We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Megan Dinnerstein. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Megan below.

Alright, Megan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers

My name is Megan, and I own a consignment bridal shop that just opened this spring in Downtown Phoenix! When I was in the process of opening, a lovely young woman walked by my store and I let her try on dresses even though she wasn’t getting married quite yet—it’s my pleasure to let people play bride for a bit, because I definitely do it, too! A few months later, I got a DM from this woman saying that her friend was getting married in two days but her dress was not fitting properly—it was risking exposing her chest! I told her to tell her friend to come in ASAP and she did. She found one dress she liked enough (the same one her friend had liked months before, funny enough, and it hadn’t sold yet). We took that as a sign that this was meant to be, even if she was only like 99% happy with it, not 100%. Just then, as we were discussing payment, the UPS man comes with a package that I kept missing—and it was full of dresses! We decided to open the box just in case and lo and behold, there was a totally different dress that the bride LOVED and fit her almost perfectly. I gave it to her at a great discount because these were dire circumstances, and she left happy and grateful. I love being able to do anything I can to help brides!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I always loved wedding dresses. I was a Barbie bride for Halloween, I loved looking through family wedding albums, and was obsessed with the show Say Yes To The Dress in the 2000s/2010s. I wasn’t happy with my career trajectory in 2018 in NYC, so I decided to apply to work at bridal shops—and one hired me! I had the time of my life until they closed in 2020 due to the pandemic, but I decided to start my own enterprise in 2021 online and through pop-ups. Through doing this, I realized that I really needed a permanent space for this business to thrive. Nyc was way too expensive to do this on my own, so through many twists and turns, I found a cute little space in Phoenix! I moved here in January 2023 and opened up in April, and it’s been fun to become part of the community. I offer consigned samples, used wedding dresses, and I offer custom and vintage styles, as well! I’m passionate about saving dresses from closets and landfills (for a bit longer), and about bringing a unique & relaxed bridal experience to Phoenix!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I’ve had to learn to not compare my progress or success to other businesses. Everyone has different resources and strengths—everyone will have a different journey. I have started and maintained this business entirely with my own resources from still working full-time, etc, and have not taken on grants, loans, or investors yet, and that choice has definitely impacted how fast I am growing. It might be slower than I’d like, but I have accepted my situation and embraced it.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I was the victim of a violent crime in Phoenix at the end of June, and I had to move suddenly & uproot my personal life for my own safety. I went home to New York for a month because I had nowhere to live, and I thought I would have to abandon the store. I decided that I couldn’t let that happen yet, so I found a way to come back to Phoenix and to basically start over. I missed out on a lot of time I would’ve spent continuing to grow, but I’ve made peace with the setback and am looking forward to the future.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.cameliabridal.com
• Instagram: @cameliabridal
• Other: Tiktok @camelia_bridal