Making memories with the help of Beyond Expectations

Whether the big day in question is a wedding, pageant or prom, Beyond Expectations has you covered both physically and spiritually.

Jen Barton bought the 26-year-old business, located on Hwy. 51 behind Trace Grill in Ridgeland, in August. Barton is a state pageant director and mother of four daughters. She has has participated in dozens of pageants, proms and everything in between over the past 20 years.

"It's in the blood," Barton said.

Barton has brought a unique twist to the trade, every dress is prayed over while it is steamed and then marked with a special tag bearing one of four Bible verses.

"We do more than just dress girls for events," Barton said. "Every dress is tagged and prayed over. I believe that the perfect dress is out there for every young lady and we make sure that dress finds them."

Barton said a lot of prayer and meditation went into the decision to start selling dresses. Her deliberation was accompanied by regular dreams of praying over dresses.

"A lot of prayer went into this decision," Barton said. "I had the same dream over and over of praying over dresses and the idea for these prayer tags."

Barton said that she has found that her job has been a great way to spread joy to many women in the surrounding area. Her 12 employees have given her the nickname "Fairy Godmother" as they have seen many young women's dreams come true.

"Some girls come and may have never even worn a dress before," she said. "We make sure everyone feels beautiful when they leave. The other day a girl came in who was not sure she could afford a dress for her wedding but we found her one she could afford and she just started bawling."

The store is open every day and they also offer private appointments for anyone intimidated by the prospect of trying on a dress in a busy store.

They also offer tuxedo rentals.

For more information visit beyondexpectationsformals.com or give them a call at (601) 957-5138. Walk-ins are always welcome.