I know that my humble first review won't have much street cred, but at the risk of being completely…read moreignored, I feel absolutely obliged to give my first and highest rating to this fabulous woman, Ms. Mary Adams.
Though I have never been much for wedding planning hoopla, the one thing I wanted was a beautiful and unique dress. My original fantasy of going to the Philippines and having one made especially for me to the tune of $500 proved too ambitious, so I felt somewhat relegated to give David's Bridal a chance. One visit with my then-fiancé to the DB in Midtown East, and I knew it would never, ever, work out. (Sorry, DB fans!)
Anyway, I happened upon this very Yelp page for Mary Adams in my search for bridal boutiques, and it was these same five reviews that I had read that convinced to look her up. Her website was filled with these fantastic, playful, creative - and wearable! - works of art. We scheduled an appointment with her for later that week.
We entered a small but cheerful studio on the 6th floor of a nondescript office building, and met with Mary, a funky-cool woman in her 50s, someone who you just know marches to the beat of their own drum. We discussed what kind of wedding we were having and what we had in mind for budget. Rather than designing a dress from scratch, we opted to search her collection for an "off-the-rack" design that might suit our needs.
The first dress I tried on, a pretty white layered organza piece, was ten times more unique than anything I had seen at DB. My fiancé and I breathed a happy sigh of relief and practically settled on that first dress, but out of curiosity wanted to fit a few more dresses. Heck, we had already made the trip, right?
If I did not almost cry when I tried on the next dress, a stunning aquamarine gown with a halter and form-fitting bodice, and flowing, asymmetrical layers. It was THE DRESS. It was so gorgeous that I reconsidered every inclination and expectation I had to wear a white dress, and it took all my willpower to give it back to her. It was decided: Mary Adams was the one, and she was going to make MY perfect dress.
I had at least four more visits with Mary over the course of three months. Just because it was considered "off-the-rack", she still sews every detail by hand or with her workhorse of an ancient Singer machine, customizing it to you. She presented me with fabric choices and color options, and she offered her wisdom generously when I asked for advice. Goodness, she even handled my mother gracefully when she came with me to the subsequent fittings (nothing short of a miracle). Lola C. said in her review that she was sad to pick her dress because she would no longer be part of the process. I ditto that.
We planned for beach wedding in St. Thomas last October. My dress, as per Mary's instructions, was to be turned inside out and crumpled in a bag for the plane ride. I was hesitant to do this, for obvious reasons, but it's part of what made the dress so freaking cool. That, and because of the way it was made I never had to worry about not fitting into my dress even if I gained five or ten pounds. (I just had to make sure I drank enough beer so I didn't lose weight!).
Needless to say, I loved my dress and felt absolutely beautiful in it. Everyone genuinely raved about it -- not out of any sense "Tell the bride she looks beautiful even if she looks like a train wreck"-obligation. I jumped and frolicked in the sand and had the time of my life in this dress, and by the end of the night I really didn't want to take the dress off (to the slight dismay of my now-husband!)
To end this rambling love letter/unsolicited life story, I highly recommend a visit with Mary Adams, not just for your wedding, but for any occasion you want to look and feel fabulous. You will not regret it!
