Alfred Angelo style 2119 has pockets

It seems like designers are fascinated with giving the ladies a place to put their things during a wedding. Wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses are popping up with pockets from almost every line.

Jim Hjelm Style 5957 has pockets for your girls

This may be a convenient design, but is it a decision maker? Do pockets make or break a dress in the bride’s mind?

As a maid of honor, you could put the groom’s wedding band in the pocket. My cousin pointed out that tissues would be a great pocket filler.

If you were to have pockets in your wedding dress, what would you put in them?

I didn’t realize the ladies would get so serious about the game. The competition was tough and it obviously made my decision more challenging.

The rules were simple. You got to design and assemble a TP dress with no glue, tape or adhesive. The models were standing very still and tried to be patient while the designers worked effusively against time. They only had 10 minutes to create their masterpiece.

Ladies designing the TP dress.

I had a tough decision to make. All of the dresses looked spectacular. The designers worked hard and the models were lovely.

And the winner is…team # 4. I thought they created a clean and classic dress that looked gorgeous on my friend.

This was definitely one of the highlights of my bridal shower experience. Having fun with my ladies is on top my list any day.

J told us the other day that she is wearing a green dress (the color). I started thinking about hold awesome she would looking in green and remembered that white, ivory, and champagne are not everyone’s colors.

This bride designed her dress and had it made by a friend:

Monica and Paul's Traditional Wedding with a Twist: Offbeat Bride

I know that in some cultures red is a traditional wedding color and I’ve seen some amazing red wedding dresses in bridal magazines.

Red Wedding Dress: weddingplaners.blogspot.com (This one seems a little purple)

From weddingdress.mybog.it

Although I was adamant about wanting a white dress (white is a flattering color for me) I know so many other brides who would rather wear another color. And why not?

From weddingdressfantasy.com

Not so sure about a whole color? The lines of dresses with colored details let you match the rest of the wedding colors.

Alfred Angelo style 1516 in Marine Blue

When Dahlia Dude and I first started talking about getting married, I knew that I would never be happy with my dress unless I picked it to match the venue. And so, as our ideas of venues changed and evolved, so did my mental image of my dress. And you’d be surprised at how many mental images of wedding dresses I’ve had floating around in my head. I could probably open up a boutique at this point!!

When we finally decided on a beach wedding in Cape Town, I started working on narrowing down the images that I could find online into an inspiration board of dresses. And this is what I came up with:

All Dresses Taken from Designer Sites

As you can see, there are multiple common factors throughout my inspiration board. I found that I really liked lace, organza/chiffon (I think the flow-y factor on the beach will be gorgeous!!), flowers, and just simple design. Then, a few weeks later, I stumbled upon this on Kleinfeld’s website, and my jaw dropped:

Kleinfeld Bridal

Gorgeous, right? It was at this moment that I realized the extent of my love affair with lace. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m nowhere close to actually finalizing the design for my dress. I’m definitely going shopping once or twice to see if there’s anything that I’ve missed. Hopefully there isn’t as I don’t think my inspiration board can handle any more pictures!! But I’m definitely glad to be nailing down at least a general idea so that I can start talking to the seamstress.

Before I leave you to continue with your blog reading, I wanted to show you this quote. One of my good friends from waaaaay back in high school posted this as her Facebook status after I had bombarded her with dress pictures/questions (in my defense, she seemed to be enjoying herself!!). I loved it, and it definitely made me laugh, so hopefully it will bring some joy to ladies. Here goes:

PSA: Wedding dresses can be separated into four general categories: The “I’m a pretty pretty princess with Daddy’s check book.” ball gown wonderland of silk, crystals and scary price tags; the “I’m sure a nightgown will be fine, you can’t even tell!!” silk sheath that’s 90% static electricity; the “but it’s ~DESIGNER~!” abomination of overblown ego, wild dreams and left-over fabrics; and the ever-elusive “The Dress.”

