One of the first things a bride finds herself gravitating to while in the initial phases of wedding planning is........finding that perfect wedding dress. I have even found myself, the non-traditional bride (simply NTB from here on out) being swept away by all of these extravagant lacy gowns. I am not really sure why but the dress seems to be one of the main focal point of a couple's wedding day. You know how it goes. You get to work on Monday morning and tell your co-workers you went to a wedding that weekend. And then usually, at least one person will ask, "What did her dress look like?" It was white. I think she had a veil on? Does this make me a bad person for not being able to give a detailed account of the brides dress? All of my girlfriends who have gotten married have been beautiful brides. They were all stunning in their own right. But I definitely couldn't give you an in depth account of what thier gown looked like. However, I do usually always remember what they served for food. Does that give you any indication as to where my priorities are?? But this dress stuff! Wowza! White dresses, ivory dresses, long dresses, short dresses, dresses with trains, dresses without trains. What's a girl to do when she has so many gosh darn options? Sticking with the theme of my previous blog: Picking out the perfect dress is...you guessed it....OVERWHELMING. I haven't officially gone anywhere to try on dresses. I can't decide if I feel like I should do this because it's what I am supposed to do as an engaged woman, or because I really genuinely want to do it. Is it going to be like an episode of, "Say Yes To The Dress"? For those of you who have seen the show and know my personality, it’s obvious why I might be hesitant to go down that path if so. But like I stated previously, I am your typical girl and I have found myself caught up in the dress stuff. I want a pretty dress. I want to feel beautiful on our special day. I want Jesse to see me in all my bridal splendor and say, "Dang, girl. You look gooooood." I have perused through my fair share of magazines and hit up several dress websites. Do you want to know what I think so far? Much like everything else in this industry, wedding dresses are completely overrated. I don't want to turn this blog into Lauren's betch session about how ridiculously overpriced weddings are, but let's be honest here--THEY TRULY ARE! And do you want to know what it makes me want to do? It makes me want to buck the system. I know my parents plan to help us with our wedding. We are so grateful for their generosity and willingness to help. And even though we know that we would be able to make our day special regardless of how much (or little!) money we spend, it really makes things a little easier knowing that we are getting some assistance from them. However, we still don't feel like spending my parent's money without a well thought out plan. We may not be able to contribute a lot of money toward our wedding but one thing we CAN contribute is our ability to search out some good deals. We don't want to be cheap and chintzy, but we do want to be good stewards of what has been given to us. We want to stretch our buck as far as it can go. And for those of you who know me well, you know I love me some good deals. I refuse to allow this hobby of mine (yes, I consider bargain hunting a hobby!) to be brushed aside while planning this wedding. So as far as the dress is concerned, I would rather wear a white Hefty bag on my wedding day, complete with a cute belt synched at my waste and stylish pair of flats, than spend what some of my friends spent on their wedding dresses. Soooo....in true NTB fashion, I have found some alternatives to the ridiculously overpriced wedding dress. They are as follows:
-- A nanny friend of mine was in a wedding this past June. The bride bought four wedding dresses. Don't ask me why. This bride happens to be around the same height, weight, and size as me. Guess who is going dress shopping in her closet?? That would be me!!
-- I have found jobs on Craigslist. I have found a roommate on Craigslist. The couch I am sitting on while I write this blog was found on Craigslist. And some people are even convinced that I met Jesse on Craigslist (not quite....it was match.com). Guess who just answered a Craigslist ad for a beautiful never been worn J. Crew wedding dress and is going to try it on this Monday (Don't worry! I will meet her in a public and safe place!) That would be me!!
-- This last alternative leaves me a little hesitant only because most sales are final. I could very well get the dress in the mail, not like it, and then be stuck with it. I don't like that. However, I LOVE the idea of what a lot of these women are doing. While I think some of them are asking a little too much for their "Once Wed" dresses, others are brand new dresses that have never been worn, and they are a steal of a deal. I am not sure if I'll be going this route, but it's been my favorite wedding dress website thus far. Check it out! http://www.oncewed.com/
Hope this finds you all doing well. It's a cloudy fall Saturday. I am spending the afternoon with my favorite fiance and our favorite puppies, on our favorite Craigslist couch.
Love,
The NTB ◦
Buckin' the system
