The J&B Team...Meet Mary Jane!

Mary Jane is a dear member of the J&B Team!  She has been with J&B for over 10 years, however, she has been in the bridal industry for over 30 years!  Mary Jane began her career in her twenties, when she began working at a bridal shop and loved it.  From there, she built a career revolving around both the bridal industry and the dry cleaning business.  She is truly a wealth of information when it comes to anything bridal!

We are so fortunate to have Mary Jane as our "backroom receiver".  She is responsible for taking care of all incoming stock and special orders that come into J&B on a daily basis, which is quite a responsibility!  She begins her day with stacks and stacks of boxes that need opened and processed.  As new gowns and accessories arrive daily, she processes them as either new stock or special orders, and notifies customers when their items are in.  With her careful attention to detail and thorough nature, Mary Jane is wonderful at her job!  It is not uncommon to also find her working on the sales floor whenever extra help is needed!  In fact, she was a huge help during our Mothers Extravaganza earlier this month!  Working with mothers of the bride and groom are her specialty when working on the sales floor!

Everyone on the J&B team just loves Mary Jane!  Her sweet and thoughtful nature makes everyone want to be around her!  Her true care and concern for others is very evident within just a few moments of speaking with her.  Mary Jane says that her favorite thing about being a part of the J&B Team is that the girls that she works with keep her young!  :)  She says that she also enjoys being a part of a team that truly cares about their customers. 

One piece of advice that Mary Jane would give to brides when they are planning their wedding is, "Enjoy the journey, keep calm, and allow yourself enough time."

When she is not at J&B, you can find Mary Jane spending time with her husband.  She also loves reading, quilting, rug hooking, and spending time with her friends.

We love having Mary Jane on the J&B Team!

The J&B Team...Meet Carolyn!

Carolyn is another one of our team members who you may never see, but she is vitally important to the J&B Team. You will most often find her upstairs in the office, taking care of many of the little details that matter so much at J&B! Carolyn's official title is "Office Manager", which includes a wide variety of activities.  She takes care of the ordering of gowns, tracking orders, and many of the accounting-type activities that need taken care of on a daily basis.  And, on our very busy days at J&B we are grateful to Carolyn for helping out with answering the phone or even altering tuxedo pants or jackets!

Carolyn has been at J&B since April of 2000.  After 12 years she has learned a lot about the bridal industry and the ins and outs of the day-to-day office activities that need to be done.  She says that she loves being a part of the J&B Family, and her favorite thing about being at J&B is that every day is something different! Carolyn has such a sweet and kind spirit, and she truly has a way of making people smile!

Carolyn sees many brides come in and out of J&B, and one piece of advice that she would give to them is this..."After you're married, work just as hard to keep your spouse as you did getting your spouse."

Carolyn has a husband, 2 children, and 6 grandchildren whom she loves dearly!  When Carolyn is not at J&B, she enjoys spending time with all of them.  She loves gardening, quilting, and knitting, and also loves entertaining friends.

We are so thankful to have Carolyn as part of the J&B Family!

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The J&B Team...Meet our Finishing Professionals!

Deanna (Left) and Lois (Right)
Professional Gown Finishers

Have you ever wondered who takes care of the pressing and finishing of the gowns that are purchased at J&B?  Lois and Deanna make up our "finishing team" at J&B Bridals.  These two ladies are very hardworking, and they are a crucial part of our team!  When we have new stock that comes in, these two are the ones who press the gowns and make sure that they are beautiful and ready to be on the floor!  After a gown is altered by one of our seamstresses, it gets immediately transferred to our back room where Lois and Deanna take care of all of the finishing touches.  They inspect the gowns, making sure there are no marks and no loose beads.  Then they spend hours pressing and steaming, getting the gowns "wedding ready" or "prom ready".

When Lois is not at J&B, she loves to read, bake, and knit.  Many times she will bring in her newest knitting creations for the rest of the team to see!  Lois says that her favorite thing about being a part of the J&B Team is that everyone really cares, and they are friendly and nice to work for.

