The Cotton Bride

I love The Cotton Bride! This is the perfect place for women who don’t want a floofy, sparkly wedding dress. The gowns here are elegant and so beautifully made, and SO comfortable to be in! I came here twice to find a dress for my backyard wedding and was amazed at the range of styles, all in rich natural fabrics. They only take one appointment at a time, and Fikre and Chris were incredible in how they translated my vague ideas into gorgeous dress suggestions– after trying on a few dresses I think they understood my style and what worked for my body shape more than I do!
I ended up getting the dress for the ceremony elsewhere, mainly because my heart was torn between two Cotton Bride dresses, but they’re working with me now to make a dress for the reception. So much love and thought goes into each of these dresses, and Chris and Fikre are such a delight to work with.

Even though the Cotton Bride was the very first bridal shop I visited and where I bought my customized dress practically immediately, I wanted to wait until after my wedding to post only the greatest review ever. Before I got engaged, I knew that my style for a wedding dress would be very 1950’s — who doesn’t want a tea length dress? Then I started looking at the more «mainstream» bridal salons online and began to get very very nervous that my vision would not be realized. As I said, The Cotton Bride was the first shop that I visited, and just like Fikre said to me after I tried on some of their styles, my search was done.
Their model is different than other bridal salons; when you go, you will be the only bride there (which is awesome) and they book you for two hours. The whole appointment takes place in the studio which is really one of the best things about The Cotton Bride: all customized dresses are made on their premises! Who can’t love that business model? Fikre handles the business side of everything and believe me, he makes the entire experience wonderful. You will want to be his best friend. Fikre has a very discerning eye and will work with you to choose a dress that flatters you best. When I left the studio on that very first day, I was on Cloud 9 with my dress choice.
I want to say that the most noteworthy aspect of my entire experience at the Cotton Bride was how much they cared about making sure the final product was absolutely perfect. When I had a small defect in the foundation of the dress, they worked tirelessly with me in the studio to get it perfect. In fact, Chris, the brooding artist himself, said that he would not go home until it was 100% correct. It goes almost without saying that the dress could not have been better, but, for a nervous bride a few months from the big day, I never once doubted the skill of Chris or anyone at The Cotton Bride.
And now, as a newlywed, I am so proud to say that I am a «Cotton Bride» for life. Thank you so much Fikre and Chris! I cannot think of any studio who even comes close to what you deliver.

I loved The Cotton Bride. I visited 5 different wedding dress stores, and Cotton Bride was definitely my favorite experience. Fikre & Chris made me feel very comfortable, and they made it fun. Chris was sketching, while Fikre draped fabrics around me. I loved their dresses, and I thought it would have been amazing to have a dress that was designed and sewn in Long Island City. I did end up picking a dress elsewhere, but I would still highly recommend Cotton Bride!

