The Hope's Bridal Story
The History of Hope's Bridal
Hope Kolsto opened Hope’s Bridal in her renovated dairy barn on April 7th, 1973. She was a cake decorator, who saw firsthand that area brides had nowhere to shop for their wedding dress in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area besides the department stores. Mark and Diane Niebuhr purchased the business December 1st, 1985, just a couple of years out of college. Diane was a Business major and golfer at Iowa State, while Mark was pursuing his farming career after graduating with a Farm Operations degree from ISU. They leased the building for the first couple of years, but purchased the buildings and farm ground in 1987.
Their oldest daughter, Johanna, was born just three months after purchasing Hope’s, and Ariel came around in 1989. Mark and Diane raised the girls in the pink house on the property, and they were regularly at the shop with Diane. Mark farmed the Hope’s property and the Niebuhr family farm near Blairstown.
They expanded the business to the Village of East Davenport in 1993. They loved getting involved in the community and learning about the fun history of the Village. In 2020, the Davenport boutique moved to a bigger space closer to downtown.
Their third daughter, Moriah, was born in 2000. She was also a regular at Hope’s, but the family moved off the property when she was young to utilize the house as needed added space for things like storage and sewing.
Today, the whole family is involved in the business. Diane continues to run the everyday operations of Hope’s, with a staff of around 30 kind, talented women between the two stores. Mark is an integral behind-the-scenes co-owner, as he takes care of things like maintenance, payables, and payroll. Ariel and Moriah work in the store while Johanna works remotely. Hope’s is a quintessential family owned and operated business!
It’s truly amazing to see so many of our brides today coming in with their moms, aunts and sisters who were past Hope’s Brides. For many, Hope’s has become a family tradition for life’s most special events!
MEssage from the Owner
It has been a true honor to serve Eastern Iowa’s women during some of the most cherished moments of their lives the past 35+ years. We recognize that a wedding is a huge day, but that the bigger picture is the lifetime you are committing to. What a special privilege to be a part of that beginning! We also LOVE the prom business, and it’s so fun to see our “repeat customers” back for their wedding dresses! Each of our clients has such a unique story, and we truly thank you for choosing Hope’s to be a small part of it.
All our respect and well-wishes,
Mark, Diane, Johanna, Ariel & Moriah