My aspiration to one day wear a glorious white wedding dress, started way back in the late 1960’s-early 1970’s. In 1966, my family moved out of East Harlem, and settled up in the Bronx. When I was a little girl, living in City Island, we lived close by to a catering hall, known then as The Lido.

On the weekends, the limousines would roll up in front of the Lido, and, along with them, came the beautiful brides! I was so in awe of these beautiful, “princess-like” women! They looked as if they were floating on air! I thought to myself, how wonderful it must be to actually be a bride! Well, I guess that’s normal for little girls, right?