Just bought these at Ricky’s cause my Adidas sneaks are definitely not waterproof.

After the nightmare on Friday I didn’t have high hopes for the Bridal Garden.

I had called a consignment shop that was supposed to have wedding gowns. When I told them my size they said don’t bother coming in. Bridal Garden told me they have a handful in my size.

After brunch at a nearby Le Pain Quotidien. I walked over with a few friends. Gina pointed us to the section that had dresses in my size. We pulled off about ten dresses for me to try on. At the second or third one I tried on my friends heard me say ooooh. It fit perfectly when I put it on. This is the dress I am buying, it will have some slight alterations done to it but I AM DONE!

We also found a veil by Henry Roth. No, I had never heard the name before but the thing is beautiful and also a headpiece by Nelson D’Leon. The dress is Lorry Couture, which I can’t find any information about online….but if fits perfectly so who cares.

The shop sells dresses, veils, tiaras and little flower sculptures you can add to hair arrangements of people in the bridal party. I really like the fact that at least the large chunk of change getting spent for one day is going to help needy children as opposed to just the purchase of something I will wear once in my life.

I called Bill to tell him about my excitement. He got all depressed saying that he had hoped I would be his one female friend who would not lose her mind when it was time to do wedding planning and get really into stupid surrounding hoopla….Button I was sharing shopping excitement with you not wedding excitement and I AM DONE. This was not long, prolonged and miserable as it could have been.

I highly recommend The Bridal Garden if you are shopping for a wedding dress in the NYC area.

Went to Union Square to Filene’s Basement’s Bridal Sale held in NY today…if you think of going next year – it’s true women are stripping in the aisles between the racks of wedding dresses. There is no way you will get to the fitting rooms so most people come in bicycle shorts and sports bras. Lady in your nude colored thong and bra – not cool.

I didn’t get there super-early. My mom talked to some folks who had made there way from North Carolina and had been waiting since about 2 AM. Doors opened at 8:00. We got there about 9:30. There were plenty of dresses. Some of them were really gorgeous. Prices ranged from $250 (for dresses that cost about 900-1000) to $699. Some famous designers are in the mix.

Brides come with teams in matching silly hats and t-shirts. Though from what I’ve read about Boston it’s definitely not as crazy. Teams in NYC were happily trading gowns.

Here’s the thing – if you are not a size 10 or under it may not be worth your time. There are tons of amazing dresses for skinny folks…I am generally a size 10-14 (with broad shoulders). In theory bridal gowns should be one size up. I found that I could not close anything under a 16. Was trying on the few 16 and 18s I could find. My mom pointed out the ridiculousness of bridal gown sizes going up in number, at the time when you should feel your most attractive…There were also a couple of size 24s that were kind of ugly.

Also, if you do go take water and maybe snacks with you – wedding dresses are heavy so it is a workout to try them on for a few hours…staying hydrating is probably a good idea to keep you from getting irritated during what should be a happy, fun time.

Looking for any recommendations (NY based preferrable) for affordable wedding gowns that are not backless…in larger sizes.

Update: Wedding Dress Shopping Is Done

eBoy - FooBar

Saw this poster on boingboing and couldn’t resist it. You can get one from here.

Today’s Freecycle Freemeet was a huge success. It was held in conjunction with an NYU group – Earth Matters. We got a clean space with live music, clothing racks and a separate room for sorting clothes. P.J. was happy and even got to take a break to eat lunch. Thanks to Marcy for getting the pizza. Got rid of a bunch of stuff and only brought home a couple of books and an incentive skirt – it doesn’t quite fit yet but…

After the freemeet saw Flushed Away, the new animated film from Aardman Animation (Creature Comforts, Wallace & Gromit) and Dreamworks with Nick and Vincent. It is is a fun story about rats in England (much better than it sounds – if you are a fan of early Guy Ritchie work – there are some scenes you will love; the French frogs are fantastic) and has amazing actors doing the voices (Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslett, Ian McKellan, Jean Reno, Bill Nighy, Andy Serkis…). It’s not stop-motion animation but it still has some of the feel of Aardman work – there’s no mistaking the teeth. Not least of the fun is walking around Midtown pretending to be animated slugs – Eeeeeeeee!