This whole thing started last summer. As we sat on the couch on a Friday evening before heading out to photograph an August wedding… we brainstormed ideas about Haley’s next career move… should she set out on her own? Should we expand the Jessica Haley Photography Brand? As TLC’s Friday night wedding lineup rolled on, it dawned on us… hello! What about a bridal boutique? Haley’s immediate response, “oh, that’s always been my dream”… ha ha! Well a lot of research and planning later and here we are… the doors are open!

How did we go from a Friday night lightbulb moment to our own New York Bridal Boutique? It started with a clear vision. Right from the start, we had a very specific picture for how our store would look and feel. It had to be different than the bridal stores we visited in New York City and around the country.

We wanted our bridal boutique to be small and intimate – the perfect setting for just one bride and her family to relax and enjoy themselves. The experience for the bride was the most important factor!! We set out to create a day of wedding dress shopping that would be both exciting, fun and stress free for our brides and their families – leaving the chaos of hustle and bustle at the door. Our brides will be able to see the gowns and shop with the stylist herself. The brides will be not feel overwhelmed with endless options and dresses crammed into racks – but a clean, well curated selection of designer gowns to select from. We wanted the shop to feel modern and chic yet comfortable and inviting. Lastly, we wanted a place where our brides will create memories they’ll never forget with the people she loves.

You can read more about our manifesto here!

Once we mapped our a clear vision for our bridal boutique – we set out to find the right designers to align with our vision and fill the shop! Follow along for our next posts about our adventure at our first market week, finding the physical location for our store, and the renovation process from start to finish!