Looking for THE dress?

calling all future brides...  LISTEN UP!

I don't get on a soapbox very often (er...pay no attention to my last post)

anyway

I wanted to share my "dress finding" experience with you all... 

because it was SO easy, and SO much fun

AND

SO within budget!!!

as you may know, Mr. and I are having a small-ish backyard wedding

(actually not so small if you look at our guest list; but that post will have to come on another day)

the point is, we are on a budget!

With all of the wedding shows on tv these days..

the experience of looking for "the dress" has been hyped up.

I bet it is a fantastically wonderful experience to visit Kleinfeld Bridal

and when you find "the dress"

I bet bells chime, choirs sing, and maybe they even release doves into the air...

magical

(image props go to Say Yes to the Dress)

    

            

However, for most DIY brides, a trip to Kleinfelds isn't in the budget.

so where do you turn?

bum bum bum BUM....
CONSIGNMENT!!!

(yippee, I love that word!)


Here's my reasoning:

   (--> enter side-note soapbox)

1. Personally, I am not interested in having the "typical" wedding gown.

         my wedding is going to be outside.

         in the yard.

how silly would it look if everything about my wedding was sweet and simple... but my dress was puffy enough to fit 5 small children under and the train was 2 miles long?

that just doesn't go with the flow!

             *Yes, you can find simple at David's Bridal... but they just didn't have what I was looking for
                            (or not for very cheaply at least) 

2. You wear your wedding dress for one day. There, I said it. ONE DAY PEOPLE! Only one stinkin' day!

         Side-story:  my sister's wedding dress (sorry Mel), is chillin', preserved in a 3ft box - taking up space in MY closet!!!   (harumpf!)   Never to be worn again.

Times have changed. Daughters don't wear the gowns their mothers were married in.

Commence actual blog post about my dress finding experience -->


Want to get a sneak peek at my dress?

too bad, you can't see it! Actually, I'd love to share its beauty with all of you, but Mr. is way too internet savvy and he'd probably take a sneak peek as well...

NO WAY JOSE!

however, I will share the story of how I found "The Dress":

I wanted to check out several consignment shops in the area so my mom and I made a day of it.
This was the first stop.

Blush is located in Newport News... so any of you South-Eastern Virginia Gals... go check it out!

It's the cutest little place.
Kind of small, but they also carry bridesmaids, flower girl, and mother of the bride dresses.

*Just make sure you have the right mindset when you head to your first bridal consignment place.
This isn't shopping at Carolina Herrera.
What you see is what you get.
They can't get things in different sizes and different colors.
"Only one" means... only one.


but, if you keep an open mind and plan well in advance so you can stop in several shops, several different times until you find "the one"...


then your hard work will be rewarded!

The first one I tried on was perfect.
A few sizes too big, but simple and different!

In perfect condition, except for a few teeny tiny, itsy bitsy dirt marks on the very bottom hem.

I wasn't worried because I knew about 3 inches would have to be hemmed off the bottom anyway.

My mum, the smart thinker that she is, mentioned it to the owner though, and the owner knocked the price down even more!
No bargaining, no arguing... just friendly talk about the stains :)

Just to be safe, I tried on the seven other dresses I had pulled, then came back to this one.
Since I still wasn't 100% sure...
My mom and I went to a different consignment shop after lunch... just to make sure I wasn't missing out.

I wasn't worried about having a "moment" were you realize THIS IS IT!!!
I know my own fickle mind well enough that I knew I had to exhaust my options to be completely satisfied I had truly gotten "the dress".


Turns out the first one I tried on really was the one... so we snatched it up!

This is me (duh) carrying "the dress" out to the car.



So... in my opinion, if you want to make smart decisions with your wedding budget one of the biggest things you can save on is the dress...
think consignment!

I'm just sayin'