Something Borrowed —
RACHEL KURLAND | JE STAFF
I MAGINE A REAL-LIFE Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
scenario — except you don’t know who will wear your
pants next, or where.

Enter the world of gemachs.

Within Orthodox communities, gemachs are a go-to
mode of shopping for just about everything: books, nurs-
ing supplies, furniture, party decor and entertainment,
and clothes for all occasions.

Specifi cally, one might say the most important occasion of
all: your wedding day.

Gemach is an abbreviation of gemilut chasadim, meaning
“acts of kindness.” Of course, it’s a mitzvah to give without re-
ceiving anything in return, so many within these communities
set up shop for gemach bridal dresses (as well as bridesmaid
dresses and accessories like headpieces, veils, tiaras or shoes).

Some are free, others are rented. But the small amount spent
on a gemach gown — compared to high-end wedding dress
prices — usually goes toward charity or the cost of running the
gemach storefront itself.

Th ose running these unoffi cial stores — which are common
mostly in New York, New Jersey and Israel — are unpaid.

Of 13,000 brides and grooms surveyed in the U.S. for Th e
Knot’s 2016 Real Weddings Study, the national average cost of
a wedding is $35,329 (pre-honeymoon). Th e average cost of the
dress is $1,564.

Of course, outliers like big Manhattan spenders can’t really
be compared to a DIY wedding in someone’s rural backyard, but
these digits can easily break the bank.

(Aft er all, we can’t all be brides at Say Yes to the Dress’ Klein-
feld, though we can dream.)
With the cost of the dress itself, accessories, alterations and
the time it takes to put it all together without the fl ick of Fairy
Godmother’s magic wand, it’s easy to go over budget on the sin-
gle look — and then you have to plan the rest of the wedding.

Mrs. Tuchinsky, who preferred not to use her fi rst name, had
a tight wedding budget — let alone for a wedding dress — and
a trip to David’s Bridal put her promptly on the
gemach path.

She searched Allure Bridals, too, and
asked a David’s Bridal seamstress how
much it would cost to build upon an
existing dress to make it modest.

While that method can provide
many fashionable options, it was
out of her budget.

While some dresses from
secular companies may come
with sheer long sleeves
or higher necklines, that
doesn’t mean it’s exactly
what the bride wants.

“Once I realized that
was many times the
Mrs. Tuchinsky
PHOTOS PROVIDED
12 OCTOBER 26, 2017
Shayna Edney
amount I could spend, I immediately started contacting ge-
machs,” added Tuchinsky, who got married last March in Lake-
wood, N.J.

She really didn’t see the point in buying an extraordinarily
expensive gown that would hide in her closet never to be seen
or worn again.

“Obviously, if you own it you can rent it or lend it to other brides,
but I couldn’t aff ord to purchase a gown to begin with,” she noted.

Aft er a few peeks in several gemach stores, she ended up at
Zichron Yehudis Miriam Bridal Gemach in Brooklyn.

“It’s an amazing gemach with dedicated volunteers who truly
only care about you fi nding a gown you love,” she explained.

“Th ey spend as much time with you as you need. For $250, you
can rent a dress, a petticoat, shoes, a veil and a headpiece.”
She opted for all of the above, minus the shoes.

“Th ey really do a huge chesed.”
And aft er trying on about 10 gowns, she found the one.

“Th ey let me add a rhinestone belt that I really loved,” she re-
called, “and I also loved that the lace from the bodice extended
past the waistline onto the tulle of the skirt.”
Every once in awhile, she thinks back on her dress from her
big day.

“I’m glad other brides can wear the dress I wore and enjoy
it as much as I did,” she said. “I hope I’ll see my dress again,
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