Meet The Staff

We are so lucky to have the most amazing staff! When you come in, you’ll see why.

Celebrating with thousands of brides since 1980

Making your dreams and visions come to life is the reason we exist, and the reason we have continued to do so for 43 years. It has been such a blessing and a joy to grow up in our family-owned bridal business. We have celebrated with thousands of brides since opening in 1980. We pride ourselves in creating a once and a lifetime experience for every bride. We celebrate the moments and the experiences we create together.

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Meet The Staff Members

Liz stoner

Hey there! My history at Normans Bridal runs deep. I am the second generation owner and work and run Normans Bridal with my mom Brenda. Some of my earliest memories include our original location in Lebanon. I have to say that bridal is in my blood. After, going to college and getting a degree in Animal Science I returned to Bridal Industry to pursue my love of fashion and creating lifelong memories for my customers.
I cherish getting to know each of my brides and becoming part of their wedding story.
I jokingly say I know when you have found the dress before you do!

My advice to all brides is to relax, have fun and make memories. It's easy to get carried away with FOMO or stress of other peoples opinions. Take time to reflect on you and your fiance' and what your wedding day is all about. Just think of me as your fairy godmother. I'm just here to make your day even more perfect.

Emily Gallo

Hey, hey future brides and all things fun shoppers! I’m Emily and I can’t wait to meet you! I was born and raised in good ole’ Waco, Texas where the bluebonnets bloom and the sweet tea is basically just sugar. Give me all things spicy and if it’s Mexican food and margs you’re after, then I am your girl. My gorgeous husband, Michael supports me always and all of my adventures no matter how crazy or on a whim they may be. We got married in May of 2019 and let me tell you…. It’s the absolute coolest thing getting to share your life and grow with the one you love.
I am so excited to meet all of my future brides and be able to help you through this big memorable life event! Dress shopping is pretty much the most important part of the planning process (am I right or am I right?). My best advice to my brides while you are shopping for your wedding dress is DONT BE AFRIAD TO TAKE THE "YES" LEAP! Now, I don't mean jump off the stage or anything crazy but don't be afraid to stop looking when you've found the dress that makes you feeeel like a bride, the dress that makes you smile when you imagine walking down the aisle to your love, the dress that gives you the best kind of feels and the dress that feels the most YOU! With that being said, bring the people with you that are going to provide the best kind of experience for you. My brides know I am here for them and your group should be too, good vibes and positive energy is all we want for your dress shopping experience. I can’t wait to shop with you! (:

kyla elliott

Hello! My name is Kyla Elliott and I have worked here at Norman's since 2017. I got all my prom dresses here in high school. So, when I saw they were hiring I immediately wanted to work here. I have a degree and am a registered radiographic technologist. However, I shortly found out my true calling was in bridal. I absolutely love meeting and helping my brides make their wedding dreams come true. I got married in 2021 to my amazing husband Kyle. We recently have had the most precious baby boy named Cohen. We also have two pets, a cat named Dollie and dachshund named Buster. I can't wait to meet all of our future brides!
My advice to future brides would be to come in with an open mind. We have so many dresses, what you think you may like could not be the one. Which is totally fine and happens all the time! Put your trust in your stylist, we are here for you! Our goal is to find you that perfect dress that you have always dreamed of! So don’t stress and let’s have fun during your appointment!

josi appling

Hey Brides to Be! My name is Josi, and I am so excited to help you find your dream dress. I'm a pet parent to a rowdy rescue dog and 3 cats, a circus artist, personal trainer, and lover of all things spooky! My absolute favorite part of working at Norman's is getting to see the moment a Bride's dream becomes reality. That moment of, "This is what I want to look like on my wedding day," just never gets old, and it is such a privilege to get to be a part of this memorable time in your life. Looking forward to meeting you at your appointment!

My advice, "Take a deep breath and listen to what YOU want- don't let others cloud your vision. And if you need backup, I got you!"

