Terri, Krista, and Chloe May
Photos by Juliet Elizabeth Photography

At the Gown Boutique of Charleston we offer private appointments in which brides can peruse every style of dress imaginable. We stock one of the state’s largest collections of gowns that can be found in a privately owned bridal shop. Because of that, we have become a shopping destination for brides across the South. We also have a wide range of price points with gowns from approximately $1,200 to $6,000.

“We offer a very individualized, and special experience for each bride," says Terri Espy, who owns the Gown Boutique along with her daughter Krista Roach. With Terri’s talent for sewing and her background in design, along with Krista’s fashion and retail experience, opening a bridal boutique was the perfect balance of their talents. “We have been open since October 2006, and each year keeps getting better!”

Together as a mother and daughter team, we bring years of business acumen, excellent standards of service, intimate knowledge of fashion and fabrics, and a passion for weddings. We love getting to know our brides, and our relationship with each one extends beyond the gown purchase. It is important to us that each of our brides has her gown fitted properly and that she finds the perfect accessories to accent her gown. We are also here for each of our brides to provide any advice or help that we can give.

 
 
 
 
Irene Canales

Irene
Irene studied fashion design at Texas Tech University and then achieved a Bachelor in Fine Arts at the Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago, IL. Throughout her college years she worked in retail, was a tutor for the design department, and had the opportunity to design and construct her first wedding gown. This was when she first realized her passion for the bridal industry. After graduating, she moved to NYC and took on an internship at Donna Karen New York with their womenís apparel design team. She then moved on to obtain a position as a clothing designer with Ann Taylor LOFT. Then, after 6 years of living in Chicago and then New York City, Irene decided to leave the big city atmosphere behind. She had fallen in love with Charleston on a previous trip, so she decided to make the move! We are proud to have Irene as part of our team, and she is thrilled to be working in bridal again. She loves assisting brides as they shop, and with her design talents, she is excellent at helping brides express their individuality through their gown choice.
 
Lada Herrmann

Lada
Born in Russia, Lada started sewing when she was about 7 years old. Her first projects were designing and making clothes for her dolls. She took her first sewing classes starting in the 4th grade, and was then able to start making clothes for herself. Later, she went on to study design in Naberezhnye Chelny, Russia. Lada moved to the U.S. in 2001, and continued to work as a seamstress. She has designed and tailored almost every type of garment, including bridal, but began to work solely on bridal gowns in 2007. Lada is an extremely talented seamstress and designer, and we are thrilled to have her as part of our team! Brides enjoy meeting with her during fittings, and she works hard to ensure every gown is fitted perfectly.

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