The Bridal Garden

On Sunday this weekend, I visited the Bridal Garden and RK Bridal in New York. The Bridal Garden is a great non-profit organization where designers donate sample dresses and the proceeds go to a music program at a Brooklyn elementary school. So I had high hopes for this place. And while they did have some nice things, I didn't find a winner for me. There was one very nice dress though by Mon Cheri that a mother there assured me was "the one" and when I decided to leave it behind, another mother snagged it for her daughter. (they should hire me to wear these dresses around the store and increase their sales.) I actually tried on several w/o taking pictures. Including one with a slinky silk skirt that I was informed could not be worn with underwear. Really? No underwear at all? How much of a charade is wearing white if you go to the alter a la commando? Anyway, here's the close but no cigar dress.




After The Bridal Garden, we went to RK Bridal which is kind of a New York equivalent of David's Bridal--except they carry mid-price gowns from other designers instead of their own. So it's kind of a big warehouse with a LOT of dresses (like an intimidating amount) and a LOT of brides. You have to sign a waiting list and wait for an available salesperson and dressing room. I think we waited, oh about...an hour. Seriously. Eventually we just sat on the floor (no chairs) and watched other brides try on dresses and quietly gave American Idol like commentary. "Whoa, that skinny girl needs to be on the hamburger diet." "Ugh, that is not the dress for that butt." "hmm, doesn't look the dress type as much as the comfortable shoes and cargo pants type. I wonder who she's marrying." When we fi-na-lly got a dressing room, I was assigned to Olga. An adorably tiny old lady who's probably been doing this for forty years. She got me into each dress and then stayed in the dressing room and ate and apple while I checked it out in the mirror. (the dressing room, btw, looked like a retirement home. Complete with rocking chair and pics of brides/grandkids." Anyway, out of the 5 emerged 2 possibilities. Since we weren't allowed to take pictures, I can only post the pics of the dresses I could find online.


This is the first dress by Watters. It has a sweetheart neckline and the lace goes to tea length. I would wear it with a satin blue sash and a lace mantilla veil.

Here are several pics of dress #2. It's all satin, no lace or beading. But the design is very glamorous and probably more formal. I would wear this also with a lace mantilla veil and hopefully blue shoes.






So which do you like better? I have to decide like immediately b/c apparently it takes 6 months to order a new dress (although I could get the 2nd one used which would save a ton of time and money.) Should I go with the classic, romantic lace and a pop of color? Or the form fitting, glamorous all-satin number? Please let me know what you think.