Maria Medina had already scheduled at least one shopping day with family and friends while searching for the right wedding dress when she came across a social media post about La Noire Bridal in St. Paul.
Medina, then known as Richfield Mayor Maria Regan Gonzalez, was the first Latina mayor in the state and she wanted to support the first Black-owned bridal store in Minnesota. So, she canceled the prior engagement and Lorraine Love’s store was her first stop. She was not disappointed.
“It was special for so many reasons,” Medina said. “We had a mix of English and Spanish music (playing) that really was our music. We felt very welcome. We felt like we were literally in our own home. It’s a beautiful shop and she had a spread of delicious snacks and food locally sourced.”
She found a dress right away and became one of La Noire Bridal’s first customers.
Service beyond the dress
After 18 years in human services, first in helping women and children through domestic violence challenges and then helping children and young adults facing homelessness, Love decided to move into helping people prepare for happier times.
She opened her doors in 2021 in downtown St. Paul at 141 4th St. E., Suite 220. It was four months later than expected because three of the cops standing trial for George Floyd’s murder were on trial next door. But when she did finally get started, momentum built quickly as young women hired to model her dresses spread like wildfire on social media.
Within six months, she’d sold 30 dresses.
Love aims to tailor bridal events such as the one Medina experienced, so she meets customers by appointment only. She has them fill out a survey in advance so she can find the right mix of music, food and ambience. And she wants brides-to-be to take their time and enjoy the experience unrushed by anybody else in the room.
One bride was getting married in New Orleans, so Love created a Mardi Gras theme for their meeting.
“I want to get to know about you, about your wedding, your fiancé, your colors, what’s important to you,” Love said. “So, that’s when the experience starts. And then, when they come in, they get super excited. They see their name outside the door. It’s set up, catered to their style, their liking. It’s an experience.”
Business side
While Love enjoys creating these events, the company wasn’t started just for fun. She lacks a traditional business background but said she has always had an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for health and beauty, traveling as a hair and makeup artist in the wedding industry.
And while many bridal shops have been around a long time, she said few cater to the needs of women from different cultures and backgrounds. For instance, her inventory caters to people whose religious beliefs require more full coverage and to women of color with a diverse selection of colors in the lining of the dresses.
Much of her marketing comes through social media and word of mouth and, as such, many of her brides-to-be come from several hours away to sample her wares.
The average price of a dress comes in between $2,500 and $3,000 with some selling as high as $7,000. She carries dresses from seven designers and works with about 15 to stock the store.
“Minnesota is so rich and diverse in culture, and so, how are we celebrating the different cultures here? That’s one thing I looked at when I was deciding to open my bridal shop,” Love said. “They’re not your traditional ivory dresses … To be able to offer different shades of fabric and things like that really speaks to my brides.”
Not done yet
What Love lacks in business experience she has often made up for in persistence and a willingness to ask questions. She received technical assistance and financing from the Neighborhood Development Center and the African Development Center.
She’s got ambitious growth plans for the future. And she’s outgrowing her current space in downtown St. Paul and might be looking for a space with better visibility.
But she also hopes to open several stores across the country through franchising.
“When I opened this, I had tons of women all around the world reach out to me on social media saying, ‘How did you do it?’” she said. “One of the things I want to do is franchise and be able to support other women who maybe want to open, see if there are women that want to see the benefit, love the mission, the model, and want to incorporate that into their city.”
She’s got one believer in Medina, who thinks Love is skilled enough with dresses and smart enough to find help in dealing with business issues when necessary. Meanwhile, Medina has now been married just over a year. And she was thrilled with how she looked at her wedding.
“It was this feeling I hadn’t really felt before, where I just felt so amazing in my own skin in those dress,” she said. “Every dress I tried on was just stunning and it just made me feel special in a way I had never experienced.”
There was one minor hitch on her wedding day. She and her family members couldn’t figure out where one of the latches was to finish preparing in the dress. But Love saved the day there, as well. “We Facetimed her and she jumped in and told us where it was. It was really sweet,” Medina said. “It’s always inspiring to see powerful women of color chasing their dreams and just feeding and lifting each other up.”
