As you walk down our quaint downtown street, we might look like just a pretty store with gorgeous dresses in the windowbut Ellens Bridal is so much more. Join us as we celebrate our 10 year anniversary and share a little bit about our store, our family, and how Ellens Bridal became what it is today.

Its All in the Name

Many people ask us where we got the name Ellens, and even more assume that it is our owners name (Lisa; p.s., if you have ever called her Ellen, do not worry!! She takes it as a compliment and loves it).

The name Ellens actually came from Lisas great aunt, Martha Ellen (pictured below). Lisa was named after her great aunt (Lisa Ellen), and she then carried on the tradition and named me (Ciara Ellen) after the family name.

Martha Ellen was a classy lady. She spent her free time crocheting and became quite good at it. She made beautiful tablecloths for any bride in the family, and she crocheted blankets for new babies in the family.

Martha Ellen passed away on 7/22/2012the same year that Ellens Bridal was establish. We are grateful to honor her legacy through Ellens Bridal, and we are glad that she got to know Ellens Bridal existed prior to her passing.

A Big Dream

From modeling in college to creating outfits for me as a little girl, my mom (Lisa; Owner of Ellens) has always had an eye for fashion. She and I would model clothing that she made at the Wabash County 4-h fair and the Indiana State Fair. Some of my fondest childhood memories are from hot August days spent at the fair with my mom. Ill never forget how proud she looked as I would strut down the runway in what she had made for me that year. We did this for 18+ years, and I will cherish every memory.

After we retired from the local and state fairs, my mom needed something fashion-related in her life. She started looking at downtown buildings and dreaming about opening a bridal store. In late January 2012, Ellens was established.

Ellens Bridal & Dress Boutique is Born

The first Ellens, located at 36 W. Canal Street, was actually a consignment store for prom gowns and wedding dresses. By starting as a consignment store, Ellens was able to test the market to see if there was a true need for a bridal and prom store in our quaint town of Wabash. We quickly learned the community was so excited to have a prom and bridal store; we sure felt the support! The Ellens dream grew and started carrying both new prom and bridal gowns as well as consignment gowns.

The Big Move

We always wanted Ellens to have a small boutique feel while providing affordable gowns to brides in our area. When the current Ellens location (45 W. Market St.) became available, we knew we needed to move there. Ellens changed locations in 2018. With this move, we also decided to no longer carry prom gowns or any consignment gowns (meaning we now only carry new wedding and bridesmaid gowns). These changes were hard, but we knew that we needed to focus on bridal and focus on doing it well.

Ellens Bridal Today

Although it feels like we change little things here and there to keep up with the trends, the values of Ellens havent changed since we first opened in 2012. Family is at the core of everything we do, and it is certainly WHY we do what we do. Read our mission statement below which captures the core values of Ellens Bridal and Dress Boutique.

Our mission is to deliver an elegant and exquisite experience by building intentional, family like relationships with every client we meet. At Ellens we believe every bride makes the dress come to life. Experience the warmth of Ellens as you walk through the door and meet your individual stylist that will help you find your dream gown. As a mother-daughter bridal boutique, that family-feel is carried out in everything we do. We treat each bride as if they were our daughter & we want you to choose Ellens not JUST because we believe its the perfect dress, but because we CANNOT imagine anyone else taking the same care & attention. By helping our brides navigate through our distinguished style dresses, we find the perfect gown to match your personality. Our sincere hope is that each bride feels like family before she leaves Ellens.

Thank you!

We sincerely thank every single person that has made Ellens Bridal what it is today. Every from our employees and customers to those that support us so much on social media, we thank you!!!! We cant wait to see what the next 10 years bring!

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