Katie Jankovitz

Katie began working for Normans in the fall of 2012. She graduated from MSU with a degree in fashion designing and shortly after applied at Normans in hopes of sharing her knowledge and love of fashion with brides. Katie’s favorite bride moment is when the bride first realizes that she has found “the” dress. It all becomes so real at that moment. Outside of making brides dreams come true Katie is involved in helping and teaching at her church. She loves spending time with her family and being the ‘best aunt’. Katie also enjoys geeking out at movies, reading books and doing craft projects.
My advice is to wear a little makeup, do your hair a little bit. It'll let you feel a more like you would day of instead of like any other day shopping. Bring a hair-tie! Just in case.

Carla Santos

Hi to all of the beautiful bride to be's. My name is Carla and I am a Texas girl born and raised. I have been a professional dancer for the past couple of years and have just recently retired from my life on stage. I now live in Missouri with my super sweet man who owns the best taco truck I've ever tasted in my life. I still love to dance and I have now shifted my focus to working out and weight lifting. I am so excited to help y'all find your dream dress, it's so exciting for me to be able to contribute to your big day! I can't wait to meet you and see how beautiful you're going to look in your future wedding dress.
My personal advice to all of the future brides is to come in and just soak every moment up. This moment is so personal and is a one of a kind experience because you are one of a kind! I am here for you and I promise you to help you find your dream dress and to make this experience beautiful and a breeze for you. Trying on dresses is so fun so just let loose and cherish the moment, I will be here for you every step of the way. By the end of this my goal is to have you feeling so relieved and beautiful because you are. I am excited to build a personal relationship with you, by the end of this appointment we will be besties for sure. Love, Carla <3

CHRISTIAN DOUGLASS​

Christian Douglass hails from Lebanon, Missouri. She graduated with her B.F.A. from Oklahoma City University in 2014 and joined the Norman’s team later that year while completing a Graduate Certificate Program at Missouri State. If there’s one thing she wants brides to know, it’s to embrace their vision and not judge it through anyone else’s eyes–after all, they’ll be the ones looking at the pictures ten years down the road!

joseph pyatt

My name is Joseph Pyatt! I have worked at Normans Bridal since 2018 as a prom stylist. We also have a great social media team that I get to be a part of as well. Taking pictures, editing and creating content for our followers is so much fun and always makes for an exciting day at work! I have always had a passion for fashion and design and knew that this was the place for me. Outside of work, I enjoy designing my own fashion creations and every year I am on a team of designers that put on a floral inspired fashion show called Art in Bloom at the Art Museum here in Springfield. I also enjoy thrifting for funky stuff and spoiling my two cats Birdie and Darla. I can't wait to help you find your perfect gown for prom or to help create a one of kind bridal party look!

Patty Smulski

I have been at Normans Bridal since 2014 and never enjoyed such a career as being a stylist at the number one bridal boutique. Besides enjoying what I do, my passions in my free time are golf, travel, and of course my beautiful family and my three precious granddaughters. I also can’t forget my sweet Yorkie, Sophie. Several of my accomplishments at Normans Bridal are being named Stylist of the Year by DYSB which allowed me to travel to Bridal Week in Atlanta and Barcelona, Spain! Finding that perfect gown for a bride is always a huge accomplishment for me especially seeing the smiles, the dancing and the relief on brides faces when they feel beautiful and confident in their wedding dress. Saying yes to a dress is what it’s all about! Along with spending time with brides, I’ve been having fun modeling our new line of Mother of the Brides dresses. The list is endless of all the aspects of being involved and reaching my goals at Normans. I’m originally from the suburbs of Chicago and moved to Springfield about 32 years ago and truly feel this is home. My daughter and son were both raised here and are now happily married to wonderful spouses. My daughter bought her wedding dress before I was employed by Normans and I was so blessed to help my daughter-in-law find her wedding gown at Normans. I look forward someday helping my granddaughters find their dresses for all of their special occasions. I guess you can say we are a Normans Family!