For over a decade, Claudia Hanlin's Wedding Library has been a coveted resource for brides, providing unparalleled wedding planning experience, impeccable design services, and a one-stop-shop with carefully curated bridesmaid dresses, bespoke wedding stationery and registry gifts. Claudia is a Contributing Editor to Martha Stewart Weddings. She has been awarded numerous honors, including the prestigious Modern Bride Innovator's Award, four International Special Events Society Big Apple Awards for Design, The Knot's Best of New York Wedding Planner and Juli B's Top US Shopping Service Award.
Follow us
Services
From a grand ballroom affair to a challenging island wedding, the Wedding Library provides meticulous partial to full-service planning and design for discriminating families. At the helm is owner Claudia Hanlin, who is armed with knowledge garnered from planning hundreds of weddings for over thirteen years.
For over 13 years couples have relied on the Wedding Library for their wedding invitations. From place cards to menu cards, we help couples integrate their wedding stationery into the overall style of their event. We are passionate about weddings and offer expert guidance on the complexities of etiquette, printing methods, timing and wording.
We proudly carry the broadest selection of bridesmaid dresses in New York. We are the flagship location for Amsale, Milly and Coren Moore. In addition, we carry the complete collections of Monique Lhuillier, Lela Rose, Dessy Collection, After Six, Alfred Sung, Joanna August, Social Bridesmaids and Us Angels flower girls.
The Wedding Library produces an annual bridal show in New York City, Martha Stewart's Wedding Party. Claudia Hanlin launched the show in 2007 to bring all the most talented New York wedding vendors under one roof, on one day. The concept is simple, to allow wedding industry professionals to present their services in a creative, collaborative environment to a receptive, engaged audience.
Reviews (11)
Angela Lei
Mar 15, 2019
If I could give no star I would. My bridesmaids dresses arrived in store a whole two weeks late despite the order being placed three months in advance (it literally took as long as my wedding dress from Vera wang) without any decent explanation, the store then offered to ship the dresses directly to my bridesmaids in Europe as a goodwill gesture. The shipping was held for a whole week without any goods being sent again for no reason and with no notice, whilst I had made it clear my wedding is in 3 weeks and abroad which meant extra time should be allowed for my bridesmaids to receive them, alter them and then travel with them.
When I raised the issue on instagram with the owner Claudia Hanlin, her reaction is not to solve problem but delete my (very polite) comments and block me. Utterly unprofessional and do not go here.
When I raised the issue on instagram with the owner Claudia Hanlin, her reaction is not to solve problem but delete my (very polite) comments and block me. Utterly unprofessional and do not go here.
Jackie Vattel
Nov 13, 2018
Horrible experience! they had no sizes in the dresses we liked. the girls working were very unhelpful when we asked questions about fit- isn't this what they do for their profession? they were clueless. when it came to ordering they said we needed the extra length. when the dress came it the length was ridiculously long and it looked like the top of the dress was made wrong. alterations for the length and to attempt to fix the dress is costing almost the same price as the dress itself. when we contacted the owner she seemed apologetic and sent a "gift", a book about how getting married is stressful. this is a bridesmaid dress store so obviously no one buying a dress from there is the bride! the gift was almost funny but when you think about how much money has to be spent somewhat of a refund would have been more appropriate! I would never go back or recommend this establishment.
Marybeth Tamborra
Oct 28, 2018
Save yourself time and go elsewhere. The company failed at the basic service they were meant to provide: to properly fit and sell a dress to a client. The fitting was rushed and inaccurate. The sale staff were not familiar with the dresses. The dress that they mailed to me (5 weeks after their ETA) was massively oversized. When I tried to resolve this I encountered only delays, excuses, and shrugs.even from Claudia, the owner.
It wasn't until the designer took the matter into their hands that the dress was resolved. Secondly, unlike other wedding shops that provide niceties to make fittings pleasant this shop is tiny, with no amenities.
It wasn't until the designer took the matter into their hands that the dress was resolved. Secondly, unlike other wedding shops that provide niceties to make fittings pleasant this shop is tiny, with no amenities.
