Yolanda Cellucci (with Rebecca Houston of Peabody last year), owner of a bridal boutique in Waltham, says that the economy has made it difficult on brides and bridesmaids.
(Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe/File 2008)
G FORCE | YOLANDA CELLUCCI
On the bride's side
Yolanda Cellucci (with Rebecca Houston of Peabody last year), owner of a bridal boutique in Waltham, says that the economy has made it difficult on brides and bridesmaids.
(Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe/File 2008)
Brides-to-be are a particularly harried lot these days. The sour economy’s got them trimming guest lists, downscaling decor, and planning Friday night cocktails instead of Saturday sit-down dinners. Bridal gown maven Yolanda Cellucci hears it all: the money worries, the stress over jobs and the future. Now, the owner of Waltham bridal boutique Yolanda’s, along with KISS 108’s “Matty in the Morning’’ show, has kicked off a contest to help three brides get the dress of their dreams. Brides-to-be who’ve lost their jobs are encouraged to write in and explain why they should win what Cellucci calls the Bridal Stimulus contest. Winners will be announced next month.
Q. Have you seen a financial crisis like this before?
A. Forty years we’ve been doing this. It’s been a roller coaster ride for a long time. In the ’80s, it was fantastic, then at the end of the ’80s and the early ’90s, we had to rethink the way we were doing things, and buy a little bit at a lot of price points. Which is fine. I mean, they all look beautiful. The brides all look beautiful.
Q. Do you find that women are trying to make deals on their dresses?
A. Absolutely. You hear that all the time. Although we could lose our exclusivity if we did. The other thing we’re seeing is they’re shopping closer to the wire. We’re seeing them shop very close to [wedding] time.
Q. Are brides bringing dresses back?
A. Oh yes. I’m finding that if it’s a very expensive dress they want to keep it. But lot of the girls decide to put their dress on
Q. What’s the saddest story you’ve heard?
A. We’ve had girls push up the date of the wedding because their mother got breast cancer. These days most of it’s because they lost their job. It’s also really hard on the bridesmaids to buy an expensive dress. It puts a lot of strain on a lot of their friends.
Q. How did you come up with the idea for the wedding dress contest?
A. Basically with the help of Matt [Siegel, of KISS 108], to give back to the community. We’ve been hearing a lot from girls who want to buy something they fall in love with, but then they come in and see it’s $3,000 or $4,000, and they say we just can’t afford it.
Q. What do they win?
A. The first prize winner is up to $3,000, second prize is up to $2,000, third, up to $1,000.
Q. What did you wear for your wedding?
A. I’m married 53 years. I got my dress at I J Fox. It was all lace and cost $675. I called my mom, and she said if you like it, go get it. On my 25th wedding anniversary, I wore it again. Then, when my granddaughter was born, we took the skirt for the bassinet, and out of the top, we made her Christening dress.
Visit www.kiss108.com for contest details.
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