Vatana Watters was born in Thailand and moved to the U.S. when she was only 7-years-old. She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in California and moved to Dallas in 1986, where she sold to local bridal salons from the backseat of her car. Determine to succeed in the bridal market, she decided to call retailer Neiman Marcus to pitch her line.
“And I said, ‘Please look at this stuff because I think Neiman’s stands for new designers as well as pushing the envelope and showing the fresher things, and just give us some feedback.’ And so that’s how it started,” she told The Dallas News.
While her company sold bridesmaid dresses for the first decade, they soon launched their own line of wedding dresses when they saw a space in the market for affordable wedding dresses. Their Wtoo line launched in 1999, and the more upscale Watters Brides launched soon after in 2002.
“We started making gowns at what I call that sweet spot, or your next 40 percent of the brides where they want to spend $500 to under $1,000. I just wanted to have everyday brides have a choice,” said Watters, who is the CEO of Watters.
Watters Design Wedding Dress Collection 2022
Woman Getting Married Says: Watters’ designs are classic in their simplicity yet detailed enough to make a statement. Their prices are affordable and the designs from both lines–Watters Brides and Wtoo–stand up to higher-priced wedding dress designers such as Monique Lhullier, and Ines Di Santo at a fraction of the price. If you’re on a tight wedding dress budget (and who isn’t) I would highly recommend trying on one of their dresses to get a sense of how their line might fit you. Also, if you’re looking for flower girl dresses theirs are adorable!
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