Back in the 1980’s a young man from Tullamore, Ireland embarked on an adventure to the United States. He knew within himself that he had an eye for fashion, and a passion to pursue it as a career. New York was the perfect outlet for this passion. With a sense of style that was reflected in the clothing he wore, he started to learn about the fashion industry by attending the Mayers School of Fashion Design. He enjoyed learning the industry, and walked away with a solid foundation for his future.

He landed his first real position at Eric Javits Hats as their Head of Production. This was a very exciting time for him, as he worked side by side with one of the finest hat designers in the business. He worked with the company for two years, and enjoyed working in millinery. It was a different avenue of fashion than he had wanted to pursue long term, so he decided it was time to move on.

As Ray’s job hunting began, he decided that although he loved the excitement of New York city, he felt he wanted to live outside the city in a more calm, natural surrounding. When he purchased a Women’s Wear Daily and looked in the classified ads, he was excited to see an ad for a position at Alvina Valenta, a bridalwear design studio focusing on wedding dresses located on Long Island. This position would fill both his need to be involved in fashion in a different way, and to move from the city.

He scheduled an appointment with Victoria McMillan, the bridal designer and asked her if she was the owner. He did this because he was surprised to hear such a nice young woman, and felt it would be both personally and professionally gratifying to work in her studio. They met and clicked right away. Ray became Victoria’s assistant, and as Alvina Valenta grew, so did their friendship. Ray and Victoria became kindred spirits of sorts, and continued to work together with Victoria designing, and Ray handling production of the wedding dresses. Five years into his experience working at Alvina Valenta, the company merged with JLM Couture, a large firm that housed two other designers, Jim Hjelm and Lazaro. Ray continued to work at the Alvina Valenta division for six more years. In this time he not only was the production manager, but became more involved and in contact with bridal consultants from the stores carrying the line. He traveled to trunkshows and met with brides, helping them decide which gown was right for them. He gave them confidence in their beauty. Ray knew he enjoyed this exciting aspect of his job. He knew a new adventure was to begin.

Ray decided that he would go back to Ireland and with the help of his loving partner Jim, he would open a bridal salon. The knowledge and experience he learned while working at trunkshows would be a great building block for his success. His bridal shop, Events by Ray Michael, would give Irish brides a chance to purchase couture gowns from America right at home. He takes the bride and finds the perfect wedding dress that matches her personality and makes her beautiful. He makes each bride feel right at ease and confident that her gown is the perfect choice. Ray is back in his home, and in his perfect element.