Everyday Bride publishes a localized, specialized bridal magazine of the same name. The company, based in Houston with potential expansion to Atlanta in the next couple of years, aims to change the face of the bridal industry and the basic design of its magazines by focusing on exactly what its name says: the everyday bride.

HOW MENTORING WILL HELP: “The 100 Urban Entrepreneurs mentoring program is more valuable than the $10,000 in startup financing. I do not have a business partner, and having mentors available is like having multiple business partners with no strings attached. The program enables me to talk to both experienced entrepreneurs and my up-and-coming entrepreneur peers, and I’ve learned that my brand can go much further than I ever expected. It’s rare that a business owner will have someone on her side who is encouraging and supportive without looking for compensation. I’m excited about the future of my business and building a lasting relationship with 100 Urban Entrepreneurs.”

HOW $10,000 WILL HELP: The funding will be used to trademark the Everyday Bride name, move in to office space and pay a graphic designer and printer to produce a sample issue. Having a sample issue will help both legitimize the company and attract national advertisers.

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AFTER GRADUATING with a degree in public relations and advertising, with a minor in global business, from the University of Houston, Brittany Brown founded her first business, a wedding-planning company, in 2008.

Now, her goal with Everyday Bride, she says, “is to change the face of the industry and the basic design of the vast majority of bridal magazines. We’ll use real brides as cover models — real brides are beautiful on their wedding day, and there’s no reason to use a model to duplicate reality.”

The magazine will also feature a “Life After the Wedding” section in which readers can gain insight on women who have been married for between three and five years, as well as a Q&A section on how to merge the finances, possessions and personalities of two households.

Even in a down economy, weddings are big business, and Brown intends to bring some of that Everyday Bride’s way. “We want our advertisers to gain business from our publication, but we also want to provide them face-to-face interaction with brides,” she says. “Everyday Bride will hold semiannual events and invite advertisers and brides to attend. In the future, we plan to host bridal shows as well.” •