I read that whenever wedding planning stress really gets to me, and it still makes me laugh…

So what about you ladies? Did you go with the ball gown? Lace? Satin? Silk? Organza? Chiffon? Did you choose your dress before or after you chose your venue? Did you look online before going to boutiques/bridal salons? Tell me about your experiences!!

And let’s not forget the accessories!  I already have my eye on a pretty wrap that I’m thinking of purchasing to wear with a certain green dress in August!  ;)  I don’t know about you buds, but I love the fact that more and more retail stores are getting into the wedding and bridesmaid dress businesses.  More competition means more choices, which means something for everyone out there!

Has anyone seen The Limited’s new wedding collection up close & personal?  I’d love to hear from any readers who could provide a first-hand review of the merchandise!

Rose and Simon's Wedding - In Her Shoes

The little white dress trend has caught on. I’m seeing a lot of short white wedding dresses and they have a completely different look to them than other wedding dresses.

From bestfordress.com

From bestfordress.com

They also let you showcase an awesome pair of shoes!

From Little White Dress Boutique

I’m looking for a little white dress of my own. Not to get married in and I won’t be visiting bridal stores to find it. But I would love to have a perfect little white dress for formal night on our honeymoon. I kind of like this one:

Alfred Angelo Style 2076

Are any of you wearing a little white dress for any wedding event? Why did you choose it?

I received so much encouragement for you awesome buds and blossoms and some great advice for long term storage (fabric bags hanging bags, not plastic!).

I am extremely happy to report that I tried on my dress, plus new jewelry and half-done veil and I am STILL in love with my dress!

I am however not in love with the hair comb I purchased and will be taking advantage of the 30 day return policy.

Alyth Bridal Studio

After a few not-so wonderful experiences at Bridal Shops that shall remain nameless my FSIL and I were skeptical at best. That is, until, I found the most glowing reviews of a shop out in the suburbs… a shop I’d never heard of, but certainly had a lot of fans…

Google

I called to verify that they had my gown in stock to try on, they did! They also informed me that weekend they’d be having a Maggie Sottero trunk show and that if I bought and paid in full any Maggie Sottero gown I’d receive a wonderful 10% off the total price. I explained to the clerk on the phone that although Maggie Sottero is one of the designers The Dress was really a Sottero & Midgely. No problem they said, they’d still honor the discount since Maggie Sottero was one of the designers….

Could it be… was I in my own fairy tale?

Disney

Everything else just falls into place, right? Well, its been a few months, and let me tell you, It does NOT set itself up that easily. But the wedding dress is still drastically important, as any girl who has ever thought of her big day can tell you. My wedding is most easily described as a *deep breath* Outdoor, Vintage, Eco, DIY, Casual wedding. Yeah. So my challenge was to find a dress to match all of that. I think it is worth mentioning that by Eco I mean Ecological AND Economical. And oh, do I love a challenge.

I fell in love with this as soon as I saw it. It was that moment they talk about when a bride finds THE dress. The only problem? Its from an online store, unique-vintage.com, which always involves risks when making a purchase this important. The problems I am most worried about is that of sizing and the dress being the right shape to flatter my body. I am going to risk it though. Call it idealistic or sheer ornery, this is my dress. Remember the outdoor part of my wedding? It has leaf broaches and and a leaf and vine pattern embroidered down the bodice, plus it has no train. Eco? It costs three hundred dollars and is from an enviromentally-conscious maker. It is primarily a vintage website, so that part is a no-brainer. Sigh. It is a match made in heaven.

As discussed previously in Pt II, my MOH came to the rescue and sat up on the phone with me whilst I cried out my many frustrations with shopping for a wedding gown. She addressed my three main issues in blunt fashion, so I will do the same for you:

Sottero & Midgley JSM1103

Sottero & Midgley

The first is My Sister’s Closet, but the only the Chandler location sells gowns. They have a good selection of about 50 gowns. The difficult part of trying gowns on at this store is that the sizes are not labeled on all gowns and in some cases the marked size is a far cry from how the gown fits- due to having been previously altered. I was able to find a gem here though.

