Posts in the 'Dress Up' Category
February 10th, 2010 by The Broke-Ass Bride
When we left off…. I was just arriving at the ceremony site, along with the ladies of my bridal party. We took off our shoes before ascending the stairs, as was tradition at the Shumei Center, in whose Hollywood garden we had our ceremony.
I knew the time had come, and all I wanted was to peer out the upstairs window at the guests gathering, but I was quarantined upstairs so as to avoid being spotted by Hunter. We hid out in a spare room, and waited, all a-buzz with bridal delight.
Ta-Dizzle!
Our dear friends own a company specializing in tea, accessories, and gourmet goods called Algabar (in whose former shop I worked for years) which also offers marvelous tea-inspired catering as Fete du The. As a wedding gift to us, they offered to serve a ceremony refreshment, and we loved the idea!
They served our favorite tea cocktail that they had invented, The Mrs. Palmer: a lavender-infused lemonade blended with earl grey and lavender tea, (with an option to spike with vodka), and sweetened with lavender syrup. As soon as we got upstairs, I was all… “someone get this bride a drink!” Just one… to take the edge off. Hey, I may be an actress – but standing in front of everyone without a character to hide behind, is still intimidating. And, I was about to get freaking married!
wetting my wedding whistle
Our friends served the drinks in mason jars that I BrideShared with a bride I met on the indiebride kvetch forum, at a table off to the side of the ceremony seating. The guests later gushed about how much they loved and appreciated the tasty drinks.
Then of course, thanks to my drink and the nerves, I had to pee. Now, I am posting this out of love for you readers, and because I keeps it real. But you gotta know, it probably will happen to you. And you’ll need help. That’s what your maid of honor is for. That’s what sisters are for. So, ladies and gentleman (that’s you, dad)… I give you, The Broke-Ass Bride at her very finest!
It happens to the best of us...
I just had to post this picture because MaPo took it and I love it. (and in the hopes it will help you forget the previous photo)
Feels like a fairy tale.
Headpiece and earrings by TS Tiara
Next thing I knew, Sharlene our intrepid DOC, was upstairs telling the ladies it was time to line up for the processional. I quickly rallied the troops for some last-minute wall pushups to get strong and make ourselves feel ultra bad-ass.
for last minute toning...
And it was time to go! I took a moment to be alone upstairs after the girls left, to breathe, to give myself a moment. I gave myself a “be present” pep talk and felt a HUGE smile creep across my face. I was nervous, but mostly just excited and calm and steady and ready.
I could hear the processional music beginning, and I knew that everyone was lined up downstairs, ready to walk that aisle before me. That my father was waiting to walk with me on that path. That the garden would be full of my favorite faces and most beloved friends and family. I knew at the end of that aisle stood my husband.
January 26th, 2010 by The Broke-Ass Bride
Hang onto your socks, peeps. My girl Kat from Rock n Roll Bride is bringing the pretty (and smart) today! Give her a warm welcome!
___________________
When Dana asked me to write a little something for you Broke-Ass Bride readers I thought what could be a better opportunity than to go through the blogging archives and dig out my all time favourite budget-wise, DIY kick ass wedding awesomeness to share? I think us bloggers, who’ve been engrossed in all things wedding for quite a while now, might sometimes forget that not everyone will have seen everything we have – and that’s shocking – terrible almost. These weddings need to be seen and appreciated!
So I got my thinking hat on and decided that the best way to share these weddings in all their glory was to ask the people behind them to share their secrets, tip and tricks, ideas which made their weddings great. So behold, 5 of my favourite budget conscious, diy weddings from the last few years.
♥ Jose & Dani’s wedding sent me through the roof with excitement when I first laid eyes on it. The retro styling, the over the top excitement and the rockabilly pink hair! But just how did they make it all happen?
Jose & I wanted to make our wedding very “us,” while the super-thrifty gal in me wanted to do it as inexpensively as possible. Our beach ceremony was free, and the beautiful scenery needed no decoration. I created our save-the-dates and invitations myself using Photoshop. My crafty mom made my veil, boutonnieres, and a carnival banner. My dad’s eighteen piece swing band played and many of the members played for just a meal. Our amazing photographer, a photo student at my university, was found through craigslist.
♥ Abigail & Michael’s wedding was so gorgeous I couldn’t wait to blog it. The sparkles sent me crazy! Completely different to Jose & Dani’s but just as inspiring!
