Sarah Lauer makes the cover of ‘Vows Magazine’

By Curt Swarm

Sarah Lauer is owner of Sarah’s Bridal Gallery and Lillian Grace Boutique in Mt. Pleasant. Sarah’s mother, Sue Gray, a well-known realtor in Mt. Pleasant, said, “I want to see Sarah on the cover of Vows Magazine.”

Deb Doak Canby, a long-time employee at Sarah’s Bridal Gallery, took the call and heard, “This is Shannon from Vows Magazine. I’m not trying to sell anything. May I speak to Sarah Lauer? We want to feature her on the cover of Vows Magazine.”

Deb was stunned, but managed to say, “Sarah is in a meeting. May I have her call you?”

Deb called Sarah’s mother first. “It’s happening. Sarah’s going to be on the cover of Vows Magazine!” Sarah’s mother fist pumped.

Sarah’s hands were sweaty and her heart racing, but she made the call. Yes, Vows Magazine, the premier bridal magazine in the US, wanted to put Sarah’s picture on the cover of Vows and write a feature story about the success of Sarah’s Bridal Gallery. Sarah was to hire a photographer to photograph her and the bridal gallery. Sarah was also to clear a slot for a 2 ½ hour, in-depth telephone interview. Gulp.

Sarah spent her whole life in Mt. Pleasant and graduated from the Mt. Pleasant Christian School. While attending a semester at Southeastern Community College in Burlington, she worked for a bridal salon in the West Burlington Mall, and loved it. The salon closed, and Sarah went to work for a local dentist in Mt. Pleasant.

Meanwhile, Sarah’s mother and father, being in real estate, purchased an old house just off the Mt. Pleasant square, that was going to be condemned. They fixed it up and Sarah, age 20, asked if she could turn it into a boutique. Her parents agreed. Sarah continued to work for the dentist in the morning and went to her boutique in the afternoon.

Sarah began to add bridal apparel, and space was a problem. She asked her dad if he would add an addition onto the house. He agreed, but being a realtor, had the addition framed like a garage in case of a future buyer.

Bridal dresses began to crowd out the boutique, so Sarah moved the boutique to the square in Mt. Pleasant and named it Lillian Grace Boutique, after her daughter, Lillian Grace.

Much to the consternation of her husband and parents, Sarah added two more additions onto the house, increasing its original size from 800 sq ft to 5000. She didn’t draw a paycheck from the business for the first five years and continued to work for the dentist during the day.

Sarah’s Bridal Gallery, in little ole Mt. Pleasant, is now, after 21 years, one of the premier Bridal Shops in the Midwest. People come from all over — Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri. Why? Because Sarah believes “bridal is 100 percent about the customer experience.” Besides bridal gowns, Sarah’s now has a huge selection of prom dresses (no two teens from the same school will be sold the same dress in the same color, and Sarah serves over 100 schools), pageant dresses for both young women and little girls, bridesmaid dresses, cross-over dresses for prom or pageant, tuxedos, jewelry, and wedding gifts. Weekends are so crowded there is a waiting line at the door.

Sarah credits her success to her 11 wonderful employees, always putting the customer first, her husband, Ryan, who handles the advertising, diligence, hard work and chasing The American Dream. Being on the cover of Vows Magazine is icing on the cake, and tribute to a job well done.

Sarah’s Bridal Gallery website is www.sarahsbridalgallery.com.

Contact Curt Swarm at curtswarm@yahoo.com