Tour Catbird's New Cool-Bride Wedding Annex

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The decision to open up a separate shop just for brides-to-be, was, according to Catbird buyer Leigh Plessner (pictured above), a long time coming. "We had an instant vision in mind," she says. And judging from a recent visit to the newly opened Catbird Wedding Annex, located just around the corner of the original decade-old jewelry store, the team's initial wish list of a spare, clean shop that "wasn't too overly girly" has turned into a reality.

The annex carries delicate engagement rings and wedding-day jewelry from designers like Mania Mania, Polly Wales, and Catbird's own design team, including their most recent engagement ring line, The Swans.

Jewelry is tucked inside antique armoires and flanked by a thrifted marriage certificate from 1946, a neon "Oh My Stars" sign, and photos of the 20th century's coolest couples—Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, Keith Richards and Anita Pallenberg—all anchored (pun intended) by an exceptionally sparkly chandelier ship, something Plessner calls the "engagement ring–version" of the original Catbird's popular bamboo kites.

Though the 200-square-foot shop at 540 Driggs Avenue is even teenier than its (constantly mobbed) big sister, it's currently open exclusively to appointments on weekdays and walk-ins on weekends, so brides and grooms have the option of browsing solo.

· Catbird [Official site]
· Catbird Opens Second, Weddings-Focused Williamsburg Shop [Racked NY]
· All Catbird posts [Racked NY]
· Now Open [Racked NY]