David's Bridal

We are proud to announce Kathy Cherian, MBA, CPA as new Chief Financial Officer of David’s Bridal and Pearl. Former Nike and Magnolia CFO, Kathy joins David’s and Pearl with more than 20 years of experience leading finance, strategy and business planning for complex, consumer-facing organizations. Her appointment comes at an important moment for David’s – over the last 18 months, we’ve been building a new growth engine for the company, evolving beyond our roots as an iconic bridal retailer and expanding across technology, AI-powered planning and commerce, marketplaces, media, B2B and new retail models. As we enter the next phase of our Aisle to Algorithm transformation, our focus is on scaling that engine with discipline and intention. With more than a decade at Nike and most recently serving as CFO of Magnolia under her belt, Kathy brings the combination of financial leadership, operational rigor and experience scaling diversified consumer businesses that will be critical as we continue to invest in growth, expand new revenue streams and build for the future. As CEO Kelly Cook shared, “Kathy is exactly the kind of leader we need for this next chapter. She knows how to scale growth, how to build operational rigor and, most importantly, how to turn financial strategy into impactful results.” Please join us in welcoming Kathy to our executive leadership team. Read more about Kathy’s appointment and what’s ahead for David’s: https://lnkd.in/dUTXrj_q

A pretty killer week for our Exec Dream Makers in the wild 🎤 Three of our leaders took the stage this week to talk about the things we��re building, testing and rethinking at David’s Bridal: ✨ Kelly Cook, CEO took the stage at the Digiday AI Marketing Strategies Event this morning to discuss David’s and Pearl By David's AI Strategies, sharing our practical approach to AI, where we’re seeing opportunities across customer experience, marketing and operations, and what we’re learning along the way. 🤖 Scott Saeger, CTO joined RetailClub at FESTIVAL to talk about Earning Trust While Deploying AI: Online and In the Store and what it really takes to bring AI into the customer experience responsibly. ⚖️ Candice Ciresi, Chief Legal Officer spoke at the IP Collective Conference and was named a@Legal Innovator of the Year by The Millennium Alliance. Because innovation doesn’t stop at the product roadmap. And we’re not slowing down! Next week, Kelly Cook and Elina Vilk will keynote Shoptalk on Thursday — Tying the Knot Between Tradition and Transformation. If you’re heading to Shoptalk, be sure to catch them. And if you’re a member of the press interested in connecting with Kelly or Elina while they’re in town, email mediarequests@dbi dot com. See you at the next one! 👊 🦸 https://lnkd.in/gVBd55Dt

An engaged couple is under more pressure than ever to make every dollar count. According to The Wedding Report, average U.S. wedding spend rose roughly 4.5% year over year to about $33,000. But the median wedding budget is much closer to $18,000–$20,000, a reminder that the headline number only tells part of the story. What we’re seeing at David’s is a guest who is becoming more intentional about how she shops, where she spends and what she considers worth the investment. And that doesn’t necessarily mean spending less. It means expecting more choice. She may splurge on the dress she has been dreaming about, find a different way to shop for her bridesmaids, or look for an unexpected discovery at a price that leaves more room in the rest of the wedding budget. That shift has implications for retail. The future isn’t about building for one budget or one shopping mission. It’s about creating enough flexibility within the brand to meet guests where they are, without asking them to compromise on the experience. That’s the thinking behind the expansion of The Outlet Shop by David’s. A dedicated assortment at outlet pricing, with a constantly changing selection designed around discovery, gives guests another way to shop David’s while creating more choice across the broader brand. Because value isn’t one price point. It’s the ability to find the right product, at the right price, for the moment that matters to you. And increasingly, that’s what today’s wedding guest expects from retail. https://lnkd.in/dFQDhBYY

What started as a core childhood moment became a life-changing idea. Aisha Rawji grew up with an Indian clothing store in her childhood home. Every day, she’d head downstairs and watch women try on beautiful outfits—and fall a little more in love with fashion. Years later, at 25, during what she calls her “quarter-life crisis,” Aisha enrolled in a night class at Parsons called Fashion Entrepreneurship. There, she wrote the business plan for what would become KYNAH. Then she asked her mom if she could tag along on a trip to India to meet some of her mom's designer friends. Six months later, she quit her job and launched KYNAH. In this conversation with Lisa Horton, Chief Communications & Creative Officer at David’s Bridal, Aisha shares the story behind KYNAH, the moments that shaped her journey, and what it means to bring this collection to David’s Bridal. Watch Aisha tell the story and explore the collection that started with a childhood spent watching women say yes to something beautiful.

A wedding may be one event, but the businesses behind it often operate in silos. A couple shares their date, budget, venue and vision with a planner, then repeats that information to every florist, photographer, caterer and other vendor they contact. Meanwhile, those businesses are managing inquiries across email, texts, contact forms and social, without the technology or time to keep up. That disconnect is the problem we set out to solve with Pearl Connect. We are excited to announce the launch of Pearl Connect, an AI-powered platform designed to connect the information Pearl Planner already captures about a couple with the businesses helping bring their wedding to life. Because a lead is more valuable when it comes with context. Where they’re getting married. What they’re looking for. Their budget. Their date. Where they are in the planning process. Pearl Connect also helps businesses manage what happens next, bringing inquiries into one place, surfacing conversations that need attention, helping draft responses, creating follow-up tasks and connecting consultations to calendars. For the independent businesses that make up the wedding industry, the goal is simple: less time managing the process, more time doing what they do best. For couples, it means a more connected experience from planning to celebration. As Elina Vilk shared with PYMNTS, “To really solve this problem, we had to solve it from both sides of the house.” That’s what Pearl Connect is built to do. Learn more about the launch and the thinking behind the platform in PYMNTS: https://lnkd.in/gMGCWv4G 