Deanna's favorite part of being on the J&B Team is that it feels like being with family.  She sees every single gown that comes into J&B, and she tells brides that no matter what kind of gown you are looking for, you can find it at J&B!

We appreciate the hours and hours these wonderful ladies work.  They make sure each of our brides' and prom girls' dresses are perfect!  We love having Lois and Deanna on the J&B Team!

The J&B Team...Meet Samantha!

Samantha had plenty of exposure to J&B before she joined the team.  She was a J&B Bride 3 years ago and we loved helping her! She has also been a bridesmaid in many weddings at J&B, including her sister's.  We were excited when Samantha approached us about a year ago about possibly joining the team.  She started in October of 2011 as a prom consultant.  She currently helps prom/homecoming girls, mothers, and lots of other women who need a "special occasion" dress.

Samantha lives in Orbisonia, PA (about an hour away from Chambersburg) and has been traveling that distance 5 days a week for almost a year just to work at J&B!  She and her husband run a Bed & Breakfast at their home in Orbisonia.  They enjoy meeting the various people that come in and out of their lives through the B&B.

The biggest news in Sam's life right now is that she is expecting a baby girl in January!  We are so excited for her!  Unfortunately you won't be seeing her at J&B over the next few months...her doctor recently put her on bedrest.  Although we miss her, we of course want what is best for her and her baby. We can't wait to meet her sweet little girl in a few months.

Sam says that her favorite thing about being a part of the J&B Team is the feeling of family between everyone at the store, and the way everyone works together to help girls find the perfect dress. 

Her advice for prom girls is, "Make sure you get the dress that you love and that really speaks to you, and don't be too concerned about what everyone else is wearing.  Also, have fun with fashion for prom, because it's one of the few times in your life that you will be able to wear gowns like that!"

When Sam is not at J&B she enjoys spending time with her husband and her two dogs, Charlie and Ruby.  She loves decorating her home, reading, and getting together with their friends.  She also loves planning and getting ready for the arrival of her little girl!

It's a joy to have Sam on the J&B Team!

The J&B Team...Meet Taryn!

Taryn's story is such a fun one! About a year ago we received a phone call from a guidance counselor at Greencastle Area High School telling us that there was a senior in the school named Taryn who was interested in pursuing a career in fashion.  She asked if Taryn could spend a few hours with us doing some shadowing, and exploring what this side of the fashion industry was all about.  We were happy to have her spend a day with us in December, and in January we were thrilled to have her join our team!  Taryn started helping us part-time, with her main job being to help us keep the dresses in order and put them back on the rack after they had been tried on.  She has really blossomed and now is working many hours on our tuxedo side!  She does a great job in the back room on the production side, and also on the sales side, working with tuxedo parties.  Taryn is great at making people feel at home at J&B, with her warm smile and friendly attitude.  She is awesome at hemming tuxedo pants too!  :)  We are so excited that during this upcoming prom season she will add "prom consultant" to her job description!  Taryn can't wait to begin her journey on the prom side in a few months, helping prom girls find their dream dress!

Taryn has many things that she loves about being at J&B.  She says, "I love being able to see all of the new dresses we get in, whether they are bridesmaids, wedding gowns, or prom dresses.  I also love peeking on the brides when they have their dresses on and seeing their faces light up when they find their perfect gown!  I love working with the tuxedo parties and helping them find their perfect styles to match their needs.  And I most definitely love my co-workers and bosses.  Everyone works so hard and they are like a second family to me."

One piece of advice that Taryn would give to her prom girls and tuxedo parties is this..."Please do not stress yourself out!  All of the consultants here work their hardest to satisfy your needs.  We're here to help, so let us!"

When Taryn is not at J&B, she loves sketching up dress designs, inspired by some of the designers J&B carries.  She also loves shopping, cooking, and spending time with her family and friends.

We love having Taryn on the J&B Team!

The J&B Team...Meet Carissa!