I was in for my first visit yesterday — and I very easily narrowed it down to MY dress! It was the most low-​stress shopping experience I have ever had. My sock-​shopping experiences are, on average, more stressful than yesterday’s visit to the Cotton Bride!
I had four people with me — three best girlfriends and my mother. We had the studio to ourselves. It’s a beautiful studio — spartan-​ly romantic and not over the top. When you ascend the stairs you can peer into their workshop, and it’s so cool to get to see where the «magic» happens. I feel like that is a unique experience, though I knew from the start that the Cotton Bride was going to be my first and only stop so I can’t say that other shops don’t provide the same glimpse into the dress-​making process.
My personality fits really well with Fikre’s «funnel method» — try on a dozen different styles, and narrow it down pretty quickly to the top three or four favorites (a-​line, ball-​gown, etc). Fikre is a keen observer and he paid what must have been painstakingly close attention to my body language as I wore each and every gown. Even simple subconscious movements like patting down the gathered skirt material at the waistline didn’t go unnoticed, and he rightly inferred that this probably meant that the dress — though gorgeous and flattering — would end up making me feel self conscious around the tummy. The way he articulated this observation to myself and my group about a dress we were enthusiastic about was skillfully cautionary — he wouldn’t want to discourage us from going with a dress we all may adore, but he also wanted to make sure we weren’t missing the important psychological red flags. (And I should say — once he pointed that out, we then understood what that «thing» was, that thing that just doesn’t feel right, about an otherwise gorgeous dress. I did not go with that style). I don’t feel the need to say much more about Fikre, as he is appropriately glowingly reviewed elsewhere. But I *do* feel it’s necessary to talk about Chris.
I totally understand why some brides might be put off by his demeanor. To me, being a born-​and-​bred Metro-​Area New Yorker, Chris is just an aggressively introverted and broody Greek artist, who won’t waste words on small talk, but *will* step up and tell you if the dress you’re wearing doesn’t suit your figure. And thank god for that. The balance between Fikre and Chris was really re-​assuring. Fikre is warm and welcoming, but Chris is there to tell you the hard truths that you *need* to hear if you want to look your best on your big day. His personality was very warmly familiar to me having grown up in mixed greek and italian neighborhoods, and even the comfortable bickering between Fikre and Chris about some of the design details is very quintessential New York. You can’t take his demeanor personally. One dress I went to try on — an asymmetrical design, just to see — I didn’t even have zipped up all the way before he said something along the lines of, «I can’t even bear to see what that would look like on your body», like to put it on would be tortuous to his eyeballs. To me and to my group, that was absolutely hysterical and we didn’t see it as being ill-​spirited. He’s an honest person and he’s totally right — with my hip to waist ratio, that dress looked ridiculous on me.
Anyway, I could write forever about the virtues of Chris’ very misunderstood personality, but my main motivation is to ensure any bride-​to-​be that Chris has a wonderfully warm charm, you just need to look past the immediate gruff image he puts out. It’s amazingly appropriate that a cigarette-​smoking gruff man like Chris can make the most delicate, beautiful, and feminine gowns. My gosh — the skill. Him and Fikre both are extraordinarily talented designers, artists, and dressmakers (I suspect that there is a division of labor there, but I as I was distracted in the dressing room I did not hear Fikre describing exactly what each of them do. It did seem to me that Fikre is the Vision/​Designer and Chris is the Construction). The way they work together is brilliant. And the way they interact is nothing short of entertaining.
The dress I chose will be customized. I’m still floored by the fact that a made-​for-​me dress with beautiful lace and custom coloring was only $ 2500, and that includes all fittings and alterations. What? Seriously? To be clear, I did purchase my dress on the first visit and so got a small discount — but I would have purchased it with or without the discount.
All in all, Chris and Fikre spent two and a half hours watching me in gown after gown, tugging and altering and sketching designs to come up with The Dress that is quintessentially me. Not only were they okay with a large amount of alterations to their design, they actually seemed happy about it — like the changes in color and design would be fun. And that’s the crux of the experience. I will carry their passion with me down the aisle.

I went to the Cotton Bride last week with my mom, sister, and two best friends. I met with Fikre, who was so helpful in choosing styles that worked best for my figure. He was so attentive to my personal style and really tried to find a dress that would work for me. He was definitely professional and knew what he was talking about. He had many options for me to try on, both in my size and smaller. Nobody helps you in and out of the dresses you are trying on, so I would recommend going with someone to help you do that. Highly recommend :)

