Many customers like to know about the company and people behind the products they buy. Here we will tell you a little about ourselves and our company.

Our Business Philosophy

The objective of our business is to provide a high quality product and reliable service for our customers. We hope you will enjoy visiting our web site and using our products as much as we enjoyed providing them for you.

Our Company

This is where you can learn about our company and its history. We have been interested in starting our own business for many years and are excited to finally have reached that goal. Taking our business to the web makes the process even more exciting.

Our Employees

Employees play an important role in any business. Here is where we get a chance to tell you a little about ourselves. We may talk about our families, interests, and what we do in our free time. We try to bring our passion for life to you through our business and this web site. We may even provide a link to our personal web site to tell you more about ourselves.

Related Links

In this area, we will include any links related to our business or that we think will interest our customers. We may also provide links to other interesting shops you may want to visit.

Articles from
"About Me" "A magazine for women"
August 8, 2005

All in the family

That this mother daughter team gets along so well doesn't surprise Beverly Sanders, Vice president of community and public affairs for the Melbourne-Palm Bay Area Chamber of Commerce.

Family members who don't get along don't ask each other to go into business, she says.

"Horror stories don't stay in business." She says. "They part ways. Like any business relationship, if they can't get along they wont stay in business."

However, business-related stress can be exacerbated if you're in business with your mom or daughter. To help avoid that, be sure to come up with business plan that utilizes each person's strengths.

Although the Washington, D.C. center for women's business research hasn't done any surveys, its executive director, Sharon Hadary, says mother/daughter businesses are on the rise.

"This subject has been coming up so much we need to study on it," Hadary says. "Our sense is this is getting to be more and more common."

It will become even more common as mothers pass businesses down to their daughters, "much the same way fathers have done with sons," she says.

Which is what happened in the case of Celeste Creations, a Palm Bay wedding shop run by Celeste and Montelle Ratterray.

Three generations.

They say there's nothing like family when it comes to encouragement to follow a business dream.

For the past Eight years, Celeste, 50, and Montelle, 25, have operated the shop for brides and grooms. Before Montelle worked there, Celeste ran it with her own mother, the Rev. Dr. Ruby Huntley-Jones ThD, also of Palm Bay.

Celeste and Montelle say honest communication makes their business work. The closed lips you might find in a traditional boss/ employee relation ship don't exist here.

"We bend, we come to an agreement," Celeste says. "We don't argue. We're able to work in harmony. We know we have each other's back-plain and simple.

And, just try to say "no" to the selling team that is Celeste and Montelle.

"That can't," Celeste laughs. "Montelle does a great job."

But, when it comes to making hard decisions, Montelle defers to her mother. She says she has learned to trust and have faith. In the fact her mother only wants the very best.

"We're very close," Montelle says. "Me and my mother are best friends."

"We're everything to each other," Celeste says.

Articles from
"About Me" "A magazine for women"
August 8, 2005

Becoming the belle of the ball

Vibrant, shiny dresses all the rage in fall evening wear

BY KEILANI BEST
FLORIDA TODAY

Most of the year, formal evening wear is an unusual sight in Brevard County. With little more than an occasional art show to attend, "dressy" clothes tend to be fairly casual.

But all of that changes during the fall, as the formal attire season gets under way locally with such events as charity and social balls, swanky Halloween soirees, holiday parties and homecoming dances.

Celeste Creations in downtown Melbourne, a one-stop shop that sells bridal gowns, tuxedos, wedding and special-occasion accessories, and has a full-service florist for such events, offers a good variety of evening, formal and after-6 attire.

Celeste Ratteray, who owns the store with her daughter, Montelle, and mother, Rev. Ruby Huntley-Jones, has observed many trends during her 11 years in the bridal and formal wear business and maintains she knows what looks good on a woman.

One thing that stands out this year is color - it's bright, bold and luscious, she says.

"Last year it was lavender, but vibrant colors in formal wear is what's going on now," Celeste says. "Orange, yellow, turquoise, pink, blue, purple. Long ago, it was black and white. It's not like that anymore."

In her shop, there are only one-of-a-kind dresses, Montelle says. This means that once a dress is purchased, it's discontinued.

No woman wants to look at another woman mirroring her dress, Celeste says, and women who come into her shop will find unique and trendy items from which to choose.

In evening wear, many women are starting to show more skin in a newfound confidence in their bodies. Sure, there are some women who want to remain modest in their formal attire, but this season's trends in eveningwear reflect sexiness - plunging necklines, see-through fabrics and body-hugging silhouettes.

"The woman of today wants to look sexier - it's a new look of sophistication and sexiness," Celeste says. "It doesn't matter the figure because we go from (size) 2 to 42."

And formal wear is even crossing over into bridal wear. Many brides are choosing formal dresses over bridal dresses, in part because of more casual outdoor weddings and the need for something different, according to Celeste.

Another trend in cocktail and evening dresses, according to www.edressme.com, is shine and embellishment, particularly textured shine, with lace and trim details and classic satin, which is in line with the trend in fall clothing in general.

A well-fitted shiny dress is what's hot, and is a must-have for the upcoming charity benefits and holiday parties.

Shoe trends are along the same vain - shiny, embellished and sexy. In Celeste Creations, when customers buy a homecoming or prom gown, the shoes are given as a gift. And the shoes, which are hand-picked by Montelle, are metallic, high-heeled and unique, adorned with crystals and styled viciously sexy.

While the trends are very monolith this season, the most important thing to remember is to let your individuality radiate through. Putting your best foot forward with eveningwear will make you the belle of the ball.
Like mother, like daughter. Three generations of women own Celeste Creations, a formal attire boutique in downtown Melbourne. From left, Montelle Ratteray, Celeste Ratteray and Rev. Ruby Huntley-Jones hold a royal blue beaded bodice with a lace-up back and a sweep train. Rik Jesse, FLORIDA TODAY

Elegant evening wear. Formal dresses at Celeste Creations offer exquisite options for special occasions. From left are: an ivory and with satin dress with an English netting overlay, crystals and a sweep train; a royal blue beaded bodice with a lace-up back and a sweep train; a chocolate montage matte stain with an overlay of English netting; and a matte stain skirt with a separate strapless beaded top.