The story of how the bridal boutique, Wedding Belles came to be in serendipitous if you ask us. Owner Lisa set out to make every bride of any size feel welcome and included while providing each client with the best inventory imaginable. No matter if you want a brightly colored dress or are aiming to keep things traditional, Wedding Belles will make sure you find the perfect wedding gown to fit your style. They can even dress your entire wedding party. If you’re looking for a dress destination that has “big city style, with small city prices” keep on scrolling to learn more about this incredible local business!
Tell us about Wedding Belles + how long you’ve been in business.
Nicole: As a child the owner, Lisa, dreamed of weddings. She helped plan friends and family weddings for decades. Despite her love of all things bridal, she went off to her 9-5 jobs every day. In 2013 her niece, Tracey, was shopping for a bridal gown. Tracey, a plus sized bride, was treated terribly at a shop in Nashville based on her size. They knew no bride should ever feel this way. Soon after Lisa walked into her bank and there were several dozen bridal gowns hanging in the lobby; The bank told her to make an offer. Her husband, Robert, said do it and see what happens. The bank accepted. She thought, was this a sign? Was God telling her this is what she needed to do? Lisa saw a chance to build a family owned and operated bridal boutique in Clarksville.
After some consideration, prayer, and encouragement, she realized it was time to make her lifelong dream a reality. The search for a location began. She knew the heart of downtown was her dream, but in 2013 a downtown location was not a possibility. She settled on a Madison Street building that was perfect at the time. With the opening of doors and amazing opportunities, God allowed all things to align in a whirlwind for them to begin their Wedding Belles adventure. In the fall of 2013, the store opened carrying the small number of bridal and formal gowns and just like that everything began to fall into place.
How did you get started in weddings?
Nicole: Since then her small store on Madison Street has grown beyond Lisa’s wildest imagination allowing her to service brides from multiple states and even various countries. Before Lisa knew it, Wedding Belles was outgrowing its original location. What to do now? The store which seemed far too large in the beginning was suddenly feeling way too small. She began her search for a new location in the summer of 2019. After deciding on another location which wasn’t exactly what she wanted, but was larger than the current location, Lisa headed off to market with a lot to think about. She prayed and again asked God, “What do I do? You’ve shown me once this is where I’m meant to be, so show me where to go from here.” She returned from market deciding to settle once again on a location which wasn’t exactly what she had dreamt of but would work for the needs she had. When she walked into the store for work, there was a card from a lady with a location on Franklin Street she wanted to move a bridal boutique into. One more time, God sent her in the direction she was meant to follow.
With the expansion of the store, her dream of a downtown location has finally come true. A relocation to 123 Franklin Street in January of 2020 is the final step in creating the overall effect she desired. As all things have seemed to do in this story, the new Wedding Belles home is a renovated clothing store from the 60’s & 70’s. As a child, Lisa and her beloved mother Gladys spent endless afternoon shopping in this very location. Her childhood dreams and fond memories of her mother are uniting at this new location. She now has the room to showcase more styles and sizes to help even more brides find the gown of their dreams.
What’s the philosophy behind Wedding Belles?
Nicole: Your own kind of style. Whether you want to walk down the aisle in bright colors, patterns or traditional we’ve got you! Wedding Belles is to ensure each bride receives a personalized, exciting, and happy experience. As a bride you are already in the mindset of knowing what you want, whether you realize it or not. You’ve said yes to the person of your dreams, now it’s time to find the dress to match. Wedding Belles is just the store to help you to be able to say, “I’ve Found My Gown!”
What are your strengths compared to others in your category?
Nicole: We are size inclusive, everyone that enters our store will be able to try things on. We carry dresses ranging from a size 2 ballgown to a size 30 mermaid. We’re all about having big city style with small town prices.
What attracts couples to Wedding Belles?
Nicole: We can style your entire wedding party! We carry bridal, bridesmaids, flower girl, mother of the bride & groom, tuxedos, ring bearers and accessories. We can even dress your pet!
What is the most innovative new product, service, style or other aspect of your industry that brides and grooms might appreciate?
Nicole: The trends we are seeing and now have in our store are colored wedding dresses including black and red. Also we now have floral wedding gowns, with embroidered flowers along the bodice and skirts. Not looking to wear a dress down the isle? Don’t worry, we have bridal jumpsuits just for you! If the brides family is out of town but she wants a family member to be included in her shopping experience we offer a virtual family appointment. We have a screen mounted above one of our stages which allows us to broadcast her family/friends up there to be a apart of the whole experience. We set up a camera so they can be included every step of the way!
Ready to book your bridal appointment at Wedding Belles? Click here!
