Chantilly’s Bridal Salon is settling into new digs, a spacious, sun-filled studio on the second-floor of 344 Main St. in Hyannis, at the corner of Barnstable Road. Moving the salon from the West End Rotary in early March was a family affair for co-owner sisters Maria Medeiros and Maria-Alice Pereira. Their designer brother, Joseph Medeiros, took the floor plan for the new space, created elegant display areas, dressing and show rooms and decided where everything should go. Husbands, children, grandchildren and other extended family members helped move fixtures, furniture, accessories, mother-of-the bride dresses, prom dresses, and the invaluable stock of luxurious wedding gowns, allowing the sisters to be back in business within a week.
 

Yes, the salon name was inspired by The Big Bopper’s 1959 song. The sisters recall that family members gathered for a grandchild’s birthday party were throwing out potential names when “Chantilly Lace” came up. Noting the next line, “pretty face,” and that “everyone loves lace,” Chantilly was declared the winner.

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Family is at the heart of the business. The Medeiros household emigrated from the Azores in 1967, so Medeiros and Pereira speak fluent Portuguese as well as English. They strive to welcome the bride and all of her loved ones when the time comes to prepare for a wedding. And their mother, master seamstress Hortensia Medeiros, ensures that everything fits just right.

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But the big day is not the end for these women. The intensity of the bridal party outfitting experience builds lasting relationships. The sisters have been invited to many of their clients’ weddings. Brides become mothers and ask Hortensia Medeiros to make christening gowns for their babies out of their wedding dresses. Customers become lifelong friends.