Carissa's experience with brides started years before she joined the J&B Team!  The first exposure she had in working with weddings was in the 90's when she worked as an assistant and a makeup artist at Wilma's Photography in Greencastle.  She had the opportunity to travel to weddings with Wilma and also worked closely at times with the brides and grooms and loved it!  She also has recently worked in the catering industry, co-owning her own restaurant and catering business.

Carissa has been at J&B since March 2011.  Her love for people truly shines when she is working with her brides and prom girls.  You only need to spend a few minutes with Carissa to realize that she is a very genuine, caring person, and she treats her brides and prom girls as if they were one of her own friends or family members.  She has such a wonderful way of making her brides feel calm and relaxed, and she knows just the way to make wedding dress shopping an effortless experience!  One bride recently commented on how great Carissa was to work with.  She said, "She was so patient with me while I was so indecisive!"  She is also extremely honest, and she does a great job at steering her brides in the right direction, and giving them options of gowns that will look great on them!  Her brides love the one-on-one attention she gives them, paying attention to every little detail!

When asked what her favorite thing is about being at J&B she says that she truly enjoys hearing each bride's personal story and helping them discover the gown they are looking for.  She loves having the opportunity to take the ideas of what a bride wants and bring that to reality.  She says "I feel very honored to be a part of that special moment."

Carissa has some very important advice she would like to give her brides when it comes to planning their wedding.  She says, "Enjoy the journey!  It's so easy to get caught up in all the details and miss the opportunity to cherish the moments.  Although I love all the planning aspects of the wedding, the most important part is the people...especially the one you've chosen to spend a lifetime with.  So after the perfect gown, and the beautiful wedding, my challenge is for you to invest some of your previous planning time preparing for your 'happily ever after'."

Carissa has a wonderful husband and three terriffic kids.  When she is not at J&B, you can often find her boating or relaxing by the pool with her family.  She enjoys hosting events and get-togethers at her home!  Carissa homeschools her kids and also counsels part-time.  She is a busy woman!

We are so thankful to have Carissa on the wonderful J&B Team!

The J&B Team...Meet Jackie!

Jackie grew up in the Bridal Business with her younger sister and always seemed to have a passion for all of those "white" garments she would become so familiar with.   As a little girl Jackie and her sister Jami would travel to market with Jim and Barb in New York City, and they would fill out their own order of gowns and get to know many of the individuals that they now deal with on a daily basis.  Growing up in the Bridal Business was one filled with modeling flower girl dresses, helping on the floor, and in fact doing anything that needed done to help Mom and Dad run the business. It is often mentioned that she started in a playpen in the back corner of the store (she probably gets tired of that story)  :)  Jackie graduated from Liberty University in 2000 and brought her marketing talents not to mention her incredible rapport with her brides to the business.  Jackie is the "voice" behind the J & B radio commercials.  Her voice has become the signature of our Radio Marketing campaigns.

Here's what one bride had to say about her experience with Jackie  "Best experience EVER! Jackie was amazing and helped me to find the perfect gown on my first visit!"

When asked what her favorite thing is about being at J&B, Jackie says..."The best part is definitely the relationships that I form with my brides.  There is something very special and rewarding for me to be a part of that moment when a bride finds "the" dress.  Many times I find myself tearing up along with the bride and her family when she finds the one!  It is such an honor to be a part of such an important moment in someone's life!"  Jackie's memory enables her to remember her brides years after the event!  This obviously comes from such a passion for what she does. 

One piece of advice that Jackie would give to her brides is to relax, and enjoy the excitement of planning your wedding!  Try not to get hung up on the little things that may not go as planned, but keep in mind that once the wedding is all over, the best part is that you get to experience life with your best friend!

When Jackie is not at J&B, she loves spending time with her husband, and her 2 daughters, ages 2 and 4.  You can often find her playing with her kids at Monkey Joe's, or at the play area at Chick-fil-a! She also loves traveling, especially to beautiful beaches!

Its such a blessing to have Jackie with us at J & B. She is truly part of the team that creates what we call "The J & B Difference"