A fitting end to Brides & Maids in Shepparton

Owner Tina Rutherford said the decision followed the sale of the building and was not a reflection of waning passion, but rather a well-earned step back after decades devoted to the business she built from the ground up.

A final closing-down sale is now under way, with 50 per cent off all stock — including designer and high-end bridal gowns — until the end of March.

Mrs Rutherford hopes to officially close by mid-April.

“We’ll try to eliminate as much stock as possible,” she said.

“If some of the stock doesn’t sell, we’ll either put it online or donate some to the charity shops.”

Mrs Rutherford opened Brides & Maids in 1974 at just 25 years old.

With her mother a qualified seamstress and Shepparton lacking dedicated bridal stores at the time, sequins aligned for a flourishing career.

“We started really small — just headgears and fabric,” she said.

“I’d sell out the front, Mum would get the pattern and make them all up.”

The business quickly gathered pace, later moving through several locations before settling at 45 High St in 1997.

Looking back, Mrs Rutherford said the most enjoyable part was the customers — helping them sift through racks of gowns, hearing their lively debates about necklines and veils, and seeing familiar faces ultimately enter her store again.

“I’ve had generations come in — mum for her wedding gown, and then she brought her deb in, and I did her deb gown, and then that deb came in as a bride,” she said.

“That’s been the most beautiful part.”

While the decision to close is bittersweet, Mrs Rutherford said she believed the town could benefit from new blood in the bridal industry.

As for herself, she plans to say ‘I do’ to spending time with family, gardening, travelling, and resting.

Mrs Rutherford wished to thank the community for its enduring support.

“God bless everyone, and hopefully, you’re all successful in whatever life might bring,” she said.