I felt very comfortable and not pressured to buy anything from all the women there. They allowed me to take my time and enjoy the dresses as much as possible to make the right decision. I highly recommend making an appointment and checking them out. Great service and gorgeous selection!
Reaghan A.
5.0
Could not recommend this bridal salon enough! Erynn was extremely helpful and patient and truly wants you to feel the best in whatever dress you choose!
Kendyl B.
5.0
About this vendor
Erynn DeRycke
OWNER
AWARD WINNER
Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot
Embody Bridal is a wedding and engagement boutique based in Cedar Rapids, IA. This boutique specializes in wedding dresses for a variety of shapes and sizes. They believe that you deserve to find the gown of your dreams and will ensure that your shopping experience is as relaxing as can be.
Embody Bridal aims to provide a pristine shopping experience from beginning to end. To do so, they offer private appointments with top coordinators and assistants. These professionals will assure you that you can try on all the dresses and gowns that your heart desires.
Embody Bridal offers a wide selection of dresses, including sweetheart necklines, scoop necklines, long lace sleeves, enchanting trains, and more. You can explore these dresses or receive full customization services. These personalized services include samples and a turnaround time between six to eight months. With these designers and services, you can walk down the aisle feeling confident and radiant.
The Knot independently assesses vendors for this award—it’s never self-reported. We base it on firsthand experiences from real couples and guests, and they must have a 4.5-star average across 7+ reviews in the qualifying year.
Join couples who chose award-winning vendors for their wedding
Meet the team
Erynn DeRycke
Owner
Embody Bridal was born from two things - a love for the bridal industry and the belief that every person deserves to have an exceptional experience regardless of their size. In 2019, I was diagnosed with an eating disorder. During my recovery process, I spent a lot of time reading about the experience of women in different body types and sizes. While learning to love and accept my new body, I came to realize that people in larger bodies tend to have limited options and are often not provided the same experiences. I became passionate about making sure all people feel loved and accepted for who they are.
Reviews
5.0
out of 5.0
16 reviews
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Review Summary
This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.
Embody Bridal provides a relaxed, by-appointment experience with a beautiful, varied dress selection at reasonable prices. Staff are patient, non-pushy, and supportive, creating a fun, affirming (LGBTQ-friendly) atmosphere where many found their dream dress. Comfortable seating, champagne, and attentive service make shopping easy.
Review photos
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Reaghan A
5.0
5/18/2026
I felt very comfortable and not pressured to buy anything from all the women there. They allowed me to take my time and enjoy the dresses as much as possible to make the right deci...
sion. I highly recommend making an appointment and checking them out. Great service and gorgeous selection!
Kendyl B
5.0
10/10/2025
Could not recommend this bridal salon enough! Erynn was extremely helpful and patient and truly wants you to feel the best in whatever dress you choose!
Any questions?
Claire N
5.0
12/12/2024
Embody is seriously the best!!! I can’t thank Erynn enough for her expertise in helping me find the perfect wedding dress. She made the whole experience so much fun! Before I came ...
to her store, I was feeling really discouraged and worried that I wouldn’t find the dress I had envisioned for my big day after going to multiple stores. But Embody had my dream dress, and I couldn’t be more grateful! Erynn’s energy is amazing, and I can’t wait to come back and try on my dress once it arrives!!! Also the atmosphere of the store is darling with extremely comfortable furniture for your guests to sit on while you strut your stuff to try on dresses in the mirror, offers champagne right when you walk in if you’d prefer a glass for you and your guests while you shop around and actually lets you touch and feel the merchandise unlike other stores where the only let you scan a QR code and they have to grab dresses for you.
Andy V
5.0
12/02/2024
Erynn was AMAZING! I have been to many wedding dress appointments with friends and they have always been hectic - Erynn was so calm, chill, and excited to chat dresses! She was not...
pushy, but helped me figure out what style I liked and what other features were helpful. I recommend her to everyone, she was truly the best!
Katharine B
5.0
10/20/2024
I would recommend Embody 100000/10 if I could! I was so nervous about wedding dress shopping as I was nervous there would be limited options, but I got to try on so many dresses at...
Embody! I would say it was hard to choose but I had this dress pinned on Pinterest and when Erynn saw, she pulled it instantly and once I put it on, I knew!! All of the other dresses were amazing and beautiful, but this was the one for me! I found that the dresses and veils were appropriately priced. I love that Erynn's shop is open and inclusive to everyone! It meant so much that it was an openly LGBTQ accepting place. It was such an affirming, comfortable, and amazing experience!