We first discovered THE COTTON BRIDE just over two years ago when one of my four daughters was looking for a wedding gown of natural fabric that would allow her to dance up a storm at her upcoming summer wedding. Valerie didn’t want to melt into a pool of sweat! We found The Cotton Bride on the internet and made an appointment. We drove up to their unassuming door, easily parked, climbed the stairs, opened the door and gasped with delight. Hanging before us were rows of the most beautiful diaphanous cotton bridal creations, gorgeous, unique, filmy, lacy, understated and magnificent all at the same time. Wow. We had seen too many poofy, heavy, and expensive gowns in NYC that had all started to look the same. At last! This room filled with custom-​designed wedding gowns was just what we had been seeking! But this was only the beginning. FIKRE AND CHRIS ARE AN ABSOLUTE DREAM TEAM. Putting all of Val’s favorite aspects together, they came up with what they now call «The Valerie» gown. (You can look it up and see it on their website.) Together they helped Valerie design and create her perfect dreamy wedding gown.
When it was time for my next daughter’s wedding, you can bet we headed right back to The Cotton Bride! Chris and Fikra beautifully refurbished and upgraded my wedding gown using all the original appliqués and lace ribboning until it was absolute perfection for Naomi, a new heirloom to treasure. Genius Craftsman and Artistic Designer Chris built not only one, but two muslin frames for Naomi to try on, just to see which one she would prefer. Who does such a thing in today’s world?! Only The Cotton Bride’s perfectionists, Fikre and Chris, who want to make sure that the Bride is totally Happy with her wedding gown!
I CANNOT RAVE ENOUGH ABOUT THE COTTON BRIDE! Fikre and Chris compliment each other totally, giving of themselves with patience, time, care and creative ideas. They pay 100% attention to every detail of everything! As well my other daughters and I found the right dresses to wear thanks to their help. The weddings were not local and all kinds of arrangements had to be made to accommodate our needs (including Facetiming some of the wedding fittings with one of my non-​bride daughters serving as the model!) and finally shipping the gowns. Everything went smoothly… nothing is too much trouble for these two wonderful and professional people.
If anyone wants to know more about my perfect experience, having gone through the wedding gown search four times, just ask Fikre or Chris for my contact information and I’ll happily share my experience and photos with you! Their honesty, vision, creativity and genuine care cannot be fully conveyed in these words. These two are simply the best there is and their results, their gorgeous, dreamy wedding gowns, are also THE BEST THERE IS!
Thank you, Cotton Bride!!!
Joan
(also Brides Valerie, and Naomi and sisters of the Brides, Daphne and Melanie)

I am so grateful to Chris and Fikre for making the dress shopping experience so enjoyable. Walking into the Cotton Bride, the first thing that struck me was that I was the only person there, and that Chris and Fikre were not rushing me at all. It made the experience so calm and let me just enjoy trying on the dresses!
The Cotton Brides’ dresses are simple, sweet and light. They’re unique to begin with, but also highly customizable, for little extra cost. Chris and Fikre really work with you to fine-​tune the details. My wedding was in CA and I had my dress shipped to me when I moved in December. I did not need any additional tailoring for my wedding in March; it fit perfectly. Bonus: you can totally swing dance in these dresses.

The Cotton Bride is the one and only place the I will ever tell any of my friends and family to go to. Whether they are looking for a wedding dress or an evening gown The Cotton Bride is the place to go.
My mom had found this place months back by googling cotton ‘light weight wedding dresses’ and instantly we knew this was the one and only place to go to.
I had looked into the company but not really researched it until a few days before we went. I cannot tell you how excited I was after reading all the reviews and YouTube videos about it! After doing my own research I knew I was going to be buying my wedding dress from here. I had spoken to my mom about it, but not until the drive to the place did I really get to explain to her the process of The Cotton Bride. Then when we arrived it was just like the other reviewers have stated.
We, meaning my mom, sister and mother in law, walked up the stairs and instantly were met by Fikre. He showed us into the large dressing room and said ok what styles are you looking for? And we all just starting looking at all the dresses and the fabrics and pulled a few to try. Within minutes I was already in the dressing room with my first dress on. From there it was a piece of cake, we met Chris who was quiet but asked simple questions about what I was looking for. First I tried on a white dress and we all had something to say about it then they whisked me away into another off white dress same style but slightly different and again we had comments on what we did or didn’t like. Then Chris left the room and brought back a stunning red dress. Instantly I put it on and said well if it wasn’t red I’d take it! After that dress we went to brown dresses and then back to white and then pink. All in all I think I tried on 8 – 10 dresses and every time my mom, sister and I had the same comments. Once we figured out the shape and design of the dress it was on to fabrics and colors. There was a pink dress that I saw when I walked in and I fell in love with the color and fabric. Both Fikre and Chris wanted me to try it on to make sure it matched well with my skin tone. Fikre actually said that many brides love the pink look but back out of it last minute. There was no backing out for me, I was in heaven! After we found the color and fabric Chris then showed me what he had been designing the whole time. He took everyone’s ideas and turned it into a beautiful design. I was half expecting at some point for my mom or I to start crying but the experience was quite surreal and since it is just a drawing for right now there’s nothing to cry over. My mom tried to get me to back out of the pink but I said absolutely not, so what happened you ask?! We bought the dress right there on the spot!
Working with Fikre and Chris was a dream experience, I don’t know how anyone would want to go anywhere else! I was able to get a custom made dress that will always be just mine and no one else’s for less than an off the rack dress might cost AND once you buy it everything is included! All the alterations are included in the price, where have you ever heard of that!
If your a bride that is not sure what she wants but is willing to take direction from 2 amazing men to find your most perfect comfortable dress the I absolutely must insist you go to The Cotton Bride.

