Pure Bridal, a store that has only been open for little more than a year, has accomplished the unthinkable.

Rita Gartin and Kayse Carter opened the doors of Pure Bridal on January 21, 2012.

Gartin, who has an interior design degree, combined forces with her sister Carter, who has an apparel design degree, to create this bridal store.

“We work well together, and we fight well together, and I think that is really important when you team up with someone,” Gartin said.

They ran their store with high hopes and even higher expectations. Their hard work paid off when Pure Bridal was selected to win the Best of Weddings award from The Knot.

“Our customer service is a big part of why we are successful,” said McKenzie Foughty, one of 10 bridal consultants who work at Pure Bridal.

“Any time someone walks in, we treat them like family,” Gartin said.

Their store gave customers a high-end boutique experience at a realistic price. They mix the old with the new by having brand new wedding dresses with antique decor.

Pure Bridal contains a family room for private appointments as well as a spacious salon floor for all of the brides’ shopping guests.

All of these aspects went into Pure Bridal winning the Best of Weddings award from The Knot.

The Knot is a website that allows brides to plan their wedding exactly the way they want to. Eight out of 10 brides go to The Knot when planning their wedding.

“Every bridal shop in Iowa that has an account on The Knot is eligible to be in the running for the award,” Gartin said.

The award is won based on the reviews of consumers who are members of The Knot. The Knot then picks the top three stores with the best reviews.

This year, Pure Bridal won along with Modern Dress and Bridal Elegance.

“We didn’t think it was probable or possible [for] a store that has only been open for one year [to] win the Best of Weddings,” Gartin said.

“It was a goal of ours, but it was something that we didn’t foresee for us possibly getting because we are so new.”

Foughty is now looking toward what the future of the store could hold.

“It is really rewarding to know that such a young store can win an award like that,” Foughty said. “Who knows what it will be like down the line to see what all the things we can do?”