Conde’ Boots Millie Martini Bratten from Brides

By Paul Pannone

Millie Martini Bratten has been with Conde’ Nast for two decades and Editor-in-Chief of Brides Magazine for most of that time. But her reign came crashing down as  Bratten was replaced by Anne Fulenwider this week. The move is seen as part of the ongoing shift from traditional print to a digital remake of the company, as they get set to move to lower Manhattan in 2013.

The end of an era, as print formats continue to deteriorate.

The move to dump Bratten could foreshadow a departure from the wedding business for Conde’. Reports that say Conde’ Nast may fold Brides magazine and Brides.com grow louder with the move, as ex-employees of the organization maintain Conde’ won’t support any entity that is not in top position.

The shakeup comes as no surprise to sources following the story watching the consolidation of print into to digital formats. According to sources the Conde’ shift to digital remains slow in relation to the plummeting newstand sale of their magazine.

Sources say Conde’ Nast may be losing interest in the wedding business altogether, much like Federated Department Stores did in 2006 when they shed David’s Bridal and Men’s Wearhouse, acquired in a buyout of the May Company years earlier. Sources add the move by Federated came when the wedding business was relatively robust compared to today’s shrinking wedding market, giving greater clarity that Conde’ Nast may be even more motivated to dump the bridal category.

In an unprecedented move, a spokesperson for Brides.com admitted recent errors in their system fueling the probability that Conde’ is no longer the undisputed powerhouse they were in the 1980′s.

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