Mother and daughter, Debbie and Shiri Webber, are any bride’s ideal team.
This dynamic dressmaking duo runs their business, Brides etc., from Debbie’s home in Despatch. And visiting them is an experience in itself.
Their motto is: If you can dream it, we can make it! And create it, they can indeed. Brides-to-be are given an initial 50-minute personalised appointment with Debbie and Shiri during which they give every bride their undivided attention.
“The main goal of our business is to create a comfortable, relaxed and fun experience. People should feel at home while, simultaneously, receiving great service.”
The beautifully presented entrance and gorgeous fitting room, filled with a range of wedding dresses, act as a creative, safe and enchanted space. Here clients can describe the dress of their dreams for their special day, get expert advice and guidance and try on a range of styles until they find exactly what they want. During these consultations, the magic happens.
“It is wonderful bonding with and getting to know our clients. A wedding day is, after all, one of the most important days in most people’s lives. The secret lies in listening to the unspoken words of the bride, reading between the lines and pinpointing what exactly that person’s dream is. It’s more than a business. Giving our clients their heart’s desire is our aim.”
Debbie and Shiri are utterly engaging and easy to talk to. During my visit, it becomes clear that their partnership is stitched together by exceptional skill and knowledge, dedication and a whole lot of heart.
It is easy to see the ability they have to naturally connect with their clients.
“My passion essentially is people,” Debbie tells me.
Debbie studied Clothing Design for three years, whereafter she earned a Teaching Diploma and a Certificate in Corsetry. Her career greatly contributed to her business acumen, customer experience, as well as her ability to help individuals to reach their full potential.
“In 1990 I worked at a design studio in Bloemfontein. In that year we made the dresses for the twelve Miss South Africa finalists. I was a floor manager and designer in a factory creating evening wear, taught design for a few years and worked in corporate for the Foschini group for 15 years. But now I can fulfil my passion.”
“When I was little, I wanted to be both a designer as well as a lay minister like my grandmother!” Shiri tells me. “After high school, I worked in retail for a year. When my mum became really busy with Brides etc., she asked me to join. I tried it out and fell in love with the job. It turned out that I had a natural passion and talent for designing after all!”
Debbie loves uplifting people, seeing them become better than they thought they could ever be and being part of their transformation. She would love to run evening classes in the future and empower women through teaching.
These ladies not only design and make wedding dresses but have in stock a variety of wedding dresses to hire too, always keeping in mind sustainability. Characteristic of the personal approach that runs like a golden thread throughout their business, they uniquely named every dress for hire after the first bride who wore it.
They also make a limited amount of bridesmaid dresses a year, excluding what Shiri has named the affordable “wrap dress” – based on the “infinity dress” – because of the myriad number of styles in which the single dress can be worn. Every year these ladies make six matric dresses, keeping the cost as low as possible.
“We pride ourselves on the ability to ensure that every bride looks her absolute best on her wedding day and can afford it. We also offer payment plans by giving a bride the opportunity to spread the cost of a dress over time.”
Continuously shopping around for best prices and quality, Debbie and Shiri sometimes order fabrics from other places, but they support local as much as possible. Nothing escapes their eye for detail and they prefer to check the finer details, like beadwork, in person.
“Our biggest goal is to grow our space. But we do not need catwalk fame. We want to be a household name.”
Shiri’s name, meaning Song of my Soul, underpins the special bond between mother and daughter. Together, they ensure that the song of every bride’s soul becomes a reality.
For more info, see their Facebook page: Brides etc: Wedding dresses.