I visited 5 wedding dress boutiques before throwing up my hands in despair. Almost every gown I tried on felt ridiculously costumey and not me. I did find a couple here and there that might work, but they were priced way out of my range. By the time I walked into Fikre and Chris’ boutique, I did not expect to do much better. However, I noticed right away their approach was very different. First, their attentiveness and reassuring manner instantly put me at ease. Second, they let me try on any dress I wanted, and they then strongly urged me to try on dresses I would never have thought of trying on. It was a learning experience, as I’d never dreamed of trying on a ball-​gown or knowing the difference in certain fabrics. Third, they gave me almost an entire 2 hours to do so and I didn’t feel rushed at all.
Before I went to The Cotton Bride, I thought that my dream dress was a certain style (v-​neck with straps, & column draping), but I had gotten feedback from anyone that I asked that it was in fact something entirely different. Chris and Fikre were able to explain to me why this was so, and I was persuaded that strapless-​flare was really the way to go. Then because we couldn’t find the exact detailing I wanted from the dresses already available, Chris proceeded to help me design the dress from scratch, with the fabric, lace, beading and draping meticulously decided upon. The final product was a dress that was entirely ME, and at my wedding everyone kept telling me so. I couldn’t have been a happier bride. Thank you Chris and Fikre for an amazing experience!

I had the most wonderful, un-​rushed, genuinely fun experience with Fikre and Chris. I went in with absolutely no idea what I wanted, and over the course of many hours on a Saturday they helped me try on what must have been dozens of dresses, each of which was marvelous and none of which were a waste of time.
If you want an elegant, sublime dress, The Cotton Bride should be your first stop. If you want the best experience choosing your dress, with the help, care and special attention of having the people who design and create the gown, the Cotton Bride could be your ONLY stop
Both Fikre and Chris are KIND, and the dresses are BEAUTIFUL. I made a Unilocal account just to recommend them and express my gratitude

I just wanted to write a Unilocal review to thank Fikre and Chris at The Cotton Bride for the wonderful, personal bridal appointment this weekend. I really appreciated their patience with my mom and me. I can honestly say that the Cotton Bride offers the best bridal experience of any store in New York. I didn’t want their time/​effort to go unnoticed. I absolutely recommend the Cotton Bride to anyone who is looking for a dress for their wedding.

My experience at the Cotton Bride was great! Fikre was very genuine, nice and helpful. We had trouble finding the location (a giant truck was parked in front of it) but I called and he came right out and showed me to a parking spot right in front. The dresses were beautiful. I’m a low maintenance chick so this place was great. Just a wonderful experience overall. A very intimate and enjoyable experience. Not like those outlets where there are a million brides all around. It’s just about you. For those ladies who are sick of the cookie cutter dresses with all kinds of sparkles and whatnot, this place is for you. Give it a shot and you wont be disappointed!