Olivia W
5.0
5/25/2024
First of all, Embody Bridal is an AMAZING salon to try on dresses! I just was not finding my dress, and had been to three other stores already. Erynn was not pushy at all, she stay...
ed super chill and helpful the whole time, and we had a lot of fun. After appointments at other places, Embody was also the first place I felt really really good in a dress. Like maybe what I’d been envisioning actually existed. 10/10
Abby R
5.0
10/08/2023
I absolutely loved my dress from Embody Bridal. I had gone to many other bridal stores in the Iowa City / Cedar Rapids area before falling in love with my dress (and this store). E...
verything is by appointment only, so you (and any of your friends/family) get the whole store to yourselves to look through the impressive dress collection and get individualized help trying them on. Erynn was very flexible with the appointment times and gave such great support and advice during the whole trying-on process. There were dresses from many different brands and from countless styles, and at reasonable prices. I got my customized dress from Casablanca 7 months after ordering it (which matched the timeline Erynn told me in the beginning). I would absolutely recommend Embody Bridal to any bride in the Cedar Rapids area!
Kylie G
5.0
7/12/2023
I had a WONDERFUL experience at Embody bridal. This was my third bridal dress experience and I find it important to understand where I came from to understand how lucky people are ...
if their first stop was Embody. I first went to Colorado and was excited about a few things there but nothing really stood out and I wanted to purchase in my hometown of CR. I then went to a location in Coralville where I didn't have a great experience. The salesperson seemed annoyed at my families request to take dresses off of mannequins and did not make an effort to clip dresses that did not fit me.
Embody bridal is where it all changed. Erynn remembered every detail I had written in my request for an appointment. She gave us all champagne upon our arrival, complimentary might I add. She instantly made us the center of attention. As to not overwhelm me, she let me and my family pick out 5 dresses to start and told us we could keep picking in increments of 5 til I found the one. She also asked for the budget and told us that she would point out if we picked a dress over the budget price. This helped me so much because the process can very quickly become chaotic with too many dresses in front of me. I tried on the very first dress and knew instantly that it was the one. I did try on the others that were picked but if I didn't like them, I instantly changed and eventually ended up back in THE ONE. No matter how much effort it took to get me into a dress, Erynn did not hesitate to get me out of it if I didn't like it. Erynn talked through pricing and let us stay and take pictures and call family until we were ready to make the purchase. She even handed me my champagne since I was on the box, in front of the mirror showing off my dress and didn't want to get off.
I would highly recommend anyone starting their dress shopping here because of the experience not only I had, but my family had as guests with me. She gave us realistic time frames and expectations of the day when I pick up my dress as well.
Katlyn H
5.0
1/22/2023
Embody Bridal is a gorgeous shop filled with beautiful dresses that span a variety of different styles. My mom and I were extremely impressed with Erynn (the owner), as she was bub...
bly, extremely kind, down-to-earth and not "pushy" at all. We went to a few other bridal shops, and Embody Bridal easily provided the best experience. From the ambiance in the shop to the selection of dresses to Erynn's attention to detail - we were absolutely blown away. I highly encourage Eastern Iowa brides to go to Embody - I found my dress there and am confident others will say yes to the dress at Embody as well!
Bri H
5.0
1/19/2023
I went to multiple bridal shops and I felt the most comfortable here by far! Everything was relaxing and fun :) got my dress!
Amanda G
5.0
1/16/2023
I completely struggled finding the right dress. I had tried on other dresses and couldn’t figure out what I wanted since I am so indecisive. The dresses at Embody bridal are by far...
some of the most unique and comfortable dresses I have ever tried on! Erynn was so easy to work with, so helpful and made me feel comfortable. She was funny and worked so hard getting me to finally find my dress. I bawled like a baby the minute I turned around and looked in the mirror. I knew that that was my dress! I was waiting so long after trying on hundreds of dresses elsewhere to get that feeling that everyone tells you that you would get when you find the right dress! I can’t thank her enough! Amazingly beautiful place & she is definitely the best!
Jessica M
5.0
7/31/2022
I cannot say enough good things about Erynn and her store. Every single dress was stunning and lovingly selected. She had a wide variety and the designers she chose are some of t...
he more size inclusive.
Erynn never rushed me or pushed the sale. She let me set the pace for the appointment and try on a wide variety of dresses, even though she already had the perfect dress in mind. Of course, her pick, which I tried on last, was my absolute dream dress and what I will be wearing on our wedding day.
Miranda K
5.0
7/17/2022
Erynn at Embody Bridal was amazing! She made us feel welcome from the beginning and has such a kind soul. I cannot recommend this place enough!! 10/10 would recommend!!!
Bailey A
5.0
6/01/2022
Erynn was amazing!
She made the process so easy and enjoyable. There's an amazing selection of beautiful gowns, and super affordable.
I would recommend Embody Bridal to anyone!
Trissa W
5.0
2/21/2022
Embody bridal was the best bridal shop out of the five different ones I went to. Erynn was so sweet and very accommodating and helped me pick out my perfect dress! I loved her pers...
onality and passion for her work. Such a great experience!
Emily W
5.0
2/14/2022
What an amazing amazing morning finding my wedding dress at Embody Bridal! Erynn is seriously the most amazing person and has an unmatched passion for helping woman feel beautiful!...
She has three designers no one else in Iowa has, and sizes up to 44.
Skip the big name stores who treat you like another number and support local ♥️🥰