I have always been a thrifty girl so when my now husband proposed the second-hand inclined wheels of my brain immediately starting turning. I knew I wanted a unique wedding that wouldn’t break the bank. Sure, we splurged on several elements of our big day, but we would not have been able to do so had we gone the traditional wedding budget route. We mixed almost all of the traditional delegated expenses and hopped on the do-it-yourself train. Traditional florists can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars for arrangements and bouquets so we nixed them and opted for wholesale potted plants and pumpkins. We made bouquets and boutonnières from store bought flowers purchased the day before. Our centrepieces were mismatched collections of vases, flowers and spray painted pumpkins instead of large expensive arrangements. Decorations were mostly crafted, from thrift stores or stalked until they were retired tosale racks. Planning and time is key to a thrifty wedding. With a few strokes of the keyboard you can easily find a tutorial teaching you how to do something you might pay someone else loads of money to do.We also saved money by catering our own wedding with the help of many friends. One of my cousins is a DJ so we used his equipment along with a playlist I made for our music. I bought my $470 dress at a non-bridal dress store saving tons of money and I made my veil from a vintage headpiece my Mother once wore. By saving on all of these elements were able to splurge on some unforgettable elements like our fabulous photographer and the photo booth we used for favors and entertainment. It was a lot of work but in the end it was definitely worth it.
♥ Rhiannon & Ben’s British wedding was one of the first I saw when planning my own wedding that I got the green eyed monster over! I just wished I was as creative and full of brilliant ideas! Rhiannon and I have since become great friends and often meet up for a coffee and to discuss all things wedding (she continued her wedding obsession by starting her own stationary company – Under the Cherry Moon). 
Looking back, planning our wedding was a total labour of love. We had a comparatively small budget (£12k), 90 guests, 30 kids, all needing accommodation. A certain amount of pressure to be traditional, to live up to expectations of previous weddings of family and friends. All wrapped up within our overwhelming desire to have a fun wedding reflective of our tastes and style. What’s a girl to do? D.I.Y.
I bought reams of cheap card and designed, printed and cut out all of our stationery and paper goods at home. We made gift bags for each hotel room, with a weekend itinerary, snacks, water, painkillers… The men wore their own suits and added ties we’d got them. I made fascinators for the maids, and their dresses came from TK Maxx at £20 each. Bags stuffed with games amused the kids for hours, and they all loved the wedding activity book I designed for them. We bought lasting rose bushes as gifts for the mums, gave silly prizes for a golf competition, opened the floor for speeches, had a tower of French Fancies. Husband even made a ring pillow with some previously hidden sewing machine skills. It was a blast, and it was us.
♥ What I loved the moss about Katie & Clinton’s wedding was not only all the quirky details and the pure passion and individuality that had gone into it, but it was the photography. Isn’t it fantastic?
Our wedding was completely & totally us. We are both artists & wanted to put our special touches on everything. We DIYed as much as we could from the invites to the centre-pieces. We had many homemade touches including gingham ribbons & table overlays & sweet little pillows & fabric touches everywhere. My mother & mother in law did all of the sewing for those. My husband Clinton is a glass blower, so we had blown glass flowers as favors, and from me, photo stickers and temporary tattoos with our name & date on them. Lots of photo touches everywhere including polaroid table number & photo paper dolls of us. I wore my mother’s wedding dress from 1976, although we did alter it some to make it a bit more modern. My mother was so flattered that I would want too wear her dress, so it was very special to us both. I am a photographer and an art teacher so of course we had to have an arts & craft table & a photo booth. Hula Hoops, Badminton and bubbles were fun for everyone as was the local jazz band that we hired because they were a fantastic real jazz band, not a wedding cover band. But the very very best part of our wedding was the love & support we felt surrounded by everyone and our beautiful Buddhist ceremony where I couldn’t take my eyes off my husband. This was our day.
♥ Meegan & Jean-Louis’ wedding was certainly one with a difference! The couple shocked their friends and family by turning their engagement party into their wedding! No one knew that they had planned this all along!
