Most stories in the South center around family. Ours is no different.
Far before we were born, our Aunt Madie opened a fine dress store in a tiny Alabama town. Convinced that mixing the fashions of the Big Apple with service drenched in Southern charm would create a shopping destination people would have to revisit, Madie purchased her first few lines of inventory and stocked the shelves with finery that would make any Southern lady swoon. Though met with a lot of people who told her tiny Alabama couldn’t handle couture, Madie went on to operate one of the most influential dress shops in Alabama – dressing Southern women for over 40 years.
As children, one of our favorite pastimes was playing in Aunt Madie’s closet – we loved slipping on the silk dresses and placing one of her gorgeous hats on while pretending we were grown ups. Our playtime, though, was never without lessons – each visit with Aunt Madie included a discussion of different types of fabrics, laces, or construction of clothing while sipping Mint Sweet Tea on her large front porch. As we got older, our playtime in the closet would shift completely to learning about her take on fashion and owning her own business. So many of our most valuable pieces of information for our shop were given on the front porch of Aunt Madie’s Southern home while chasing down the summer heat with a Mint Julep in hand.
In 2012, we decided to take the plunge and open our own bridal shop in Huntsville. Equipped with the same love of couture and desire to bring something new and innovative to the bridal market in Huntsville, our Alabama bridal shop was born. At the time, Aunt Madie was very sick. However, she knew about our plans and was devoted to seeing our bridal shop open. We celebrated our grand opening in January of 2013. Two weeks later, Aunt Madie passed away. However, she left us with the most valuable lessons about owning and operating a shop in the fashion industry. For that, we are so thankful.
White Dresses, a couture bridal shop located in the quaint Village of Providence, blends couture bridal gowns with service drenched in Southern charm. Our Alabama bridal shop offers Southern brides a carefully curated selection of exclusive couture gowns coupled with a personal shopping experience that ensures each bride has the attention needed to select the perfect wedding gown for her special day. Since opening, White Dresses has been chosen as the best bridal shop in Alabama by Alabama Magazine, has been selected as one of the best bridal boutiques in Alabama and Tennessee, and has been featured in numerous print and online publications.
Photograph by Sleepy Fox Photography