Say yes to the dress and to another ring. 💍 🍬 We’re partnering with Ring Pop to bring a little more sweetness to the wedding journey with the Ring Pop Wedding Collection, now available in stores exclusively at all David’s Bridal locations. The collection includes pearl-finished rings, glam gemstone shapes and playful wrapper sayings like “Pop the Question” and “I Said Yes,” created in collaboration with celebrity wedding planner Mindy Weiss. Whether it’s for a bachelorette party, bridal shower, engagement party or just because, it’s a fun little detail made for celebrating a big moment. Head into your local David’s Bridal to find the collection in store while supplies last. https://lnkd.in/geg9Putc

The wedding industry doesn’t need another vendor directory. It needs a better way to connect. Introducing Pearl Connect, the AI-powered platform built to help wedding professionals market, connect and book couples with the context they actually need to turn interest into business by Pearl By David's. Here’s the problem: Wedding professionals shouldn’t have to pay just to be listed in a glorified phonebook. And couples shouldn’t have to repeat their date, venue, style, budget and vision every time they talk to a new vendor. Yet that’s exactly how much of the industry still works. Listings over here. Leads over there. Emails, DMs, texts and phone calls everywhere. And a whole lot of chasing in between. Pearl Connect changes that. And we’re starting with a simple premise: Basic access shouldn’t come with a paywall. Wedding professionals can claim and manage their Pearl profile for free, with premium growth tools available for those who want them. Pearl Planner already captures what couples are planning. Pearl Connect brings that first-party planning context to the businesses competing to serve them. So a vendor doesn’t just get a name and an email. They understand who this couple is, what they’re planning, what they’re looking for and whether there’s a real fit before the first conversation. This is not about building a bigger directory. It’s about building a connected marketplace around the relationship. From “I’m interested” → “let’s talk” → “we’re booked.” That’s Pearl Connect. It’s another step toward building the AI-powered ecosystem for life’s biggest moments. Explore Pearl Connect and Sign Up Today: https://lnkd.in/gZ8Wqr96 David's Bridal Kelly Cook Elina Vilk Lisa Horton Reid Bork Mike Bal

The wedding industry doesn’t need another vendor directory. It needs a better way to connect. Introducing Pearl Connect, the AI-powered platform built to help wedding professionals market, connect and book couples with the context they actually need to turn interest into business by Pearl By David's. Here’s the problem: Wedding professionals shouldn’t have to pay just to be listed in a glorified phonebook. And couples shouldn’t have to repeat their date, venue, style, budget and vision every time they talk to a new vendor. Yet that’s exactly how much of the industry still works. Listings over here. Leads over there. Emails, DMs, texts and phone calls everywhere. And a whole lot of chasing in between. Pearl Connect changes that. And we’re starting with a simple premise: Basic access shouldn’t come with a paywall. Wedding professionals can claim and manage their Pearl profile for free, with premium growth tools available for those who want them. Pearl Planner already captures what couples are planning. Pearl Connect brings that first-party planning context to the businesses competing to serve them. So a vendor doesn’t just get a name and an email. They understand who this couple is, what they’re planning, what they’re looking for and whether there’s a real fit before the first conversation. This is not about building a bigger directory. It’s about building a connected marketplace around the relationship. From “I’m interested” → “let’s talk” → “we’re booked.” That’s Pearl Connect. It’s another step toward building the AI-powered ecosystem for life’s biggest moments. Explore Pearl Connect and Sign Up Today: https://lnkd.in/gZ8Wqr96 David's Bridal Kelly Cook Elina Vilk Lisa Horton Reid Bork Mike Bal

More traditions. More celebrations. More ways to say “I do.” The next chapter of our partnership with KYNAH starts today: an exclusive, co-designed collection bringing Indian bridal and South Asian occasionwear to more guests through David’s Bridal. After our initial partnership was announced, the response was overwhelming. Hundreds of brides and guests shared what it meant to see our two brands come together to better serve South Asian brides, families and wedding guests, and bring the artistry of South Asian fashion into the broader bridal conversation. Today, we’re introducing an exclusive, co-designed 15-piece collection of Indian bridal and South Asian occasionwear, created for the many moments that make up a South Asian celebration, from Haldi and Mehndi to Sangeet and the ceremony. KYNAH and David’s share a passion for heritage and an unrelenting commitment to craftsmanship. These designs bring that shared vision to life through intricate embroidery, hand-sewn embellishments, heritage textiles and artisanal techniques, with some pieces taking up to 100 hours to create. But what makes this partnership special goes beyond the product. For David’s, this is part of a broader evolution in how we think about bridal and occasionwear: expanding our assortment, our partnerships and our ability to serve the full diversity of how people celebrate life’s most important moments. Thank you to Aisha Rawji and the entire KYNAH team for building this with us. We’re excited for what we can continue to create together. The KYNAH x David’s Bridal collection is available now at [https://lnkd.in/ggXmjC6a], with select in-store trunk shows coming later this year. Kelly Cook Lisa Horton Elina Vilk Reid Bork Heather McReynolds