SHOPPING

Vows Bridal

Longtime friends open shop for brides-to-be

“We want to make it all about you. We

cater to you while you’re here. I hope they feel like the only ones in the room.” Kelsey Beassie

Story and Photos By Gracie Byrne

Vows Bridal, the brainchild of two longtime friends, has opened and is ready to serve Brookhaven, providing a personalized experience any bride is sure to love.

For many girls, their wedding day is the stuff dreams are made of. You grow up envisioning every detail, from the jawdropping venue to the flowers you’ll carry in your bouquet. While the details are important, nothing beats the dress.

Saying yes to the dress is such an important time for a bride-tobe, because it’s been a dream for so long.

Kelsey Beassie and Joy Stingley have opened Vows Bridal, located at 128 South Whitworth Avenue in Brookhaven.

Top: Vows Bridal carries sizes 2-22 in a variety of brands. Opposite left: Beassie pulls dresses from the rack. Opposite right: Vows also carries accessories to make any dress pop.

Having the perfect dress is often the top priority.

For Kelsey Beassie and Joy Stingley, it’s their priority too, not just the bride-to-be. Longtime friends, the two opened Vows Bridal in April. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the shop was shut down due to its nonessential status.

Vows opened its doors again in July and has been serving customers by appointment since then.

As for opening a bridal shop, it was Stingley’s idea.

“Brookhaven is such an amazing town,” Stingley said. “With Imaginations being closed, we wanted to bring something similar but still different. You don’t want something just like what was here before. Both of us remember getting married, and finding your dress is one of the most special times. We wanted to bring a shop back to Brookhaven.”

The pair has been friends since they were 14, with Stingley’s mom working as Beassie’s vocal coach.

“We love working together,” Stingley said.

Beassie and Stingley both carry years of experience in specialty retail. Beassie’s experience comes from working at Susan’s Shoppe in high school.

“I’m used to the dress aspect of it,” Beassie said. “Different ball game though.”

Stingley has served as a district manager for several companies. She also worked at a bridal shop in Jackson.

“I worked in retail heavily,” Stingley said. “I love specialty retail — it’s so different than everyday retail.”

For the two of them, opening Vows was a dream come true.

“It’s been so much, it’s like our dreams have come to fruition,” Stingley said. “It’s been such a joyful time, even with the setbacks we’ve had.”

Despite having to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vows has been able to keep up. Just because there’s a pandemic doesn’t mean brides-to-be don’t need dresses.

“We’ve had a great turnout,” Stingley said. “We love our brides, and we make sure every bride feels special.”

Vows Bridal operates by appointment only, so that their

From left, co-owner Kelsey Beassie, consultants Sherri Mathis and Carly Fleming, and co-owner Joy Stingley.

team can provide a personalized experience for customers.

The bridal shop carries sample dresses in sizes 0-22, but they can go to size 30. If a customer finds their dream dress, it can be ordered in their selected size and color.

Customers can find dresses, veils and belts. The shop will soon have earrings and shoes as well. The shop even carries engagement dresses and pantsuits.

Vows carries well known brands such as Allure Bridal, Morilee and Rebecca Ingram, but there are also brands exclusive to the shop.

Every business has a name, and Beassie was the one to choose the name “Vows.” The pair was brainstorming to find a name and she suggested “Vows,” since it’s wedding related and vows are said on the wedding day.

“I was just popping off names and I said Vows,” Beassie said.

Beassie and Stingley both remember their wedding days and hope their customers feel the way they did. This is why they strive to offer a personalized experience.

For Beassie, she remembers getting dressed and getting her hair and makeup done before finally stepping into her dress. The preparation process stuck out to her the most.

“That’s when it became real that I was getting married,” Beassie said. “That’s the main thing I remember.”

For Stingley, it was her dramatic dress. It wasn’t exactly what she envisioned herself in as a child, but it was perfect to her.

“It was very important to me, because you hope you’ll only get married once,” Stingley said. “I had thought about my dress since I was a little girl. The most fun part to me was trying on dresses and having my mom, grandmother and aunt being there for everything.”

The pair hopes brides-to-be come in and feel special after their experience. “We want to make it all about you. We cater to you while you’re here,” Beassie said. “I hope they feel like the only ones in the room.”