Library to benefit from sale of wedding gowns

Fifty dresses were donated by library patron and a local business

BY CHRIS ZAWISTOWSKI
Staff Writer

 Above: Models get set to film a commercial displaying the wedding dresses that were donated recently to the East Brunswick Public Library. The 35 dresses will be auctioned to benefit the Friends of the Library, a nonprofit group that raises funds for library needs and functions. Below: Carla Baeza (l-r), Christopher Hyde, Megan Doyle and Sara Irranyi serve as models for the July 6 commercial taping at the library.  PHOTOS BY JEFF GRANIT staff Above: Models get set to film a commercial displaying the wedding dresses that were donated recently to the East Brunswick Public Library. The 35 dresses will be auctioned to benefit the Friends of the Library, a nonprofit group that raises funds for library needs and functions. Below: Carla Baeza (l-r), Christopher Hyde, Megan Doyle and Sara Irranyi serve as models for the July 6 commercial taping at the library. PHOTOS BY JEFF GRANIT staff The Friends of the Library hope local brides-to-be will say yes to the dress at their one-day, one-of-a-kind Bridal Dress Sale on July 30

The sale, which will support the East Brunswick Public Library, will feature 50 wedding gowns, starting at $100 each.

“This is a first for us,” said Willette Seibel, vice president of the East Brunswick Friends of the Library. “We’ve never even done a fashion show.”

Seibel said the idea for the sale, which will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the library, came about after township resident and library patron Tina Tsang approached the Friends about donating 33 gowns to help support the library. At first, Seibel said the Friends of the Library weren’t sure what they could do with the dresses.

 Above: Models receive assistance as they head for the shoot. Right: Carla Baeza (l-r), Sara Irranyi and Megan Doyle model wedding gowns at the East Brunswick Public Library.  PHOTOS BY JEFF GRANIT staff Above: Models receive assistance as they head for the shoot. Right: Carla Baeza (l-r), Sara Irranyi and Megan Doyle model wedding gowns at the East Brunswick Public Library. PHOTOS BY JEFF GRANIT staff “We don’t do these things,” she said. “We do garage sales, trickytrays, book sales — but wedding gowns?” However, the Friends of the Library didn’t want to turn the generous gift away and soon decided to give a bridal sale a shot.

Seibel approached local businesses to support the event and found help from Mr. A’s Cleaners in Milltown, which donated garment bags for the dresses, and the Bridal Center Boutique in East Brunswick, which agreed to donate even more dresses for the sale.

Virginia DeMauro, the owner of the Bridal Center Boutique on Route 18, said she is donating 17 dresses for the sale, and was on board to help as soon as Seibel told her about the fundraiser.

“It’s a great thing … It’s an opportunity to help somebody get a gown at a discounted rate,” De- Mauro said. “I have an opportunity to help girls and help the business.”

With weddings so expensive, Seibel said the sale could help local brides find an affordable dress and save some money in this tough economic climate.

“Some of these dresses, you can pay up to six, seven, eight thousand dollars for a wedding dress,” she said. “Even if you are on a budget, you can still end up paying eight or nine hundred.”

So if brides can get a wedding dress at the sale for $100, they can put the money they’ve saved toward a band, a venue or honeymoon, Seibel said.

Organizers were reaching out to local wedding venders to set up a wedding information table at the event.

All who attend the bridal dress sale will be entered into a raffle for tickets to see “It Shoulda Been You” at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick.

Seibel said the Friends of the Library are excited for the event.

“We all watch ‘Say Yes to the Dress,’ so we are all going to be dressed in black and be wedding consulting,” she said. “We think it is going to be a lot of fun.”

All proceeds from the Bridal Dress Sale will support the East Brunswick Friends of the Library, which supports library projects and programs beyond the capabilities of the library’s budget.

“I think it’s a win-win because we help brides, and at the same time we raise some money for the library,” Seibel said.

During the bridal dress sale, cash only will be accepted, and all sales are final. There will be an open fitting room. No makeup, perfume or jewelry will be allowed in the fitting room.

Tickets for the dress sale can be purchased for $5 at the library’s circulation desk. For more information, call 732-390- 6767 or visit www.ebpl.org and click on News and Events.