Bridal Babes: From HU to Shark Tank
by Keah Moffett
Finding a bridal gown is tough, but finding bridesmaids dresses can somewhat prove to be tougher. As an upcoming bride, I’ve been on a search for years to find dresses that I liked and that I believed my wedding party would like enough to wear again. It was important for me to find Black-owned and minority businesses to work with, so when I came across Bridal Babes on Instagram, I was delighted. After booking my virtual consultation, I was even more delighted when I heard that there was a Hamptonian at the helm!
Charles Young (c/o 2010) and his wife, Ashley, are the masterminds behind Bridal Babes, “the first size-inclusive bridesmaid gown line.” Needless to say, it was a pleasure to sit down and interview two of the people who helped make my wedding planning that much easier and so much more fashionable.
Keah: Okay, So I know you [Ashley] didn't go to Hampton, but there's a thing called Hampton intros. Can you both give a Hampton intro with your name, where you are from, your class year, and your major?
Ashley: Alright, Charles. You go first since you’re the true Hamptonian.
Charles: My name is Charles Young. I went to Hampton University, my “Home by the Sea.” I played football the whole time I was there. I was team captain for three years. I graduated with a Psychology degree in 2010. We run a bridal business called Bridal Babes that cater to women of all shapes, shades, and sizes, and we’re just enjoying the journey.
Ashley: I'm Ashley Young. I graduated from the University of Virginia, just an hour and a half away from Hampton, where I spent a lot of time because Charles is my college sweetheart– high school sweetheart, actually, but went into college, and I graduated in 2009 from UVA. My major was Business with a concentration in Marketing. And now we are in the D.C. area running Bridal Babes, and we are so excited to be talking to you today.
Keah: So you say you’re high school sweethearts. So how did you meet?
Ashley: I'm jumping in because Charles doesn’t know we met now. Just kidding. *laughs*
Charles: I do know how we met! They don't do me like that.
Ashley: So we went to the Washington-area Catholic High School– kind of like a small, tight-knit community. And it's not a lot of us at the schools we went to. So, Charles went Gonzaga College High School, and I went to Georgetown Visitation Prep. And so one of his friends was singing at our combined holiday concert, and he came to support his friend. The concert was at Visitation. I was there. I think my friend was dating his friend at the time, so I was supporting her. And I just looked up, and I saw this 6’6” chocolate man! He had on a mock neck turtleneck. He was, like, giving high fashion at 17. And I remember turning to another friend that went to his school, and I was like, “That man is going to be my husband.”
So ever since then, we've been together. I came up to him at the event, and I just introduced myself, which I never did. And, you know, I was like, “Let me show you my shot with my husband.” *laughs* So I think [to Charles] Did you give me your number? I don't think you gave me your number. I don't think I asked. I think I had to like kind of do some recon to get his phone number. How’d it go, Charles?
Charles: Oh, you make it sound so bad, but no, I think you just introduced yourself, and we spoke for a second and then kind of went our separate ways. But because of your friend dating my friend, you know, we got to see each other more, and kind of it kind of took off from there.
Keah: So then y'all decided to go to school close to each other, or did it just happen to happen like that?
Ashley: So we were already committed to colleges when we met. So we met in November ‘04. I did early admissions because I cannot take the stress of– people would freak out in my school about what college they were going to, and I was like, “I'm going to get this out the way.” So I knew what school I was going to in October. I started the school year knowing where I was going to go to school.
Charles: Because of football, they'd already recruited me and given me a scholarship by that point. So I knew, too. I didn't get a chance to do my signing yet, but I told them that I would be coming there, and after the visit, I was sold.
Ashley: A few times, I was like, “You know what? I'm going to leave UVA and go to Hampton.” It just seemed so fun!
Keah: Why didn't you?
Ashley: My mother was like, “You are going to UVA.” She’s an alum. “You’re going to the business school.” She is also a business school alum. And she's like, “You're going to become an investment banker.” Now, I did not become an investment banker. That's the only thing that I didn't do. But I very much listened to my parents when it came to academics. And, of course, they were like, “You're not going to go to a school because Charles is there.”
Keah: Can you all paint a picture of what Hampton was like during that time? Or how like when you came, what did you see or what did you used to do?
