NATCHEZ — At Magnolia Mariée, it’s not about the dress.

Well, it is about the dress, but it’s just as much about the experience of finding that dress.

The brainchild of two friends who met because of a marriage — co-owner Jennifer Smith met her business partner Sarah Williams when Williams became engaged to Smith’s long-time friend — the bridal boutique at 503 Franklin St., opened Saturday.

The name draws its inspiration from Mississippi, the Magnolia state, and the intended boutique customer — mariée is “bride” in French.

“We are here and offer dresses and accessories for the bride, the mother of the bride, bridesmaids and flower girls,” Smith said. “We hand-pick everything, and it is approved by both of us.

“The most emphasis, though, is put on the wedding dress.”

In the planning stages for a year-and-a-half, the boutique is something the friends have wanted to open for a long time, long before the planning started.

“There are so many weddings here in Natchez already, so (a wedding boutique) fits in,” Williams said.

After Williams moved to Natchez, the planning started in earnest, and coincided with the startup of several other boutique stores in the downtown area that aimed to cater to retail needs people were leaving town to have met.

“Natchez needs something like this, and has for a long time, and the timing was good,” Smith said.

“We decided to jump off the cliff together, and we figured if we were working hard for other people, we could work hard for ourselves.”

And working hard for themselves means working hard for those who choose them.

While the boutique is happy to accommodate walk-in customers, they prefer bookings to better tailor the experience of finding the wedding party’s attire to each bride.

“It is better to do it by appointment, because then we can have one of us pay special attention to the bride and educate them about the different fabrics and fits,” Smith said.

“We can also do champagne appointments, where they can bring in the bride, the mother of the bride, the whole wedding party and make it more of an event, something special to remember.”

Magnolia Mariée is not your regular boutique, Williams said, where things can come right off the shelf.

“You’re going need two to four appointments to get things fitted properly,” she said. “Everybody’s body is different.”

The shop owners will be going to market twice a year to keep seasonal styles current, but even while offering a custom experience, they’re going to have “prices in the range Natchez can handle,” Smith said.

The shop will also offers tuxedo rentals, and in the long term will add attire for special occasions, such as Mardi Gras balls.

But for the moment, the focus is on weddings.

While the shop didn’t officially open until Saturday, its doors have been open and a few customers have already come in, and Smith said that experience has been rewarding.

“It is everything when you help someone find that dress,” she said.

For more information, contact 601-446-6400.

The boutique can be found online at magnoliamariee.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/MagnoliaMarieeBridal.