Five questions with local business owner Laura Mullen-Saratogyan

Laura Mullen owns local businesses Lily Saratoga and New Style by Lily Saratoga, both located in Saratoga Springs. More information is available at www.lilysaratoga.com and www.styledbylilysaratoga.com.

1. What is Lily Styled?

Styled by Lily Saratoga is a boutique catering to brides and the bride/mother of the bride. We are located in a new building on the corner of Church and Lawrence.

2. Why did you decide to start this business?

I am the owner of Lily Saratoga, a bridal boutique with wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses and accessories. In the year After a physical expansion and renovation in 2019, we found ourselves still cramped for space in Franklin Square. Around the same time, a friend of mine informed me about a new retail space around the corner from our original location. I decided to expand the work by separating the bride and groom and moving the bride along the way. The move was a win-win as it allowed us to accommodate more brides at Lily’s, expand our size selection for bridesmaids and introduce a mother of the bride/bride, something I felt was missing in our market.

3. What can guests expect when they visit your bridal party boutique?

Lily Saratoga is housed in a former Victorian era hotel, with many architectural and quality details. I knew that would be hard to replicate, so I decided to change directions when creating “Styled.” Styled has a more modern-chic vibe. The walls are soft and neutral to make the colorful dresses the center of attention. We have an amazing feature wall created with the help of our new neighbors at Samantha Nass Floral Design Shop, perfect for taking pictures with your wedding party!

When I do the place, I want to create a place that is closer to the mothers, and the place for the brides can be opened for a big wedding party experience. The mother of the bride has a private suite and viewing area with space for four guests. The bride’s room is divided by a curtain and opened for 10 parties.

4. What is popular this wedding season?

Neutral and green shades are very popular for brides! We continue to see the trend of mixing and matching intensify. Many of our mothers like simple and clean images with some structural details.

5. What is your ultimate goal for Styled by Lily?

I would love to have more “ready to wear” styles in the store. We are currently following the traditional bridal shop model of carrying mostly made-to-order dresses, which can take two to five months to arrive. With more ready-to-wear gowns, we can also accommodate wedding guests and gala attendees.