CityView Magazine

36 | March/April 2015 THE BUSINESS OF BY MIRIAM LANDRU It's no secret that the bridal industry is a booming business and the costs of dresses and all other wedding finery is going up, up and up. In 2015, nearly $70 million dollars were spent on the big day alone. And we all know one of the most important components to the big day is the dress. Photography by Lisa Thayer Brides business H istorically, dresses have not always been white. e white wedding gown was only made popular in the 19th century because Queen Victoria of England wore white. Over 150 years later, that's still the color of choice for modern day brides, though some prefer to have a little twist when it comes to the style, whether they stick with traditional or the more daring. And that's where our local bridal stores come into play. Here are four businesses that promise that you'll say "yes to the dress." All over the world and in Haymount Candice Richardson and Faith Ander- son met merely two years ago and decided to work quickly to seal their fate by run- ning a successful online bridal business, Blush Bridal. eir website, www.love- blushbridal.com launched last February and their first order was international. "Our very first sale was a lady out of Par- is, France who purchased a bridal emer- gency kit. We were so thrilled! We didn't even have everything ready and we were already reaching customers overseas." Both ladies have a business back- ground, Candice is a University of Ken- tucky graduate with a Marketing major and Faith has an MBA from High Point University. Before they said "I do" to the bridal business, Candice owned a furni- ture store in Fayetteville and Faith worked in "corporate America." ey met in 2013 when Faith taught a class on Quickbooks at Fayetteville Tech. "We just sort of hit it off," said Candice. From there, both discovered their shared passion for busi- ness…and bridal. At first, their business was to be called "Never e Bride" and only focus on the bridesmaid. However, they decided they really wanted to expand their market and cater to all things bride. Now, the entrepreneurial duo is getting ready to open their very own bridal boutique in a two-story historic home on Broadfoot Avenue in Haymount. Candice conveyed that this will be a "one stop shop" for the bride. "We cater to all brides. at's what makes us so unique to the average bridal shop. We style you from your engagement to your honeymoon and have wedding business Candice Richardson & Faith Anderson of Blush Bridal

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