I am a hair stylist so I see quite a few brides a year- lucky for me I have been inspired by the incredible strong women in my life and in my chair daily! I think the most budget conscious thing I did while planning our wedding was keeping my husband to be in mind – He wanted to get married not spend a year of his life watching me freak out over all the “to do’s” of planning a wedding. By the way we planned our wedding in 3 months…it can be done!!! So we kept it simple and straight forward; questioning every tradition and idea making sure that what we did on our day was for us (not because a bride magazine told us to do so…)
So let’s be honest being on a budget sucks and it makes everything really difficult…on the flip side of that it forced me to remain inspired and creative through the whole process. We shopped around for the cheapest everything and when “it” was too much we went back to the drawing board to think of a different way to do it. Here are some $ saving examples: The wedding was in a back yard, we used a simple card stock invitation, our cake tasted better than it looked (it was smooth white frosting 3 tiers with a cake topper-no fancy creations!), buffet style Italian food made by my dad (he’s an amazing cook), the centre-pieces were home made by a friend, my grandma, mother-in-law, my husband and myself…we got the flowers at a wholesale flower shop and I must say not only was it fun to do but they looked amazing (huge savings!)-my bouquet was made by a professional but I made my brides maids bouquets, my dress was on the cheaper side of the dress prices and my jewellery was my moms. The areas we spent the doe in are the areas that really matter like the photographer, the open bar and the staff. My guests gave me amazing feed back because it was relaxed, inspired and just slightly out of the box. Our wedding was amazing and we could do it 1000 different ways but I am so grateful that we are not in debt over it! So to the budget bride: don’t worry if you can’t afford your initials on the cocktail napkins, nobody cares anyway…
♥ You might remember Hannah & Landon if you’ve been wedding obsessed (like me) for a while now. Their wedding made waves all over blog-land mainly because people were trying to work out if there wedding was a recent one or if their shots were dug out from the 1970s. Their simple boat wedding is definitely one of my all time favorites.
Our wedding was tossed together in three weeks. Initially we had planned on a private exchange of vows with just our parents present and having a big friend filled party on our first anniversary. I think it started heading in a different direction when we were shopping for shoes (which proved fruitless and we ended up barefoot) and I had a swooning moment when I realized that I would need a lady friend present at this ceremony and so Landon decided he would need his best friend and his best friend would come with his girlfriend and mine with her significant other. After that we just started inviting friends that we’d bump into that week and it slowly grew into the intimate and wonderful gathering that it was. My dress I drew out and brought to a friend of mine that sewed beautiful and delicate garments (sadly she is no longer working on her sewing projects but has moved on to something equally delightful and a great deal more delicious – cooking!) she did a magnificent job even adding “something old” – glass buttons that belonged to her grandmum. Landon had his white vintage suit altered to fit and borrowed a pink button-up from a local vintage store that we were chummy with. After a beautiful sunny ceremony on the beach we all hopped aboard a lovely yacht (courtesy of my Dad) and watched the sunset from the sea, enjoyed delicious beverages, salmon and cupcakes and jams from our laptop on the top deck. At the end of the night instead of tossing my bouquet I took it apart and gave flowers to all my beautiful lads and ladies. It was a truly magical (and with the exception of the yacht cheap) day and I wouldn’t change a single thing about it!
January 17th, 2010 by The Broke-Ass Bride
(Missed part 1? Get up to speed – we’ll wait!)
It had been a year since I first tried on my dress, an ill-fitting runway sample that still made me feel like some bridal angel from heaven. I spent hours daydreaming about it over the year, sneaking peeks at the sample in Deborah’s studio during my work-trade hours, or using it as motivation to sweat my back fat off. Putting it on was the holy grail of my pre-ceremony prep, and I was dizzily giddy with glee when the time came to step into that swathe of frothy, creamy, lacy confection.
Even though Deborah (my fairy godmother/dress designer) was there to help me change, I didn’t want my mom or maid of honor to miss out on their part in the dressing honor. So I invited them up to get me started….
My mom and MOH as Cinderella's little birdies
Make. Me. PRETTY!
I have a tendency to let adrenaline and excitement overwhelm and keep me from really being present in a moment, so as often as possible throughout the day, I’d try to quiet down and let the moments really sink in, instead of merely washing over me.
Feelin' it.
But, on the real, it was hard to keep from bursting the seams of my joy every minute.
Deb stepped in to lace me up….
My sister is looking so perplexed!
I just kept looking down at the gown, in awe of it all.
Then it was time to tie my sash…
My paparazzi moment.
Like a perfect present.
We almost forgot my garter! A few years back, Hunter caught the garter at my sister Kim’s wedding, so we thought it would be fun to use it as a “something borrowed”
Momma, your leg smells like bride!
How does it look?
Fashion tape time! Ah, how innocent I was, how badly it let me down.
Got some sassy glitter to decorate my decolletage!
My girls need some glitter!
I took a last look before running out the door…
Is my halo on straight?
Back fat check! All clear!
