You can never truly be prepared for the rite of the dress hunt. You can study all the forms your prey can take: mermaid, A-line, ball gown, sheath, cocktail, empire, pants suit, suit. You can memorize designers, how many points they have and where to track them. You can plan every last detail, from your tree stand to your 400 square inches of hunting orange. But you'll never know if you are woman enough until you stare that saleswoman in the face and tell her you're not spending any more than two grand on a damn dress you are going to wear for one day in April.
I admit, I hit some low lows while on the trail of the elusive wedding dress. To pass down my hard-earned wisdom and empower my fellow huntresses, I give you my NYC bridal rundown.
NEVER GO TO KLEINFELD. THEY ARE AWFUL PEOPLE WHO PROBABLY EAT BABIES.Don't go to Kleinfeld if you are a reasonable individual who is not going to spend at least $3,000 (they would prefer more) on a gown. I told them $2,000 and they pretty much shoved me in a closet. Actually, they did shove me in a closet. I was allowed six dresses and, here's the kicker, sent to the back closet to pick them off the rack
myself. This is not that kind of store. I was so insulted I almost walked out. The only thing keeping me there was the fact that they had my credit card number and might have charged me for not keeping my appointment. I was in tears—
tears— when I left. I called G and told him I could not do this anymore. Later, I met another bride Kleinfeld had made cry. So I'm telling you, they don't deserve your business, even if you are going to drop the operating budget of a small country on your dress. Support the sisterhood and diss Kleinfeld.
FOR THE BRIDE WHO WANTS TO BE TOLD WHAT TO DO, I point you in the direction of the overenthusiastic saleswoman of Designer Loft. She thinks she knows what you want better than you do, even if you have shown up to specifically try on one dress. And don't be surprised if that dress is a size 24 and you are not and you were not told it was that size before you took the time and effort to show up at the store. Yes, I got to try on the dress. Not that I was able to tell much from it. The woman helping me in and out of dresses was great. The saleswoman was manic. She wanted me to try on a drop-waist dress (I looked awful in it and the dresser laughed and agreed with me). She told me I was young and flirty and the dress I wanted to try on was for more "mature" brides. Then she told me the dress would be $1,500, plus $425 for alterations. But she did let me pick a few things out of the closet on my own. And she was friendly, if overbearing. Then again, she was going to fleece me on the dress.
FOR THE BRIDE ON A BUDGET, I can recommend RK Bridal. They had a pretty good collection, even if it wasn't in the greatest condition. They do keep the dresses in bags, but when you have that many people going through a store, there is wear and tear. The saleswoman was really sweet and helpful. They always lay it on thick, but she listened to what I was saying about the dress I liked. In fact, she convinced me to order it even though I wasn't able to try it on in my size(ish) anywhere. She had me try on other dresses by the same maker so I would know what the cut would be like and she assured me that I wouldn't get any surprises from the designer. For the record, my dress would have been $810 at RK. But they charge a flat rate for alterations of $350. So maybe you'd want to get it altered elsewhere? I don't know if they allow that. Eh.
FOR ANY BRIDE WHO WANTS TO BE TREATED WITH RESPECT, I recommend with all my heart Wedding Atelier. Carrie, who owns the store, is fantastic. She runs an extremely clean shop and only the saleswomen touch the gowns, so they are all in great condition. When you come in they ask you to take off your shoes and offer you paper slippers. They say it enhances the spa atmosphere, and it does, but it also keeps all that New York City dirt off the floors, and thus, off the dresses. After the Kleinfeld fiasco I was afraid to tell Carrie my real budget, so we tried on dresses in the $3,000-$5,000 range. During the course of our conversation, I learned that she'll happily work within any budget, so I felt bad that I hadn't been more honest with her. By this time I had pretty much decided to order my dress from a shop in Connecticut (final price $850 and an estimated $150 for alterations) so I sort of knew that I wasn't going to get my dress at Wedding Atelier. Since I had to leave my credit card number for the appointment, I figured I might as well keep it. I am so glad I did. It reaffirmed my faith in the sisterhood and in good business. Carrie listened to everything I had to say and found a few lovely gowns for me to try. Then at the end, she asked me if I would try on one for her, even though it was the kind of gown I wasn't really interested in (mermaid, structured, strapless). I said sure and it was awesome. The gown was $4,200, so buying it was out of the question, but it really did look foxy on me. Carrie was able to find something unexpected for me that looked amazing, and I have every faith that she could do the same for anyone. She carries a wide variety, including some specialty designers. It's just a pleasant shopping experience and I recommend it to any bride-to-be, even if you aren't all that into the hunt (Exhibit A: me).
And so finally, I landed back in Connecticut where the lovely ladies at Delianne's doted on me and ordered my dress, now due in January. So here it is, my 7-point buck, Mon Cheri Victoria 25272:
Until next time, it's open season!