Personal Photo @ My Sister's Closet

Personal Photo @ Almond Tree Weddings

Vera Wang has just announced a partnership with David’s Bridal! Yup, that’s right, Vera Wang for David’s Bridal! And the best part…all gowns will be less than $1,500!! Unfortunately, they won’t be available in the US till spring of 2011, but still, this is amazing news for all of us budget brides out there! You get Vera Wang’s flawless designs, at David’s Bridal’s awesome prices! It’s a win-win!

I wish I had some images to give you a sneak peak, but unfortunately there isn’t anything out there yet.  Instead, here are a few from her most recent collection… and if this line is anything like her Kohl’s line, you can bet that many of the pieces won’t stray far from the designer line.

Heritage Gown Preservation

First and foremost, NEVER judge your gown right out of the bag.  Of course it doesn’t look like the same dress when it doesn’t fit and hasn’t been pressed or steamed.

Second, don’t panic if you aren’t able to use the alterations department at the store where your gown was purchased.  For some reason, I thought that they would be the only ones that knew how to handle my gown.  Utilize sites like WeddingWire.com to find alteration companies in your area, you will be surprised to find out that a good seamstress doesn’t have to work in an actual bridal salon.  Use sites that have ratings and reviews to see what other brides have to say about this person or company.  I actually found a seamstress that runs her own shop, Anytime Alterations in the DC area, which has a five star rating and fantastic reviews on WeddingWire!

Moving on to the actual appointment.  When I arrived at Anytime Alterations, my heart was about to pound out of my chest.  I had been so nervous for so long about how my dress would turn out after all these months of fretting over the fit.  I walked into Maria’s shop and was immediately calmed at the site of hundreds of wedding gowns, I thought to myself “Man, she really has a cult like following!” She immediately ushered me into the changing room to get to work, and that is when the fun began! Here is what I know:

• Take a friend or family member… you will need them for tough decisions like choosing a bustle style! (Who would have thought there were so many options!)
• The seamstress is the master, let her do her job.  Maria was quick to tell me (in a very nice way) that my comments should wait till she is entirely finished with all the pinning.  She was right! The gown completely transformed before my eyes, and was something entirely different when she was done!
• Length of the gown is totally a personal preference.  There is no right or wrong length, only what you are comfortable with.  I prefer a bit longer, grazing the ground, but some people like it to be a little off the ground just in case of tripping.
• This one is probably a little too much information, but don’t be afraid of padded inserts for the chest! I admit I am a bit on the smaller side, and was terrified when she tried to shove those things in there! But, they made so much of a difference that I am now a firm believer in “added enhancement”
• Plan for at least three fittings.  I thought I would be able to get it done in two, but Maria prefers to do a “dummy hem” for the bottom, so that you can make sure it is the exact length you want once the dress is actually fitted to you. I love this idea, and it is totally worth going back for the third time to make sure it is perfect.
• And last but not least, don’t forget the exact shoes you plan to wear on your wedding day and the exact undergarments.

I am so excited to report that thanks to Maria, I am once again in love with my dress! I can’t wait to go back in a month and put it back on!

The following are a couple of pictures I took at the office where I work.

Storage boxes can be super expensive. If you need storage for your wedding items such as your ceremony kit, attendant’s gifts, accessories, and much more, then start looking for medium to large boxes. These can help you stay organized on your wedding day! I plan on putting all of the items inside each box and have a checklist taped on top of the lid. This way, my wedding planners and helpers will not what to do and what’s inside each box.

