{"id":23911,"date":"2025-01-23T16:53:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T23:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/dolores-bride-and-say-yes-bridal-to-be-featured-in-durango-weddings-magazine\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T04:44:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:44:21","slug":"dolores-bride-and-say-yes-bridal-to-be-featured-in-durango-weddings-magazine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/dolores-bride-and-say-yes-bridal-to-be-featured-in-durango-weddings-magazine\/","title":{"rendered":"Dolores bride and Say Yes Bridal to be featured in Durango Weddings Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Lexi
Lexi Atkinson and Kevin Moulton\u2019s wedding, which took place at Four Seasons Greenhouse and Nursery in Dolores in 2024, will be featured in the Durango Weddings Magazine. Atkinson\u2019s dress was purchased from Say Yes Bridal in Cortez. (Kara Cavalca\/Courtesy photo)<\/span>Kara Cavalca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

A Dolores bride, dressed by Say Yes Bridal & Boutique in Cortez, was recently in the running for the cover of the 2025 Durango Weddings Magazine.<\/p>\n

Though the photo was not selected for the cover, the wedding will be featured in the magazine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just excited,\u201d Lindsay Fresquez, owner of Say Yes Bridal & Boutique, told The<\/em> Journal<\/em>. \u201cThis is the first time we\u2019ve been in it. I think that\u2019s a big deal, because we get forgotten over there. We have some really great vendors and really great things to offer here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fresquez hopes people will realize that Cortez has options when it comes to weddings.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause we are in a much smaller area than Durango, I think there\u2019s this preconceived notion that maybe we don\u2019t have the latest styles or we don\u2019t have the most awesome brands, and that is completely not the case,\u201d Fresquez said.<\/p>\n

The bride, Lexi Atkinson, shared her excitement about the magazine issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an honor to be featured and to be highlighted along with these incredible weddings from the year,\u201d Atkinson said. \u201cIt\u2019s exciting to come back home and showcase the area. I hope it showcases our incredible vendors and helps future couples in their planning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Lexi
Lexi Atkinson wore a dress purchased from Say Yes Bridal in Cortez. (Kara Cavalca\/Courtesy photo)<\/span>Kara Cavalca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Say Yes has been in Cortez for four years, as of Feb. 1. The idea was born after Fresquez\u2019s daughter went shopping for a wedding dress.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy daughter got engaged, and we actually bought another wedding gown somewhere else. She didn\u2019t get that special attention. I have a dream of when I take my daughter to find a wedding dress, there should be treats and lemonade and we get to sit and watch her come out,\u201d Fresquez said. \u201cWhat we experienced was high-pressure sales and limited try-on availability. We were really reduced to an hour, and we felt really rushed. We bought a dress, we got halfway home, and we were like, \u2018What have we done? Do you even like this dress?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Fresquez wanted something different for future brides.<\/p>\n

A few days later, Fresquez woke up with the idea of starting a bridal shop in Cortez that creates magical wedding dress shopping experiences for brides. She didn\u2019t know where to start, so she dove into research. Soon, she found the designer the store now works with. The designer agreed to work with Fresquez on making the prices fit Southwest Colorado\u2019s economic bracket.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe negotiated my contract to fit our economic area,\u201d Fresquez said. \u201cI\u2019m selling dresses that in the city sell for $7,000 or more, but they might only be $1,500 here. Our price range starts at $200 and caps at $4,000. We have a wide range as far as prices go, which I think is important.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Lindsay
Lindsay Fresquez, owner of Say Yes Bridal, shared that she wanted to make shopping for a wedding dress a more intimate and personal experience. (Kara Cavalca\/Courtesy photo)<\/span>Kara Cavalca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Say Yes works directly with a private wedding dress label, Premium Bridal, and is the only small boutique in the state that offers the line created by this label and its designer in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

Though the store was started with Cortez women in mind, Say Yes\u2019s niche, right now, is out-of-town brides. Some brides have come all the way from Georgia and California.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would like to become the next Kleinfeld,\u201d Fresquez said. \u201cI would love to put Cortez\u2019s wedding offerings on the map. I don\u2019t think people have any idea about our caterers, our bakers \u2026 we have some really talented vendors in this area.\u201d<\/p>\n

One bride did go to Kleinfeld\u2019s before Say Yes. She ended up buying her dress at Say Yes instead, writing a review that made Fresquez cry.<\/p>\n

\u201cSay Yes is the absolute best,\u201d the bride wrote. \u201cLindsay and her team are so warm and welcoming. My first time dress shopping, I went to Kleinfeld\u2019s in NYC. It was so disappointing and a very uncomfortable experience. Say Yes Bridal Boutique was the experience I imagined. Her shop is not overwhelming, her dresses are beautiful, and she works with your budget.\u201d<\/p>\n

To create the magical experience Fresquez had hoped for her daughter, the shop is booked out for three hours when the bride is shopping. There is no limit to the number of dresses or sizes brides can try, and the experience is catered with treats and homemade lemonade.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no pressure,\u201d Fresquez said. \u201cI want them to enjoy their experience. I think from the moment they get engaged to picking out their dress should be all good memories.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since its start, Say Yes has grown in more ways than one. In addition to acquiring more square footage, the business provides wedding dresses, boutique-style clothing for women and gowns for formals such as prom and homecoming.<\/p>\n

Say Yes also includes a makeup artist, wedding planning and rentals.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do take care of our gentlemen as well,\u201d Fresquez said. \u201cWe use the same rental company that most bridal boutiques in the state of Colorado use, but I negotiated our contract so we are a little less expensive. The last two years, we have won retailer of the year for our men\u2019s formal wear.\u201d<\/p>\n

And those who purchase their prom or homecoming gown from Say Yes will know their dress is one of a kind.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to keep it very special for our young girls, so we only do one of each gown,\u201d Fresquez said. \u201cThere\u2019s no duplicates. If they shop in my store and they are going to the Cortez or Dolores prom, they\u2019re not going to see their dress again. Not to say it can\u2019t happen \u2013 somebody would have to scour the internet \u2013 but this reduces the rate of them seeing their dress.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cortez Retail Enhancement Association echoed Fresquez\u2019s goal of bringing more wedding business to the Cortez area.<\/p>\n

\u201cLindsay and I both agree there is potential for really putting Cortez and Montezuma County on the map for weddings,\u201d CREA\u2019s AJ Dillon told The<\/em> Journal<\/em>. \u201cHer store is right now single-handedly helping to make that happen. Our area has so many beautiful wedding locations, and along with Say Yes, we have vendors from florists to photographers to bakers.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

the first time a Cortez or Dolores wedding has been featured in the magazine<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23912,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[431,21,28,60,29,2100],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-23911","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-business-general","tag-cortez","tag-headlines","tag-montezuma-county","tag-newsletter","tag-women-in-business"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23911","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23911"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23911\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78316,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23911\/revisions\/78316"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23911"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=23911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}