Our story

Chantel Fryer is the proud owner of Lady J’s Bridal & Gifting Studio, the result of a courageous leap of faith to pursue her dream. The studio is named after her daughter, Jenayd, her greatest inspiration and driving force. Jenayd’s strength, determination and passion for life, regardless of all challenges she faces, is what gives Chantel the motivation to make a success of the studio.
Chantel considers Jenayd to be a strong little force to be reckoned with and hopes in future that she will take over the Studio with pride.

About us

Established in Sep 2017 and based in the Sunridge Village Shopping Centre on the western side of Port Elizabeth, Lady J’s Bridal & Gifting Studio is a luxurious and expertly designed Bridal Studio with a wide variety of gorgeous ready-made gowns as well as imported styles available to rent or to buy. The Bridal Studio aims to cater to all brides whether you have a strict budget or unlimited. At Lady J’s all fittings and consultations are strictly by appointment and on a 1-on-1 basis, allowing us to fully consider your requirements and attend to your every need in an enthusiastic but professional manner, remembering the wedding dress is more than just something a Bride will wear once, She will replay the memories of her big day over in her mind for years to come and pictures of her will be passed down for generations so we understand that the time needed to find that special dress is of the utmost importance and we guarantee total privacy throughout the allocated and agreed time of your appointment.

Our collection also includes our Bella J’s Bridesmaid Range, Little Miss J’s Flower Girl Range, Mama J’s Mother of the Bride or Groom Range, Glam J’s Formal Glamor Range – Perfect for your Matric Dance and of course our Blu J’s Little Guys Range.
Through our close relationships with Local Designers, custom designing and making options are also available at competitive pricing.

We are honoured to be stockists of the Hoiden Collection. Inspired by the latest trends and fabrics, Passionate, Experienced, Fun Hoiden is a fashion design label that boasts a range of uniquely designed and locally manufactured bridesmaid dresses that are made to order in your size, colour and style. Since 2011 Hoiden has been a trusted name in the Bridal fashion industry.
We are also proud stockists of the Anella Wedding Shoes Range who specialise in beautiful footwear for our brides and have a stunning variety to choose from, after all every bride should have the perfect pair of shoes to compliment her gown.

Besides all of the above, Lady J’s also offers an assortment of accessories including the perfect costume jewellery to complete your look for your big day. We can literally dress you from head to toe!

Our Gifting Studio has various Bridal party accessories and gifting available, although our speciality lies in Bridal, our Gifting Studio does not only cater for Bridal, we also specialise in custom gifting – whatever your occasion we can assist, contact us for more information regarding this service and the options available to you.

We are honoured to have been recognized as a TOP SERVICE PROVIDER for the Wedding Industry in the Eastern Cape by “Wedding & Function” magazine in their Winter 2019, Summer 2020, Winter 2020, Valentines 2021, Winter 2021, Valentines 2022, Winter 2022, Valentines 2023, Winter 2023, 2024 (Valentines) and their 2024 (Winter) editions. In March 2023 and September 2024, we were also acknowledged by the magazine as a Top Service Provider in the Eastern Cape for five consecutive years, earning our Top Service Provider “5 years” badge. In October 2024, we secured 2nd place in the "Favourite Local Bridal Wear" category and won gold in the PE Express "Best in the Bay 2024" competition, as voted by their readers.

At Lady J’s Bridal & Gifting Studio, we prioritize client orientation and customer service. Our motto is, “We might meet as strangers, but you leave as friends.” We would be delighted to welcome you to the Lady J’s family.

FAQ

Q: What does a fitting cost?
A: Our fitting fee is R250 for an hour – this allows for fitting of approximately 6 – 8 dresses
All fittings are strictly by appointment. Any late coming will be taken off your allocated time.

Q: Can I come and view the dresses?
A: Our collection is not open for viewings as much as what we are a retail store and open to the public, it is merely impossible to view a dress on a hanger, you simply just can’t see or know what it would look like on your body. We suggest you book a fitting appointment which allows you to fit the dresses.

Q: Who should attend the fitting with me?

