BG at Bergdorf Goodman
754 Fifth Ave., nr. 58th St., seventh fl.; 212-872-8977; bergdorfgoodman.com
This Upper East Side mainstay for ladies who lunch is also a fixture on the bridal shower circuit. The seventh-floor salon overlooks Fifth Avenue, and bronzed-twig chandeliers and handpainted wallpaper of English country game birds (think pheasants and quail) give BG an aristocratic appeal. The private room (seats 30 guests) is nice and quiet for a luncheon. From $75 per person.
Cornelia Day Resort
663 Fifth Ave., nr. 52nd St., eighth fl.; 212-871-3050; cornelia.com
This impeccable spa has cornered the bridal market with its flexibility to customize packages (facial, massage, manicure, pedicure, eye treatment, and a Champagne lunch) for any sized group. Book a well-appointed spa suite as a private gathering room for your crew between treatments. The roof lounge (teak floors, garden shrubbery, and a view of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral) can be converted to open-air pedicure stations (from $5,000). For parties of 40 or more, opt to rent out the entire spa (from $15,000).
Five Front
5 Front St., Brooklyn; 718-625-5559; fivefrontrestaurant.com
The former 1835 office building is an oasis under the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge. Low-maintenance brides-to-be love the old-school leaded windows, worn wooden floors, New American fare, and no-frills attitude here. The main dining room seats 40 guests; the smaller garden room seats twenty. During warm weather months, the leafy outdoor garden with birch trees and its own bar (try the cranberry sidecar) is great for a large bridal brunch (seats 40 guests). From $30 per person.
Lady Mendl’s Tea Salon
56 Irving Pl., near 17th St.; 212-533-4466; innatirving.com
At Gramercy Park’s Inn at Irving, Lady Mendl’s serves a proper five-course royal tea to brides and their friends. Expect Windsor-worthy classics like cucumber and mint crème fraîche tea sandwiches and scones heaped with Devonshire clotted cream. Four antique-filled parlors with fifteen-foot ceilings, Victorian overstuffed chairs, and marble fireplaces can seat 10 to 60 guests. From $50 per person.
Lips
2 Bank St., at Seventh Ave.; 212-675-7710; lipsnyc.com
For a less couth bridal shower, go to this drag show where divas dress up as Madonna, Cher, and messy Britney. Bachelorette parties are a given; male strippers are for hire. If you give Lips a heads up, the hostesses will customize bawdy tunes and dances for the bride-to-be. Brunch with copious amounts of Champagne and Bloody Marys starts at $15 per person; drinks with finger foods from $20 per person. And, of course, Lips can take care of a provocatively shaped cake for dessert.