‘Show off the melanin, show off the curves’ : Bridal Babes boutique centers brides of color

Ashley Young's company fills a gap in the $57bn wedding industry: We want to be an example'

Three years before launching Bridal Babes - a bridal e-commerce boutique that caters to Black and brown wedding parties - Ashley Young was just another Black bride trying to find the perfect bridesmaid dresses. My girls were of all shapes and sizes, and they wanted to show off the melanin and show off the curves," Young, the company's CEO and co-founder, recalls. We needed sexy, form-fitting dresses in bold, bright colors."

But traditional bridal shops fell short. Young took her search off of the beaten path, eventually finding a strappy, figure-hugging design in a sumptuous coral shade that worked with each of her bridesmaids' complexions. Young realized then that there was a gap to be filled in the $57bn US wedding industry and, in 2019, Bridal Babes was born.