The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Boutique re-making wedding dresses
Lissa Krueger “has a vision” for the old-to-new transformations
On a sunny summer morning, Shannon Evans walked through the door of Creations Unlimited Boutique in downtown Willoughby.
Evans, a 23-year-old resident of Newbury Township, was greeted warmly by the boutique’s owner, Lissa Marie Krueger.
The two women are collaborating on a project near and dear to both of their hearts — the transformation of the wedding dress worn 28 years ago by Evans’ mother, Chris, into the dress Shannon will wear on Sept. 2 when she and fiance Joshua Rentz exchange vows at St. Helen Catholic Church in Newbury Township.
“Getting the dress right for me is the biggest part of this whole process,” Evans said. “Every girl who gets married dreams of having the ideal wedding dress. You want to look perfect.”
Krueger, a Mentor resident, has made it her life’s work to transform vintage and heirloom wedding dresses into thoroughly modern, fashion-first wedding dresses for today’s brides.
“People come here because they want unique. All these designs are my own creations,” Krueger said, pointing to dozens of dresses displayed in the storefront at 4079 Erie St.
Evans arrived precisely on time for the second of four fittings included in the price of the dress.
The circumstances that brought her to Creations Unlimited Boutique are fairly typical for the hundreds of brides-to-be who have engaged Krueger’s services since she opened the shop four years ago after 18 years of working out of her house.
First came the emotional roller coaster of Evans finding a wedding dress she loved at an upscale department store, only to be shaken by the asking price of $2,000.
Evans and her mother had heard of Krueger’s shop. They came in armed with high hopes and a photo of Evans taken while she was trying on the pricey dress.
“The minute I saw the picture, I knew that design was right for Shannon’s body type,” Krueger said.
Next came the process of choosing the vintage dress from which the new dress would be made and settling on a price for the transformation.
That discussion quickly yielded the idea of having Krueger consider Chris Evans’ wedding dress as the template for Shannon‘s wedding dress.
Krueger loved the dress and welcomed the challenge or re-imagining it in a way that would please mother and daughter without breaking the bank.
For $650 rather than $2,000, Shannon Evens would get the wedding dress of her dreams.
“My mom is more than pleased and I’m proud to wear the dress she wore,” Evans said, smiling.
“I do it at this price because I know Shannon is on a budget and because I like working with families,” Krueger said. “The bridal business can be such a ripoff.”
At the second fitting, the dress still was a work in progress. The 5-foot-8 bride-to-be was wearing the dress and standing in front of a multi-panel mirror. Krueger stood next to Evans, working on the lacecovered bodice and, then, on the belt that will be the demarcation between the bodice and the pleated, Aline full skirt.
“We’ll use every piece of fabric from the old dress to make something for the new dress,” Krueger said.
Also presented for Evans’ inspection and approval was Krueger’s re-working of the original veil.
“You have to have a vision. Without the vision, the dress doesn’t happen,” Krueger said.
Krueger said the goal of this re-design is to produce a dress Evans can wear from the moment she slips into it on the morning of her wedding until the final guest departs the reception to be held at the family home.
“This dress is so functional, Shannon could sleep in it,” Krueger said.
Mentor resident Lizzie Visger, a longtime friend and former classmate of Evans at Notre Dame Cathedral Latin High School, arrived at the boutique early in the fitting. The two shared thoughts about the dress and offered words of support during breaks in the fitting.
“My goal is to not get to stressed out and enjoy this,” Evans said.
Krueger offered plenty of support and reassurance, too.
“These young women start out as customers and become my friends,” Krueger said.
Krueger said wedding dresses account for “about 95 percent” of the shop’s business.
She chuckled when asked if any of the experiences she’s had with brides-tobe, their mothers and other family members are like those depicted on “Say Yes to the Dress,” “Bridezillas” and similar TV series.
“I have no bridezillas,” Krueger said. “You get to be a student of human behavior in this business. You learn how to read people. Sure, there can be stress involved, but if everybody is happy and smiling when they walk out that door, I’ve done my job.”
There’s another project in the works at Creations Unlimited Boutique in which Krueger has considerable investments of time and emotion. It’s the dress she’ll wear when she and fiance Eric Kvarda get married on Sept. 30.