Debby has been a business owner for 15 years. She has a background in sales, marketing, executive and business management.  With a degree in psychology and a background in business and industrial psychology, she brings a “people person” attitude to business and is totally dedicated to our customers and customer service care. She will never let a bride leave unhappy. Debby recently bought Melange Bridal with her daughter Nicole.  And as a mother of three beautiful and individually very different daughters, and with one getting married in November, fashion is a Ojeda household staple. Her friendliness and compassion leaves girls coming back.

What is your favorite style dress? “Something subtle simple and elegant. Timeless.”

What’s your favorite color scheme? “Jewel tones, I’m a blue and purple person.”

Favorite Fabric? “I love chiffon, It’s airy and flowy and romantic.”

Nicole Ojeda, Co-Owner/ Manager

Nicole has had a passion for bridal for the past four years, she got her certification as a Wedding Planner in October of 2007 and has been working in the Bridal Industry ever since. She has been with Melange for the past 3 years and when the owner decided to move on she approached her mom to buy the store. Now, with a new style and attitude, they are planning many exciting changes to the business. As a bride getting married herself, she knows the thought involved in finding the perfect gown for the big day. Nicole brings her experience in the business, as well as her obsession with being updated on the most current fashion trends. She can often get into “planner mode” and loves to play off color and ideas to help the bride find her perfect gown.”

Who is your Style Icon? “To each their own, I think everyone has their own unique sense of style but I really admire Blake Lively, Rachel Bilson, and Zooey Dechanel, I think they have impecable taste.”

Describe your “perfect wedding”: “I have a perfect wedding for each season haha. I would say the sense of the wedding has to reflect the couple’s style and personality, after all it’s a day about the two individuals coming together to seal a bond, a partnership, and friendship. I think the mindset needs to stay on the couple and why you are there. With that being said, I personally like a small intimate and romantic setting with the people I love and those who have been supportive of the relationship. I imagine candle light everywhere and dancing on the grass underneath the stars.” Although, the other side of my personality still has this image in my head of giant party and everyone joining in together singing “Don’t Stop Believing” and other wonderfully ridiculous power ballads. It’s a rite of passage.”

Who is your favorite Designer? “This will sound incredibly politically of me, but I love all of our designers in individual ways. We have our new designers, Matthew Christopher whose designs are the most unique I’ve ever seen, they are so architectual with such amazing detail. We have Jane Wang who is so creative with her fabrics, she gives off this romantic and modern vibe, her lace dresses are stunning! I was blown away by Eugenia Couture’s one shoulder dress that we just got in and her bead work is fabulous! Then, we have the designers who have been with us for years that I love.  Palazzo who is known for their fabrics, and their dresses ability to look good on absolutley everyone. Cymbeline, I’m always excited to see what’s next because they are always setting the bar for fashion trends, they are very fashion forward. Finally, Melissa Sweet and Vineyard who are always traditional and lovely.”

Racheal Hughes, Bridal Consultant

Racheal is a Pisces and it shows through her ability to connect with every bride that walks in the room, you talk to her for five minutes and it’s like you’ve been friends for years. She will listen to exactly what you want and no detail goes unnoticed. She moved from Beaumont seven years ago for a change in scenery and loves the friendly and artsy community that is Austin. She made her way into bridal by accident, as Melange Bridal was looking for someone to help out with the store, a friend of the store suggested her niece. Racheal came in for an interview and rest is history. The staff fell in love with her energy and enthusiasm and she emits that to the bride she’s working with. She provides a fun and charasmatic nature to the store.

Why Bridal? “I was kinda thrown into it, I was coming from another job and my aunt suggested that I come in for an interview. I fell in love with the industry immediatley, it combines all of the aspects I love. It’s so exciting being a part of the biggest day of the girl’s life. You fall in love with your brides and want to see them succeed and be happy. I’ve developed great friendships with my brides.”

What’s your favorite style Dress? “Fit to flare, I think it’s a great way to show off your figure.”

What’s your most memorable experience at Melange? “Going to Bridal Market this year was quite memorable. It was my first time going and we got to meet all the designers and see the new trends. We even picked up some new lines. Going in, it was something we didn’t intend to do at first. We were just blown away by the creativity out there. Who new Bridal could be so diverse? We just had Debby and Nikki buy the store so we were going to introduce them to the designers and figure out new ideas for the new store. We were able to be inspired by the designers and we left with so many ideas. One of the designers we met was Matthew Chirstopher and you could tell he cares about our brides as much as we do, and to have designers like that is so rewarding and fantastic. It was such a great time and I’m really looking forward to going this year.”

Crysal Spears, Florist/ Bridal Consultant

Crystal has been with the company the longest and has seen it grow and change through the years, she says she is so excited about the future and the new changes. She is one of our most reliable people and she truly understands how to fit the bride into a gown that they will love. Her suggestions alone have caused brides to do away with what they had originally thought and went into a new direction that they loved. As a florist she can give you great suggestions on what colors to use and what flowers would look best with your gown, she incorporates her knowledge and experience to make it a memorable experience with the bride. Her flowers have been remarked as “creative, unique, and colorful” With an eye for uniqueness she brings that to the table with her brides.

What’s you favorite style dress? “A-line is flattering on everyone, I like natural fabric and a basque waist.”

What do you suggest for brides who are coming in for the first time and don’t know what quite what they are looking for? “Come in alone at first, a lot of people’s opinions can confuse the bride. Try on a lot of different styles, because most of the time girls walk away with a style they never would have imagined. Everything looks different on the rack so it’s important to try on different things. I would pick out your top three and then come back and try them on for your family and friends.”

What’s your favorite type of bouquet? “I like when girls do things different, and go outside of the traditional box. I love when the brides allow my to do funky and unusual designs. That’s part of why I love our Austin brides, I love art and it’s a town centered around it. I have brides who let me really bring in the art to express themselves and provide something unique to look at.”

What’s you favorite color scheme? “I love natural colors like browns, peaches and greens.”