Leslie Gilbeaux - Owner + Designer

Family and Design. Those are the two loves of designer, Leslie Gilbeaux and the inspiration behind her bridal design company, Marie Victoria.  

Launched in 2013, Marie Victoria is an Atlanta-based bridal company that creates privately commissioned custom wedding gowns, as well as produces a high-end bridal collection.

Designer Leslie Gilbeaux has always been creatively inspired by her family, especially her grandmothers - Doris Marie Gilbeaux and Ellen Victoria Brackens- for which her collection is named. Coming from a lineage of women with a great appreciation for style, it wasn’t a surprise that Gilbeaux ended up pursuing a career in fashion. Coupled with being a self-confessed hopeless romantic, bridal design was a natural fit for her.

As a young woman, Gilbeaux always listened intently when her grandmothers shared stories of their engagements and wedding days. However, she was heartbroken when she eventually learned that neither of her grandmothers were able to experience the thrill of selecting and wearing their own special gowns on their wedding day. Their stories prompted Gilbeaux to understand her innate reverence and awe of weddings and especially their centerpiece – the gown. 

Gilbeaux believes every bride deserves to look and feel her absolute best on her wedding day, while wearing the gown of her dreams. She works closely with brides around the country to create the custom wedding gown that perfectly suits their unique, personal style.

A native of Syracuse, NY, Gilbeaux is a graduate of the renowned Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and currently resides in Atlanta, GA.

CREDENTIALS

    Savannah College of Art and Design, Atlanta GA 2011  
B.F.A. Fashion Marketing and Management, Minor: Fashion Design

Owner/Designer - Marie Victoria
Atlanta, GA - 2012-Present
Work with private clients to design and produce their dream wedding dress.  Responsible for marketing implementation and sales to brides and bridal boutiques.  Design and produce a yearly     collection for the Marie Victoria bride. Completed all daily operational requirements.  Achieved financial objectives by preparing a budget & analyzing financial reports. 

Boutique Manager and Marketing Strategist - Runway Atlanta - Atlanta, GA - 2007-2009
Completed all daily store operational requirements.  Achieved financial objectives by preparing a budget & analyzing financial reports. Developed & streamlined a marketing strategy that generated successful traffic and sales. Conducted sales reports & guided buying decisions.  Developed & maintained relationships with new & current vendors.

Wardrobe Assistant - Whitestone Motion Pictures
Buford, GA - 2011-2012
IMDB credits, please visit http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4578919/ 
Assisted Head Costumer in selecting material & design appropriate for cast/scene.  Prepare garments & dress cast; select accessories & shoes that enhance visual presentation.  Trusted in maintaining detailed precision & an elevated standard of wardrobe in each take.  Design & create garments as required by supervisor.

Sales Associate - ALDO
Atlanta, GA - 2006-2007
Assuring new customers and repeat customers are fully satisfied with the product and the service when shopping. Responsible for meeting daily and weekly sales goal. Also responsible for     suggesting and encouraging add on sales; such as accessories, shoe care products, jewelry and other non-shoe items.

Roxsanne Tai - PR + Marketing

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Roxsanne Tai currently serves as PR & Marketing Consultant for Marie Victoria, where she is responsible for overseeing PR and marketing strategy, managing media relations and event planning.

Prior to joining Marie Victoria, Tai served as Associate Director of Corporate Fashion at PR Consulting, one of the leading global fashion, beauty and lifestyle PR firms. There she oversaw the strategic PR, branding and communication activities of the agency’s seven Vera Wang corporate brands, including Vera Wang Bride, White by Vera Wang, Black by Vera Wang and Vera Wang Love, as well as Marchesa Voyage, COS and The Jones Group.  

Earlier in her career, Tai served as Division Director at SLK Creative, a Miami-based PR & marketing agency specializing in the special events industry.  Prior to that position, Tai was with The Walker Marchant Group, a Washington, DC- based communications firm, where she primarily focused on corporate and litigation communication, working with a range of clients, including the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Viacom, Eli Lilly, Walgreens and The National Urban League.

Tai holds a BS in Retail from Syracuse University and an MA in Public Relations from the University of Miami.

Thomas Ghaddis - Product Development

Thomas is a seasoned pattern and product development consultant with substantial professional experience. He has made first run and production patterns for fortune 500 corporations, medium and small companies, and individuals with their first design. His projects have included many lines of women's and children's clothing, outdoors sport wear including ski and snow boarding jackets, swim suits, dance and skate costumes, theatrical costumes, lingerie and winter wear items, to name only a few. 

He is exceptionally talented in creating patterns from a sketch, photo, or sample garment. If it can be sewn, he can make the pattern, produce the garment and do the grading.

Prior to successfully starting his own Factory404 in 2016, Thomas served as production manager for 3 years in local factories in Atlanta.

He graduated twice from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a B.F.A. in Fashion Design and an M.F.A in Luxury Fashion. 

Eric Glidewell - Legal

Eric Glidewell is a Partner in Womble Carlyle's Corporate and Securities Group. Eric focuses primarily on representing public and private companies in mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance matters, equity and debt offerings, and general commercial transactions. Eric is a trusted advisor to several regional and national companies, regularly providing counsel on corporate governance matters and strategic transactions.

Eric has served as lead counsel for both buyers and sellers in a variety of complex business combinations, mergers, leveraged buyouts, debt offerings, purchases of stock and assets, divestitures and joint ventures in a variety of industries including financial services, manufacturing, life sciences, pharmaceutical, retail, software and technology.

Eric is based in Womble Carlyle’s Atlanta office, but regularly advises clients on national and international transactions.

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Rebecca Wells - Finance

Rebecca is a Certified Public Accountant and Partner at Wells Tarkington, LLC. With over 15 years of experience in Accounting, Banking and Financial Services organizations, she brings perspective to the Accounting needs of regional businesses, individuals and government organizations.

Her client experience includes work within the retail, banking, financial services, technology, defense and manufacturing sectors. Over the years, she has successfully worked with clients to streamline and automate their finances and accounting so that they can focus on their business. Her practice focuses on management accounting, outsourced bookkeeping and CFO functions, tax services and business advisory.

Prior to joining Wells Tarkington, she held Accounting and Finance positions at Suntrust Bank, Textron Financial and Iconis Group. Rebecca earned her bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Georgia State University. She is a member of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), the Georgia Society of CPAs (GSCPA), the American Woman’s Society of CPAs (AWSCPA) and is a registered Certified Public Accountant in the State of Georgia.