From The Peopling of New York City

Interview JMD Mall' • One employee was willing to answer questions • Stated that the store has brides, grooms and their families coming in throughout the year, but particularly during the spring and summer months • She also has her own wedding coming up in a few weeks • She stated that it will be quite large, as per tradition, including all the family and friends, she is expecting about 1,000 people • She has two dresses, one for the ceremony and one for the reception • She is including “American” elements such as the first dance and bouquet toss • Her wedding and her attire with jewels were all paid for by the groom’s family and she spoke of dowry as something that every family takes to differently • Because of the involvement and help of the families she is not too stressed and worried about the event • Although she could not remember the name of her banquet hall, she said that it is located on Jamaica Ave. and that it caters to many Indian weddings • She stated that a bride’s dress must be the most elaborate, colorful and intricate and that jewelry is a must • Although she has two dresses she also mentioned that many brides desire more than two

Sahil Sari Shop

• Women working inside said that they do not have employees that speak English fluently in order to answer my questions • They did mention that their customer base varies greatly • They cater to people of different South Asian origin and receive customers searching for wedding attire throughout the year

Bridal Perfection • One women spoke English to answer questions • She said that they receive a mixture of cliental but mostly have families coming in searching for attire for a wedding or special event • She could not comment from personal experience because she is in the US without family and has recently arrived