From Deseret News archives:

Bridal business is a perfect fit

Springville mother sews custom gowns, costumes

Published: Monday, April 14, 2008 12:35 a.m. MDT
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SPRINGVILLE — Doing business with Eve Mulligan is like visiting the Fairy Godmother of Apparel: If you can dream it up, she can whip it out.

"Return of the Jedi" costume? "I can do that," Mulligan says.

Elaborate Italian Renaissance gown? No problem.

A replica of the dress supermodel Heidi Klum wore to the 2008 Oscars? Just give her four hours, some silk and a pair of scissors.

Between her custom wedding dress business, Eve's Bridal, and selling personalized costumes on eBay, the Springville mother of four gets lots of practice designing and sewing made-to-order clothing.

One day last week Mulligan fit four brides and put together two wedding dresses. She started at 7 a.m. and finished at 9:30 p.m., only taking a break to drop off her two sons at Cub Scouts and cook dinner for a sick friend.

"It was a marathon day," she said Thursday, busily snipping away at a piece of lace for use on the replica of Klum's dress, which she plans to display at the Utah Wedding Show Saturday.

Days like this aren't uncommon for the seamstress, though. Mulligan and her husband work full time on the sewing business, which is based in their home. He handles Internet sales, shipping and keeps an eye on the children.

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It's not exactly how the couple imagined they'd be making their living.

"It just sort of happened," Mulligan said.

But neither is complaining.

"I love sewing," Mulligan said. "There is just something gratifying in taking a flat piece of fabric and, in a matter of hours, having something to wear."

Mulligan started sewing fantasy costumes to earn cash to put her children in swimming lessons in 2004. Within two days, she had too many orders to handle by herself, so she recruited women from her LDS ward in Kanosh to help cut things out.

Those women, who are mostly stay-at-home mothers looking for spending money, kept the costumes coming while Mulligan put her focus on starting her bridal business in Springville.

The goal for Eve's Bridal, Mulligan said, is to make it possible for brides to design their own "perfect dress." In addition to copying designer gowns for a fraction of the cost, she can also mix and match necklines with sleeve and skirt styles.

Mulligan hasn't encountered a dress she couldn't tackle.

It only takes her a minute to analyze a photo of a dress, figuring out where the seams need to go. After all, she's been altering patterns since she was 10 years old. Her mother taught her to alter patterns from the '60s and '70s to fit the current fashions.

She gets excited when someone brings her an idea that looks complicated.

"I love a challenge," Mulligan said. "It's more fun that way."

For more information, visit evesbridalboutique.com.


E-mail: estuart@desnews.com

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Eve Mulligan works on a wedding dress that is similar to the dress model Heidi Klum wore to the 2008 Oscars. Her sister-in-law, Hailey Nebeker, models the dress.

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