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A new bridal boutique plans to open at the end of June, just in time to help brides who can now move forward with wedding plans.

Virginia’s Daughter, located at 1301 Bridgeport Way, is preparing for its grand opening on June 21.

Alison Alderman has always had a passion for being a personal stylist. She received a degree in fashion merchandising from Old Dominion University in hopes of moving to New York or Los Angeles to work with a celebrity. After marrying her husband, who is in the U.S. Navy, she knew she had to find a new outlet for her creativity.

“I worked as a stylist at a small bridal shop, and it filled that need,” said Alderman. “Working there, I realized I wanted to open my own bridal store.”

With the help of her mother-in-law, Denise Janowiak, who has experience helping businesses start up, Alderman prepared to open Virginia’s Daughter. Alderman is also coming into this business with store management experience from Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister.

The name Virginia’s Daughter has a clever double meaning. Alderman’s mother’s name is Virginia, and since the location is in Virginia, the boutique is Virginia’s daughter serving Virginia’s daughters.

“Working at the bridal shop, I just loved being a part of that happy moment,” said Alderman. “Working with the brides was the best part, and I can’t wait to keep doing that.”

The original hope was for the business to open in January of 2020. A blessing in disguise happened, as the plan fell through just in time for a pandemic that stopped weddings and closed many small, family-owned businesses.

Alderman is partnering with four designers she handpicked that have numerous lines to provide a wide variety. The designers include Moonlight, Morilee, Rebecca Ingram and Watters. The store will hold around 100 unique dresses for brides to try on and then order one in the correct size and style.

In its intimate setting, Virginia’s Daughter plans to be a one-stop-shop for brides to be. Along with dresses, the store will have shoes, veils, jewelry, lingerie, gift baskets and preservation services. They hope to partner with someone who does alterations who can come to the store to do the measurements but has a shop to take the dress back to fix.

“We want to provide everything for the bride from head to toe,” said Janowiak.

Virginia’s Daughter is now accepting appointments and already has five scheduled, including one on opening day. When booking, brides can look through the designers’ lookbooks of dresses and can let the shop know which ones they are interested in to have ready for the appointment. If one is not in the boutique’s inventory, it can still be ordered.

The first 50 brides will get 10% off their gown and be entered into a bridal basket raffle. To learn more or book an appointment, visit vadaughter.com.