…..and it was time to roll! We all piled into a van and headed towards the ceremony site, feeling high on happiness and full of joyous anticipation. My vows in hand, I looked down at the words I was getting ready to utter, and remembered to switch my engagement ring over to my right hand, as something different would soon be taking its place. I was off to be married. I was on my way to the arms of my husband.
January 7th, 2010 by The Broke-Ass Bride
Attention Broke-Asses and Big-Hearts alike! If you missed this incredible story on Recycled Bride – hie thee hither and read it now.
If you’re looking for a dress, please consider this gorgeous, like-new, Maggie Sottero gown – the purchase of which will offset the insane medical bills rocking this inspiring couple’s world. Its lovely beyond words, only $1000, and will not only make you a fly-ass bride, but will increase your wedding karma ’til you’re floating on a cloud of nuptial nirvana.
Can you smell the karma?
Go, read. Be inspired. Be moved. Be grateful. And then buy yourself that dress, yo!
January 4th, 2010 by The Broke-Ass Bride
I relished in every single minute of the “prettifying” part of my wedding day like it the sleepover party of my dreams. Surrounded by my favorite ladies (sisters Dawn and Kim, future SIL Cathy, bestie Mapo, future SIL Judith and my mom), getting the royal treatment, feeling full of joy, relaxed and openhearted, my body buzzing with anticipation. It was a fairy tale transformation that made me feel like a bad-ass princess, ready to take on the day, find my prince charming and waltz our way into our happily-ever-after.
Cinderella smile.
It started with my hairdresser Martina putting tight Shirley Temple curls all around my head….
Curlsplosion!
…which she then had to brush completely out to achieve the perfect look, before fastening my gorgeous, custom TS Tiara headband across me like a whimsical crystal halo. At this point, Martina had been my hairdresser for nearly 2 years by the point we reached this day. She’s adorable and bubbly and warm, and she made my hair look ultrafly. I loved having her there to share in the excitement.
tying the knot before tying the knot.
Meanwhile, my dress was waiting patiently….. showing off for the camera.
with my coat of many colors.
Even the dresses had their own special makeover party. A few days before the rehearsal, my wedding dress designer Deborah Lindquist saved the day by doing a last-minute alteration on my rehearsal dress. When we picked it up, she thrilled us with a generous offer to come over the morning of the wedding not only deliver but steam my dress and help me into it. You might remember that I worked with Deb for nearly a year, after bartering a work-trade for a discount on the gown, and we bonded through that experience. I was so touched when she offered to come help. That morning she surprised us by offering to also steam the bridesmaid’s dresses so everyone would look perfect. I felt so spoiled with love! Having her there was so special.
a colorful gaggle of tafetta.
I took care of some last minute hygiene (to make sure that first kiss would be as sweet as ever)
brusha brusha brusha!
And carefully nested the bottle of wine given to us by our friend Nick, who crafted us the most gorgeous box for the box ceremony….
here's hoping we don't meet again soon.
I swathed it in a vintage sari depicting the Baraat (an indian wedding processional) which was a recurring element in our paper goods.
yards of marital marching.
Paco wanted to wish me a happy wedding day, too.
today, we become a true family.
I checked in with my mom for some girlish giggly glee…
Mamaw, you look marvelous!
While my vows, our rings and a letter from our best homey in absentia to include in the box ceremony canoodled quietly. Our rings are nestled into a seashell from the beach in San Felipe on which Hunter proposed to me. My dad fastened a bit of ribbon onto the lip of the seashell with epoxy, we strung a ring on each side, and tied a bow. That way it could be passed around during the Ring Warming Ceremony (more to come on that) in a ‘cradle of love’, as-it-were.
Our rings sat in a seashell from the beach where he proposed.
I inserted my “cutlets” and maid of honor Dawn felt me up to make sure they were secure. I needed them to fill out the bustier of my dress a little better. What can I say, I”m a proud member of the itty bitty titty committee. These cutlets would prove to be the only thing that save me from certain death by mortification later that night.
Tune in tokyo.
Our incredible makeup gal, Jessica Rinsky, put the finishing touches on my momma’s lips. We found Jessica at the Laura Mercier counter at Nordstrom – The Grove, in a moment of desperation after a failed makeup trial elsewhere and hired her on the spot. Her personality and talent were bright shining stars! I am very particular about makeup… but she made me and my mother glow as if it were completely natural. If you don’t like feeling like you’re wearing lots of makeup, and want a really natural radiance, I totes recommend Laura Mercier’s line.
a perfect pout.
Then it was my turn to hop in the (effing fabulous) chair once more to get my final touchups done.
