Locally-owned business Brickhouse Bridal offers a selection of more than 500 gowns to clients in search of the perfect dresses for their wedding days.

Mother and daughter co-owners Starla Flake and Melanie Erpenbeck opened their location in The Woodlands in 2000. However, the store was originally located in Conroe.

“My mom and I pride ourselves on treating people the way we would want to be treated,” Erpenbeck said. “Because we like warm and inviting and loving [environments], we want that here as well. We try to incorporate that into our staff as well as our customers. We want them to feel like they’re part of our family, too.”

Most customers come in because of a referral from another bride who found her dress at Brickhouse Bridal, marketing coordinator Erin Good said.

“It’s truly a journey,” said Dominique Caskey, Brickhouse Bridal marketing and logistics coordinator. “When [a bride] decides to buy a dress with us, they’re with us for at least five to six months, and we really love having that relationship with them and making sure it’s a great experience from start to finish.”

Caskey said the staff will see siblings, friends and even neighbors of former Brickhouse brides come in to find their dresses based on a referral.

Good said the store is busiest on Saturdays, when anywhere between 20 and 30 brides typically visit the boutique. On a weekly basis, consultants will see between 40 and 50 brides or bridal parties.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and we want that to be something that [brides] remember,” Good said. “We want them to be proud to be a Brickhouse bride, and we want them to be excited about coming in. When we see somebody picking up their gown, we get just as excited as they are.”

Good and Caskey said brides come in from all over the Greater Houston area. Brickhouse Bridal has also become a popular destination for brides from Lafayette, Baton Rouge and New Orleans. There have even been clients from Poland and the Netherlands who purchased their dresses at the store.

“Half the time, it’s a three- or four- hour drive, and they’re willing to travel,” Caskey said. “We’re happy to have them.”

Twice a year, Erpenbeck and her team go to New York City to purchase dresses to sell in the store. During those trips, the team looks at collections of dresses and narrows them down to fit within the parameters of its personal Brickhouse Bridal collection, she said.

“Although our designers are a part of us, we want brides to feel like they have seen everything when they come here,” Erpenbeck said.

One of Erpenbeck’s favorite things about starting her business was learning about the designers and what makes their styles unique, she said.

“There is a sense of dresses having personalities,” Erpenbeck said. “I think you constantly fall in love with the uniqueness and the organics of the wedding gowns. We fall in love with gowns everyday.”

Gown designers at Brickhouse Bridal

For Brides:

  • Allure Bridals
  • Alyne Bridal
  • Blue by Enzoani
  • Claire Pettibone Romantique
  • Enzoani
  • Ivy & Aster
  • Maggie Sottero
  • Martina Liana
  • Paloma Blanca
  • Pronovias
  • Stephen Yearick
  • Watters
  • Willowby
  • Wtoo

For Bridesmaids:

  • Amsale
  • Bill Levkoff
  • Encore by Watters
  • Sorella Vita
  • Watters Maids
  • Wtoo Maids