Charles: When she would come down, she wanted to see the water, and I wanted to keep her away from the water and walking over there by Wilder. So, we used to do things like we would go off-campus and go to Cinema Cafe, and we did the bowling thing, and we would go on campus with my friends. I think the first time she came out [to Hampton] would be freshman year…I think you might come in the summertime, right?
Ashley: Yeah, yeah. And it was just a different experience because we didn't have single-sex dorms. Everything was coed at UVA. So that was also really weird because I was like, “I can't just chill in his room?” And so it was just really interesting. It was literally like a different world. And then, also, coming from UVA and, you know, it being a majority white school, being around so many Black people, it just felt like I was back in D.C., which is why I loved coming and visiting Hampton. Other than the fact that he would always, like, roll out the red carpet for me.
Doing the long-distance thing, you only see each other maybe every other week or once a month or less because who has money to travel every other week when you're a college student? And so he would just roll out the red carpet. And I know that was that “Hampton training” because everybody is so romantic at Hampton. All of his friends ended up marrying people from Hampton.
Charles: And I think the first time that she saw the Student Center at 12 - 2 and how people dressed, that was a big, big thing for especially her being, you know, she loves fashion, loves dressing. And when I went to UVA, it just wasn't like that. Like, you know, they will wear sweats all the time. And it was just a different vibe.
Keah: And what did you think of the fashion? Because that's a huge HBCU staple, like 8 a.m. class wearing heels.
Ashley: I loved it. And, growing up in D.C., I saw that at Howard. So my best friend went to Howard, and then Charles was at Hampton. And so, I was exposed to all of this, but I was really like– How do y'all get dressed? Like that every single day? Like, no days off? Like, 24/7 looking cute! That's when I was like, “You know what? Maybe I need to stay over here at UVA because I need a break day. I need to chill day.”
Keah: Did you ever go to a homecoming?
Ashley: I never went to Hampton Homecoming. I'm waiting to get my invite. And other friends who have non-Hampton Wives have not been invited either. So we're going to gather together and just storm the next homecoming and not wait for our invite.
Charles: *laughs* No, you can come. You know, we can go to this next year. It’s all good.
Keah: When is the last time y'all have been back on campus?
Charles: It's been some time. We've been so busy since we started the business. And we are two kids under four, so they're really busy. I think the last time I went back has to be before the kids were born about five years ago.
Keah: How did Bridal Babes come about? Like, I know you [Ashley] were in business, and you have an interest in fashion, but it doesn't seem like it's just your thing either, you know? So how did it come about?
Ashley: So it actually came out of our wedding planning process. When I was looking for dresses for my girls, we actually went to Cancun, which ended up being, like, the theme of all of his friends where everybody now does destination. So the wives are getting tired of destination weddings, but we were one of the first back in 2016, and I was planning this destination wedding.
I wanted vibrant colors. I wanted, you know, cute dresses for my girls. I didn't want them to be white, flowy tulle, pastel dresses that you normally see for bridesmaids. And I'm like, my girls are sexy. They're curvy girls, you know, they're not the size 0, size 2. They range from 4 to size 20.
I want them to be able to show off their curves. And everybody has different assets they want to show off. And a tulle, flowy dress wasn't going to show off anybody's assets. So I remember searching high and low for these dresses. I was like, “Oh, I could just go to some website and get them.” And the issue was I'd finally dress out I liked, but then it wouldn't be in the size range.
And anything over size 16 was considered plus-size at the time, and they would have totally different styles. And I wanted my girls all in the same style. That was the thing back in 2016. We do mix and match now, but back in 2016, it was liked all the same style, all the same color. And I finally stumbled across one style. It was this cocktail-length mini-dress in coral. It was form-fitting, the fabric had stretch. It wasn't a traditional bridesmaid dress, and it took me forever to find it. But I was like, “Okay, this is it.” And when my girls put it on, they instantly fell in love. They were taking pictures all night. We woke up the next morning, and the wedding had gone viral because people had never seen bridesmaids in curve-hugging and attractive dresses. And, you know, viral Instagram back in 2016– that was like a thing! Right now, people go viral all the time. So we turned to each other, and we were like, “Okay, we're onto something.” So I like to say we went from high school sweethearts to newlyweds and business partners overnight.
