Why I'm Dreading Wedding Dress Shopping

Guys, I thought I would have a fun time looking for my wedding dress.

I'm flipping out.

Why?  Because of my &$%-&$^@ expensive taste! XP

What do I like?
Texture

  Dimensional lace

  Unique

What does every budget dress look like?!?

Meh.  Simple and streamlined I am not.

Yes, I mentioned the eBay dresses before, but now that I'm doing more research, I have found that these are just "inspiration" photographs, and not what really comes shipped to your home.

There are some great sites here and here where you can see the difference...

Nice, but not the same...

I mean I could try out eBay and see what happens, I have enough time, I'm just worried that they can't do the complicated things I would want in a gown.

So my next step is researching these knock-off sellers and see if any have more positive reviews than most, try them out, and if it doesn't work out, go to plan B.

What's plan B?

A LOT of research.

Plan B is searching on Craigslist, eBay, WeddingBee Classifieds, BravoBride, RecycledBride, sample sales, etc. to find that one used or sample gown that is going for a reasonable enough price.

Like finding a needle in a haystack my friends.

So now I'm incredibly deflated...and getting a headache :p

I mean why does the WIC (Wedding Industrial Complex) have to be this way? Any white prom gown costs *more* than the same thing colored would be.  All wedding dresses are labeled as "affordable" if they're less than $1K.

Sometimes this seems like the cheaper option...

You what I think is affordable? $250
Highest price? $400, and it BETTER look like the dress from the Gods! ):<

I'm starting to feel that I can't escape this wedding budget blunder...yes, my mom IS going to pay for the dress, but it's just the damn principle of the thing!  I don't want anyone to pay more than $400 for a one-day deal for me.  And that's that.

And is it my fault that I like a little style???

Meh, maybe my new edition of Bridal Bargains can help me :P

Hopefully my dress ideas start becoming a bit clearer and the dress will come to me...but I think it will be playing hard to get.

Wish me luck <3

How to Plan a Wedding in Two Weeks: The Dress

While searching for the all important venue, Miss Boa went to track down a very important wedding purchase--

The Dress:

Now, to start off, I have been sworn to secrecy on the dress. Sorry guys!

(But, I'll be sure to post the stunning beauty the day after the wedding! XD)

What I can tell you, is the process Miss Boa went through to find the dress in just two appointments!

She first went to Alfred Angelo to give herself a general idea of what she was looking for.
She quickly confirmed that she didn't like over-the-top, billowy ballgowns...

Pretty, but not for Miss Boa
...but became a bit confused about what she did like, and who can blame her?! There are a LOT of gorgeous dresses out there!

The very next day, she went to Victoria's Bridal Shoppe, which was highly recommended, and by the end of our appointment, we could see why!

The women there were very friendly and warm, and after a few dresses they understood what Miss Boa was looking for. They pulled something that was just perfect for her!

The fog of confusion was lifted and the dress was purchased!

Next item on the to-do list...the photographer!

Rosette Madness!

Whew! That whole My Fair Wedding series was a doozy! Sorry about the lack of posts, home improvement projects are keeping me busy now! :D Now we're back to our normally scheduled wedding prettiness! :D

Spring has officially sprung! :D

Even though it takes a while in chilly Buffalo to actually believe it, all last week we were blessed with wonderfully warm, sunny weather!

Call me fickle but my purple, flowery, summer wedding vision is sounding better and better each day! XD So I figure I"ll talk about my summer plans for the Thousand Islands wedding in the spring and summer, and shift focus to my Buffalo winter wedding plans in the fall and winter. Then I'll always be relevant to the season! lol

Another reason for wishing for warmer wedding days and the great outdoors? The wonderful, romantic, addicting trend of rosettes!

I. Love. Them. I WANT THEM!!!

These better still be around when I get engaged, XD because I don't know if I can live without them!!!

