Customary Couture

Cedar Park boutique styles women in wedding gowns and prom dresses

Sherry Ayles began sewing at age 10, and after seeing her love for the craft flourish throughout the years, she opened a small alterations and custom clothing shop in Austin in the 1990s. After taking time off to stay home with her son, who is now in high school, Ayles opened a new store, Customary Couture, in Cedar Park in 2008.

"In the '90s when I had my little shop, all I did was alterations and customs, and then I started doing bridal gowns, and I absolutely love doing custom bridal gowns," she said. "Here, I started out with just bridal dresses, and moms would come in and say, 'We really need a prom store out here,' so we expanded, and now we sell prom dresses, too."

Sales are split almost evenly between bridal gowns and prom dresses, Ayles said, though the shop also sells bridesmaid and mother-of-the-bride dresses, veils, belts and other accessories. Prom dresses and other items can be purchased off the rack, but brides must make an appointment so staff can hand-pick gowns based on budget and style preferences.

"I never want to put a girl who has a $1,000 budget in a $3,000 dress because she will compare her budget to that dress, and it's not fair," she said, adding that many bridal magazines and television shows misrepresent the actual price of wedding gowns. "I know there are girls out there who think if they go to a boutique, the dresses are going to be $5,000 and they can't afford that, but that's not the case. The majority of the dresses here are in the $1,000–$2,000 range, and right now we have only a few gowns in the store over $2,500."