Meet the Ukranian couple designing beautiful wedding gowns in Birmingham
At NiEl Bridal Atelier in Forest Park, a dressmaker named Mykola Vyshyvanyuk designs and sews unique wedding gowns with the help of his wife, Olena. For years, the couple operated a bridal boutique in Lviv, Ukraine until 2022 when they fled to Alabama in the midst of war.
Two years later, Mykola has debuted a collection of custom gowns inspired by his family’s new life in Birmingham, entitled “Magic in the City.”
From Lviv, Ukraine to Birmingham, Alabama
A graduate of Veloudaky Fashion College in Athens, Greece, Mykola always dreamed of opening his own bridal shop one day. In 2012, his dream became a reality. Mykola, Olena and their children moved back to Ukraine and he opened the first iteration of NiEL Bridal Atelier.
As the father of three daughters—Eva, Ionna and Viktoriia—Mykola enjoys designing fashion for women and girls. According to him, he loves making wedding gowns because it’s inspiring to create a garment for someone’s special day.
When the war in Ukraine began, Mykola and Olena joined the war effort using their sewing skills.
“We worked as volunteers and created different equipment for soldiers like vests, hoping that war would end soon. When war started no one needed wedding dresses anymore and we had no possibility to ship orders. It was so much different from wedding dresses but we could save someone’s life.”
Mykola Vyshyvanyuk, Owner of NiEl Bridal Atelier
