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.”
