Kristin Nelson

Responsibilities

My responsibilities while interning with Elegance by Sarah Ruhs Bridal and Prom Boutique included cleaning around the store, such as organizing displays, vacuuming, dusting, cleaning mirrors, rearranging racks, etc. They also included assisting customers in finding apparel for formal and informal events such as weddings, proms, parties, and more. I was also responsible for checking customers out for purchases as well as assisting them carrying their purchases to their cars if needed, such as wedding dresses or tuxedo rental pick-ups. Finally, I was responsible for taking photos and creating social media content for the company social media platforms.

Accomplishments

My greatest accomplishment during my internship with Elegance by Sarah Ruhs was being able to experience the life of a bridal consultant by working with several brides and bridal parties on my own. In doing this, I am proud to say that I accomplished a goal of mine, which was to be able to sell wedding dresses to five separate brides on my own.

Learning experience

Going through this experience, I was able to learn how to manage and keep control of an appointment with a large number of people, while still managing to reach a goal of finding a bride her wedding gown, while making the bride feel valued and validated. I was also able to learn how to communicate well with customers under many different circumstances, such as time restraints for close wedding dates, large groups of people, crunched budgets, and more. These challenges during my experiences with my bridal appointments taught me how to work well under pressure, as well as to be able to keep a cool and level head and maintain healthy control over my appointments.

What advice would you give?

My advice for future students within my major of Apparel Merchandising and my Minor of Entrepreneurship is to take risks, do not be afraid to ask questions, to ask for more responsibility if believed to be capable of such, and be open to anything and everything. By doing these things, you will not only be able to have a better learning experience, but you will gain more trust in the eyes of your employer, and you will be able to build better relationships with customers and with employers.