All of a sudden wedding bells are ringing non-stop in SS2 Petaling Jaya. Twenty bridal galleries and studios have suddenly mushroomed within a radius of 200 metres in SS2.

On the same street (2/75) we have Wedding Couture, Keep Gallery, Couples Gallery, De Casamia, Twins, micasa, Sophia, and 4 Ever After. On the crossroad (2/24) we have bridal art, Bridal Concept, Redbliss , Victoria , Touch, Love Vision, Vogue collection, TOM, Mon'Liza Wedding Castle and the Washington Portraits and which will be opening up soon. They are strategically located at T-junctions or at traffic lights to maximise the attention of the public.

Why SS2 in PJ?
Wedding Couture's managing director, Leong Chiew Hong says. “Previously the popular place for wedding apparels was in Jalan Ipoh. Location has changed in the last three years. This is an upper level market. People will go to one area to shop. When one starts the others follow.”

Manager of mikasa, Yeong Kok Mun (who likes to be known as Mun) says, “PJ has a population of those aged between 20-30. This is where marriageable couples frequent this area.”

Christine Lee from Redbliss says. “We started here to reach customers in the Selangor and PJ area. Through this advantage way we've reduced on advertising costs”

Wedding couples evidently do a lot of hunting around for wedding gowns. Bridal Shops that are clustered together not only makes it easier for shoppers but it is also good for customer attraction.

One wonders about the effectiveness of this concept today. I came across a website, Malaysia Wedding and Brides Forum where there are comments from potential brides on wedding shopping. They share names and locations, package quotations, the quality of customer service etc … The brides-to-be walk through the net doing their market survey before they decide which shop to step into.

Nevertheless, nothing beats real-life shopping. Leong says: “Come and have a look. Sometimes a gown may be too simple or too glamorous until you wear it yourself.”

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