Another item on my checklist that I am considering is preserving my wedding gown. I found Sentimental Preservation by Simone at the Seattle Wedding Show. This shop is located in Federal Way, WA and they have lovely boxes that come in different sizes. If you have a simple but chic gown, Simone can certainly provide with a box that can perfectly fit your treasure. For more details about gown preservation, click here.

source: weddingdressesmagazine.wordpress.com

I know, I know, I’m an irresponsible post-bride.  I spent so much time, stress, and let’s not forget money, on making sure I had the perfect dress for the big day.  I did not want to settle for something that I didn’t absolutely love wearing, and now my beautiful custom-made garment is in a poofy heap on the floor in the corner of my bedroom.  Oh, I am so ashamed.

It’s not that I don’t love and adore my dress, because I do.  I absolutely do!  The problem is, I don’t know what to do with it!  As many of you already know, I am horrible at making decisions, and so by default my indecision often turns into not taking any action.  Enough is enough already though!  I promised myself and Periwinkle Dude that I would cross this item off my to-list by our anniversary, which means time is ticking!  So let’s examine the options:

Get dress cleaned at local dry cleaner for storage.
Approximate cost: $200-$250

• Pros: Easy to drop off and pick up
• Cons:  Pricey, dress may become yellowed or damaged over time in storage

Use vendor recommended by original dressmaker for cleaning and storage in cloth garment bag.
Approximate cost: $175

• Pros:  Less expensive than local option, direct referral from my dressmaker (reliable)
• Cons:  Difficult to drop off and pick up, dress may become yellowed or damaged over time in storage, takes up more storage space

Cleaning and preservation through specialty bridal dress cleaners in Manhattan.
Approximate cost: $600 & up

• Pros:  Rave reviews from co-workers who were prior customers
• Cons:  Prohibitively expensive

Send dress through mail for cleaning and preservation with WedClean, Affordable Preservation Co., or another similar online/reachable-by-mail only vendor.
Approximate cost: $129-$189

• Pros:  Affordable, preservation will protect dress from yellowing over time, easier to store
• Cons:  Possibility of damage/loss through shipping, mixed reviews of vendors, inability to touch or remove the gown from box post-preservation

Donate dress to Brides Against Breast Cancer, Goodwill, or another charitable organization.
Approximate cost: $0

• Pros:  No cost to me, possible tax deduction, helps brides-to-be in need, pro-recycling
• Cons:  Too difficult for weepy types like me (Never see my dress again?!)

Sell dress.
Approximate cost: Profit.

• Pros:  Recoup a portion of the cost of the dress, get the dress out of my bedroom and not have to worry about storing it, give another bride a chance to strut her stuff in my poofy frock
• Cons:  Never see my dress again?!?!?!  Too painful!

So there they are — my options.  So many choices, and no clear winner.  Although selling or donating the dress would give another lucky bride the chance to enjoy my beautiful gown, the truth is I’m too sentimental of a person for either option.  I just don’t have what it takes to part with my dress — I’m one of those people who still has old doll clothes and stuffed animals from my childhood stashed under my bed at my mom’s house!  It’s not that I have grand dreams of passing down my wedding gown ceremoniously to my hypothetical future daughter for her to wear at her own wedding, but that doesn’t mean I can’t keep it around, right?  There are plenty of other things I could do with it!  I could take it out every so often and wear it around the house, I could use the fabric from my train for a Christening gown for my hypothetical future children, or I could let my hypothetical future daughter play princess bride with my dress.  All of these options require me actually keeping the dress though.  Well, I guess that part’s settled.

If I preserve the dress I can’t put it on every year for my anniversary, pass out candy on Halloween while wearing it, or host a “wear your wedding dress” party for all my newlywed friends.  On the other hand, if I don’t preserve it there is a greater chance it could get ruined.  I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place!

