Hidden Gems: Meet Amanda Prescott of Denver Wedding Dresser

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Prescott.

Hi Amanda, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself and telling us about your story.

Hi, thanks for having me! I am the Founder and Head Stylist at Denver Wedding Dresser, a wedding fashion styling and day-of dressing service. I have loved fashion since I was young and started to insist on dressing myself at 3 years old. I have always been inspired by vintage clothing and classic elegance, especially because my maternal grandmother, Armeda, was an embodiment of this. I used to play in her closet as a child and would try on all of her jewelry and fabulous clothes. My mother has also always been very stylish, obviously learning from her mother. They both encouraged me to lean into my love of style and fashion and it took off from there. I learned to sew around age 7 or 8 and started making clothes for my American Girl Dolls, and then in 8th grade I decided I wanted to be a fashion designer when I grew up. I was enamored with the couture designers of eras past as well as modern, especially Coco Chanel, Christian Dior, Elsa Schiaparelli, Madeleine Vionnet, and Azzedine Alaia. I took as many fashion related classes in high school as I possibly could and was gifted the sewing machine that I still use to this day for my 16th birthday by my parents. I attended Purdue University where I majored in Apparel Design and minored in Fine Art and Global Business, as well as played on the water polo team. I completed two study abroad programs in my time at Purdue which helped shape my interest in different areas of fashion. I spent the summer of 2013 in Cartagena, Colombia where I took part in a design internship and studied Spanish and Global Business at the University of Cartagena. I spent my junior spring semester of 2014 in London, UK studying at the London College of Fashion and taking part in another design internship. I gained valuable knowledge and worldly experience from these two programs that bolstered my career post-college.

Originally from Chicago, I moved back to the city after graduating in 2015 and worked for a handful of fashion and accessory brands as a creative & technical designer, brand manager, media specialist, and custom suit tailor. Once the pandemic hit in 2020, my now husband (then boyfriend) and I decided to move to Denver for a change of pace and better access to the outdoors. Upon arrival in Denver, I continued working remotely for a sustainable fashion brand that I had started with in Chicago. Starting my own business had been in the back of my mind for a while, but I wanted to focus on building a life in Denver and getting settled in a new city & state before fully diving into entrepreneurship. I had started helping out with friends’ & family’s weddings back in 2016, assisting with styling, tailoring, and day-of dressing. I have always loved weddings, and celebrating love is one of my favorite things to do. One thing that I think became apparent and important to me, is that choosing wedding attire does not come naturally to many people, and a lot of folks start to feel very overwhelmed with the process. Most of the generations from Gen X down through Gen Z and beyond haven’t had much experience with formalwear, and most have also never been to a tailor. I was often helping my friends and family navigate the confusing and unfamiliar world of formal attire. After planning & designing my dream wedding in 2023 it felt like the right time to put all of my effort into starting my business. I built everything for my business by myself from the ground-up, including my website and all of my branding materials. I wanted everything to feel really cohesive and intentional, but also truly be a great representation of me and what I can offer. I officially launched my business in November of 2024 and have been putting in the work every day since!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not always been a smooth road. My original goal upon graduating from Purdue was to work my way up to working in a couture atelier. These artisans hand make every element that goes into couture garments, and then use those elements to make the garments themselves. Most of my studies and work experience were tailored (no pun intended) to this specific goal. I focused mostly on hand sewing, hand embroidery, and hand beading, and hoped to continue my studies at the Royal School of Needlework in London. Working with my hands has always been the most fulfilling thing for me, I love to create beautiful things from scratch. This passion is not just limited to fashion and sewing–I also love to paint, cook, garden, and build things.

In 2019, I was involved in an e-scooter accident where the brakes malfunctioned and threw me off the front. This accident resulted in a major injury to my right (dominant) hand, where I broke/ dislocated my middle and ring fingers and tore every ligament in both fingers as well. When I looked down at my hand after the accident, my fingers were bent sideways at a 45 degree angle. I had to undergo two different surgeries and over a year of occupational therapy in an attempt to repair the damage, and even after all of that I will still never be able to fully straighten or flex those two fingers again.

This accident changed the course of my life and my career. Something that once came so naturally to me I had to re-learn and adjust to my new normal. In the 6 years since my accident I have found my way back to sewing, but in a way that is adjusted for my limitations. Because of this I pivoted my career to focus more on the design and styling side of fashion, which is a big part of why I started my own business. I have a lot of experience in high end design and tailoring, including wedding garments, so working in the wedding industry felt like a natural segue.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Denver Wedding Dresser?

At DWD, we offer an individualized approach to dressing brides, grooms, and their wedding parties. We welcome all forms of love and gender expressions, everyone is celebrated at DWD and we believe that love is love. I am incredibly detail oriented, so my main goal is to take care of all of the details so the couple can just enjoy the process while looking and feeling their best. I always want my couples, their wedding parties, and their families to truly feel like the best version of themselves on the big day, rather than feeling like they’re wearing something because they’re “supposed to” or think that they “have to.” I love traditions and classic style, but also love putting your own spin on something and making it truly YOU. I want to take away as much stress as possible from picking out what you’ll wear at your wedding and instead make the process fun and unique.