Alex Shealy Najdecki
Feb 16, 2018
Brides and bridesmaids beware! The Wedding Library provides nothing but terrible, unprofessional and dishonest service. My maid of honor and I visited their shop in early March 2017 for my late September wedding in order to avoid any hiccups that may come with dress ordering and processing. We were advised to order a size that was 3 sizes larger than the maid of honor's normal size.
We trusted the salesperson's advice and ordered the dress that day. Come late May, we had not heard anything back from Wedding Library but understood the process takes some time-my maid of honor called the shop and were told the order had never been placed at all because "they forgot". They finally ordered the dress and gave an ETA of late July. Come mid-August, we finally receive the dress.
It was oversized in every possible way despite the salesperson saying it should fit in most areas. We took the dress to a tailor and were quoted a price equal to the dress to make it fit, the tailor wondering why someone would recommend a dress three times the size of the person it was for. When we contacted the Wedding Library asking for assistance via compensation for the late order and the poorly advised sizing so we could tailor the dress, we were told by Amy that she was very sorry for everything that had happened, recognized their fault and that they would work to address the problem and we'd be notified that night.
Three days, multiple calls and very polite emails later that went unanswered with a decision, Amy and Megan at the Wedding Library finally spoke to Claudia the owner. We received an email back, with the internal conversation between Amy and Claudia attached on the reply where Amy even recommended compensating us. However, the Wedding Library responded to us denying any compensation because they "sent us the dress in time for the wedding". Beware of this company!
Unless you're prepared to micromanage Wedding Library's handling of your order every step of the way, it's likely you'll end up like us-having to shell out the price of the dress to make it fit because you're left with no time to order a smaller size due to bad, advice and deceptive service from the Wedding Library sales people and lack of care. We can't believe The Wedding Library pretends to value their customers!
We trusted the salesperson's advice and ordered the dress that day. Come late May, we had not heard anything back from Wedding Library but understood the process takes some time-my maid of honor called the shop and were told the order had never been placed at all because "they forgot". They finally ordered the dress and gave an ETA of late July. Come mid-August, we finally receive the dress.
It was oversized in every possible way despite the salesperson saying it should fit in most areas. We took the dress to a tailor and were quoted a price equal to the dress to make it fit, the tailor wondering why someone would recommend a dress three times the size of the person it was for. When we contacted the Wedding Library asking for assistance via compensation for the late order and the poorly advised sizing so we could tailor the dress, we were told by Amy that she was very sorry for everything that had happened, recognized their fault and that they would work to address the problem and we'd be notified that night.
Three days, multiple calls and very polite emails later that went unanswered with a decision, Amy and Megan at the Wedding Library finally spoke to Claudia the owner. We received an email back, with the internal conversation between Amy and Claudia attached on the reply where Amy even recommended compensating us. However, the Wedding Library responded to us denying any compensation because they "sent us the dress in time for the wedding". Beware of this company!
Unless you're prepared to micromanage Wedding Library's handling of your order every step of the way, it's likely you'll end up like us-having to shell out the price of the dress to make it fit because you're left with no time to order a smaller size due to bad, advice and deceptive service from the Wedding Library sales people and lack of care. We can't believe The Wedding Library pretends to value their customers!
Whitney Crowder
Jan 28, 2018
I am pretty surprised after reading some of the negative reviews because my experience could not have been better. I have been trying to find a bridesmaid's dress for some time now and after going to some larger bridal stores and having absolutely terrible experiences, I was dreading going to my appointment at the Wedding Library expecting the same.
It was a complete relief to discover my fears were entirely unnecessary. My only problem here was deciding on which dress I liked the most because their small showroom (yes it isn't a large space) was full of everything I had dreamed of. Ali assisted me during my 2 appointments and she was so beyond knowledgable about all of the designers, dresses, colors, fit, etc. that it blew my mind.
She could somehow recall which dress and in which color I had tried on the day before and what my specific thoughts on it were even though I must have tried on 50 dresses, and couldn't remember myself to save my life. Ali spent over 2 hours fitting me into dress after dress on the first day and then kept records of my favorites for the following day when I came back to narrow down and pick.