Ladies, I need your help!  Did you preserve your dress in addition to cleaning it post-wedding?  If not, how come?  Has anyone used WedClean or Affordable Preservation Co. and have any reviews (positive or negative) to share?  The reviews I read online for both companies are so mixed that I’m nervous to take my chances!!!  Please help me keep my promise to Periwinkle Dude and get this dress out of my bedroom!  :)

1st dress from JC Penney Bridal (about $80.00)

So I kept looking. Then I found it. I ordered it. It arrived. It fit almost perfectly and I knew almost instantly this was it….for real this time. But I needed a second opinion. So last night a friend came over and I put on both dresses for her. I had already showed her both online photos before and she thought she liked the first one best, but when I showed her last night, she liked the 2nd dress too.

THIS IS IT... from the JC Penney's Junior Plus section.

So seriously…this is it. I am keeping the 2nd dress and returning the first one. The BEST part of all is this new dress cost me a grand total of…$ 51.91 including tax and shipping. Yes…less than $52.00 US DOLLARS…not a typo, just a bride on a budget who knew she didn’t want to devote a huge portion of the wedding budget to the dress.  I want to spend more of our money on some other things.

The view from our Hyatt suite

The gown

DIY hair flowers

DIY USC garter

The bouquet

MOH and bridesmaid bouquets

The Boutonniere

DIY flower petal holders

Gazebo flowers

All pictures taken by Kris Labang.

More “details” to come I promise!

So, I’ve  searched all the used dress sites on a daily basis, but I guess the style is too new or too gorgeous for anyone to be selling it.  But, as if reading my mind, I just saw a Tweet from PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com that they’ve added a new feature to their site that allows you to sign up to be emailed instantly when that dress is added to the site! Woo!  Exactly what I needed!

While my dream dress might never appear, this is still a very cool tool for brides-to-be in a similar situation as me.

My Wedding Dress

I spent $84.78 total.  The dress was originally $90.00, marked down to $79.99, then I had a 15% off code, making it $67.99.  Shipping was $12.75 and tax was $4.04.  It ended up being way cheaper than I ever expected.  I know once it arrives I will need to have a seamstress alter it and that will add to the price as well.  But for me it was important to spend more money on some of the other aspects of our wedding instead of the wedding dress.

Now………to find the shoes…

“Anouk” duchess satin extended asymetrical bodice ballgown with draped skirt and extended train
Part of the Anna Maier Ulla-Maija Couture Collection

The upcoming schedule for New York City and Beverly Hills is as follows:

Saks Fifth Avenue Bridal Salon, 611 Fifth Avenue, fifth floor, New York (212-940-2269)

March
4-6, Kenneth Pool
11-13, Junko Yoshioka
18-20, Anna Maier Ulla-Maija
25-27, Jenny Packham

April
8-10, Marchesa
15-17, Anne Bowen
22-24, Monique Lhuillier
29-May 1, Selia Yang

May
6-8, Douglas Hannant
13-15, Angel Sanchez
20-22, Vera Wang

June
17-19, Carolina Herrera

July
15-17, Monique Lhuillier

Saks Fifth Avenue Bridal Salon, 9600 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills (310-887-5509)

March
4-6, Vera Wang
11-13, Melissa Sweet, Priscilla of Boston, and Platinum
18-20, Oscar de la Renta
25-27, Reem Acra

April
15-17, Romona Keveza
22-24, Douglas Hannant
29-May 1, Jenny Packham

May
6-8, Angel Sanchez
13-15, Anne Bowen

I was perusing through the latest from NY Fashion Week and thought I would throw some inspiration your way.  Who knows, maybe some of these designs will inspire your dress shopping, or they could be a great starting point for those who have the option of custom dress making!

Dresses left to right: Carlos Miele, Tadashi Shoji, Marchesa and J. Mendel

These feminine light weight gowns are simply stunning in their attention to detail and flow as the model struts.  I can only imagine how they would look gliding down the isle on your way to the alter.  On a side note… I am dying for Marchesa to start designing wedding gowns, they would be amazing!