My sweatpants said "Love this Life" across the rear. And how I do.
Painting on the perfect pucker.
Waterproof mascara please (I'm a crier).
Pucker up, buttercup!
My ladies each signed the sole of my shoe, so their support would keep me sure-footed through the day.
What a gorgeous momma I've got!
Mapo drew a margarita. She knows me too well.
Sister Kim left her mark while Paco made a fort underfoot.
Let's play dress up!
….Then it was time to get in the gown! Come back for part 2: Dress up time!
(Catch up on past recaps here. See more details in our wedding highlight video here.)
November 18th, 2009 by The Broke-Ass Bride
After a very smooth and organized rehearsal (thanks to our killer DOC
Sharlene Griffith), we had all worked up quite an appetite. So we shuttled off to unwind and kick off the festivities!
Our rehearsal dinner was at one of our favorite local
fiestarants (I just invented that rad new word,
thankyouverymuch),
Casita Del Campo. I’d show you just how charming it is, but I’m somehow lacking any detail shots from this evening. So, just use your imaginations and stick with me!
The room was bright and cozy, filled with long tables, and a ceiling adorned with adorable lights. Earlier in the day my mom and sister dropped off a dozen or so of the vases I co-oped with
my Bride$hare buddy with some grocery store flowers that were placed around the tables. It was a lively, vibrant atmosphere – very fitting for our celebration!
Say hi to daddy! Don’t you love the pink walls?
The stained glass detail on the windows is so kitsch!
To keep food costs down (and the bar open), we opted for a burrito-only menu, and served guac and quesadilla appetizers family style. If you tilt your head and squint, you can see the menus we made up to let people know what their options were. The menus had the same baraat (indian wedding procession) border as
our wedding invitations. We just created these in Word and printed them at kinkos, easy peasy!
My mom wore a beautiful butterfly dress that not only echoed our butterfly theme but also matched the decor perfectly!
We ate and gabbed and laughed and hugged. We invited the wedding party and all of our out of town guests, so this was the first time we were seeing many of them for the whole weekend. It was so powerful to see so many people there for us. The room felt positively filled with love.
One of our wedding fairies, had one too many margaritas!
Next it was time for the speeches and gifts. Hunter’s father gave a very funny toast, and gifted my dad with a father of the bride hat to match his father of the groom hat. Then we said a few warm words of welcome before getting to the giving. I gave the gals matching necklaces to wear in the ceremony, from
RachelleD on etsy (and
totally regret not getting myself one), and gold pashminas that I haggled down to $5 each on the streets of New York. Hunter designed
Converse sneakers for himself and the boys to wear the next day, and personalized them all. Stay tuned for the ceremony recaps, to see these gifts in action!
After a bit more drinking, carousing and merry making, the party started to wind down, and we handed out
Diddy Riese cookies (an LA favorite,
and only $0.35 each!) as a sweet parting treat to our guests.
_______________________
*We now interrupt this rehearsal dinner post for some outfit detail porn!* (c’mon, you know you want it!)
Almost a year before the wedding, my mom was in town for a girlie bonding wedding weekend, and we stopped at the outlet mall to have a peek around. Within an hour we scored both my wedding shoes for $14.99
and this dress from BCBG on sale for $80 from $380! It was one of the finest shopping hours of my life. Then when I put it on a week before the wedding, it fell straight off me! But Deborah Lindquist, in her infinite goodness, came to the rescue and altered this bad boy to fit like a glove just in time. My headband was a gift from mom from Nordstrom, and you can learn about my shoes
here. My necklace was a gift from a dear family friend who makes jewelry. She took the illustration from our
Save the Dates, and molded it into a pendant! It’s one of the most special gifts I’ve ever received, I love to wear it.
Hunter’s suit was also a may-jor score. We found this sexy bastard for
$40 at a thrift store on Melrose, for the
trash the dress bash we did last year. But he looks just so damn fine in it that we decided to have it tailored for use in the rehearsal dinner, and paired it with a shirt and tie we found on sale. Tailoring a suit can make a world of difference. Done and done.
Aight. Porn over. Where were we?
_______________________
Ah yes. We said goodbyes, and piled into the van o’ family to drop Hunter at home before shuttling me away to the family rental house where I’d spend my last night as a Miss. I walked him down to our apartment, where we spent a few brief moments decompressing, and then turned on our first dance song for one last spin around the living room. It was so good to have that time alone with him then. My whirlwind monkey mind stopped churning for a precious breath, my heartbeat calmed, my breathing slowed. I nestled into the arms of my love and felt his warmth soothe my spirit. We had a moment to give tender closure to our life before, so that we could go boldly into our ever after.
