INDIANAPOLIS — A mother-daughter duo in the Indy bridal industry celebrate the success of more than a decade of business by opening a new location and giving opportunities to people in the community.
Young Colling worked for many years in the bridal industry for a national retail chain.
When her daughter, Anne-Marie Colling, graduated from college, the pair got together to create their own business of what they think a bridal store could offer customers in the Indy area.
"We started, my mom and I, because we wanted to create this space, a special moment for our brides and our families to find their wedding dresses," said Anne-Marie. "And it's just crazy how fast time has flown, now we are at 11 years and thousands and thousands of brides later."
Thousands of connections, special moments, brides saying yes to that special dress and then returning with other family members and friends to prepare for their big days, the Collings have long been a part of that story here at their store near the Keystone Fashion Mall.
Marie Gabriel is the business that brought together designer gowns and a personal touch and now the pair is working to elevate that experience and take it to a whole new level, literally.
"Literally levels, ya," said Anne-Marie in their brand new space off 86th Street in Castleton. "There's not only multiple floors but the space is way bigger."
The Collings recently moved into their own freestanding building by the Castleton Square Mall, at the old Bravo's site.
That building was torn down to make room for this new, multi-level bridal store, Marie Gabriel Bridal, tailoring the shopping experience to brides and their wedding party.
On the ground level, two new concepts take center stage, including Marie Gabriel Boho for the unstructured, non-traditional bride featuring lacy textures, pops of colors and flowing sheer sleeves.
Marie Gabriel Social will also open on this level to bridesmaids and mother-of-the-bride or mother-of-the-groom gowns.
Up the stairs in the open-concept space brides-to-be will find their traditional, Marie Gabriel Couture gowns that feature many popular designers and have helped their business standout at its former location.
There are also a variety of fitting areas for that big moment with family and friends to reveal the dresses. The building is wrapped in large open windows to let in tons of natural light. There are also more secluded areas inside the space for brides who want more privacy.
On the third floor, the Lux to Go selection offers brides discounts on popular gowns, off the rack and ready to go home same day. They find this is a great option for brides with a short engagement window or those looking to elope.
But the main part of the third floor holds their new, in-house alterations department, assisting brides with their gowns from start to finish.
This is the space where Anne Marie and her mom hope to give back to their community through career training.
"One thing that we are really excited about is in our alterations studio we are going to be starting something of an apprenticeship," said Anne-Marie. The name of the alterations apprenticeship is yet to be announced, but they plan to train people for the skills they need to do alterations, or tailoring, as a career.
With technology and new careers, many traditional careers are evolving or disappearing. The same can be said for sewing, but Anne-Marie says it is a skilled trade that still has to be done by hand and is very much in demand.
"It's starting to disappear slowly and its just an amazing business for them to be able to have a skill to have as well," said Anne-Marie, "It's a craft that can be used in many different industries but definitely needed for bridal."
Marie Gabriel Bridal is still completing some parts of the build out, but the majority of it is complete and brides are able to book appointments now.
They are open everyday but Tuesdays, and you can learn more at https://www.mariegabrielbridal.com/