A: We suggest a max of 2-3 guests. Bigger audiences cause confusion and can be overwhelming when making decisions.
We regrettably do not allow children under the age of 10 to attend Bridal Fittings.

Q: Are all your dresses new?
A: We hire and sell BRAND NEW and PRE-LOVED dresses. The majority of the dresses in our studio are new. We only keep pre-loved dresses if they are in mint condition.

Q: What is the price range of your dresses?
A: The majority of our dresses are priced between R5000 – R20 000 to hire and R6000 – R25 000 to buy, depending on the dress, design, fabrics and accessories on the dress.
Our dresses are high quality and well-manufactured – we do not import inexpensive low-grade dresses.

We do keep a smaller collection of dresses – either SALE dresses or PRE-LOVED dresses priced between R2000 and R5000. These dresses are still in a great condition and allows us to cater to budget conscious brides.

Q: Am I allowed to take photos?
A: No, We acknowledge that the majority of guests only want to capture the moment when taking a snapshot. Unfortunately, when allowing photos, we expose ourselves to people who deliberately steal our intellectual property. We therefore do not allow photographs.

Q: What should I wear for my fitting?
A: Wear comfortable underwear. We suggest a skin tone seamless panty and a strapless bra.
If you have the shoes for your event, please bring them along as well.

Q: Do you hire/sell dresses?
A: Yes, most of our dresses have a rent or buy option.
We also have Custom Make-to-Rent or Make-to- Buy options as well.

Q: Do you do alterations?
A: We do not do alterations on garments that do not belong to Lady J’s, we only alter our own dresses for our clients. Alterations are subject to management approval.

Alterations are also an external service and are done at an additional cost.

Q: Do you buy in previously worn wedding/matric dresses?
A: No, we do not buy in pre-loved wedding or matric dresses

Q: Do you custom make?
A: Yes, through our close relationships with Local Designers, custom designing and making options are also available at competitive pricing should you not find your dream dress from our current collection.

A: Custom gifting options are also available, whatever your occasion we can assist, contact us for more information regarding this service and the options available to you.

Q: Do you only do wedding dresses?
A: No, Lady J’s Bridal Studio boasts a collection of affordable, good quality wedding gowns available to rent or buy and our collection also includes our Bella J’s Bridesmaid Range, Little Miss J’s Flower Girl Range, Mama J’s Mother of the Bride or Groom Range, Glam J’s Formal Glamor Range – Perfect for your Matric Dance or evening function and of course our Blu J’s Little Guys Range, as well as a vast range of custom gifting (not only bridal), costume jewellery and wedding shoes.

Fun Facts

Q: Who is Lady J’s?
A: The studio is named after the owner Chantel’s daughter - Jenayd, her greatest inspiration and driving force. Jenayd’s strength, determination and passion for life, regardless of all challenges she faces, is what gives Chantel the motivation to make a success of the studio.

Chantel considers Jenayd to be a strong little force to be reckoned with and hopes in future that she will take over the Studio with pride.

Q: Why the purple?
A: Even after everyone suggested she stick to the traditional whites, creams and golds or greys when starting the studio, Chantel wanted to be different from all the rest, she wanted to remain true to herself and create the fun-loving homely vibe where everyone feels welcome.

Purple is her favourite colour, so why not purple! It’s such a conversation started and we get so many compliments about our purple studio. If you haven’t visited the store as yet, come pop in, you are in for a purple treat... definitely unforgettable!

Q: Why the dragonflies?
A: To Chantel the symbolization of the 2 dragonflies are for her maternal Grandparents, as a reminder that they are always with her. It is believed that when a dragonfly appears, it’s a visitor from Heaven and that they are angels among us.

Chantel’s favourite dragonfly quote is “I listened to my Dragonflies and they whispered “have Faith” which is exactly how the studio dream started.

The dragonfly is a symbol of change, transformation and self-realization. It teaches us to love life, to rejoice and have faith even amidst difficulties. They can remind us to take time to reconnect with our own strength, courage, happiness and that anything is possible, so to the studio the 2 dragonflies also then symbolise the joining of 2 lives becoming 1.

The 2 are also for the unity between her and her husband and for her 2 children.