So that's kind of how the idea came about. That was back in 2016, we kind of laid the groundwork, and then actually, when I was on maternity leave, and Charles was on paternity leave, we just really put pen to paper, mapped everything out, and we were able to launch in 2019.
Keah: That's awesome. I know I can attest that I was having the same thing as you. The really flowy dresses and stuff. And if you see something it's more customized, and you're like, “But I don't want to pay that either.”
Ashley: Oh, I know, like, $600, right?
Keah: Yeah. So I'm thankful for y'all being on maternity and paternity leave.
You both were recently on Shark Tank. Tell me about that whole experience because I know that might have been nerve-racking, but can you tell me about it?
Ashley: Charles was never nervous, so I'll let him talk about it.
Charles: I think it was a great experience just to be able to go out, you know, start the entire process. So filling out the application and going through it to see if we would actually make the cuts or not. It kind of reminded me of football player days. And so Ashley loves the show, and we watched the show routinely, but she really loves the show.
She introduced it to me, and that's the only thing she really watches. And so when we actually got the chance, and we heard back from them that, “Hey, you guys, you might have a chance to come on the show”-- it's a great opportunity, huge opportunity, primetime spot and an ability to be able to speak to the people and the influencers that we need to.
So it was definitely surreal. I love L.A., So being in L.A. was something that was huge, and just going through the whole casting and actually doing the show, I would say it wasn't nerve-wracking because it's something that we've always done. And, you know, at Hampton, the one thing that we always do a Hampton is always dress your best, and we do so many things with interview prep and public speaking that, when I got on, I just thought it was, you know, normally what we do, it's what we do every day.
Ashley: Yeah. And Charles is a superstar, you know, from his football days, and even after, he really shines when the spotlight is on him. And for me, I love presenting, I love marketing. I was so excited about the opportunity that the nerves that I had kind of got pushed down, and I was like, “We got to do this.”
People always ask me, “What's it like being in business with your spouse? How do you do it?” And I'm like, I have my best friend with me every single day. We go on business trips together. We work together. I guess I'm also the annoying coworker sometimes, so that's the only drawback. *laughs* But I think having him there for Shark Tank and us doing it together– I cannot imagine doing it without him. He's such a great motivator. And I think this comes from sports and everything he learned also at Hampton being in that football program. But, you know, he's such a great motivator and coach.
So like, before the episode starts, you see him holding my hands. If you go back to the episode, and he's telling me, “We got this. We're about to close this deal.” Like, don't worry, you know, everything. So I think having him there was just amazing. And that's how it is every single day. Like, I never have to be worried. I’m with my man.
Keah: That's really sweet! And it's powerful that your business is kind of wedding, and y'all are doing it together. So it's really beautiful.
Are there any other things that you learned at Hampton that you take into situations even now?
Charles: Yeah. So we talk about just from the academic side of things, I would say definitely all the career fairs I used to go to in the student center and how important it was to dress the part, but also speak, pronunciation and, you know, when you talk to someone, looking them in the eye, shaking their hand– some of the things that weren't necessarily taught in high school. And I think the big emphasis on that has helped me throughout my life in all of the jobs that I've had, all the careers that I've had in every way.
From the football side of things, I think the biggest thing was understanding what's expected of you. And when I was there, you have to really try to be professional about things and show what a student-athlete was and embody that to the fullest. So that's 100% academically and 100% when you hit the football field in the practices. As you said [before the interview], you’re Ebony Fire, and when we would leave practice, we would see you all practicing over in Holland by the training stations here. So I remember we used to try to get you guys to, like… I guess sometimes you had to be very still, and you had to be focused?
Keah: We had to stand at attention for 15 minutes before practice.
Charles: Yeah. I think you all were doing that as we were getting out of practice. And, you know, just the focus that’s taught at Hampton, on what you're doing and how you should excel. And, I guess the best quote is that we always try to do here at our business that I'm always focused on is being better than we were last year, being better than we were yesterday, being better than we were a second ago. And I remember my first time when I was at Hampton, one of the first speeches was “Good, better, best.” And that's something that I've always carried with me. It’s something that, once I heard it, it just makes so much sense that I carried it with me throughout Hampton and throughout my life.
