Archive for category Bridal Gowns & Accessories

A wedding dress is a big – and often emotional – purchase. It’s a dress that you’ll only wear once but to many brides it’s one of the most important pieces of clothing they’ll ever purchase.  Of course, not all brides buy their wedding dresses. Some choose to borrow instead. Sometimes this is an emotional decision – a heirloom gown handed down from a family member for example. When I was married, I would have loved to wear my mother-in-law’s dress. She had a gorgeous dress that could have been easily updated with a few alterations and having no daughters of her own, she loved the idea. Unfortunatly she is 5′4 and I am 5′10 so it quickly became obviously that alternations wouldn’t do much for the length.

Of course – not every bride choose not to buy a dress for emotional reasons. For some brides, a borrowed gown is simply a smart budget decision and that is why there are many companies that now offer bridal gown rentals. Renting a bridal gown is NOT for everyone though. Who SHOULDN’T rent a bridal gown? If you’re one of those girls who has dreamed about her wedding gown for years and who has her heart set on passing her gown down, renting might not even be a consideration for you and that’s fine.

On the other hand, renting is the perfect option for many brides. For example, if you have your heart set on a specific gown but it’s past your budget renting may allow you to have the gown of your dreams.  Renting is also a great option if the dress is not a priority and you’d rather put the extra money towards inviting more guests, a longer honeymoon, etc.

Something to keep in mind though: renting is NOT always cheaper then buying. Make sure to comparison shop, visit salons, look at used gowns available in your area or on ebay and consider what the possible selling price would be if you purchased a gown and then sold it after the wedding to ensure that renting is actually saving you money in the end.

Considering renting? Here is a great article with tips you’ll want to read first.

No, I haven’t forgotten about this series:)  For something new I thought I would share this video for a sneak peak at the new line of bridal gowns from David Tutera. David is best known as the host of  the Discovery Channel series The Party Planner and he is releasing his own collection of bridal gowns together with Faviana. Will they be budget friendly? Probably not – but they look fantastic!

Enjoy:)

I had a lot of fun with my Something Old, Something New series on wedding jewelry so I thought I’d try a wedding gown version. The first thing that came to mind for Something Old was the gorgeous Vintage-Inspired styles from Whirling Turban.   If you’re looking for a chic vintage look at an affordable price, Whirling Turban is a great choice. They also offer custom services which gives you tons of great options.

Here are some of my favorites – prices range from $425 to $950 or so (two of there are under $500!)

Last week I featured a Scala dress and  this week I have one more I want to share. This layered gown doesn’t have a train – but it would be absolutely perfect for a beach wedding, a garden wedding or an intimate, informal wedding. The sequined bodice gives it a great touch of glam while the soft layered skirt gives ita romantic feminine feel – for, wait for it…. $258! – Check it out here….

Sweet!

Is it Friday already? My word this week has flown by! I hope you have a great weekend planned!

For today’s Budget Dress of the Week – I choose this gorgeous gown from Scala. This ivory trumpet style gown has a ton of detail and elegant style at a lovely little price of $498! Not bad at all. I’m not sure what I like more: the floral applique on the bodice, the side wiped skirt detailing, the trumpet skirt or the budget friendly price!

What do you think?

My goodness, it has been a while! I am watching “Say Yes To The Dress” and felt the urge to blog about dresses and this gorgeous dress fits my mood for today:

This amazing ivory gown is from Jasz – and if you haven’t seen that design line in your bridal magazines, that’s because this dress is actually a prom gown. Seriously! A $280 Prom Gown!

The gorgeous back and v-neck front are absolutely sexy, elegant and glam – perfect for a sophisticated chic bride – the the flowing fabric give it a soft, romantic bridal feel. This gown would be perfect for just about any wedding – a beach wedding, a garden wedding or any semi formal wedding.

And at $280 – it’s also VERY budget friendly.

What do these  gowns have in common?

1. They are all under $500
2. They are NOT wedding gowns
3. They are all gorgeous
4. All of the above

If you guessed #4 – you’re right! All the gowns shown above range in price from $299-$500, they are gorgeous and NONE of them are wedding dresses. Actually they are prom gowns.

So? Well – a few weeks ago I read a post on a wedding planning blog that irked me. The writer was attacking another budget wedding blog and listing all the money saving advice they thought was tacky or just dumb. One of the things they discussed was the idea of a wedding gown for only a few hundred dollars. Apparently – anything under 1K is just tacky. This irritated me for 2 reasons. One – I have spent YEARS telling brides how to find great wedding gowns for under $500. And two – at the time that I read the post, I was 2 weeks away from my own wedding were I wore a gorgeous gown that I purchased for less then $250 (NEW!).  Tacky? No. Gorgeous? YES! Did I regret not having a more expensive gown? Not for a second.

So anyway – back to the post. One of the methods often recommended for saving on a bridal gown is to look at non-traditional methods including bridesmaid/prom gowns in white. This is one of the ideas the post I mentioned had attacked. As you can see from the dresses above – all of which come from PromGirl – a prom gown may very well be the perfect affordable wedding gown for may brides.

The gowns shown are all from PromGirl and are by the following designers: Alyce – $398, Jessica McClintock – $425, Joli Prom – $399, La Femme – $299, Le Gala – $398, Sherri Hill – $500.  PromGirl has gowns listed both by designer and by color – making it easier to pick out gowns in white or your wedding gown color of choice.

Hello all! I’m not sure if you noticed but I havent done a ‘Budget Dress Of The Week’ post in a while. Thankfully Crystal did one for me so you werent competely losing out on the post. Now I am back and ready to show you an amazing dress!

This weeks dress is designed by Amelie Bridal and is style number 6630.  This beautiful gown is made in taffeta fabric. It has a wonderful v-neckline with beautiful beading accenting it. The design continues down the bust and ends in a slight mermaid tail. This beautiful gown would normally cost &719.95 but you can get it from House Of Bride for only $478.00!!

Jessica McClintock is a diverse designer who’s collections include bridal gowns, formal wear, casual wear, accessories, home decor and much more. Jessica’s bridal collection offers gowns with simple details and elegant classic styles but there are a few fun, funky designs worked into the mix as well. With prices running between $200-$500 in most cases, Jessica McClintock is very budget friendly!

Here are a few of my favorites from Jessica McClintock.

Style #54228 Emily: $290 at House of Brides, Style #54222 Jacqueline: $330 at House of Brides

Style #52466 Jeanette: $330 at House of Brides, Style #21192 Krista: $270 at House of Brides

Style #21201 Rebecca: $320 at House of Brides, Style #17130 Stephanie: $310 at House of Brides

If you’re loke most budget brides, one of your first priorities was to find a gorgeous, affordable bridal gown so I thought I would start featuring designers who offer a great selection of affordable, stylish wedding gowns! For our first featured designer, I choose the Wtoo collection by Watters! The Wtoo collection was introduced by Watters specifically as a budget friendly line of affordable gowns. The collection includes a great selection of gowns in different styles including some of the most popular 2009 wedding trends: grecian goddess styles, crumb catchers, elegant floral embriodery, and a little sparkle.

Here are a few of my favorites from the collection. House Of Brides offers 28 gowns from the Wtoo collection starting at $350!