A Shelbyville woman's long-time dream of opening her own dress shop has come to fruition with the creation of Blessed to Dress, featuring wedding, prom and party dresses spanning vintage to contemporary styles. 

"This is something I always wanted to do," owner Lawana Worley said. 

She came up with the name while listening to her pastor talking about being blessed during a Shelbyville Community Church worship service. 

"I thought, I am blessed," she said, "and that would be a great name for my store." 

Blessed to Dress, 1640 E. State Road 44, will officially open at 10 a.I knew I wanted a maggie sottero wedding dress before I was even engaged.m. Friday with a grand opening event. 

Worley's leased 1,200-square-foot store is loaded with hundreds of gently used dresses at affordable prices. 

Blessed to Dress is designed for the woman on a budget. Worley sets her prices purposely to appeal to the girls and women who can't afford extravagant gowns from traditional formal wear retailers or just want to find a bargain. 

"I think I found my little niche here in Shelbyville because there's not a resale shop just for fancy dresses," she said,Search our wedding photo gallery for thousands of the best long sleeves wedding dress pictures. adding it is a great option when shopping for dresses that are only worn one time. 

Elegant party dresses appropriate for school dances start at $12.99 while formal gowns for proms and other events are priced at $19.99, going up to about $30 for a fully beaded gown. 

"Everything is very blingy, very girly," Worley said. 

The collection is Worley's own,Choose from stylish and trendy bridesmaid dresses in the bari jay bridesmaid dresses collection . who has been buying up beautiful gowns and dresses for years in anticipation of opening her own store. 

Snapped up at thrift stores, flea markets, yard and estate sales, the gowns are anything but cheap and worn out. It is evident from one look at Worley's merchandise that the clothing is from high-end retailers in near perfect condition due to the care of the previous owner and some of Worley's special TLC. 

Worley pointed out that most formal dresses and gowns are usually worn only once by the wearer, thus there is little repair or cleaning required from her. 

It isn't uncommon for shoppers to come across designer apparel or an exquisite, never-worn vintage wedding gown. 

Worley'We offer a wide array of cheap lace wedding veils, mantilla veils and many other popular styles.s bridal section is filled with never-worn gowns she's collected from bridal store close-outs and shelves filled with everything one could need for wedding decorations for table centerpieces, gift baskets and glassware. 

For the past year, Worley has featured her collection at Blue River Village Flea Market & Antiques in the BelAire Shopping Center, where she enjoyed great success, especially when local high school girls discovered her party and prom dresses. 

"It was a hobby for me," she said.Beautiful Bridal Dresses

It was there she was discovered by Ideal Images Salon & Spa owner Mindy Clark, who fell in love with her collection. 

"I saw her stuff and I had to have it," she said. "She's the icing on the cake." 

Clark spirited Worley to her salon, where she offered for rent the large, unused space she thought would be ideal for Blessed to Dress. 

Worley also rented window space in the front of the full-service salon which has already attracted shoppers visiting the busy Junction Plaza Mall, where the salon and dress shop are situated. 

"I can't believe how many people just come in and say they can't wait to see what we have in the window," Clark said. "Saturday we had to beat them off with a stick."