One of our favorite things to do at Hello Lovely is work with other women who share our goal of empowering women. And that is just what we were able to do with All My Heart Bridal.
On a warm morning in late July, we had the pleasure of providing hair and makeup services to Sarah Bronson, owner of All My Heart Bridal, and part of her crew Megan Leach and Cheyanne Scott for a brand photoshoot. Not only were the women incredibly kind and open, their boutique was bright and beautiful. There was an assortment of white dresses framing the store, as well as a rainbow of bridesmaids dresses aligning the middle, providing a glorious pop of color.
The presence of the team as well as the space provided a comfortable and serene feeling. After talking to Sarah, Cheyanne, and Megan, it was clear that this is exactly how they want their clients to feel.
The inception of Sarah’s business is nothing short of wholesome. Prior to starting All My Heart Bridal, Sarah owned her own wedding planning business for years. She described one day in particular that was the final push for opening her own bridal boutique.
“I planned a wedding for one of my brides who was probably a bridal size 20/22 and I scheduled her a day to go shopping at some of my favorite stores in KC. She called me at the end of the day and said she was only able to try on a couple of things, even though I had called [the stores] and told them her size and asked if she could be accommodated, and they said it wasn’t a problem. When I called back they said, ‘Well yes, technically our designers can size up to what she needs and we can order it, but we don’t physically have the dresses in the store for her to try,’ ” she said.
After doing more research, Sarah realized there was a big gap in the market for plus-sized women and decided to start transitioning from wedding planning to opening a size-inclusive bridal boutique specifically catering to curvy and plus-size brides. She has successfully opened the store with the largest selection of plus-size gowns in Kansas City.
“No matter where you fall on the size chart, you will be able to come in and try on pretty, fun, and trendy things that everyone else is getting to wear,” Sarah said.
If her business approach doesn’t seem sound enough yet, then let’s talk about how it single-handedly recruited one of her team members today.
Upon finding her wedding dress at All My Heart Bridal and having an amazing experience, Cheyanne Scott noticed that they were hiring a new bridal consultant. She felt a pull to make women feel just as comfortable and special as she felt the day she unexpectedly found her perfect boho dream dress in order to “live out her Stevie Nicks dream.”
“I was really scared coming in [to the boutique] just because of different insecurity issues and I thought I wouldn’t find anything I liked. But I ended up finding more than enough options that I liked and actually, it was a little bit challenging to just pick one! I felt really great and I left really happy. It exceeded all of my expectations,” Cheyanne said.
Cheyanne hopes to help brides feel as elated that she did in the boutique. She and her fiancé will be eloping to Crested View, Colorado in September with their two dogs.
Megan Leach, the team lead, has a similar outlook to Cheyanne. She loves making close connections with brides and being on a first name basis with them. She joined the company because she craved a more relationship-oriented work environment.
“I worked in retail for a while and I liked working with women but I never got to do a lot of one-on-one stuff or anything in-depth. It was very much like, ‘transaction at the register, bye, see you never’ kind of thing. So I enjoy working more hands-on with brides and also getting to do a little more creative work with social media and stuff like that,” Megan said.
We didn’t see the fourth team member Sam Josephine for hair and makeup but were able to gather her thoughts a different day:
“The atmosphere is very rare. You are walking into a loving, compassionate, helpful, knowledgeable, circle of curvy babes that truly want the best for you! Everyone is welcome and everyone is loved,” she said.
Thanks to the authenticity and empowerment of Sarah and her team, All My Heart Bridal is moving to a bigger space this month, which also marks their fifth year in business. The glo’d up location will include:
- A modern and clean look and feel with feminine touches as well as masculine features
- Additional dressing rooms
- Two private suites allowing for a more intimate experience with brides’ friends and families
- An expanded AMH collection of curated gowns that can’t be found anywhere else
- An expanded collection of locally-owned and women-made accessories
- An expanded bridesmaids collection
- The opportunity for upgraded appointments which can include champagne and treats
"We worked with Erin Hurd Designs to create a beautiful space that isn't overly pink and floral like every other bridal store. Our new location will look and feel modern and clean, but very approachable. In our blue dressing rooms, your gown will pop against the darker wall colors and make you the center of attention, ” Sarah said.
Upon asking Sarah what else the future entails for her business, she left us with this:
“Our main business philosophy is keeping a small staff so we know who you are, we greet you when you walk in the door, and you’re not going to see 15-20 different people. I think for us, being able to tailor and make this experience as unique and fun and positive as possible is really what we’re focusing on,” she said.
We are excited to see the new store and also what the future holds for our friends at All My Heart Bridal. Follow their socials @allmyheartbridal to keep up to date with their endeavors.
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