So just always turning my good into better and my better into best. And I think that's something that I teach my kids now, and that's something that I constantly strive for in the business. And Ashley hates it because whenever we set a goal, she wants to celebrate once we hit it and I want to move on to the next thing to make it even better.
So I would say that's definitely what Hampton has given me– just constantly trying to improve, constantly trying to raise the bar. And definitely, I mean, I just can't speak enough about how focused my teachers were on getting me to the next level, not just teaching me what was in the book but making sure that I could carry it over into the world. And definitely with the public speaking and just the whole interview process that we've gone over so much.
Keah: I remember everyone had to take Speech… I think it’s called Speech or Public Speaking. And you don’t realize until you’re gone that, “Oh, everyone didn’t take public speaking.”
Ashley: And that's great that it’s across the board, you know, because, like for us at UVA, it was just if you were in the business school. But it's a skill that everyone needs in their lives. And it's so great that you all have that ingrained in you at such an early stage, and you can just carry it on in your professional life, too.
Keah: That brings me to my next question. Where do y'all see Bridal Babes going in the future? Like, do you want to start doing menswear? Do you want to… I don't know… Like the world is your oyster.
Charles: We’ve got a lot of different directions that we're thinking about, but we haven't nailed them down right now. I really want us to master what we're doing and really maximize what we're doing currently. And like Ashley told you when she told me about this business, you know, obviously, you know, I'm a guy who plays football, so the bridal dresses and bridesmaids dresses and sisterhood is like, okay, what does he know about this?
But I guess it really hit me because my mother– she's a taller woman, so she's like six feet tall. You know, I'm a bigger guy. And I just used to always watch my mom. You could just see a disheartening face when she would get something, and it just wouldn't fit, or she had to go these different places to try to find stuff. And it never would fit. I think one clothing store came out that was a tall woman-friendly store. And just to see how happy she was when she opened the box, it actually looked like what she ordered, and it fit like what she wanted. So that's where it really came for me to understand that this was a true need once Ashley explained it to me, and I kind of thought of Bridal Babes, I started thinking about my mom's story, and it made me realize that this is a true need and we could provide a service.
And I think that's the biggest part of Bridal Babes that I guess we would like to go further in is, you know, service and providing a service for people with the sisterhood, with inclusion, with diversity, just providing a service that many people overlook. And I think that's the biggest part because I think we're really helping people smile.
Ashley: Yeah, I definitely agree. And, as Charles said, we hear that story over and over. You know, people feel intimidated by going into a standard bridesmaid shop, whether it's because of the size range, the length of the dress, or the stylist not understanding them and their family and their girls. Like, we're different when we come into the salon. We might say some words that somebody might not be used to understanding in the bridal salon. We might bring in our mom, our godmother, our auntie– we have an entourage, all of it. So I think that the other piece, inclusive of the size range, is just understanding us, whether it’s Black women, Latino women, Asian women, people who don't look like the standard person that you normally see in the bridal industry, and letting them know it's a safe space. You can be yourself, you can ask whatever questions you want. And I think that even goes with the virtual side. You can be comfortable. You know, most people get on the virtual consultation with a T-shirt, bonnet, glasses, like they're chillin'. Sometimes they will bring a drink with them. Whatever to make you comfortable. But we like to make sure that we are providing that level of service. And also, that you're just comfortable with us.
Keah: I definitely have my momma look at dresses on the site, so even though it was virtual, it was still the experience. And I also appreciate that you all include which undergarments you should wear with these things because people would be surprised at how much of a hassle it is to find the right thing to wear under something because of cuts and things like that, so thank you.
Ashley: Some people don't know that they should even be wearing undergarments, and it’s not comfortable. We've had a few people come through our customer service portal, and they're like, “I hate this dress. It's horrible on me, I have to return it.” And we ask them, “Hey, did you try this on with undergarments?” Because that's one of the biggest things– trying on with the actual undergarments that you're going to be wearing. And they'll say, “Okay, just give me a few more days.” Then go run to the store and get them. They email us, they send us pictures, and they're like, “Oh my God, this dress looks totally different. It's transformed.” And so people a lot of times don't understand the power of undergarments. And it just makes you feel, like I said, comfortable. You have that confidence. And that's what we always want our girls to bring on their wedding day, whether they're the bride or the bridesmaid.
