biggest bridal store in the south, The

Southern Living, Dec 2000 by Kunstel, Stacy

Choose from thousands of dresses at Low's Bridal and Formal in Brinkley, Arkansas.

We came at 10 a.m. and left after 5 p.m.," says Little Rock resident Barbara Hoover. In a matter of hours Barbara bought a wedding dress, veil, 12 bridesmaid dresses with shoes and gloves, three flower girl dresses, and a rehearsal dinner dress for her daughter's wedding. Amazingly, there was no caravanning from store to store. The bridal party found everything they needed at one place-Low's Bridal and Formal.

"We had been to Dallas, Neiman Marcus, and Stanley Korshak-but Dorcas has them all," says Barbara.

Dorcas Prince, who owns the Brinkley, Arkansas, showroom with her husband, Stanley, does have them all-strapless, A-- line, sleeveless, beaded, lacy, and in any size and shade of white. Low's has the biggest inventory of wedding dresses in the South and one of the three largest in the United States.

Just an hour drive from Little Rock or Memphis, Low's could outfit all of the some 4,000 Brinkley residents in silk, organza, or satin. There are no signs on 140 directing you there, but everyone in town can point you to it. "Most everybody hears about us by word of mouth," says Dorcas. "It's always `my sister,"my best friend,' or sometimes `my mother bought her dress here.'"

Dorcas's mother first opened Low's above a local pharmacy 25 years ago, and then expanded into the Western Auto next door. After Dorcas and Stanley took over the business, they moved it into the town's old railroad hotel, a grandiose, three-story, 1915 structure near downtown.

With the building's high ceilings, heavy chandeliers, and original reception desk, stepping inside this world of bridal, prom, and ball gowns is like entering another time. Refreshments are set out in the lobby among shelves of champagne flutes, unity candles, ring pillows, guest books, cake servers, and wedding planners. In the next rooms, dresses hang like bags of white cotton candy.

All dresses on the first floor cost less than $1,000. Upstairs, rooms hold couture dresses that cost up to $6,000, plus veils, gloves, and glass jewelry cases full of drop earrings and sparkling tiaras. Low's sells more than 5,000 wedding gowns a year and more than 4,000 bridesmaid dresses. All are custom-made, and even if you're 65", a size 0, or a size 22, Low's can fit you.

A group of wonderfully calm and goodnatured saleswomen steer brides through the hundreds of choices. While making an appointment isn't necessary, it is recommended, especially during the store's biggest event, December 26 through January 16. For two weeks, more than 2,500 dresses are marked down by half or more. "During the sale you can get a $3,000 dress for about $499," says Dorcas. Booking an appointment weeks ahead is key. During the sale there are as many as 120 appointments on any given Saturday. After the sale, which clears out about half the inventory, the remaining sale dresses are available to buy on Saturdays only.

Most of the brides come from the surrounding states, but Low's has dressed some from as far away as New York and New Zealand. To a bride, it doesn't matter how far you have to go when you know you'll find the dress of your dreams. Stacy Kunstel

Low's Bridal and Formal: 127 West Cedar, Brinkley, AR 72021; (870) 734-3244. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.mA p.m. Saturday. Sale: December 26-January 16.