Perfect Match
With Roberta Rushing at the helm, Sposabella Bridal has been helping brides-to-be and bridal parties shine for 20 years and counting.
Roberta Rushing was seven years old when she attended a wedding for the first time. The experience ignited a lifelong passion for bridal fashion.
“I remember watching the bride and being so captivated by her silk gown with sleeves full of pearls and crystal,” she shares. “I remember going home and drawing, designing dresses, ballgowns, and sleeves that sparkle. It didn’t stop when I grew up.”
Today, after 20 years as the proprietor of Sposabella Bridal in Feasterville, that sparkle has not dimmed in the least. “I still love what I do,” she says. “Every day is like Christmas morning.”
She credits her family for her penchant for glamour.
“I’ve always been surrounded by elegance,” she shares. “My mother was always very elegant, and my aunts, too. I was always fascinated by how they were always put together, with makeup, hair, and everything matching, from handbags to shoes.”
Sposabella Bridal’s salon brims with sophistication and opulence: marble floors, velvet couches, crystal chandeliers, and three large bridal suites where brides-to-be can gather with friends and family to truly make an occasion of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“I want to reflect a high-end, Rodeo Drive experience, but one that invites girls from all walks of life to come in and shop,” she says. “We get everyone from police officers and nurses to doctors and attorneys. Everyone who comes in has a different background, a different story.”
Rushing’s shop features a range of price points. She suggests many brides-to-be are surprised to learn they can afford a Sposabella dress; gowns average somewhere in the neighborhood between $1,000 and $5,000. Sposabella Bridal’s sprawling selection of gowns, veils, and other accessories includes everything from the chic and simple to the showstopping.
“I have to tell you, I love it all,” Rushing says. “I have dresses in the salon that are very clean-cut, polished, vintage-looking with all silk or all crepe and without one stitch of lace or crystal. I love the simplicity, the timelessness of those gowns, but when I see sparkly ballgowns, those that really catch your attention, and my heart skips a beat.”
Sposabella Bridal carries an extensive collection of gowns for bridesmaids and mothers. The salon also offers services that may not be front of mind for all brides, including gown pressing, cleaning, and preservation, as well as in-house alterations.
“We also have the largest inventory of accessories,” she says. “We even carry removable over-lace skirts for a bride who, for example, might choose a mermaid gown but wants to walk down the aisle with more of a ballgown style.”
Sposabella Bridal goes above and beyond for brides who may want even more unique aspects incorporated into a gown. Rushing says she has a particular interest in customizing gowns for brides.
“One bride may say she wants a V-neck, the next might say she wants to raise the neck and add long sleeves,” she adds. “Every bridal appointment is very different from the next.”
An eye for detail is essential. Rushing loves what she does, though she admits the dream of “getting to play dress-up” requires more effort than most would guess.
“It’s not all sparkle and lace,” she says. “There is a lot of hard work behind the scenes. You must remember every single wish a bride has. That aspect of the business I really learned from my father, who has always been a businessman and taught me how to run a business.”
Rushing’s commitment to client service starts the day a bride walks through the door and continues throughout the entire bridal journey. She even offers brides her personal phone number so she’s never more than a phone call away.
“A lot of brides want to enjoy their time and not play wedding planner all of a sudden,” she says. “We want her to be as comfortable as possible and not feel overly stressed. When a bride comes here, she knows we can dress her entire bridal party—and mothers, too—from head to toe. We want the brides to know we can take care of them.”
This commitment to excellence has set Sposabella Bridal apart for many years. Above all, Rushing treasures the trust brides-to-be place in her, and for the intimate role she plays in occasions her clients will likely remember for the rest of their lives.
“I’m still friends with brides who purchased from me when I first opened,” she shares. “Now they’re mothers, some with children. I love being part of this community and part of those families. It’s nice when someone remembers you, and you impress them so much that they come back or tell their friends.”
Sposabella Bridal
1201 Buck Road
Feasterville, PA 19053
(215) 953-5801
Sposabella-bridal.com
1201 Buck Road
Feasterville, PA 19053
(215) 953-5801
Sposabella-bridal.com
Photograph by Alison Dunlap
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, February 2022.