Dresses left to right: Christian Siriano, Monique Lhuillier, Venexiana and another Monique Lhuillier

If you can’t already tell, I love Monique Lhuillier. Not just her bridal, but RTW too! These types of dresses are the perfect style for the bride who wants to make an impact! I love how each is structured, but play with different fabrics and textures.  Definitely don’t be  afraid to mix it up with monotone patterns.

Dresses left to right: Pamela Roland, Oscar de la Renta, Badgley Mischka and Jason Wu

These dresses just screamed fairytale romance to me.  Whether its shimmer,  texture or pattern, these dresses provide a very different selection of styles that still echo the same theme.

I wanted to share some bridal show tips with everyone that I learned.

1. Enter for everything! Along with that make labels with your name and information. Vendors raffle off thousands of dollars in prizes at shows. Everything from free cakes to free photography packages. Just be ready for the email advertisements.
2. Play the games. I won money off of the tuxes and got myself a great deal by playing Plinko at a booth.
3. Enjoy the freebies. Some of the freebies I got include chocolate and cookies. But I also got great things like a keychain with our names and wedding date engraved on it and a coupon code for a free personalized wedding tee.  At some shows if you bring your dude along you can even have a free engagement photo taken.
4. Eat drink and be merry! Taste the cake, enjoy the candied fruit and other samples.  It gives you a great idea for what kinds of things you want to share with your guests on your big day. Also, who can resist dark chocolate cake with peanut butter filling?
5. Wear comfortable shoes. Usually bridal shows are in big buildings and you’ll be on your feet a lot, so high heels are probably not a good choice.
6. Bring a camera. Bridal shows have galleries of cakes and decor ideas so take pictures so you can remember what you like and organize the ideas that you pick up.
7. Organize afterward. Go through your info while you’re still on a bridal show high and ditch anything that doesn’t fit your budget, venue, or wants for your wedding. The last thing you need is wedding clutter, sort it all out and organize it using whatever method you have for wedding planning.

The Bridal Garden

The Bridal Garden is a non-profit organization that accepts sample dresses from high-end designers and sells them to the public at a fraction of the cost. The dresses vary in price from about $500 and up depending on designer, style, and condition. I didn’t recognize some of the designers, but names like Vera Wang and Monique Lhuillier, impressed me. The original price tags for some of those dresses were astonishing to say the least, and I felt like a princess trying them on.

I tried on a bunch of their dresses, and really liked a few of them. Although I didn’t find “The Dress”, I had a wonderful experience at the Bridal Garden, and I would encourage anyone near the city to go and check them out. The best part is that all profits go to the Brooklyn Charter School which works toward nurturing learning, self-respect, leadership, and citizenship in inner-city youth. If I had found “The Dress”, it would have been a nice feeling to know that the money I spent on it was going to a good cause. On another note, if you already have a dress and are wondering what to do with it, they accept dress donations as well.

Amy Michelson - almost "The Dress", but not quite

But I do have a confession, I did eventually find “The Dress” and surprisingly at a very small local boutique, and I A-D-O-R-E it! Unfortunately, I wont be able to share the details until after my wedding, but to give a hint, my dress could very easily fit right next to the dresses Dogwood Bud posted here. I liked many dresses, but loved few. The entire experience was very much unlike my venue, which I knew was “the one” immediately, and my photographer for whom I knew I had to have as soon as I met her. Choosing a wedding dress was much more difficult and laborious. But in the end it was all worth it, you’ll see!

I purchased a Casablanca dress and it will be customized towards my needs. The neckline, the top and the sleeves will all be altered by Casablanca Bridal. I think this is a tremendous benefit provided by this designer. The bride is able to have the main vote on how she wants her dress to look like. I know you had a similar experience where you would visit many boutiques and you would find pretty gowns, but always wanted to change something. Casablanca bridal can make that happen for you!

The following image is of La Belle Reve’s booth at the Seattle Wedding Show.

This picture is of La Belle Reve’s store in Bellevue, WA. For more information about the store, please click here.