Meet Mariam Ohanyan | Designer & Bridal Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mariam Ohanyan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mariam, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I started my own business to create a space where I can share the love I have for everything bridal. I love freedom and as a creative person it would be impossible for me to feel happy working for someone else and not be able to thrive in my own journey. I needed to do what I loved the most, to do it my way, and the only way I could do it was by starting my own business. As an entrepreneur I now bring so much more to the table, I season it all with love and happiness. Life is too short to not do what you love and what you are meant to do. Mareh Couture gave me the freedom to be me, create my own handmade designs and make memories for all brides. It’s a place where every woman feels amazing, and I get to be a part of their beautiful journey by helping design and style their perfect look.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Mareh Couture is a couture bridal store in downtown San Luis Obispo, only 2.5 hours from LA. I wanted to bring handmade gowns to the area, and to create the atelier that would offer fashion forward gowns for brides who are tired of the traditional look. I am most proud of the business within my business that came to life recently. I created the first ever customizable couture bridal lingerie line that matches the design to compliment the gown! Bridalwear by Mareh gives our brides the option of having that one bridal gift to share with their significant other every year on their anniversary! It’s all about making memories, and even though you wear the bridal gown once, you get to wear this one as many times as you want. My biggest challenge and the lesson I learnt was to make myself comfortable to be the face of my business on all social media platforms. I realized that if my bride knew who the owner of the store was, who they would get to see when they walked into the store, that would give them more comfort and the rest of the process would be easy. Once I incorporated that, and realized that people appreciated my openness, all I had to do was continue being consistent.My advice from personal experience is that it’s good to be the face of your business, being open about who you are, because who you are, I am sure, is pretty amazing!
I want everyone to know that when you love what you do, there is no way anyone can take that away from you. There is no point in giving up on your dream, it will come to you one way or another, so take it and love it as much as you can, as hard as you can. Everything bridal is my dream and I am making it come true every day thanks to you.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There is so much to do in Central Coast where I am from. I would take a day to walk around the beautiful Avila Beach, enjoy delicious food at any of the cute beachside restaurants. Wine tasting is an absolute must for any visitor, even if you don’t enjoy wines, you would still enjoy the beautiful locations for the wineries in the area. Historic places such as Hearst Castle would be a perfect lavish tour. I would take the 101 coastal drive and stop at Solvang for Danish cookies, then spend a day in Santa Barbara, make the way through LA to enjoy some Mediterranean food, and visit the Harry Potter World!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My business name “Mareh” came from the first letters of my family members’ names. My family has been there through it all, they helped my realize that I can accomplish anything. They believed in me from day one, and stood by me every step of the way. I also have been fortunate to have amazingly creative friends, who helped me create more, love more and share more! And of course, my inspiration wouldn’t produce if I didn’t have the most amazing clients in the world. They believe in me, trust me with their most important day and that feeling right there is enough for me to do what I do with love.

Website: www.marehcouture.com

Instagram: @marehcouture

Facebook: @marehcouture

Image Credits
Kelley Williams Photography Kelli Avila Photography