Keah: I’m going to switch it up a little bit. This is for both of you. If there's a student like here at Hampton, alumni, or a friend of Hampton, and they want to do what you all do, or they kind of have and need advice, what advice would you all give somebody, like, say, they're trying to open a business, or they have this great idea and don't know what to do. What advice would both or either of you give to someone who reads this and is encouraged by yall?
Charles: I would say that it all starts with goal setting. Once you know that you want to do something, put it down on a piece of paper what your goals are and when you want to accomplish them, and then work backward to set milestones and markers for each thing. And that's how I would plan it. But also just understanding that your business or your idea is like a plant. You’ve got to water it every day and give it sun every day. The more you take care of it, the more it takes care of you. It's a relationship. And when you don't water that plant, then the plant may die. If you don't give the plan enough sun, it won't become what you want it to be. So you really have to be all the way into it and really focus every day all the time on it. I think that's the biggest thing. Just be willing to put in the work and then set goals and make sure that you're hitting those milestones that you set. I think that's the biggest thing. And having a support system and surrounding yourself with people who support you.
And things may not be easy all the time, and it may get rough, but just have faith and just keep the good fight and water the plant every day, and it’s going to grow. But you must believe. Without belief, it won’t work. So you have to truly believe in what you're doing and just water to plan every day.
Ashley: I told you we got Rev over here, okay?! One thing he’s going to do is preach and motivate.
Keah: Preach Preacher!
Ashley: And I would just add in for me because all of those things are true, being that we are definitely 100% business partners in this. And I don't say 50/50 because we give 100… probably 110% every day.
But the only other thing I would add is just to do it. I've had so many business ideas. I know Charles always talks about that's one of the things that he admired about me because I just have [ideas], and I just go for it. And so, a lot of times, Bridal Babes was not the first business idea that I've had. I did a vintage tour in New York City that I tried to sell to Gilt Group, but instead of doing it, they actually just copied us instead of doing the partnership with us. You know, things like that. But I think it's just like jumping out there, just trying it. It may or may not work out, but at least you tried, and there's a learning that you can take.
And so, I like to say that the vintage tour didn't work out. That was my learning in partnerships and how to have like agreements and NDAs because people will steal your stuff. And then, I did vintage clothing shopping. I had my first storefront. So that taught me e-com. So all these different levels, even if they don't work out, might be preparing you for that final thing or that next thing… I can't say final, but that next thing, and for us, that was Bridal Babes.
Keah: That's both really good advice.
Charles: And another thing I wanted to add to that— one more thing is to find a mentor or find a business that that you really like, that you think they're a top-notch business, even if you know they're not mentoring directly. Since we have the internet and everything, find a business that's top-notch business. If you're a shoe company, look at Nike if that's your favorite company and research what they did and how they did it, and look at their history and look at their founder to give you those golden nuggets about your industry that they applied years ago that may be applied to your situation. I think that's another huge one that kind of helps out.
Keah: We are doing this thing called, “I Am Hampton. I Am 1868.” What is Hampton to you?
Charles: My Hampton is Freedom. When I first went to Hampton when I was on a visit for football, and I was deciding what colleges I may want to go to. And I thought I was just there to have fun and party and honestly on a visit. And they took me to Emancipation Oak, and they explained what it was, and I took that to heart and thought about it and said, “Wow, this is history.” But then it started me thinking back to my life and what I've been through. I'm the first person in my family to go to college. It was a big deal for me. A lot of people after me have gone that’s in my family, so understanding that and seeing what it's done for me and my life has given me the freedom… You know, I was an inner-city kid, and it’s giving me the freedom to do things I never thought I would do.
It's taken me places that I never thought I would go. My first time on a plane was a football game for Hampton, so it gave me freedom to really explore and be who I wanted to be. So I think that's the biggest takeaway. My Hampton is freedom. It really helped me, and it helped me set an example for family members after me.
And education is something that you can't put a price tag on. It takes you everywhere. And so that was the gift that was given to me. That's why I say my Hampton is freedom. And Emancipation Oak, it really is something. I used to go to it when I was on campus and just sit there and look at it sometimes because, just to think about it all, it really represents freedom for me.
