MONROE - Satin and lace will be gracing the Square by the end of April at Julie's Bridal Gallery.
Julie Ula, with the help of her mother, JoAnn Novak, is busy setting up shop at 1019 16th Ave. for the grand opening April 26. The shop is filling up with deliveries of white, ivory and champagne wedding gowns and a rainbow of bridesmaid dresses.
"A lot of people have asked when I'm going to open," Ula said. She already has sold a bridal gown and have people in line for alterations on dresses they have bought elsewhere. One groom is waiting for his tuxedo fitting.
Opening boxes of new dresses has been a fun part of starting the business for Ula and Novak.
"It's so much fun to open the boxes and see them and display them," Ula said.
"We get so excited," Novak said.
On display already is a beaded, white corsette-bodice pick-up dress. Pick-up dresses have an overlay of lace bunched up in small areas and held in place with embroidery.
"Pick-up dresses are becoming very popular," Ula said. "The lace becomes very heavy with assorted beads."
Ula chooses veils to match the gowns on display, and paired a short, beaded-edge, double-layer blusher veil to go with this pick-up dress. Blusher veils cover the bride's face.
"Veils can be elbow-length to cathedral floor-length," she said. "But with this dress, the train has the bunched-up lace, also, and you don't want that covered up."
Another white pick-up dress, which has just arrived, is made of satin. The pickups in it make the Cinderella skirt fuller and "poofy," and is much heavier than the lacy style.
Another popular style of wedding dress is the destination dresses. Destination dresses are made of lightweight fabrics in simple designs with little or no embroidery or beads. They travel easily and are intended for weddings in locations that are warm, like an exotic beach-theme wedding, or even Wisconsin in July.
"Every bride has in their own mind which season they want," Ula said.
Ula's top-brand wedding dresses include Jordan Fashions, Sottero and Midgley, Eden Bridals, Casa Blanca, Dimetrios, and Da Vinci. Julie's Bridal Gallery also will carry dresses for the mother of the bride, flower girls, junior brides maids, as well as tuxedos and prom dresses. To accessorize the wedding attire, jewelry, tiaras, purses and gloves are available, as are guest books and unity candles.
Ula recommends shopping for the dress eight months to a year in advance of the wedding.
"I use the dress as my focal point. When you find your dress, everything falls into place," Ula said.
Ula has contracted with experienced seamstress Donna Dalsoren of the Browntown area to do alterations.
"When a girl comes in, she gets three fittings. The seamstress comes in and fits the bride, and then, the second fitting is to make sure everything is to her liking. The third fitting will make sure everything fits perfect before the wedding," Ula said. Alterations for bridesmaids, mother of the bride and tuxedos also are available.
Ula said she has been interested in bridal stores since "being a bride myself."
"I loved going to bridal stores," she said.
But the experience also gave her an understanding of what is missing in wedding dress shopping, and what she wanted for her own business.
"When my daughter was shopping, we found out what bridal stores were like," said Novak, who will work full-time at the shop.
"When I went shopping for my dress, we didn't get greeted or waited on," Ula said. "I'm a firm believer in customer service. Mom and I want this to be a family atmosphere, where you feel welcome and comfortable."
And to accommodate busy brides' schedules, Ula plans to be open from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. on weekdays, and on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
After majoring in general management at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and taking a course in entrepreneurship, Ula went to work for Walgreens in Madison and Beloit, where she rose to executive assistant manager. But with the long hours, travel time and her first baby expected in September, Ula said she was ready to "come back to Monroe" and to think about starting her own business.
"I always knew one day I would want to start my own business," Ula said.
Her husband Joel and her parents told her to "go for it."
"Dad (Tom Novak) is a businessman himself and wants to see me succeed," she said with a little blush.
Julie Ula, with the help of her mother, JoAnn Novak, is busy setting up shop at 1019 16th Ave. for the grand opening April 26. The shop is filling up with deliveries of white, ivory and champagne wedding gowns and a rainbow of bridesmaid dresses.
"A lot of people have asked when I'm going to open," Ula said. She already has sold a bridal gown and have people in line for alterations on dresses they have bought elsewhere. One groom is waiting for his tuxedo fitting.
Opening boxes of new dresses has been a fun part of starting the business for Ula and Novak.
"It's so much fun to open the boxes and see them and display them," Ula said.
"We get so excited," Novak said.
On display already is a beaded, white corsette-bodice pick-up dress. Pick-up dresses have an overlay of lace bunched up in small areas and held in place with embroidery.
"Pick-up dresses are becoming very popular," Ula said. "The lace becomes very heavy with assorted beads."
Ula chooses veils to match the gowns on display, and paired a short, beaded-edge, double-layer blusher veil to go with this pick-up dress. Blusher veils cover the bride's face.
"Veils can be elbow-length to cathedral floor-length," she said. "But with this dress, the train has the bunched-up lace, also, and you don't want that covered up."
Another white pick-up dress, which has just arrived, is made of satin. The pickups in it make the Cinderella skirt fuller and "poofy," and is much heavier than the lacy style.
Another popular style of wedding dress is the destination dresses. Destination dresses are made of lightweight fabrics in simple designs with little or no embroidery or beads. They travel easily and are intended for weddings in locations that are warm, like an exotic beach-theme wedding, or even Wisconsin in July.
"Every bride has in their own mind which season they want," Ula said.
Ula's top-brand wedding dresses include Jordan Fashions, Sottero and Midgley, Eden Bridals, Casa Blanca, Dimetrios, and Da Vinci. Julie's Bridal Gallery also will carry dresses for the mother of the bride, flower girls, junior brides maids, as well as tuxedos and prom dresses. To accessorize the wedding attire, jewelry, tiaras, purses and gloves are available, as are guest books and unity candles.
Ula recommends shopping for the dress eight months to a year in advance of the wedding.
"I use the dress as my focal point. When you find your dress, everything falls into place," Ula said.
Ula has contracted with experienced seamstress Donna Dalsoren of the Browntown area to do alterations.
"When a girl comes in, she gets three fittings. The seamstress comes in and fits the bride, and then, the second fitting is to make sure everything is to her liking. The third fitting will make sure everything fits perfect before the wedding," Ula said. Alterations for bridesmaids, mother of the bride and tuxedos also are available.
Ula said she has been interested in bridal stores since "being a bride myself."
"I loved going to bridal stores," she said.
But the experience also gave her an understanding of what is missing in wedding dress shopping, and what she wanted for her own business.
"When my daughter was shopping, we found out what bridal stores were like," said Novak, who will work full-time at the shop.
"When I went shopping for my dress, we didn't get greeted or waited on," Ula said. "I'm a firm believer in customer service. Mom and I want this to be a family atmosphere, where you feel welcome and comfortable."
And to accommodate busy brides' schedules, Ula plans to be open from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. on weekdays, and on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
After majoring in general management at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and taking a course in entrepreneurship, Ula went to work for Walgreens in Madison and Beloit, where she rose to executive assistant manager. But with the long hours, travel time and her first baby expected in September, Ula said she was ready to "come back to Monroe" and to think about starting her own business.
"I always knew one day I would want to start my own business," Ula said.
Her husband Joel and her parents told her to "go for it."
"Dad (Tom Novak) is a businessman himself and wants to see me succeed," she said with a little blush.