Like most women, Batsheva Hay’s first encounter with wedding dresses came only when she needed one herself. Also like most women, she didn’t quite fit the cookie-cutter bridal mold being peddled to her. 

Before switching to fashion in 2016, Hay worked as a lawyer “and I wore funky stuff on the side,” she said, speaking from her Upper West Side apartment, where she’ll host her first bridal presentation Friday. “I always loved vintage, and I really had a different sensibility.” 

Gown shopping made her realize just how different. “I went everywhere on Madison Avenue. I went to Bergdorf, I went to Vera Wang and I saw one after the other: mermaid dresses, poofy princess dresses, strapless… it all felt very Barbie.” No offense to Mattel, she added: “I love Barbie. I love fantasy, but it just wasn’t my fantasy.”

While some would describe the Batsheva look — all flowery prints and puritan collars — as “doll-like,” Hay’s version skews more Raggedy Ann. Quirky, a touch naughty —  just take the name of her spring 2027 collection as an example: “Prenup,” winking to her former profession. 

But back to 2012. What did Hay end up wearing to marry photographer-cum-jeweler Alexei Hay? Her mother’s ’70s bib-front lace gown, a version of which appears in her collection in dotted flocked organza. According to the designer, dresses like this that subvert tradition without entirely abandoning it still lack in the market, something she gleaned from brides asking for Batsheva’s colorful ready-to-wear in white. 

If only it were that simple. “Do you know how many shades of white there are?” Hay joked, recalling a trip to the trimmings shop with her business partner Michelle Copelman. The bows they bought didn’t match the fabric they were intended for, so “we were just freaking out because, in natural light, it’s actually optic white,” she said.

Not one to waste, they became the perfect accent for a creamier brocade jacket with a knife-pleated skirt. Batsheva Bridal, which ranges from $500 to $5,000 and will debut on Hay’s website, was brought to life using mostly deadstock materials in limited quantities. But, as she assured, “we can get more of some, so we can actually have a business.”

Shotgunners barreling toward the courthouse will likely place orders for the suit or a Sharon Tate-inspired mini, while Lady-of-the-Canyon-types might opt for one of the billowier maxis with ruffle trim. Topping them off, Hay, an observant Jew, nodded to Hasidic customs with face-obscuring blushers.

Surveying everything on a rack, she smiled, saying “This is what I would’ve wanted looking for a wedding dress. I would’ve loved all of these options.”