These big, beautiful flowers are popping up everywhere in fashion lately:

On wedding dresses:

*drool*This is a stunning prom dress from Sherri Hill, style 2223, covered in rosettes and comes in white! However be careful with most prom/bridal sites online, many of them have a no return policy or a ridiculous restocking fee...

On shoes:

These grey suede heels are from Forever 21 and are just $25.80! So cute!

On purses:

This cute little number is a pink rose clutch going for $29.50 at Bag Madness. Yes, the only color they're selling is pink, but if that's your thing, grab one for the spring season!

On hair accessories:

This cute little hair pin is from Etsy! Brydferth sells many pretty and delicate rosette accessories, and this bobby pin for $12 is just one of the many she sells.

And also making a stunning appearance in other wedding aspects too!

On cakes:

This cake is from I Am Baker, and it's SO FRIGGING ADORABLE! I can't wait to make something like this when I actually have company over! lol You can find the tutorial here! :D

On table runners:

This runner is from an Etsy seller, floratouch, and sells the most beautiful runners I have ever seen! Yes they are pricey at $18 each, :( but they are beautiful! *sighs*

Dear rosettes,

Please be so frigging popular that you are still around in a couple years...or at least let me get an "out-of-style" rosette wedding dress for a killer price! :D Love ya always,

Sarah

How to Get A Phantom Wedding Like David Tutera's My Fair Wedding: Wedding Dress

(Sorry for the delay in posting, I just got a new job, so there was a lot of agonizing waiting and stress beforehand! XP)

Now that your ladies are all pretty, it's time for the bride to find a gorgeous dress!

Step 8: Find a wedding dress.

Now, I'll be honest, the wedding dress David Tutera picked for this Phantom bride was a pretty classic, elegant ballgown. Nothing that was too couture or out there, which makes it really easy to find a nice dress that fits the Phantom wedding.

Again, I'm going to look for dresses from the always-affordable ebay, to insure that any bride can purchase one for herself!

(Obviously, this isn't a full, complete list of any sort, given how many dresses exist out there! It is just a few that caught my eye!)

If you want generally the same feel as the TV show, you need similar pickups in the front of the dress, like this ballgown for $179:

or even this more classic a-line dress for $175:

The next two ballgowns are soo romantic, they fit in just perfectly, especially the dress with the lovely gold coloring! *ack I die!*

A delicately pretty ballgown for $159.98:

And a detailed gold ballgown for $179:

If you're the kind to want to completely become Christine Daae, then this era-fitting ballgown for $350 is just the thing you need:

This one just reminds me of the dress Christine wears when she's singing "Think of Me" onstage, a romantic floral ballgown for $168:

Finally, if you want a more modern twist on the Phantom, then this statement dress for $188 is just the thing:


*drool* So many pretty ballgowns, so little time! XD

Cost for wedding dress = $159.98 - $350

On to the final installment of the David Tutera - My Fair Wedding series, Step 9: All the Little Details!

Even More Comfy Cozy Winter Wedding Inspiration!

Considering the amount of snow days being given throughout the US lately, I figured more winter wedding inspiration would be quite fitting!

This post is best enjoyed with a mug of hot chocolate :)

Or better yet, a mug of hot buttered rum! :D


The recipe can be found at Real Simple's blog Simply Stated. Am I a dork for thinking of Harry Potter's butterbeer every time I see hot buttered rum? XD

An easy way to get a winter wonderland feel is to include these cute but inexpensive Icelandic bowls from Country Clean Paper Supplies.


Starting at $1.50 for a regular 16oz bowl, $5.50 for a 3.5qt bowl, and just $12 for a giant 12qt punch bowl, how could you go wrong?!

This pretty snowflake wedding cake is easy to execute given that the royal icing snowflakes can be done in advance! So then you can bake, assemble and frost, (fondant optional), then add the royal icing snowflakes in small groupings around the cake.


