Meet Autumn Wright: The Veteran Behind Seraphina Divine Beauty
From driving military trucks in Iraq to creating the perfect wedding look, U.S. Marine Corps veteran Autumn Wright can do it all. After traveling all over the world, Autumn made the decision to move back home to New York and open her own salon, Seraphina Divine Beauty. Following years of hard-work, and building her business from the ground up, the salon has become extremely successful and is continuing to grow every day.
Located in Ballston Spa, New York, Seraphina Divine Beauty first opened its doors in 2015. They offer a wide range of beauty services including: waxing, makeup lessons and application, and a variety of different hair services. In addition to all the listed services, the salon specializes in weddings, an industry Autumn has worked in for many years. Whether someone needs a routine touch-up or an elegant style for their special day, Seraphina Divine Beauty provides it all.
After graduating from Ballston Spa High School in 2005, Autumn had intended to go to college. However, due to a lack of support she was unable to do so, and found herself homeless at only 18 years old. While sleeping in her car a recruiter stumbled across her and asked if she would be interested in joining the Marine Corps. Always up for a challenge, Autumn decided to enroll.
She went through 13 weeks of intense bootcamp. Initially, there were around 70 girls enrolled but by the end, only about 40 girls remained due to the harsh training conditions. However, Autumn made it through and even became an expert rifleman in the process. “It definitely taught me a lot about my capabilities,” she explained. “Because a lot of times you think that you can’t handle something, and then you can handle a lot more than you think when you’re pushed beyond your means.”
From bootcamp, Autumn first went into Marine Combat Training. Shortly after, she would go on to attend Military Occupational Specialties School and then Motor Transport School at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. At Fort Leonard Wood, Autumn finished at the top of her class and as a result, continued onto Logistics Vehicle Systems School. After completing all of her training, she traveled to her first duty station at Camp Pendleton, California. In August, 2006, thinking she was volunteering for a Marine expeditionary unit that would allow her to travel the world, she volunteered for deployment. However, her impressive skill-set led to her being sent to Iraq instead. “I thought I was going on a cruise ship around the world with the expedition unit and it turns out they needed me more in Iraq. So that fast tracked me over to the combat logistics battalion,” said Autumn laughing.
In November 2006, she began her pre-deployment training, and then left for Iraq in February, 2007. Stationed in Al-Taqaddum, Autumn went on about 150 convoys, transporting supplies to many different cities. Some of the places she frequently drove through included: Blue Diamond, Ramadi, Al-Fallujah, and Al-Asad. Eventually, she was asked if she wanted to be a part of the Lioness program; which attached females to infantry units to do things men could not, such as search women. She agreed and remained part of this program until returning to the United States in 2007.
After four years of serving her country, Autumn left the Marine Corps in 2009. Once finished, she began traveling, going everywhere from Arizona to Tennessee. She got a government job at a construction site doing hazardous material removal and asbestos abatement in Oak Ridge, Tennessee; the largest of the Manhattan Project sites. However, this career was short-lived and Autumn continued exploring the country.
Eventually, she landed in Fayetteville, Tennessee where she enjoyed being a stay at home mom to her newly-born son Raiden. Autumn spent her nights waitressing, where people began to notice her beautiful hairstyles and makeup. She began agreeing to work proms and weddings which inspired her to attend beauty school. She earned her degree from the Fayetteville College of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences, where she graduated as the student body president.
After working in Tennessee for a while, Autumn returned to New York due to her grandmother becoming sick. She decided to move back permanently to be closer to family. After applying to every salon in Saratoga, and being denied by them all, Autumn was able to get a job at Make Me Fab. Here, she began learning from anyone who would talk with her about what goes into a business. She acquired several new skills including: inventory, online scheduling, and more. Using this knowledge she opened Seraphina Divine beauty a year later.
The name derives from the Hebrew word seraphine, which means flaming. “I was thinking of what hair and makeup, what this career choice means to me and to me it means passion, and when I think of passion I think of flame,” Autumn explained. She continued to think about marriage and the relationship of a man and woman, which led to her adding divine, which means heavenly. “Over a matter of a few hours of sitting there playing with feelings and words, it just kind of chose me.”
Autumn brought a small clientele from Make Me Fab over to her new salon, but she still needed to do a lot of networking. Social media was not very common yet, so she went about gaining clients through word of mouth. “If I had down time at the salon I was literally out on the street walking around, passing out business cards to anybody who would take one with 20% off written on the back,” said Autumn. Her hard-work and determination allowed her to grow her clientele to what it is today, and she is continuing to grow. “Every year I made my business better in a different way and here I am. We’re almost at 10 years now and it’s come a long way.”
While Autumn enjoys doing hair and makeup for any occasion, she loves when she gets hired for a wedding. “It’s a little bit more intense of a feeling,” she said. “It’s the excitement, and the intensity of the emotion and the memory. Being a part of somebody’s happiest moments, and I just love the vibe of the wedding day because it’s such a happy day.”
Autumn is not slowing down anytime soon, and has big plans for the future of Seraphina Divine Beauty. She wants to continue to grow her clientele, and expand on her makeup line that recently launched. Additionally, she wants her salon to be an enjoyable experience for all who walk through the door. “A lot of people say they feel relaxed and they can talk about stuff, and they feel like they can connect and that’s the kind of vibe that I want,” Autumn said. She continued to express how proud she is of seeing her hard-work pay off. “It’s something I built. It’s something that’s functioning to support myself that I created and I love the people that I’ve cultivated in my world.”
When not at the salon, Autumn has several different hobbies. She enjoys working out, music, and is a self-proclaimed foodie. She stays busy with her 12 year old son and pit lab shepherd mix rescue, Dale.
For more information about Seraphina Divine Beauty visit their website at seraphinadivinebeautyny.com.
