Grace Ormonde

Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Grace Ormonde Wedding Style

Born in the Azores and raised in Rhode Island, Grace Ormonde first became interested in weddings while engraving customized usher’s and bridesmaid’s gifts and managing three engraving shops for a local, Providence businesswoman.
 
In April of 1987 she produced The Grand Bridal Show with 105 vendors at the Providence Civic Center. It was the first time a bridal event of this size took place in Providence. The show was a smashing success.
 
Realizing the potential of an elegant, sophisticated wedding magazine, her interests soon grew to include publishing.
 
Grace sought out world-famous graphic designer Malcolm Grear, a professor at the Rhode Island School of Design whose Providence-based design studio concentrated on museum books and corporate-identity materials. Initially cool to the idea of designing a wedding magazine, Grear eventually gave in to Grace's passionate persuasion and agreed to give it a try.
 
The first issue of Grace Ormonde Wedding Style hit newsstands in New York and New England in 1999, and immediately received rave reviews for its uncluttered layout and outstanding photography. The magazine has grown exponentially since and now has national and international distribution.
 
The national and international expansion was a natural step for the growing publication, allowing it to broaden the reach of its editorial content and also to attract more national advertisers. Grace Ormonde Wedding Style has won numerous printing and graphic design awards and is one of the most talked about luxury wedding publications around the world. In 2005, Forbes.com proclaimed Wedding Style to be “the most celebrated publication in the industry.” However, Grace still felt a strong bond with her New England readers and advertisers, so in 2003 she also launched Grace Ormonde Wedding Style New England to serve the regional, New England marketplace.
 
Nineteen years after diving in to the business with her first bridal show, Grace's passion for presenting brides to be with the finest choices in fashion and wedding preparation and design remains as strong as ever. And this savvy businesswoman—the first from Rhode
Island to launch and run a national wedding magazine from scratch—is eager to see her business continue to grow, bringing her vision to more readers both on newsstands, the Internet (www.WeddingStyleMagazine.com) and in the spring of 2010 with a hard cover book.

Grace Ormonde Wedding Style has taken Grace on photo shoots to the most luxurious venues and resorts around the world allowing her to work with the most talented designers in their respective fields. Through numerous speaking engagements and magazine signings she delivers her message of creativity and style to business professionals and prospective brides."I want to give women a lot of choices—not tell them how to do things, but to give them the knowledge and inspiration they need along with the best resources, worldwide, to have their wedding be all they have imagined it to be," she says.

Despite the international acclaim and extensive travels, Rhode Island is where she calls home and holds dear to her heart while remembering and cherishing her humble beginnings.

Exclusive book signing with Grace Ormonde

Grace Ormonde will be doing an exclusive book signing at the Coterie Retreat.  Information on how to obtain a copy of her book and sign-ups for the book signing will be provided to all attendees.