Rachel Elizabeth Bridal is a family owned and run Bridal Design house in Utah, USA.
My name is Sharon and Rachel is my daughter. I am English born but married my American sweetheart and moved to the USA in 1986. Rachel, the second of our three daughters, has dual nationality, and enjoys spending time in England as well as the USA.
Rachel attended The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, California and graduated Magna Cum Laude in the summer of 2017. She then went to London, England for an Internship with Couture Bridal Studio Tatiana Porembova.
When Rachel finished her Internship, she decided she wanted to start her own business, rather than work as a designer for someone else. She knew from day one that she wanted her gowns to be manufactured in the USA and wanted a business that is inclusive in every way possible. She and I feel very strongly about fair labor practices and a comfortable working environment for all, so that is how we work our business.
While in London, Rachel was able to make some amazing connections for fabric suppliers, and consequently, most of the fabrics used in the manufacturing are shipped from Europe.
Some fabrics are purchased from suppliers in the USA.
The Opening of Rachel Elizabeth Bridal
When Rachel Elizabeth Bridal first opened in 2015, the business was primarily custom wedding gowns, direct to the customer. Some gowns were ordered on the website and shipped out of state or out of the country, but most were local. In 2017 Rachel Elizabeth Bridal opened a retail shop in American Fork, Utah, selling wedding gowns, prom dresses, veils, head pieces, lingerie and temple gowns for the local clientele. The Covid 19 pandemic was hard on the Bridal industry, and at the end of 2020, the retail shop closed. We were forced to decide what direction to take the business.
In early 2021, we decided to concentrate on the wholesale side of the Bridal business, and although, occasionally we are asked to do a custom piece for a bride directly, we both wanted to make our collections available to customers much further afield, especially in England.
While Rachel handles the creative side of the business, designing, sourcing fabrics, and is the face of the company, she can also often be found at one of the machines, sewing dresses. She has always loved sewing and is extremely good at it. I handle payroll, administration, and I oversee the construction side. I studied dressmaking and textiles many years ago, while still in England, and then went into banking, accounting and studied medical billing, before joining Rachel in this amazing venture.
Our Quality and Finishes
Both Rachel and I feel very strongly about quality of construction. When we had the retail shop, we often accepted alterations. It is not always easy to find someone who will alter a wedding dress, and so we offered our services when customers were in need of help. All the alterations were wedding dresses, or other garments, purchased from other wedding shops. We saw far too many poorly made garments. So many other wedding dresses had no finishing inside the lining, or between the layers of skirts, even when the skirts were made of satin, chiffon, taffeta or organza. At Rachel Elizabeth, we finish all seams appropriately. All the wedding gowns we make have built in bra cups, and when the back isn’t too low, we include a bra strap to enhance a better fit and distribute weight for a more comfortable dress. We also use boning in all our bodices.
When we use beaded lace, we always secure the threads holding the beads. We remove the beads that fall in the seam allowance, so the seams are not too bulky, and the inside of the lining and self waistlines are secured together, so the lining does not ride up when the dress is put on. In addition, when we have lace and or belts, that have rhinestone detailing, we make sure to seal the claws that hold the rhinestones. This is so they do not catch on other parts of the dress or belt. We try very hard to make all our dresses as if we were making each one for ourselves, and like many other designers, we can make a wedding dress to the brides exact measurements, when the shop sends us those measurements. Our sizing includes 00 up to plus sizes, and offer petite, regular and tall, and we also offer blended pricing.
Rachel and I love what we do, and it shows in the dresses we design and make.
