Young entrepreneur looking to cement her place in wedding industry

Successful businesses understand that finding a gap in the market is key. And for 26-year-old Melissa Boodram of BE U Fashion, that gap was in the wedding industry. Today, this small business is making a name for itself by providing affordable, quality, and beautiful wedding dresses for brides and bridal parties. Also available are stylish accessories such as chains, earrings, shoes, and tiaras.
Boodram confessed that she aims to give brides their dream wedding at an affordable cost. Whilst growing up, she was always fascinated by weddings and was even involved in planning weddings for several of her relatives.

According to her, “In those days, finding the perfect dress came at a high price…one which people could hardly afford so they had to rent gowns. So, it was always my dream when I grew up to allow brides to own their own dresses. That same rent money now goes into owning their own dress which they can pass down to their children as an heirloom.”

Due to the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, Boodram’s operations are strictly online. She is, however, hoping in the near future to open a physical store where dresses would be placed on rolling dress carts and closet rods. There will also be the addition of couches and chairs for relatives and friends of the bride to sit while she tries on dresses, among other amenities.
Like with starting-up any business, she has had her fair share of challenges which she worked hard to overcome. Giving a little insight into them, the young woman explained that the logistics aspect of the business has proven a bit difficult. She said, “To make a dress and have it shipped to Guyana takes about a month but sometimes there are details and details would cause brides to cancel the order resulting in me ending up with that dress.”

Another challenge, she highlighted, was the cancellation of weddings due to the COVID-19 pandemic and this also caused her to have a lot of dresses in stock. It is very simple to order your dream dress from BE U Fashion. If someone is getting married, they can visit the company’s Facebook page at BE U Fashion and select their desired style of dress.
Persons have the option of going to a tailor or Boodram to have their measurements taken. Once this is done, a 50 per cent deposit is required to process the order. When it comes to expanding her business, Boodram is exploring various options. For instance, she is looking to bring onboard wedding vendors such as photographers, wedding planners, and florists.
She also intends to promote her business at bridal shows and other exhibitions. In closing, Boodram was happy to leave advice to budding entrepreneurs. She said that one must follow their dreams and take risks. She added, “Remaining in your comfort zone is safe but if you do not step out and take chances you can never fulfil your dreams.”
“I always tell young people like myself…. everyone has a purpose in life so the least you can do is get up and find your purpose. If you stumble at first, that is alright, all of us fell when we first tried to walk but we got up and walked again until we mastered it. So, do the same!”