Interview: Keasha Rigsby Opens Flagship Store, Beautiful Bridal with Keasha Rigsby in Detroit

You know her from her work on TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress and TV One’s Keasha’s Perfect Dress. This month, bridal consultant, Keasha Rigsby opened her very first US flagship store, Beautiful Bridal with Keasha Rigsby in downtown Detroit.

Located in a converted 20th century mansion with over 8,500 square feet full of contemporary, sophisticated gowns and the most elegant fitting room (with a hand carved fire place), Beautiful Bridal with Keasha Rigsby is the first in this city to provide an upscale bridal shopping experience that any bride-to-be will never forget.

Beautiful Bridal with Keasha Rigsby is reviving Detroit with the city’s only bridal boutique, making this Detroit’s premiere location for a luxurious bridal service. Brides-to-be in the Detroit area now have a beautiful place to go for an appointment-only one-on-one consultation with Rigsby and a showcase of a curated collection of designer gowns and bridal wear. Recently, Rigsby took the time out to talk about her bridal boutique, Say Yes to the Dress, and more.

MunaLuchi Bride: Congratulations on launching Beautiful Bridal with Keasha Rigsby! Tell us about the journey to opening your first bridal boutique and what led to the decision of opening the boutique in Detroit.

Keasha Rigsby: Thank you! It was a long journey – three years in the making. It was always my dream to one day own my own bridal boutique. I knew I was ready to leave Kleinfeld when I had the opportunity to star in my own TV show, Keasha’s Perfect Dress. I had been at Kleinfeld for almost a decade and I was ready to explore what new opportunities lay ahead. I’m proud of the show — it was beautifully produced and it led me to opening my own boutique in Detroit. The Lord has a way of opening doors as it’s through the show that I met Vallery Hyduk who is my business partner with Beautiful Bridal With Keasha Rigsby here in Detroit. Vallery was the Supervising Producer of Keasha’s Perfect Dress and she co-owned the production company. I told her about my dream of owning my own bridal boutique and asked her is she wanted to become partners in it. Fast forward 3 years and we’re open!

MunaLuchi Bride: With a curated collection of gowns, what are key elements to the wedding gowns in your boutique that make you want to add them to your floor?

Keasha Rigsby: I keep current on the trends and I also know what the beautiful timeless styles are. The trend right now is showing a lot of skin. That’s not going to be for everyone nor will it look good on everyone so I’m not just a trend follower. I look to have a balance of both in my collection. The important thing for me is that I won’t buy a dress from a designer unless I have seen it with my own eyes and felt it with my own hands — quality is paramount. When I’m out at market, I’m also looking to make sure that I have gowns for each different shaped bride. Not very many of us are runway models, so not every gown you see in a magazine is going to look good on you. There are certain styles that flatter certain body types and I want to make sure I have the best of all those cuts so I can dress each and every one of my brides to look her absolute best.

MunaLuchi Bride: What are some underrated elements to dresses for brides-to-be?

Keasha Rigsby: Let’s talk undergarments. I’m surprised at how many brides tell me they’re planning on going nude under their dress. I want to talk structure. To look your best, utilize undergarments to help build your foundation. Suck it in and and push ’em up girlfriend! I want the girls at attention!

MunaLuchi Bride: Having spent almost ten years at Manhattan’s prestigious Kleinfeld boutique and becoming one of the highest grossing Bridal Consultants on staff, can you tell us some of the greatest lessons you learned while there?

Keasha Rigsby: The greatest lesson I learned is to listen. A lot of people in sales do a lot of talking. I do a lot of listening. The brides can come in feeling pretty overwhelmed and they have a lot of emotional pushing and pulling going on with their mother, mother-in-law, and bridesmaids in tow. Everyone is expressing their opinions and I just try to listen ever so carefully to the words and cues my bride is giving me so I can focus on what she wants. My personal mantra is “It’s All About The Bride!”

MunaLuchi Bride: What’s been your most rewarding experience with a bride-to-be during a one-on-one consultation?

Keasha Rigsby: I had a bride once who was a 911 survivor. She had been engaged before the attack and her fiance waited for her through the 32 major surgeries that she had to endure. She was so grateful to be alive and full of joy to be getting married. She was handicapped and I had to lift her up myself to try the dresses on her. It both broke my heart and filled it with joy and inspiration. She touched my heart in ways I didn’t know it could be touched.

MunaLuchi Bride: In comparing brides before and after watching Say Yes To The Dress, how would you say the show has helped brides hone in on their vision for their bridal look?

Keasha Rigsby: Shows like Say Yes To The Dress are entertaining and fun for the audience and it’s a fun experience to be on the show. For a bride who is shopping, watching shows gives them lots of options, but there’s also something to be said for too many options. It can be overwhelming and it can make the shopping experience lengthy and difficult because brides might be afraid to commit to a dress even though it is the perfect dress for them. Shopping at multiple stores, can make a bride even more confused and overwhelmed. When a bride is in my hands, I have curated my collection to be the best in the market and the second I see a bride, I already know what her perfect dress is.

MunaLuchi Bride: You also starred in your own spin off reality series, Keasha’s Perfect Dress. What’s one piece of advice from the show that you hope brides-to-be really take to heart as they plan for wedding dress shopping?

Keasha Rigsby: The first question I always ask my brides is “What do you want to look like on your wedding day?” The clearer a picture you have of how you want to look, the easier it is for the consultant to find you the right dress to make you look beautiful and fulfill your vision. Don’t get stuck on a certain dress… nine times out of ten, brides will try on a dress they saw in a magazine and low and behold it doesn’t look as good on them as the size zero model. Be open to trying what your consultant pulls for you. They’ll keep your vision and pull what cuts and styles are going to compliment you as the beautiful and perfect individual that you are.

Beautiful Bridal with Keasha Rigsby is currently taking wedding gown appointments, veil and accessories appointments shoe appointments and gown orders and is located at 2921 East Jefferson Avenue in downtown Detroit. For more information on Beautiful Bridal with Keasha Rigsby, visit www.beautifulbridalwithkeasha.com.