The shop space at 4732 McPherson that was once Enchanting Embellishments has undergone a major renovation since the June 2022 fire in the adjacent building that caused smoke damage to its contents. Proprietor Karen Halper decided to divide the large space into two shops, one occupied by Occasions Boutique, which celebrated its grand opening last November, and Bella Bridesmaids, which opened in October 2022. The tearoom, a former greenhouse located at the back of the space, is closed for now, but there are plans to reopen in the near future.
Bella Bridesmaids, a Chicago-based chain, has just under 45 franchised shops across the country, all women-owned. Halper purchased the St. Louis franchise, which was located in a small space in Town & Country, and moved it to the Central West End in October, 2023.
For the past 9 years, Taylor Mikel O’Connor, the shop manager (not photographed), has been working for Bella Bridesmaids, originally in Chicago, and then here in her hometown St. Louis. She earned her degree in Interior Architecture at Samford University in Birmingham, AL, and interned at the Merchandise Mart for Scalamandre and Robert Allen before joining Bella Bridesmaids. O’Connor and proprietor Karen Halper, who’s known for her fanciful interiors in the McPherson location, and another local business, The Mahler Ballroom, on Washington, collaborated on the decor.
The shop features three glamorous appointment areas, example above.
O’Connor reported that business has been steady since the shop moved to the neighborhood. Most business originates by word of mouth. “This is such a small town that friends tell friends, or they’ve been in a wedding where the dresses came from Bella Bridesmaids,” O’Connor explained.
I had (mistakenly) assumed that today’s bride is a little older, but I learned that isn’t the case. O’Connor said the average age is 25 or under. There are typically 5 to 8 bridesmaids in the wedding party, she said, though the shop recently placed an order for 14.
Bella Bridesmaids carries designs from approximately 12 different companies, as well as its own private label. O’Connor described the Midwest style as “not too wild. It could be that everyone is dressed in black, or a recent bride chose varying shades of green.”
The brides-to-be come in with their Pinterest and inspiration boards which might show bridesmaids dresses in blush, and then, “They look at the samples and decide on blue. You’re their therapist more than anything,” O’Connor added. Most dresses, $250 to $375, are floor-length, occasionally midi-length, and rarely short.
After the bride chooses the sample gown, the bridesmaids come in to be measured, and then the dresses are ordered at the same time so they are cut from the same dye lot. Delivery takes 4 to 6 months, which means the shop is currently busy placing orders for September and October weddings.
Bella Bridesmaids doesn’t carry bridal gowns, but does have a selection of “little white dresses,” $278 to $900, shown above, that brides might wear as a second dress at the reception, or at a bridal shower or bridal luncheon. The blue dresses, above right, could be ordered in white too, O’Connor explained.
More colors and styles are shown above. The two flower girl dresses displayed at the back of the space are mostly for decoration. Since it takes the same 4 to 6 months for a flower girl dress to be made it isn’t practical, since children grow so fast.
Through the windows you can see the tearoom with its greenhouse ceiling. When it reopens, O’Connor said, she hopes there might be a bridal luncheon where the bride-to-be would be wearing one those beautiful “little white dresses” mentioned earlier.
Bella Bridesmaids, 4732 McPherson, Open Tuesdays-Saturdays by appt., (314) 925-8584 or email, stlouis@bellabridesmaids.com
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