This review is long overdue, but here it is. I cannot say enough about how wonderful The Cotton Bride is. I stumbled upon them because my mother, who knows me so well, found them on Unilocal.I was searching for my dream Beach wedding dress for my June 2014 wedding in Queens NYC with my mom and after only TWO places of your standard Wedding places in Flushing Queens, I was ready to give up. I remember asking the lady at one of the stores «I wish they would make Cotton Wedding Dresses» and needless to say, she looked at me strangely and said «Good Luck with that». I was convinced that I was not going to find a wedding dress. The Cotton Bride changed all that. From the moment you walk in, Fikre makes you feel welcomed and beautiful. I tried on several dresses that I had picked in addition to ones that my sister and mother had picked. I found my dress that day and I came back again to add my little twists and details to it. The outcome was the wedding dress that I had been dreaming of and had envisioned to wear on my wedding day. Chris was there for the second fitting and I welcomed his ideas but he, too, was not pushy. I felt very comfortable around Fikre and Chris and my dress came out as beautiful as I imagined it to be. I am so lucky to have found a place that completely understood my vision and what I was looking for in a wedding dress. A girl only gets to do this once and I would recommend The Cotton Bride for any bride who is looking for something different, personal and most of all comfortable. My dress held up in the heat during our beach ceremony and I danced the night away in it and never once did I feel uncomfortable! I loved loved my dress and THANK YOU Fikre and Chris for being so kind and helpful in the process!

So I just made this account to tell you all how amazing The Cotton Bride is.
I am not a «normal bride,» I don’t like big poofy gowns and the whole wedding industry makes me nervous, so I assumed my dress shopping experience would be torture.
Searching tirelessly for a place that understood me, I finally got in touch with Fikre and from the first time we spoke I knew that this was the place for me. Fikre is a gem. I’m not kidding. He’s the sweetest person and not for one minute did I feel like he was pushing me in any direction. At first nothing was really working for me, I felt like a lot of their dresses, while beautiful, were a little heavy. Fikre knew exactly what I was looking for and pulled the most beautiful dress out of their workshop which is in the next room not on display. As soon as I put it on it just made sense and that was it.
These guys really care about what they do, they will work tirelessly to make you happy.
Yes they can create a custom gown but not for one second did they try and coerce me in any way other than what I wanted.
Things to help persuade you:
–If you are scared of looking like a sparkly marshmallow, come here, nothing is cheesy or overdone.
— If you can’t imagine spending thousands of dollars on a dress you’ll wear for 5 hours, come here. Their prices are extremely reasonable for the quality, attention and care you will be getting throughout the process.
— If you want to be comfortable on your big day and want a dress to reflect your confident, amazing self, do yourself a favor and drive, train, bike, fly over.
I would be their spokesmodel if I could.
Thanks to everyone for all you have done, wishing you big things in the future!

After some perusing — trunk shows, department stores, and online — I realized that the bridal wedding industrial complex makes me gag.
I am the Low Maintenance Bride — I want clean lines, simple natural fabrics (for a beach wedding), a relatively light weight dress, and NO pouf/​sequins — i.e., it’s my wedding day, not the Miss Universe competition. Unfortunately, this means that I am not in the target market for 99.9 999 999% of bridal gowns.
After nearly tearing my hair out at the prospects of having to wear something that would look like a prom dress — I googled «cotton» and «bridal» and happened upon The Cotton Bride, which is not to far from my home in Queens. Sweet.
I emailed for info, received prompt, helpful communication from Fikre, and scheduled a fitting within 3 days. The studio is in the last (remaining) bastion of industrial Long Island City, just north of the Queensboro Bridge. I arrived for a fitting, and was given utmost attention and help and fun and good humor for several hours. It was fantastic and fun… the studio is great, lined with beautiful natural fabric dresses which you can check out on the website. You can of course have any of these dresses made, but Fikre and Chris (the designer) specialize in designing and constructing the right dress for you — this means trying on dresses for best fitting silhouettes, and working out if you want something they’ve already got or something new.
Some tips:
–Bring a gal pal if you are paranoid about men helping you in and out of dresses. But Fikre and Chris are completely lovely and non creepy so if you’re laid back about it, they are tremendous help.
–Expect to try on a bunch of dresses of all shapes and silhouettes to get a great idea for what looks great on the hanger but also great on your body — and that you can work with Chris to design what you want or else get something pre-fab’ed in the studio.
–Expect to see loads of beautiful natural fibers, cottons, laces, silks, and linens.
–Expect to pay a fair price for natural quality fabric and construction. This means, more than a sweatshop labor polyester dress. But FAIR.
–If you want pouf and sequins — this may not be the place for you.