Ashley: So I don't have anything to add because how can you follow that up? But the only thing I'll say is I love that he mentioned his family members because his younger cousin actually goes to Hampton now. And I think just the theme, you know, black people, in our family and business, in everything we do, we reach back, and we bring people along with us. And without seeing that example of Charles being at Hampton and Charles didn't say this, but literally, everyone in his family looks up to him. And my family looks up to him. He's just one of those people that you look up to. And so he does a great job of reaching back and bringing people along. Even with the business, he's like, “We’ve got these extra dresses. What are we doing? Who needs a dress for prom? We need to find people who need us for prom.” So that is just like who he is. I know Hampton was such a great fit for him because you all have those same values at the university.
So, as I said, I don't have anything else to add because he's awesome, but I just have a little bit of those little tidbits.
Charles: And my cousin that she's talking about, I would tell [my family], “Hey, bring them to my games,” and they would come to the game. So he grew up going to Hampton football games and being on the campus. And this is when he was, like, in third grade. He grew up coming to Hampton football games and being on Hampton’s campus, and it just translated. And now he's a Hampton student, and, as I said, a lot of them have gone to college, my younger cousins.
Keah: I think all it takes is seeing somebody else who did it. Because sometimes you feel like things are very hard or farfetched. But if you know somebody and you can reach out, and they've done it, it's like, “Oh, I can do that, too.” So you started starting the ripple of Hamptonians.
Charles: Keah, I hate to preach, but I gotta get one more in.
Keah: Don’t hate to preach!
Charles: To piggyback on what you said. Have you ever heard of Roger Bannister?
Keah: No.
Charles: So basically, and I forget what year was… the early 1900s… They thought that if a man or woman ran a mile in under 4 minutes, they would die. People would try, and for years and years and years and years, no one could do it. And then this guy, he actually broke the record, and you thought, “Oh, he's a great runner. Nobody will be able to do it.” But after he broke the record, another guy broke in like three months later. Now, you fast forward to today, everybody… I mean, you got high school kids running under 4 minute miles is like a normal thing.
And so, like you said before, he did it, and people didn't think it was possible. So it was like a ceiling over top of them. But once he broke through, it became a normal thing. Like kids are doing that. So I'll just piggyback on what you say, and I love sports too, so I had to put it in there.
Keah: I love random facts, so I'm remembering that.
Ashley: How did you think she was going to know who Roger Bannister was? *laughs*
With Bridal Babes, this brand started off as a hobby, right? And I was just like, “Let's see what happens.” And I just remember, like, every time it got tough, I'm like, “Charles, I don’t know, can we do this?” And he'd be like, “You just need that one huge bridal party, that one customer who's really going to advocate for you.” And so I just kept that in the back of my mind. You know, I'm one more of like the front-facing client services with the consultations and the social media and all of that.
So, a week after that, we got a 20-person bridal party in Vegas in the middle of the pandemic. And I remember literally thinking back to him saying, “You just need that one customer, that one bridal party.” And we think about that. That's like our customer service motto now throughout, you know, the front-end consultations. Now we have a full customer service team that Charles manages on the back end. And that is what we think about because every customer is important. Every customer could be that customer that changes the trajectory of the business again because once people saw that 20-person bridal party, they were like, “Oh, they can dress 20 people. I know they can dress six.” And people are always shocked because they're like, “Are you used to doing a 6-person bridal party, 8-person? I'm like, “Oh, we do 6, 18, 20, 25.” And the number has just grown. So I would say, really reinvest in your customer service and the experience.
And we always have growing pains, you know, things happen, but being able to acknowledge them and figure out ways to fix that is so important. And we are community-based.
Our girls, as you probably see on the page, they post us every day. We have a client photo every single day. We don't need reviews because we have the client photos– we get those too, but we have our clients who actually advocate for us. So I would say focusing on the power of community and word of mouth is so important, especially in a business like bridal.
Keah: I'm going to be taking my picture. Don't even worry about it.
Charles: You know, when I say faith, you got to have faith. And, when I was talking about having faith– at that moment, things are looking good or looking bad, but having faith and believing in what God has put for you and trusting it and just continue to move forward and do the work and have faith and you'll be okay.
Keah: Well, just let me know if you all want to come to a random wedding in June in New Orleans. *laughs*