She was so sweet, patient and helpful (without ever being pushy or insincere in her opinions) that it made me feel like no matter what I wanted to give her my business (luckily not a hard thing to do when I had so many options). I found the process of finalizing the purchase to be very easy and her communication with me outside of the showroom to be quick and efficient. I would highly recommend going here to anyone who wants a more intimate and far less stressful experience in finding the perfect dress.
It was a complete relief to discover my fears were entirely unnecessary. My only problem here was deciding on which dress I liked the most because their small showroom (yes it isn't a large space) was full of everything I had dreamed of. Ali assisted me during my 2 appointments and she was so beyond knowledgable about all of the designers, dresses, colors, fit, etc. that it blew my mind.
She could somehow recall which dress and in which color I had tried on the day before and what my specific thoughts on it were even though I must have tried on 50 dresses, and couldn't remember myself to save my life. Ali spent over 2 hours fitting me into dress after dress on the first day and then kept records of my favorites for the following day when I came back to narrow down and pick.
She was so sweet, patient and helpful (without ever being pushy or insincere in her opinions) that it made me feel like no matter what I wanted to give her my business (luckily not a hard thing to do when I had so many options). I found the process of finalizing the purchase to be very easy and her communication with me outside of the showroom to be quick and efficient. I would highly recommend going here to anyone who wants a more intimate and far less stressful experience in finding the perfect dress.
Renee Bartuccio Finnegan
Dec 24, 2016
I had a great experience buying my bridesmaid dresses from the Wedding Library. I worked with Ashley to chose our Nouvelle Amsale gowns for my six bridesmaids and she was very helpful every step of the way. The store had a great selection and they sent multiple color swatches for the new season colors that were not yet in stock. The dresses arrived when promised and they were nicely packaged and labelled. I'd highly recommend the Wedding Library for any bride looking for quality dresses and excellent service!
Dayle Perles
Jan 20, 2016
If I could I would put 0 stars! I had the worst experience with the Wedding Library and I would not recommend anyone using their services. Not only we waited for the dress to be ready for 7 months and only received it at the last minute leaving us less than 3 weeks to have it altered, but the staff was rude and unhelpful all along. We called them after 6 months to find out the status of the dress as one of the bridesmaid was moving to Europe and was wondering when the dress would be ready and if they had a solution for the delay, they never came back or called us back after we contacted them twice, instead they complained to the bride that a bridesmaid was complaining about the timing.
Once I received my dress, the dress was enormous, 2 sizes too big, the sale assistant had taken wrong measurements for me and I had to spend a fortune altering the dress and taking it in everywhere. I called the wedding library to see if they could do anything to help and as expected this was useless.
Once I received my dress, the dress was enormous, 2 sizes too big, the sale assistant had taken wrong measurements for me and I had to spend a fortune altering the dress and taking it in everywhere. I called the wedding library to see if they could do anything to help and as expected this was useless.
Victoria Sini
Jun 26, 2015
The Wedding Library is an absolutely fabulous place for all your wedding and event needs. As an employee I can say that everyone is very knowledgeable in their field. They have a great selection of bridesmaid dresses as well as a great stationery collection for not only your wedding but for any event you may need it for. Everyone is hard working and wants to ensure that this is one less stress you have to have.
The girls in the bridesmaid department deal with every aspect of ordering including reaching out to your bridesmaids and making sure your order is exactly as you want it. Awesome place if you want a personalized experience!
The girls in the bridesmaid department deal with every aspect of ordering including reaching out to your bridesmaids and making sure your order is exactly as you want it. Awesome place if you want a personalized experience!
Amy Turitz
Nov 24, 2014
I was utterly disappointed in the services provided by The Wedding Library. It started with the fact that my bridesmaids were advised to order dresses twice their normal size, and all of them required extensive alterations as they were much too big. This is a minor complaint in comparison to the most glaring failing, which was the loss of one of my bridesmaid dresses.
After the dress did not pass quality inspection and was returned to the designer, no one followed up on its fate. If my bridesmaid had not called just weeks before the wedding inquiring about the location of the dress, I seriously doubt anyone from the store would have contacted me. Once I realized that we did not have the dress, it took days before I could speak to a manager.