It looks like some of the snowflakes were pressed onto the frosting to make an imprint of a snowflake as well as having the royal icing ones attached. However I think doing that technique could easily backfire on a novice cake decorator like I. I would try doing in a pretty blue color though :)

For help on creating the snowflakes, start reading the tutorials at Mahalo and Martha Stewart Weddings. Also check out this forum discussion at Wilton to read more on the difficulties of removing these icing lovelies from wax paper.

o.0

*swoon*
So gorgeous for winter, they're frigging perfect! Found on At Home with Kim Vallee, in reference to Fauchois Fleurs florist. You know it's a good florist when you don't care that their site is in French. XD

A cute and creative way to display sweets for a dessert table would be to include these easy-to-make meringue cookie trees!


This tutorial at Little Dishy gives her version of the meringue tree, including a rum-flavored icing that will make the cookies easily removable for your guests to enjoy!

I'm loving this beautifully ruched, a-line wedding dress, Cleo by Maggie Sottero:


Such clean and modern lines, with a romantic flower sash and corset back...stunning. Usually I don't go for dresses that do not have a lot of beading, but for some reason this seems to have enough character that it doesn't need anything aside from the sash.

Gah, this is the problem though with looking at designer dresses, you're not going to find them used anywhere until they had time to become a little out of style, had the time to be worn for a wedding. So all the latest fashions now won't start popping up until several months pass by.

I tried looking for this model online, and got prices around $900-$950 for sites that did not accept returns XP So I can only assume that this lovely will cost about a grand in a wedding dress boutique. For now.

Maybe I'll be stalking this dress in the used dress classifieds in the fall :) lol, you never know!

Some More Blog Love...

Happy belated Fourth of July to all!!!

Okay, so I've kinda been a WeddingBee whore lately, so let's give some love to the other blogs I mentioned in my award post!

Landlocked Bride found some dress inspiration from Dog n’ Bird, and it is a wonderful find! The design on the lining of the dress is so deliciously different, if only there was a simple way of doing this on your own! (Without going crazy anyway XP)


*drools* ...oh, sorry, on to the next!

An older DIY post on Elizabeth Anne Designs had a candle set up that reminded me of one of my all-time favorite musicals...Phantom of the Opera!!!


Image by Jessica Claire
If you have seen this musical and/or love it as much as I do, you can see the appeal :D The setup and take-down of this lovely lighting? A bit of a hassle...(transporting over 30 fragile vases, not so fun) but could be worth it in the right set of circumstances :)

Hopefully no one minds the great influx of wedding inspiration pics lately :)

More Glorious Ebay Wedding Dresses

Before I leave for almost a week, here are more lovely dresses to admire!!! :D

Recent bid plus shipping: $169

Buy it now: $166

Buy it now: $168

Recent bid plus shipping: $155

Buy it now: $199

Buy it now plus shipping: $227

Glorious Ebay and Its Lovely Wedding Dresses

Unless there are a lot of hidden catches that I don't see simply being a shopper, ebay is the only way to go if you're looking for an affordable wedding dress.

Prices are usually between $150 and $550 for custom fit dresses, and some even come with customization options to boot!

Don't get me wrong, I love dresses, but you can only wear this dress for one day! :P It's not like any other formal gown where you can dust off the cobwebs and go out for a fancy dinner or dance. So might as well get your money's worth :)

What kind of dress do I want? I want a dress that's a looker!!!

Something showy and extravagant, because it's one of the few times in your lifetime that you can be! Something very detailed and balanced, with beading favored over lace.

Right now I'm a huge fan of the ballgown style, however with my 5' stature I may have to change my mind very quickly, such dresses tend to swallow up us short girls! XP (Perhaps I need some platform shoes, lol)

Most importantly, I want something unique, but now I am wondering if the following dresses are wayyy too expected for a castle wedding...hmmm...

Buy it now: $158, this one has always been a favorite of mine! :D

Buy it now: $149

Buy it now: $148

Buy it now plus shipping: $209

Buy it now plus shipping: $565, omg... *drools* 8P