Flutter Bridal Boutique owner Kolby Kipp isn’t interested in the usual—and neither is her diverse group of clients.
“The brides and bridesmaids we see come in here are very ethereal and a little eclectic,” says the shop owner, who recently celebrated her one-year anniversary of buying the staple boutique in the Minneapolis bridal scene. “They want something that’s not the same-old, same-old.”
“Not the same-old, same-old” is just what Kipp had in mind when she purchased Flutter in 2013. She’d worked in the bridal industry in Minneapolis before switching to an insurance career, but it was her own wedding dress fitting that reminded Kipp how much she loves the bridal business.
“I wanted a job where I could do bridal, but still have room to advance,” she says. “My husband and I talked about opening a store, but Flutter went up for sale—we signed the papers right away.”
Thus, Kipp’s lifelong passion for bridal fashion (she counts Say Yes to the Dress as a favorite TV show and bridal magazines as her reading material of choice) became a career in which she could control her own destiny.
“I’m so drawn to the fashion and the pictures and the overall look of the wedding,” she says. “You start with the fashion and you build so many things around it—you look for the dresses, and then the flowers and décor and overall feel of the wedding fall into place. Or you know exactly what you want and we find dresses to fit that.”
Part of providing a unique look and experience for brides and their friends is carrying hard-to-find brands. Flutter is well-known as a mecca for bridesmaids’ dresses in every conceivable cut and color, and Theia Couture is a popular wedding-gown line (the dresses are couture; the prices are not). “We’re expanding the bridal section this year,” explains Kipp. “We’ve been primarily known as a store for bridesmaids, but we’d love for a bride to get her gown here and then come back with her girls, too.”
Photo courtesy of fluter bridal boutique and posey photography
And when a group comes in, the Flutter team makes it a party: Mimosas flow, groups bring treats, and couches are available for lounging while Kipp’s well-trained team of consultants (she’s designed a three-month-long program to educate them in dress fabrics, silhouettes, measurements, and more) pulls dresses.
As for Kipp, she enjoys the variety of her job, since it allows her to be part of the Twin Cities bridal industry as a whole: choosing dresses to carry in the store, going to photo shoots, helping brides find their dream dresses, working with designers and local wedding vendors—she loves it all, right down to the wedding day.
“The first look down the aisle is the best part,” she says. “You look at the bride, and then you look at the groom, and it’s just amazing.”
Flutter Bridal Boutique, 104 Franklin Ave. W., #200, Mpls., 612-216-1926, flutterboutique.com
