Store History
A Formal Affair Bridal & Formalwear Boutique was formerly owned by Charlotte Brady. Debbie Richards, a local Warrenton resident, purchased Charlottes’ Formal Affair in June 2005. Before Debbie purchased the boutique Charlotte owned it for over 26 years. Charlotte was preparing to close the store and retire to North Carolina when Debbie spotted the unique shop and thought about a new career in retail.
Debbie grew up in Manassas, Virginia and went to James Madison University where she graduated with a Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Computer Information Systems in 1997. After finishing school, Debbie worked in various IT and Telecom companies in Northern Virginia. In 2003, Debbie and Matt were married at Alwyngton Manor in Warrenton where they were introduced to the quaint town. After getting married, they built a house in Warrenton and Debbie was still commuting to Northern Virginia. As many of you know, traffic in NOVA has gotten out of control and Debbie was commuting round trip 3 hours a day and begun looking for new opportunities. As she thought about opening her own business, she found an opportunity with Charlotte’s Formal Affair, while picking up bridesmaid dresses for her friend’s upcoming wedding.
Debbie was excited to become a local business owner in a small town where people enjoy shopping locally in a unique boutique. Her husband Matt has also been an integral part of the business assisting in business development, management and repairs/maintenance. Owning a bridal/formalwear boutique is a very enjoyable and rewarding career. We get to assist brides in coordinating their attire for their wedding from the early stages of engagement when they are nervous and excited to look at wedding gowns to the final day where they have coordinated colors of bridesmaids, flower girls and Mothers and the groomsmen are having final fittings with their tuxedos. It’s a great experience to get to know a bride and groom and watch their personality exhibited in their weddings. Prom and formalwear shopping is also fun to see the new trends with a variety of styles and diversity of colors to let each client be themselves. As customers return for multiple events, it’s nice to know you must have taken good care of them when they want to come back to see you again.
In Debbie’s free time, she remains very active in the community. For the past 9 years, she has volunteered as a firefighter and medic in Prince William County. She is also active in the Rotary Club of Warrenton. When she’s not working or volunteering, she enjoys spending time with her husband Matt, daughter Catherine and their English setter Jack.
In 2007, the store moved to a FABULOUS new location in the “Borders Shopping Center” in Warrenton where our beautiful display windows welcome our customers into our gorgeous showroom of gowns.
