Wedding Belles

Patty Sanders runs Wedding Belles as a family business in Stevensville, and the shop has been part of Berrien County's formal season since the fall of 1982. It opened as an independent bridal boutique for the growing southwest corner of the state, then widened its focus to pageant, prom and party dresses. The welcome page sums up the range as everything from Miss Michigan pageants to picture-perfect weddings, and it places the store in Stevensville, "the heart of Blossomtime Festival," serving southwest Michigan and shoppers who come up from the Chicago area.

The building is on Red Arrow Highway within half a mile of I-94, inside the Lakeshore Public Schools area, so Lakeshore High is the home school, while St. Joseph and Benton Harbor, each with its own high school, are the next towns up the shore. Red Arrow and I-94 connect the shop to Bridgman and Coloma, with Berrien Springs, Niles and Buchanan farther inland.

The prom racks change every season

Wedding Belles hand picks its prom inventory each year rather than reordering the same styles. Depending on the season, the designer mix may include Blush Prom, Mori Lee, Party Time and Kiss Kiss. Short cocktail sheaths, full ball gowns and everything between share the floor, and sizes run from zero through plus sizes. Hundreds of new prom gowns arrive as early as January and February, and the shop's own advice is that the earlier you come in, the better the selection.

The same racks serve homecoming, sweet sixteen parties and other formal events, and the store's junior formalwear focus spills into quinceañera gowns too, with attendant and family dresses for larger parties. Pageant is a long-running specialty: the staff follow the evening wear guidelines for the local preliminaries that feed into the Blossomtime Pageant, which change from community to community and year to year.

The owner describes the approach as "Country Charm, City Style," and the FAQ spells out what an independent boutique offers in practice: personal attention from the first try-on, customized on-site alterations and a seasoned staff that knows bridal, pageant and prom equally well. Appointments generally last up to an hour. Bringing screenshots or magazine pictures of styles you like helps the consultant read your taste before the first dress comes off the rack.

Loyalty runs long here. One customer's testimonial on the store's site explains that she bought every pageant and prom dress she ever wore at Wedding Belles, then came back to Patty for her wedding gown and her bridesmaids.

The detail that sets the prom side apart is that the sewing never leaves the building.

Alterations, fittings and pickup

Every alteration is done in the shop by the store's own experienced tailor. The alterations page explains what happens to a gown once it has been bought.

Once a dress has been ordered, it doesn't leave our shop until it has been tailored, cleaned, pressed and presented to its owner in a ready-to-wear state.

For a prom shopper, the sequence usually runs in five steps.

1. Booking

   Request a non-bridal appointment, the category the store uses for pageant, prom and party dresses

2. Try-on

   A consultant flags any style that will not tailor well before you commit to it

3. Purchase

   Pay in full or set up a flexible payment plan on an in-stock dress; special orders need 50% down

4. In advance

   Schedule the separate alteration appointment, as the store requests

5. Pickup

   The gown comes back tailored, cleaned and pressed

Alteration charges are quoted at purchase and billed separately. The tailor also takes gowns bought elsewhere, which helps a student who found a dress online and needs it fitted locally. Because completion times depend on the dress and the work involved, the store recommends getting fitted as far ahead of the dance as possible.

All sales are final at Wedding Belles, including layaways and special orders, so the fitting room is where the decision gets made. Cash, personal checks, Visa, Mastercard and Discover are accepted.

Finishing touches and tuxedos

The accessory side covers shoes, jewelry, veils and headpieces, plus shoe and handbag dyeing to match a gown's color.

Bridal remains a major part of the business, as the name suggests, with bridesmaid and mothers' dresses alongside the gowns.

Wedding Belles in Stevensville, briefly

Can Wedding Belles alter a prom dress bought somewhere else?

Yes. The in-house tailor accepts outside garments, with fees and estimates given by the store.

Is the Stevensville shop appointment only?

The home page says so, and the booking form has a separate track for pageant, prom and party shoppers. Private appointments can also be arranged with a consultant.