With ten years of experience in the wedding industry, first as a photographer, then a recent bride, and now the Owner of her accessories and favours store, Urban Bride, Simona Cherler Gagliostro seems to know what local brides are looking for and what they expect in service when they go out looking for it. On top of wanting to give you exactly what you want, Simona's desire is that every bride gets the amazing wedding she deserves. Urban Bride, conveniently located in Downtown Galt, is a one-stop shop for your favours, accessories, flower girl dresses, lingerie, shoes and more. You get the vast selection of shopping online with the comfort of dealing with a friendly and professional person face to face.

The Ring met with Simona at her cool and cozy storefront and found that she had a ton of great samples for brides to browse through, and, if she doesn’t have what you're looking for in stock, she's also got catalogues to order from. Combining her love of fashion and photography, Simona offers items to cover many brides' wedding needs in one destination, from classic to trendy – whatever an urban bride needs. And that's why we think Urban Bride is destined to be famous among local brides looking for just that. Let us tell you more…

Personally speaking…

For the past ten years, Simona has been polishing and perfecting her knowledge of and skills in the wedding industry. Photography was always a natural part of Simona's life, which she creatively put to work with her company, Contrast Photography, through which she has been a part of countless weddings.

Then, in September 2009, Simona was a part of her own wedding when she married Roberto Gagliostro. As a recent bride, Simona says she "knows what local brides are looking for and what they expect for service."

While planning her own wedding and working with brides for the past decade, Simona has found that there were a couple of common complaints, "they couldn’t find everything they were looking for in one location and they had to rely on internet shopping for a lot of things," she told The Ring. So, Simona decided to offer a solution.

And that's how Urban Bride came to be in November of 2009 when the store officially opened in Downtown Galt – a cozy and modern shop with an old fashioned feel and modern décor.

As a lover of fashion and wedding photography, Simona says that opening up Urban Bride was a great opportunity to combine the two. We happen to think that Simona’s eye for great photography and style serve her well at this new venture, not to mention her experience in the industry, professional attitude, and friendly and outgoing demeanor.

Bianca, who bought a tiara, shoes, a necklace and earrings from Urban Bride for her August 2010 wedding, told us that her favourite memory of her visit to Urban Bride was seeing the amazing store display and layout with its eye-catching colour theme. She adds that Simona was very helpful and had a lot of advice when it came to wedding planning. "She also has a good fashion sense when it comes to creating the look I was after."

Service with a smile

On top of its convenient location, Urban Bride is also a handy one-stop shop for many wedding needs from favours and accessories to wedding party gifts and flower girl dresses. But it's not just the great selection that has brides recommending Urban Bride; it's the personal service that comes along with it that makes the shopping experience worthwhile.

What made recent bride Sylvia Nasry really happy about her experience with Simona and her team was that they were very helpful and made her feel at home. "They didn't have to pressure or force me to buy anything, the great service and items could speak for themselves."

Shopping in person at Urban Bride not only allows you to see and try out the products you're interested in before you buy them, but it also allows you to deal face to face with an expert.

Part of this personal service is Simona's effort to make sure that every bride gets what she deserves, which is why, if she doesn’t have what you're looking for in stock at the store, then you can check out her catalogues and order from there. Or, Simona will do the research for you to help you find exactly what you're looking for.

Though, we would be surprised if Urban Bride didn't have what you were looking for. What Sylvia liked most about Urban Bride was the different options she had to choose from. "I could select from shoes, veils, flower girl dresses, and more," she told The Ring. "I would have to say that Urban Bride has amazing selections and I found everything to be modern and decent, just exactly what I was looking for."

The thing that Bianca liked best about Urban Bride was that you are able to order anything and Simona can get it for you. "There's no need to search around going from store to store. She has a book of all the things she carries and you just choose from there… Saves a lot of time," she says.

In her efforts to leave her customers happy, Simona says she also tries to stay on top of the trends so she's always got the latest styles and products in store. In her experience, Simona has found that more brides are opting for colourful accessories instead of just the traditional white. That's why she plays around with textures and colours to help you create the look and style that will best suit you. Bianca described Urban Bride's style as "very modern and up to date," which was just perfect for her.

What's in store…

Coined as a contemporary bridal accessory store, Urban Bride offers a wide range of products at affordable prices, which vary depending on the product. But, to give you an idea, the average bride spends between $75 and $350 at Urban Bride.

Naming the entire, ever changing inventory would just waste valuable shopping time, so you should really just stop by Urban Bride to see for yourself. But, to give you an idea of some of the stuff Simona's got in store, here's a small list of a few of The Ring's favourite things:
• over forty styles of bridal and bridal party shoes by Benjamin Walk and Coloriffics (for $65 to $150)
• hair jewellery, fascinators and feathers (for $35 to $125)
• handmade veils, headpieces and necklaces (for $50 to $125)
• evening bags (for $40 to $75)
• flower girl dresses (for $90 to $225)
• party favours and wedding party gifts (as low as $1.50 to $30 per piece)
• stylish lingerie ($35 to $75) and garters by Mary Green (for $15 to $30)

For us, the absolute best part was the huge selection of over forty different styles of modern shoes, including ones that can be dyed, which Simona says she can take care of for you, too. From glass sandals to sparkling silver shoes for both brides and her maids, Urban Bride would definitely be any shoe-shop-aholic's dream. The fancy flip flops are the best and are ideal for any bride whether she's getting married on a beach or just needs a comfy pair of shoes to dance the night away in.

Whatever it is you're looking for, we wouldn't be surprised if you found it, and the service you deserve, at Urban Bride – and brides agree. "I would highly recommend Urban Bride to any couple as it was a great choice for me," says Sylvia. "I would spread the word to any one I know who is getting married."

Details, details, details

• Stop by Urban Bride in Downtown Galt any time before your wedding during their store hours.
• Prices vary depending on what you buy, but the average bride spends between $75 and $350.
• Urban Bride offers many wedding day needs in one place from favours to accessories and even some garments.

Contacting Urban Bride

Simona Cherler Gagliostro at Urban Bride can be reached by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by phone at 519-722-9206. Urban Bride is conveniently located at 14 Water Street North in Cambridge. Store hours are Tuesday to Friday 10:30 am to 6:00 pm, and Saturday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. You can also visit Urban Bride online at www.myurbanbride.com.