Business of the Week: J. Andrew’s Bridal Helps Brides Say Yes — Even in Two Hours

As Peachtree City’s Fourth of July parade winds through town this week, one golf cart draws a familiar reaction every year. Little girls wave to the bride riding aboard. Former J. Andrew’s Bridal brides cheer from the curb. And when owner Sarah Heath spots one of the hundreds of women who found their wedding dress at her shop, she tosses them something different than everyone else—a Ring Pop.

Everyone else gets candy.

Former brides get another engagement ring.

“It’s so fun because I see hundreds and hundreds of them,” Heath said. “Their families are there, their kids are there. It’s just the best.”

Their custom bridal golf cart, Jax, will again roll through the parade Friday carrying bridal stylist Olivia Linta, who will model one of the boutique’s wedding gowns while volunteers hand out candy, dog treats, and Ring Pops along the route.

For Heath, those reunions represent something much bigger than a parade.

After 21 years serving brides in Peachtree City, J. Andrew’s Bridal has become part of thousands of family stories.

Founded in 2005 by Jean Leaming and named after her sons, Jesse and Paul Andrew, the boutique was purchased by Heath in 2022 after she spent 15 years managing the business and preparing to carry on its legacy.

Today, the shop helps hundreds of brides each year find wedding gowns. The boutique also carries more than 200 mother-of-the-bride dresses and about 150 bridesmaid dresses, making it a one-stop destination for much of the wedding party.

“The most beautiful thing a woman can wear is confidence,” Heath said. “If you feel confident, regardless of your outfit, you’re walking around and people feel it.”

That philosophy extends far beyond selling dresses.

For Heath, the dress is only part of the experience.

She believes one of the wedding industry’s biggest losses has been the shift toward online shopping, where bridesmaids often order dresses individually without ever gathering together. At J. Andrew’s, she intentionally creates opportunities for brides, mothers, sisters, and friends to celebrate together long before the wedding day.

“We just don’t get a lot of that anymore,” Heath said. “I do believe in trying to create moments of celebration and connection with people.”

The boutique offers everything from complimentary bridal appointments to larger gatherings for wedding parties. Its popular Friday Night Lights appointments transform the showroom into a candlelit experience, with hundreds of flameless candles, a spotlight on the bride, her favorite music filling the room, and light refreshments for family and friends.

J. Andrew’s also carries about 150 bridesmaid dresses, and Heath is developing a new girls’ night experience where bridal parties can gather to celebrate together while choosing their dresses. Her vision includes rolling out a red carpet so bridesmaids can model different styles while the bride, family, and friends cheer them on.

“I still believe in having more celebration moments as a group,” she said. “When you have included these people in your wedding, it’s because they are meaningful to you. Having an opportunity to be together and celebrate that connection is really special.”

For Heath, those shared moments—mothers seeing their daughters in a wedding gown for the first time, bridesmaids laughing together, and families celebrating a milestone—are every bit as important as the dress itself.

That philosophy also shapes how her team responds when the unexpected happens.

Heath still remembers the Saturday when a frantic groom called just hours before the ceremony.

The bride’s wedding gown had been hanging from a hotel room sprinkler head while being steamed when the sprinkler activated, flooding the room and covering the white dress with rusty water.

Rather than panic, Heath told them to come immediately.

Her team pulled several gowns in the bride’s size, including the dress that had originally been her runner-up during her appointment months earlier. While the bride tried them on, the store’s seamstress began making alterations. Her hair and makeup team worked from inside the boutique.

Within two hours, she was completely dressed, altered, and ready for her wedding at Flat Creek Country Club.

“Nothing scares me,” Heath said with a laugh. “You tell me you’ve got two weeks until your wedding, I think that’s all the time in the world. I’ve done it in two hours.”

That same problem-solving mindset helped carry the business through the uncertainty of COVID-19.

When weddings disappeared almost overnight in 2020, Heath and Leaming reduced their staff dramatically to survive. Their seamstresses shifted from altering wedding gowns to sewing protective face masks from unused bridal garment bags, donating them to first responders and others in the community during the early shortages.

Those community connections remain important today.

Heath created the boutique’s exclusive Wisdom Willow Collection—named after the business’s original locations—to help support local charities. Proceeds have benefited organizations including Bloom Our Youth, Hearts ‘n Homes Rescue, the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge in Atlanta, and local schools.

Today, J. Andrew’s employs 13 people, including three in-house seamstresses and a team of experienced bridal stylists. Brides typically begin shopping four to eight months before their wedding, although Heath says her team will help regardless of the timeline.

One of her favorite moments happened recently at Trader Joe’s.

A former bride introduced Heath to her young daughter.

“She introduced me to her little daughter and said, ‘Sarah helped me find my wedding dress,'” Heath recalled. “They remember this forever. It’s such a meaningful moment.”

This week’s parade offers another reminder of those lasting connections.

While children will see a bride riding through town on Jax, Heath will be looking for familiar faces in the crowd. Every Ring Pop tossed to a former bride is a reminder that long after the wedding day has passed, the memories—and the relationships—continue.

Appointments at J. Andrew’s Bridal can be scheduled online at www.jandrewsbridal.com. The boutique is located at 1100 Commerce Drive, Suite C, Peachtree City.