From my fiancé…
I found The Cotton Bride on Unilocal and based on the great reviews and the cute name, I made an appt. I’m glad we drove there because the place isn’t in a great neighborhood. I walked up the steps and was greeted by Fikre (the man I had been emailing with), he was very nice and showed us to the showroom. Then the designer came and introduced himself, I was a bit confused as to why I needed a designer but since this was my first dress shopping experience I didn’t question it.
The Cotton Bride seemed like they didn’t want me to try on wedding dresses but instead were pushing more towards having a dress made for me… They asked me to try on some regular evening gowns in burgundy, green and brown… At that point my parents and I were just confused and my mom was sort of annoyed and just wanted to leave. I didn’t walk in wanting a dress made for me and had I known, I would not have wasted anyone’s time. I felt like the whole visit was sort of awkward because they just expected us to have something made. In the end Fikre basically said, you should just go to david’s bridal…
Don’t come here if you want to try on dresses that are made, they really just want you to spend the money on a custom dress. Also, just an FYI there weren’t any women here, so no help with putting dresses and on, luckily my mom was with me.
I would not recommend this place, there are so many other/​better wedding dress boutiques in NY.

I can’t say enough wonderful things about Chris and Fikre and my experience at the Cotton Bride. I reached out to them because I liked the idea of having a natural fiber cotton dress and being able to support a local business based in Long Island City. They have a marvelous range of dresses and the question was never «can I find a dress I like» but rather «I love them all! How can I choose one?!»
Chris, the designer of The Cotton Bride line, was there while I was trying on dresses, and when a black evening gown caught my eye he started sketching out a beautiful white wedding dress in that style on the spot. I was delighted to have an individually designed wedding dress and it looked amazing! Fikre is also wonderful, very friendly, professional, and answered all of my questions. He was very honest with me and helped me make decisions on the material, etc. of the dress to help me stay within my price range.
I loved having Chris there while I was initially trying on dresses and then coming in for fittings later, and I always felt confident that the dress would be well suited to my body and style because he had so much personal involvement in the process. Fikre was always quick to respond to my emails or phone calls and was simply a pleasure to work with. The dress looked FANTASTIC and it was very comfortable, I was able to dance as much as I liked!
Once again, Chris and Fikre are a splendid team, they have a range of beautiful dresses in many styles, and their interactions were always friendly and professional. They made a possibly stressful process of selecting a wedding dress into a fun experience and I’m delighted with the dress I wore. I can’t recommend them enough!

This place was definitely not what I was expecting for a «cotton collection» — also, the location in LIC is a little sketchy. The second I walked in I felt comfortable and amazed about how pretty these dresses looked… almost every single one fit like a glove. I was helped by Fikre, who made me comfortable and explained everything regarding fabric, price, whatever. I ended up not getting a dress from here mainly due to the fact that they were a bit out of my price range. I was trying to stay within $ 1,500 with tax, but the majority of the dresses I tried on were $ 1,550. Total bummer because the dresses were really beautiful. Would definitely recommend coming here for someone with a budget around that price point.

The Cotton Bride is the best. The designs are wonderful and the studio manager Fikre is a stupendous, super amazing person who will bend over backwards to make you happy. When you’re doing the bridal gown rounds, The Cotton Bride is a can’t-miss stop.

I had a great experience at this great little gem of a bridal shop. They actually make all of their dresses in house, they have tons of materials to help you create your own dress if that is what you want, or take one of their dresses as a base and alter it with different laces/​materials/​cuts/​styles/​etc…
The designer Chris is truly brilliant and Fikre is an accommodating and wonderful help.
I highly recommend this place! The prices are very very affordable for bridal standards (as low as $ 700, most in the $ 1000 – 2000 range and some going over up to $ 3000 or $ 4000 MAX but that is for 100% raw silk w/​hand stitched beading, custom made for you, etc).
Brides that love natural fabrics will love this place.