After a bride says “yes” to her dress, she has the task of getting her bridesmaids fitted and loving the attire they’ll be wearing. Every bride has a vision for her day, complete with all her best friends alongside her wearing dresses that embody the feeling for the wedding day -- formal, country, beach vibes, vintage or a theme unique to the couple.
Melanie Brown, owner of Bella Bridesmaids in Brentwood, shared with Brentwood Lifestyle how she helps brides and bridesmaids have a beautiful, stress-free shopping experiences.
People love learning the story behind the business. Have you always been in the bridal industry?
I’ve lived in the Brentwood community for 25 years, so if people come in the shop and think I look familiar, they’ve either met me through volunteer work or from my 17 years serving as a children’s minister at Otter Creek Church in Brentwood. I went from babes to brides! After retiring from ministry, I found I was ready for a new adventure. So when the opportunity presented to buy Bella Bridesmaids, my husband and I knew this would be the next place I'd continue helping people.
What did you learn in church ministry that contributes to your success as a shop owner?
There’s so much, but I’d say the greatest skill I learned and transferred is how to be a good listener. Listening drives our customer service and makes for happy brides and bridesmaids. They remember their experiences and share Bella Bridesmaids with the community.
Bella Bridesmaids focuses on the bridal party. Why do you feel it’s important to have a shop that serves the bridesmaids?
A bride-to-be has so much on her plate, and she has to coordinate all the details for her bridal party, among a list of a million other things. Each of those ladies may be in a different town or state and need dresses in different sizes. Brides can fully entrust our knowledgable and friendly Bella Stylists to bring the bridesmaids’ looks together, so all she needs to think about is how memorable her big day will be.
How does the shop serve the bridesmaids that may be local or elsewhere?
Bella Bridesmaids has 60 locations nationwide. We are all individually owned, but we work together. A bridesmaid can go to her local showroom to meet with a Bella stylist, who will take her measurements and guide her personalized experience. Every dress is ordered to ensure the look the bride envisions. We also have a virtual showroom that is unique to Bella’s services.
How does the Bella virtual showroom work?
The virtual showroom is a service we offer that helps the whole experience be seamless. At a bride’s first appointment with us, she may come in knowing exactly what she wants or may want to rely on our expertise to listen and show her ideas for dresses that will bring her vision to life. Then, we’ll create a virtual showroom. The online showroom contains personal profiles and images of dresses the bride loves with details like colors and fabrics. The bridesmaids can also have access to the bride’s virtual showroom, where they can do everything from voting for their favorite styles to tracking their orders.
How does Bella Bridesmaids curate the dresses offered in the shop?
We have partnered with more than 20 top dress designers to bring fashion-forward dresses into our shop. The wedding world mirrors the fashion world, and we love seeing our brides and bridesmaids feel amazing in the looks they put together with our stylists. Dresses are available in sizes 00-30W and maternity options so every bridesmaid can wear a beautiful and affordable dress. We invite the bride and her party into our comfortable and inviting showroom for a consultation. It's a special time for them that our whole staff loves, too. Some brides will share that their appointment felt like a fun afternoon in a friend's living room, and that's exactly the atmosphere we want to create.
How should brides and their bridesmaids start their Bella Bridesmaid’s experience?
Brides can call us at 615.383.8004 or contact us through our website. Bella Nashville is by appointment-only, so we can deliver what we are known for -- personalized service, a trusted stylist and an intimate boutique experience.