We had the good fortune of connecting with Melissa Lopez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melissa, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
As a woman with an entrepreneurial spirit I wanted to shine a light on the bridal industry and empower people who work with me along the way. I took every negative corporate experience I had and allowed those examples to guide me away from what I didn’t want my business model to be and in doing so I have created a pretty awesome team within a happy environment where my team feels valued.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Following a 25 year career as a SVP of HR, Bella Brides storefront was built from the ground up in 2016. What began as an online concept in the ‘90’s while perusing the quaint shops in Paris, France, has now become a brick and mortar one stop shop for gowns, veils and accessories for bridal, prom and special occasions. We love what we do and sharing in special moments with our clients!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
You can’t come to Texas without visiting the awesome State Fair of Texas, it’s a family tradition for us! Or taking in a Dallas Stars Hockey, Texas Rangers Baseball, Dallas Mavericks Basketball, or Dallas Cowboys game, Texas has it all when it comes to sports! And between Dallas and Fort Worth we have some of the best restaurants, concert venues, nightlife, and shopping in the world! But the best part of course is Texas is known for its incredible hospitality and is one of the reasons why over 175,000 brides get married here every year! And Bella Brides has gowns ready for all of those gorgeous brides!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shoutout would not be complete without recognizing my amazing parents, Albert and Mary! Sounds cheesy I know but they are truly rockstars in my book! They came from little but built a life to be super proud of and taught me everything they know about business and life along the way. My father had an impressive career managing the feeder division of UPS before retiring early at 52 and my mother built a career as an interior designer, restaurant owner, entrepreneur, and super Mom, she did it all! There has never been a time that I have ever needed a question answered, a problem solved, a shoulder to cry on, or a helping hand that these two haven’t dropped everything to help guide, love and support me or my career so I guess I was born to my two best mentors!

Website: www.bellabrides.us

Instagram: bellabridescedarhilltx

Twitter: bellabridescedarhilltx@bridestx

Facebook: bellabridescedarhilltx

Other: bellabridesinfo@gmail.com

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