Community Highlights: Meet Norma Darnell of Free Ever After Bridal

Today we’d like to introduce you to Norma Darnell

Hi Norma, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always known that I had an entrepreneur mindset but I didn’t know how I could combine it with my passions especially my love for helping people find healing. I was a social worker for several years, volunteered as a youth leader, and helped develop trainings and housing models to help end homelessness. I was a Free Ever After Bride because I wanted my special day to also empower survivors of sexual exploitation and trafficking. Years later, I started hosting conferences to bring awareness about sex trafficking. I got reconnected with Cynthia the founder of Free Ever After and through prayer , conversations, and open doors I bought Free Ever After. It was the most beautiful transfer of ownership as Cynthia encouraged me to dream bigger and has supported me. I didn’t know anything about the bridal industry but my love for our mission inspired me to learn quickly and learn how to best serve our brides.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’ve officially owned the bridal shop for 7 months and it definitely hasn’t been smooth I do try to make it look smooth but it hasn’t been. One of my greatest challenges has been trying to balance work, family life, and trying to have a social life. I’ve had to learn to rest which I know sounds like a simple concept but as a person who can have workaholic tendencies “rest” is a hard concept. I broke this mindset that “I have to earn rest ” and have found beauty in prioritizing rest in order to be a healthy person. I also had to face the challenge of comparison and if I was really qualified to take leadership after an amazing person like Cynthia. I’ve learned that comparison is a thief attempting to rob you of seeing your own gifts and abilities.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Free Ever After is a luxury resale bridal boutique that empowers survivors of sexual exploitation and trafficking. We are primarily known to be a bridal shop where you find your dream dress for less all while supporting survivors. Our shop has a large variety of dresses ready to buy off the rack. We are known in our community as a bridal shop that donates money to fund services for survivors and mentorship. We aren’t just a non-profit that donates money we also have internships and a mentorship program for survivors to learn career skills and about the bridal industry. When a bride comes into our shop we don’t have the pressure of sales or commission we just get to be a support for brides and help them find their dream dress. We are so proud to be able to be a part of a bride’s life for a moment and celebrate love along side of them. A lot of our dresses come from generous brides that choose to donate their dress for a cause and we love the full circle of women empowering women. We also have a variety of formal gowns and jewelry.

What does success mean to you?
This is such a simple but also a deep question. All of my life I’ve been told that success is accomplishing your goals, happiness, and wealth. I’ve had moments in my life where I’ve reached my career goals, and chased after material things. However, at that time I was a very selfish person and very emotionally unhealthy. So, today at almost 40 I would say success is when you can be trusted with little things. Character includes compassion, integrity, being a good steward of the little you have. If you can be trusted with little things because of your character then you can be trusted with bigger things and that’s success because you have the character to sustain the bigger things .

Contact Info:

• Website: https://freeeverafterbridal.com/
• Instagram: freeeverafterbridal
• Facebook: freeeverafterbridal

Image Credits
Lauryn Ashlee Photographer
Krystel Wilson Photography