Nancy Sinoway pivots to wedding dresser business

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Nancy Sinoway pivots to wedding dresser business
Nancy Sinoway, known for her design studio in Port Washington, changes paths to pursue a career in wedding dressing. (Photo courtesy of Nancy Sinoway)

Nancy Sinoway, who has been a designer for nearly 50 years with a prominent design studio in Port Washington that has been recognized throughout Long Island and the greater New York Metropolitan area, said she will be closing her studio for good.

But rather than closing down her studio and retiring, Sinoway said she is pivoting to a new business.

“I don’t want to go out of business, I want to bow out of business,” Sinoway said. “I still have music left in me.”

Her new business, Wedding Whisperer, will provide services to assist a bride with her big day, including wedding dress consulting, day of wedding preparation, wedding photography and assistance for the groomsman.

Sinoway said she has been thinking for some time about expanding into the bridal business beyond designing hundreds of bridal dresses during her career.

She got that final push in October when she was asked to assist a bride with her wedding dress consultation and wedding day preparations. She said she did it for the experience and to help a long-term client.

The October wedding Sinoway assisted in was her “aha” moment that she could do this as a career and should pivot to pursue it.

She said wedding days are a nerve-wracking time for the brides, with a day full of nervousness, but she knows she is skilled and can be effective in calming any bride down. She’s learned this throughout her 50 years as a designer.

“I know what people need,” Sinoway said. “I have that knowledge.”

As Sinoway will be the one personally assisting the brides, she will be equipped with her steamer and her two rolling suitcases, or her “battle kit,” which will include anything a bride may possibly think they need the day of their wedding.

Sinoway said she is not sad to be ending her design career at all, “not even for one second.”

The only aspect that she is sad about is that her late husband is not here to experience it with her, who was immensely supportive.

“My husband said to me at the end, ‘just make people worthy of what you can and can’t do,’” Sinoway said.

She said that her new business may bomb, or it could take off. She may not know the direction, but she’s ready for it.

Nancy Sinoway Design Studio began in 1975, but Sinoway had been designing for nearly her whole life.

Design has been a part of Sinoway’s life since childhood, going back to when she was in high school and making clothes for her mother’s friends. She officially started working as a designer when she was 21.

Last year was the busiest she had ever been during her design career, working six days a week.

She said she was “chained to a retail space,” and when that space entered her home, it became overwhelming for her. For the last couple of years, her design studio was held out of her home and people were in and out of her home throughout all hours of the day.

Sinoway is proud of what she’s accomplished, but she’s ready to move on. She said she has absolutely no regrets.

“From my heart, I thank my community for being so supportive,” Sinoway said. “I give back to the community, but they have supported me. My community has treated me well, and I’m thankful for it, I’m grateful for it.”

Sinoway is hitting the ground running with her new business, and Wedding Whisperer is now accepting clients by appointment.

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