerary: A facial.

Altar Spa is tucked underneath Greenville's historic courthouse building, now home to M. Judson Booksellers, and it feels like discovering this gorgeous little secret underneath the city. And if you're doing the full bridal experience, get the facial! My skin felt fresh, hydrated, and glowy...the exact way you want to feel before stepping into wedding dresses and taking approximately 4,000 pictures with your girls. Wedding dress shopping is already a big moment, you might as well feel incredible doing it. They also have massages and nail services - all the makings for a perfect girls pampering moment before your bridal appointment!

Scroll below to see the PERFECT wedding dress shopping day as an Ava Laurenne Bride from beginning to end... --->

WHILE YOU'RE THERE: Go Upstairs to M. Judson Bookstore

Whatever you do, do not leave the building yet! Take a quick moment and head upstairs to M. Judson Booksellers. Calling it a bookstore doesn't really do it justice. It's colorful and beautifully curated, with books, gifts, home décor, and all kinds of little things you'll suddenly convince yourself you need. But I need you to listen carefully to this next part: Go to the café. Get the rosemary sea salt shortbread. I'm not exaggerating when I tell you I would go back to Greenville for this shortbread. Get one. Actually, get two. You'll understand.

TAKE YOUR TIME EXPLORING DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE

One of my favorite things about this itinerary was that we weren't constantly getting back into the car and rushing from place to place. Greenville is the kind of city you actually want to walk through. So we wandered. We explored Main Street, popped into shops, took pictures, and let getting from one destination to another become part of the experience. And that's exactly how I think a wedding-dress day should feel. Unhurried. Exciting. A little indulgent. You're not running errands. You're making a memory.

THEN: Drinks + Bites at Between the Trees

Before the biggest moment of the day, we headed to Between the Trees inside the Grand Bohemian Lodge Greenville. And this is where the anticipation really started to hit. This place immediately makes an ordinary afternoon feel like an occasion. We ordered drinks, shared some bites, took in the view, and had one of those wait, we're actually doing this moments. Because after this? There was only one place we needed to be. Ava Laurènne Bride. And it was finally time to find the dress.

Side note: The Grand Bohemian Lodge is also a gorgeous luxury hotel, and I highly recommend staying there for the night! And don’t miss the jewelry display while you’re there. The curator, Kara Soper, was so kind and fun, she had us trying on the most stunning jewelry pieces, and we absolutely loved every second of it!

THE REASON FOR THE TRIP: Finding Your Wedding Dress at Ava Laurènne Bride

This is the part I want every bride to understand: Ava Laurènne Bride isn't a stop on your Greenville itinerary. It's the reason for it. You could build an entire girls' getaway around the experience of finding your wedding dress here, and after experiencing it, I completely understand why brides travel to Greenville for it!!

Walking through the doors doesn't feel like walking into another store. It feels like your wedding-dress moment has officially begun. There are more than 1,000 wedding gowns to discover, but somehow the experience never feels like it's simply about trying on dress after dress.

It's about you. What you love. How you want to feel. Who you've brought with you. What you've imagined this moment would be like. You get to slow down. Savor the moment and really enjoy the process. And eventually, you put on a gown and something changes. That special moment hits, this is my wedding dress!

---> Learn More About Ava Laurènne Bride Appointments Here!

---> Wanting to see some gorgeous wedding dresses? Discover so many of the stunning gowns in the Ava Laurènne Bride collection here!

‍SIDE NOTE: ONE THING I WOULD ABSOLUTELY ADD - BOOK THE CELEBRATION PACKAGE! If you're traveling to Greenville specifically to find your wedding dress, this is not the day to do the bare minimum. Book the Celebration Package, seriously. It takes the entire experience and makes it feel even more like the occasion it deserves to be. Think bubbly, a silk robe and sash, a vintage case filled with gifts, confetti poppers, and those little details that make you realize: Oh. We're REALLY doing this.

UNION STATION CELEBRATION EXPERIENCE: An Entire Celebratory Experience After You Say YES!

Aside from finding my dream dress, if we are being honest...experiencing Union Station was the best part of this entire adventure! Ava Laurènne Bride has entire separate section of their shop that is home to a romantic replica 1940s train station they lovingly call Union Station. I don't want to run the surprise but THIS dear brides, this experience is magical and one every bride should have after her "YES" moment. I feel so touched I got to have this experience the the celebration did NOT stop from them....

-----> Step Inside Union Station, Learn More Here

‍OBVIOUSLY, WE NEEDED DESSERT

There was absolutely no way I was finding my wedding dress and not immediately celebrating with dessert, so we headed back downtown to Carmella’s Café & Dessert Bar. It was exactly where I wanted to be after a day like this fun, vibrant, celebratory, and filled with the most gorgeous desserts that almost looked too pretty to eat. We ordered dessert and celebratory drinks, pulled out our phones, and spent the next hour reliving the appointment through the hundreds of photos we had somehow already taken. Because really, I FOUND MY WEDDING DRESS!

‍BRIDE FOR LIFE: AN UNEXPECTED PARTY INVITATION!

And the best surprise? A month after finding my dress, I got invited BACK to Ava Laurènne Bride for my first exclusive party as an Ava Laurènne Bride! I made the trip back to Greenville for their Legally Blonde-inspired Rush Party, and I’m SO thankful I did. Think pink everywhere, bubbly, amazing food, music, dancing, fashion, and the cutest photo moments all surrounded by other Ava Laurènne Brides. I had no idea when I booked my appointment that saying yes here meant being invited to special events for life. Finding my dress may have started my Ava Laurènne experience, but I quickly realized the celebration was only beginning!!

‍SO... IS GREENVILLE WORTH THE TRIP FOR YOUR WEDDING DRESS?

Absolutely. After experiencing it for myself, I realized that your wedding dress is going to be one of the most meaningful pieces of your wedding story, so why shouldn’t finding it become a story of its own? Don’t make it just another Saturday appointment, make it the girls’ day (or weekend) trip. Come to Greenville, bring your mom, sisters, bridesmaids, or best friend, and make a whole experience out of it! Drink the coffee, get the facial, eat the shortbread, wander downtown, order the cocktails, and then walk through the doors of Ava Laurènne Bride and completely soak in the moment you came for. Find the dress, pop the confetti, celebrate over dessert, and take a ridiculous number of pictures. Because somewhere in the middle of it all, you’ll look in the mirror and realize you found your wedding dress and trust me, that moment is absolutely worth the trip.

‍Ready to Plan Your Own 24 Hours in Greenville?

Start with the reason for the trip. Book your wedding-dress appointment at Ava Laurènne Bride Greenville, add the Celebration Package, call your girls, and start planning the bridal getaway you'll be talking about long after the wedding is over. Your dress is waiting. Greenville is calling. Make a trip out of finding it.

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