If you’re new here, welcome. And if you’ve been around for a while — thank you for staying.
This past year marked my official return to bridal, and with it, a full-circle moment I never thought I’d get to write. So here’s the CliffsNotes version of my story — and a quick recap of what this year has meant to me.
The short version? I’m a wedding dress designer who once lost the right to design under her own name… and fought to get it back.
Designing wedding dresses has shaped so much of who I am — creatively and personally. So when I was cut off from my craft in 2020, it felt like someone hit “delete” on years of work and identity. No warning. No auto-save. Just silence where creativity used to live.
Instead of unraveling completely, I focused on the loose threads still in my hands — finding new ways to create, even if they looked different than before.
During those quieter years, I leaned into muscle memory and experimentation.
That’s how She Is Cheval was born — a way to keep making art under a different public name. What surprised me most was that my community didn’t disappear. It evolved with me. And I learned something important in the process: creativity isn’t confined to a label. It can adapt, transform, and still carry the same heart.
That chapter also made me deeply aware of the people who stood by me — family, friends, a fiercely loyal creative community, and a legal team who stayed pro bono when I ran out of resources. That kind of support changes you.
In 2023, on International Women’s Day, I founded A Girl You Might Know Foundation — a nonprofit created to help young creatives and women protect their work and navigate legal challenges with clarity and confidence. Not long after, I found myself sharing my experience on Capitol Hill, advocating for others in the very spaces where decisions are made.
Kaitlyn Blake Photography
In 2024, I regained my name and the right to design wedding dresses again. That moment wasn’t just a legal win — it was emotional, grounding, and deeply humbling. Rebuilding Hayley Paige Bridal meant starting from scratch: new designs, new sourcing, and a fresh creative foundation built with intention.
Sara Bishop Photography
Photo by Megan Kay
This year, we celebrated that return with a relaunch in New York, photographed the collection in Palm Beach (now one of my greatest muses), and debuted the gowns at a couture runway show at The Colony Hotel — a moment that felt like everything coming back together.
Since then, I’ve been back on the road meeting brides, visiting boutiques, and doing the work I love most — designing for women stepping into their next chapter.
If there’s one thing this year reminded me of, it’s this: reinvention isn’t starting over. It’s rebuilding with what still works.
If you’re in a season of uncertainty, keep creating. Keep moving forward. And don’t underestimate what can happen when you give yourself another chance.
Thank you for being here 🤍