We offer a few different service packages based on how much help a couple needs in their style journey, but we can also create custom packages that best suit each couple’s needs. Both the “full service” and “peace of mind” packages include the day-of dressing services as well. Our full-service package includes styling and design guidance for the couple, their wedding party, and even their families, usually starting about a year to 9 months out from the wedding. We can help choose color palettes, level of formality/dress codes, and overall vibes. We educate the couple and relevant parties on formalwear terms, traditions, and “dos and don’ts”. We provide mood boards and styling guides for all of our couples and their wedding parties, which include shoes, accessories, and any other relevant styling elements. We research dress and suit designers to make sure our couple is shopping somewhere aligned with their personal style expression & budget, as well as coordinate all appointments. We connect our clients with trusted tailors and attend all fittings to ensure the garments are fitting perfectly. Full service also includes styling the couple for any wedding related events, such as bridal showers, bachelor/bachelorette parties, welcome parties, rehearsal dinner, and post-wedding brunch.

Our “peace of mind” package is more focused on final details and usually starts about 3 months out from the wedding. We attend all final garment fittings to ensure a perfect fit and address any concerns. We also create mood boards and styling guides for all of our couples and their wedding parties in this package. We are able to assist groomsmen with measurements for rentals as well as recommendations for trusted rental companies. We can connect bridesmaids with tailors if needed for their dresses. This package also includes styling for the couple for any wedding related events that fall within the 3 month window.

Our “day of” package is focused on dressing and styling the couple on their wedding day. It includes 10 hrs of service, and the couple can decide how they would like to allocate that time. We take care of all garment prep and dressing, including steaming, pressing, getting into the garments, veil/headpiece placement, tie/bow tie tying, boutonniere pinning, etc. We will prep & coordinate any outfit or shoe/accessory changes. We focus on all of the details during your photos & video so the photographers & videographers can focus on the shot and the couple can focus on each other. Finally we are on hand to repair any quick fixes such as a broken button, ripped seam, popped zipper, small stains, etc.

We also offer a la carte services such as custom veils, custom embroidery and bead work, and custom handkerchiefs and pocket squares.

I think what really sets us apart at Denver Wedding Dresser is that there are not many people that have the expertise to provide this service. As far as I know I am the only person in Colorado doing this, and one of the few throughout the country. Your wedding day goes by so fast and can get overwhelming when you’re focusing on all of the details and moving parts. I want my couples to focus on the most important part of their wedding day–marrying their best friend–and I focus on making sure they look beautiful and effortless the whole time. I want them to look back on their photos & videos in 10, 20, even 50 years and still feel timeless and amazing. If they walk into their wedding day feeling like the most authentic version of themselves they’ve ever felt and also the most beautiful/handsome, then I’ve done my job well.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?

Sustainability is a cornerstone of my values personally and professionally. The fashion industry as a whole is one of the largest polluters on our planet and our culture has become so focused on ultra-consumption and instant gratification. I do my best to educate my community and clients about the damage to our climate that certain methods of consumption pose, and steer them in a more sustainable and planet-friendly direction. Weddings especially have become sources of ultra-consumption and major waste creators. People buy multiple outfits and accessories and then only wear them once, often from sites like Shein or Zara. Decor is purchased en masse from Amazon or other single-use/ low quality sites. There are so many ways to have beautiful & cost effective outfits and decor without damaging our earth in the process. I like to consider myself somewhat of a vintage & thrifting expert, so I always encourage my couples to incorporate vintage or second hand elements into their wedding days, as well as borrowing decor or clothing from their community. Not only are these planet-friendly choices, but they create a much more unique and timeless vibe for your wedding. I like to focus on curating a wedding wardrobe that allows you to re-wear as many pieces as possible. You can also rent decor and even designer clothing pieces if you want the newest/trendiest items without breaking the bank for something you’ll use once. If you are going to buy something new, try to buy from small businesses and earth-conscious creators–bonus points if they’re local to you or your venue! One purchase from a small business can change their whole day/week/month, but the same purchase from Amazon is just lining the pockets of billionaires who could care less about the damage they’re doing to our planet every day.

Pricing:

• Full Service: $3500
• Peace of Mind: $2200
• Day Of: $975
• Custom packages available
• A la carte services also offered

Contact Info:

• Website: https://denverweddingdresser.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/denverweddingdresser
• Wed Society: https://denver.wedsociety.com/vendors/denver-wedding-dresser/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandalgprescott/
• Other: https://g.co/kgs/Ma81Yvx

Image Credits
Stephanie Parsley Photography
Andrew Hayden Photo
Mark McCall Photo
Zak Coker Photography
Nikki Kate Photo
Maiko Media