I was told that they were all busy with "an important party, " completely undermining the importance of my wedding to me. For the immensity of the mistake, I expected a manager to be on the phone with me immediately. Then, I was told it would be impossible to obtain the dress we originally ordered. While I appreciated the efforts of the sales assistant to find a replacement dress, it was a different style and size than originally ordered, not to mention used.
In addition to being shocked by 1) the loss of the dress, 2) the failure to recognize the loss of the dress, and 3) the amount of time it took before I was allowed to speak to a manager, I was also appalled by the lack of gestures made to apologize and compensate for the mistake. At minimum, I expected the dress to be refunded and for the store to cover the costs of obtaining a replacement dress.
While the manager expressed regret over what happened, it took an additional few days to get the approval of the owner before they could guarantee that these costs would be covered. Even then, I was given a $100 cap on alteration fees. Understanding that mistakes can be made, I expected The Wedding Library to handle it in a more professional and graceful manner.
After the dress did not pass quality inspection and was returned to the designer, no one followed up on its fate. If my bridesmaid had not called just weeks before the wedding inquiring about the location of the dress, I seriously doubt anyone from the store would have contacted me. Once I realized that we did not have the dress, it took days before I could speak to a manager.
I was told that they were all busy with "an important party, " completely undermining the importance of my wedding to me. For the immensity of the mistake, I expected a manager to be on the phone with me immediately. Then, I was told it would be impossible to obtain the dress we originally ordered. While I appreciated the efforts of the sales assistant to find a replacement dress, it was a different style and size than originally ordered, not to mention used.
In addition to being shocked by 1) the loss of the dress, 2) the failure to recognize the loss of the dress, and 3) the amount of time it took before I was allowed to speak to a manager, I was also appalled by the lack of gestures made to apologize and compensate for the mistake. At minimum, I expected the dress to be refunded and for the store to cover the costs of obtaining a replacement dress.
While the manager expressed regret over what happened, it took an additional few days to get the approval of the owner before they could guarantee that these costs would be covered. Even then, I was given a $100 cap on alteration fees. Understanding that mistakes can be made, I expected The Wedding Library to handle it in a more professional and graceful manner.
Julie Helton
Nov 08, 2014
As an intern, I experienced first hand all of the hard work the staff puts forth into their customer service to provide brides with the best services available for their wedding day. This is a great place to shop! You will be so impressed with their amount of selection for dresses and will find many styles you'll be sure to fall in love with. The consultants Kate, Chelsea, and Charlotte, are always so friendly and helpful!
They truly want each bride to find something that is perfect for their girls to wear. The Wedding Library also has some beautiful flower girl dresses that most people aren't even aware of, as well as a great variety of gifts for bridal parties! Really cute things like mini-emergency kids, ido bedazzled stickers for the bottom of your heels, tank tops, etc., definitely things that are worth checking out!
The stationery, wedding planning, and large selection of bridesmaid dresses makes this a one stop place and a definite highlight for bridesmaid dress shopping in New York City! Everyone should book an appointment here, would recommend to everybody :
They truly want each bride to find something that is perfect for their girls to wear. The Wedding Library also has some beautiful flower girl dresses that most people aren't even aware of, as well as a great variety of gifts for bridal parties! Really cute things like mini-emergency kids, ido bedazzled stickers for the bottom of your heels, tank tops, etc., definitely things that are worth checking out!
The stationery, wedding planning, and large selection of bridesmaid dresses makes this a one stop place and a definite highlight for bridesmaid dress shopping in New York City! Everyone should book an appointment here, would recommend to everybody :
Kathryn Marr
Mar 05, 2014
Being a customer at The Wedding Library, and an employee, I can say with full confidence that I would go nowhere else for anything wedding related. Victoria in the stationery department helped me with custom Christmas cards this year, in only 3 days. They turned out exactly as I imagined, and she was so helpful and easy to work with! Claudia and Matthew have such a vision - when that day comes for me I would love to have their help in planning a wedding. And our bridesmaids department has the best dresses in the city. 10 different designers, hundreds of styles and colors!
