Choices Aplenty: The Bridefolio Gives Luxury Rental Options For Your Wedding - Weddings

The Bridefolio is a bridal gown service company that seeks to allow brides the option of renting for their wedding day.

Jam Muñasque accompanied a friend who was shopping for bridal gowns when she noticed a gap in the local wedding market. Her friend, she noted, was open to anything, but had a hard time choosing because wanted more options.

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“I wanted to do something about that because it also didn’t make me happy seeing her so stressed while planning her big day,” says Muñasque. Thus, the seeds for The Bridefolio were planted in her mind. “We saw an opportunity to make bridal gowns sustainable,” she says.

The Bridefolio is a platform with a thoughtfully selected collection of local and international designer bridal gowns, available for purchase or rent. How it works is you book an appointment online, and can choose to visit the atelier or schedule an online fitting at home.

The service includes a consultation with the partner stylists, minor alterations, and car service for the gowns at a deductible cost to the price.

Working directly with local designers, The Bridefolio is a way to make those designs available for those who prefer to rent. “We are driven by our purpose of making sustainability beautiful, especially in the bridal industry,” says Muñasque. “We recognize that different brides will have different preferences, so hopefully this will be a great option for those who are exploring rental.”

According to Muñasque, it wasn’t hard to get local designers on board. “We’re lucky to have found a group of designers and creators who have the same forward-thinking vision,” she says, adding that Vania Romoff, in particular, was very easy to work with. “She understood what we wanted to do and was fully supportive.”

When The Bridefolio announced its opening, Muñasque knew that the idea made sense, as the team’s friends were looking for the same kind of service. However, she wasn’t sure what the reception would be.

After they were featured by a bridal publication, they started getting interested. “We got so many messages from brides who were just happy to have another option to rent, while still being reassured about the quality of designer gowns,” she says.

One of those brides was Dhia Chua, who reserved a gown for her 2023 wedding. “The whole fitting session with The Bridefolio felt intimate and special,” says Chua, sharing that Muñasque herself gave great suggestions based on her personality and preferences, including gowns from the platform’s “secret closet.”

“I was able to secure a beautiful designer gown,” says Chua. “It was not what I had in mind…it turned out to be so much better! The wedding gown and Bridefolio exceeded my expectations.”

As one of the businesses that opened during the pandemic, Muñasque and her team were not daunted. “It made us think out of the box, guided by what would make our future brides and clients feel comfortable,” she says. The brand is built to be resilient during and after surges, with pandemic-friendly services like home fittings and consultations with partner stylists over Zoom.

Over the pandemic, many people had time to think about the way they lived their lives, and this included brides. “They are now more conscious of sustainability and cost, while still wanting a premium product,” says Muñasque. “We wanted to provide more options for brides who are in this headspace.”

Now that weddings are happening again, Muñasque mentions that brides prefer to visit, and the team in return enjoys the process of getting to know them and seeing the looks on their faces when they try on a gown that they like.

“There is no substitute for face-to-face human interaction – the real-time, unfiltered reactions we get are priceless,” she says. “We are always happy to find ways to accommodate brides, as we can’t wait to make them feel even more beautiful on their wedding day.”

To view the full collection on The Bridefolio, click here. To set an appointment, click here.

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