I bid him goodbye, tried to hold onto the taste of his sweet bachelor kiss, and got back in the van o’ family to leave. Everyone looked at me, it was eerily quiet among my normally loud group. I felt chills rush through me and I was hit with it. “I’m getting f*cking married tomorrow!” I said, and my mom echoed “woohoo! you’re getting f*cking married! I’ll swear for that!” and everyone cheered It. was. so. exciting.
September 8th, 2009 by The Broke-Ass Bride
Oh hello. Could you get any cuter?
I require a few of these delicious creations from Old Soul New Heart. My mom thoughtfully forwarded me today’s Daily Candy featuring these sweeties, which is extra nice when you consider that the duo behind Old Soul New Heart is a mother-daughter team, who keep it real by mixing vintage notions with modern twists, and make a bad hair day into something fun. Headbands, necklaces, and belts – oh my, I just love them!
I also love the prices – everything is less than $65. Wouldn’t a row of badass bridesmaids absolutely kill it in a sampling of these? Maybe they’d dress up your rehearsal look with just the right amount of jazz? I know my Tuesday would be greatly improved with a little headband action….
What about using one of these belts as a wedding dress sash? I DIE!!!!
The trouble is, of course, deciding between them all! Which one should I get? Which is your favorite?
September 1st, 2009 by The Broke-Ass Bride
Being in my 30’s (shhh, don’t tell) has brought some cool bonuses along with it. My stages of life have varied wildly: I was a nerdy kid, awkward tween, rebellious wildchild turned hippie teen, and was left in my 20’s very confused and insecure in my own style. In fact, looking back I can see that I didn’t really have a style to speak of…. unless you call being unsure, erratic and wearing comfy clothes waaaay too often a style. No bueno!
I’d always heard that women really settle into themselves in their 30’s, and hoped it would be true for me as well. Now, I’m sure that there’s more to do with it besides numbers – hell, I don’t feel 31 and I certainly don’t act it. To me, age is just a number. And numbers aside, I’ve had some freaking amazing life defining moments in the last couple of years that I credit with helping me find my inner voice – a la this bloggity blog…. a la marriage… a la career satisfaction and direction, et cetera. Indeed, planning our wedding was the ultimate exercise in defining our style, and I think it reflected us perfectly: funky, bold, eclectic, whimsical, and vibrant!
So in my 30’s, I am learning to follow my own compass and not only embrace my colorful, eclectic personality, but really let it sing to the world as well. Know where this is going? SHOPPING, YO!
Starting with these so-hot-they’re-just-plain-SICK retro-y beauties from Sika
Effffffff, I lurve them SO much! (curse you, I mean, thank you Miss Poodle, for introducing me to these!)
Or these tribally influenced flouncey frocks from Zachary’s Smile, which also stocks the dopest vintage gear I’ve found…
source
You may remember my open letter to Kate Spade? Well, yeah. That’s my style, too. My problem? PRICE. This broke-ass has expensive taste, son! So I’ve been learning to stalk vintage shops and sample sales, keeping an ear to the proverbial ground of where to source the most “me” duds on the cheaps. Y’know…. ’tills I hits the jackpots 
The trick is patience. So far, I’ve found a handful of amazing dresses that I keep in rotation and try to care for with love. Investing in (or finding steals on) good quality dresses is a great alternative to what I call “fleeting frocks” from Forever 21 or H&M. They’re affordable, but rarely last much more than a season because the quality is just not there. Another great resource is invitation-only sales such as Rue La La, Ideeli, and Gilt Groupe – to name a few.
How did you find your style, and where do you shop for it? How are you incorporating your personal style into your wedding plans?
August 11th, 2009 by The Broke-Ass Bride
Dear Kate Spade,
Why must you taunt me so? Is it to keep me motivated toward expendable income just so I can acquire a closetful of your designs? It’s working.
Just for the record, I would RAWK this fall line to the hilt. It would cause a worldwide commotion, I’d look so good. People would stand, mouth agape, as I strolled past. Then they’d run to their computers and write you in reverent gratitude for creating such a stunning creature in your image. And I will make it happen. Oh you watch me. Even if it means scouring your outlets and ebay next season to do so. Its just. that. freaking. irresistible!
Love, Dana.
PS: I’m not normally this disturbingly resolute about wardrobe, but bitchplease this is fabulosity incarnate!
source
