Posts in the 'Attire/Accessories' Category
February 4th, 2012 by Dana F.
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I’ve done a handful of posts on funky colored, sparkly, or otherwise non-traditional wedding shoes. See here, here, here and here. But I’ve never done a roundup on traditional white or ivory bridal shoes. So here are some gorgeous, delicate and traditional shoes for under $100.
Clockwise from Top:
Stuart Weitzman $84 //Badgley Mischka $97 // Moda Spana $45 // Caparros $35 //
Martinez Valero $80 // Calvin Klein $94
Do you plan to play it safe with your wedding shoes, or are you doing something a little untraditional? Let me know in the comments below!
-Dana F.
January 31st, 2012 by tori
Hey there, Broke-ass Brides!
I’m seriously stoked to bring you Iris’s request for a non-white wedding gown that is just Va-Va-Voom! Here’s what Iris had to say:
Hi there!
My name is Iris, and I’m addicted to your posts. How you find all of those dresses is, even in the age of google images- just miraculous! So thanks for all the eye candy and sending those of us with more grad plus loans than we care to admit some hope of looking gorgeous and special. I’m sending a dress that I found in a magazine, and then of course lost the magazine 
Its an Oscar De LaRenta ( I know, I know, I couldn’t even afford it with monopoly money)- BUT- I love how structured and couture it is with the sculpted bust and the one shoulder and big side pleats. And that its not white. I SUPER like that.
So if you could wave your magic wand over the inter-net and discover something similar that would be- well amazing. And I would send cookies to your office.
Thanks again in advance! Happy 2012!
Iris
Can’t Afford It:
Oscar de LaRenta $5,000.00+
Well, Iris, may I just say that you are one super smart cookie?! By choosing a “not white” wedding frock, you have seriously upped your options and dropped your cost in one funky swoop! I L-O-V-E it!
I had a blast playing personal shopper here! So let’s dive into the sea of blue taffeta and one shouldered wonders I have in store for you. Are you ready to Get Over It?
I stumbled onto designer Teri Jon‘s website and got smacked in the face with Awesomeness! Both of the selected dresses are under $1,000.00! D-R-O-O-L….
2) BLUE AND BLACK ASYMMETRICAL GOWN item 17029, $890.00
And then there’s Tony Bowls! He usually sells his gowns in prom shops. Since I don’t know where, in the world you are, you should definitely head to his website to find your nearest store. Depending on the retailer and, of course, the year the design was released, a Tony Bowls dress could cost you anywhere from $300- $1,000.00. I can’t help you out any more than that on price unless you do the rest of the leg work. But, here are the two that I found best matched your azure dream!
All of these dresses are under the $500.00 mark! I’ve never had the pleasure of shopping at any of these sites but if any readers have purchased a gown from 1) Milanoo, 2) Elegant Park, 3) Luxeslee 4) Alibaba, or 5) Dresssale.com, please comment below!
7) Luxurious Dark Navy One-Shoulder Ruffles Dress, $128.99
Lightinthebox.com had four dresses that wowed me! I particularly like that they make certain thier customers know that these dresses are not brand name. They are reproductions/replicas of other dresses. I’m down with that if you are! These beauties are also under $500.00!
inspired by Kathryn Le at Grammy Awards, $146.99
There you go, Iris! Don’t be blue! I hope these options quell your fashionista thirst for fabulousity, structure, & that brilliant blue hue! You are going to be a vision in whichever gown you grab! Thanks for writing in!
Oh, and BTW, I like chocolate chip cookies 
-Tori
January 28th, 2012 by Dana F.
Reader Request:
Etsy seller PetrasRocks
“I have found my dream ring… but with my fiance and I paying for the entire wedding ourselves, it’s a little out of my price range. Can you help?”
We sure can! Here are some fabulous looks for less:
1 $899 //2 $699 // 3 $770 // 4 $703 // 5 $979
What do you think, BABS? Which of these pave halo diamond engagement rings is your reasonably priced fave? If you’ve got a wedding fashion-related request, leave it in the comments!
- Dana F.
January 21st, 2012 by Dana F.
Reader Request:
Hi there. I find myself looking for a modern wedding – clean lines, bauhaus-inspired – but everything that I can find at reasonable price has a more vintage/romantic or blingy/overwrought vibe. I’ve included photos of two dresses that I like because they’re 1. modern, 2. not strapless, and 3. kind of space agey. Can you suggest budget options that would be similar?
The inspiration:
Source: Pronovias
Source: Angel Sanchez
Here are some modern, unfussy bridal gowns that come in at a reasonable price. Good luck in your search!
Shop Now:
L-R: White House Black Market $120 // BCBG $348 // Badgley Mischka $348 //
Saja ~$1100 // Aria ~$600 // Derek Lam $695
January 19th, 2012 by Emily
Hello again, brides! I’ve spent a lot of time recently talking about the 5 Things Nobody Tells You About Trying On Wedding Dresses, and then I followed that up with ANOTHER 5 Things Nobody Tells You About Trying On Wedding Dresses, which was based on your fabulous responses to my original post. BUT it’s been a long time since I waxed poetic about my own personal wedding journey.
In my very first Real Bride post, I told you that we originally planned to bang my wedding planning out in 3 short months – and then shortly after we set a date, my fiance got a job in Reno, NV (on the other side of the country from where we were formerly located – Athens, GA). So shizz has been HECTIC, to say the least. Last week, I was planning a wedding and executing a cross-country road trip SIMULTANEOUSLY. It can be done, y’all, but I don’t recommend it. Thankfully, I’ve tackled most of the major wedding deets – catering, flowers, etc. And I’ll be gushing about all that in future posts – but today I wanted to tell you about my DRESS!
Behind this amorphous black blob, there's a surprisingly chic strapless gown!
I went to all of 2 wedding salons in Decatur, GA – where I’ll be getting married on February 18th – I took only my Mom, (who fortunately, had never watched a single episode of “Say Yes To The Dress”, and was blissfully unaware of what the salon experience would actually entail), and my BFF who I have known since I was 12, Katie. I had spent a lot of time earlier that week trying to narrow down where we would shop on our all-day bridal extravaganza, and had finally settled on 2-3 salons that were (completely coincidentally) also the closest to our wedding venue.
I really can’t stress enough how much sites like Yelp.com, and Wedding Wire helped me decide on these two bridal salons. If bridal salon reviews consistently lamented things like rude staffers, lack of options for plus size brides, or sky high prices, I was quick to axe that bridal salon off the list. I whittled my list of 5 down even further by calling salons on the phone and inquiring about things like sizes and pricing. My little wedding posse only ended up spending about 3-4 hours at 2 different salons that were two very different experiences.
The first was a traditional bridal salon, where dresses are pulled by an assistant, put on you by an assistant (who will use all manner of contraptions to make you look STUNNING). Then you’re trotted out into a fancy lounge area to be confronted by a giant mirror, crazy studio lighting, and more “OMG I’m a BRIDE!” moments than you can possibly stand. Or at least, that was my experience. I tried on 3 off-the-rack options at the first bridal salon – they were bedazzled, big strapless ballgown thingys. They were ALL gorgeous, and they all looked splendid on me – but they were all extremely HEAVY, opulent mofos – and they were not at all what I had in mind. Though I must say – in the moment, I was very tempted. And I did have one of those “OMG, I’m a BRIDE” moments, much to my chagrin.
Trying on those 3 dresses was physically exhausting – I couldn’t imagine staying in any of them for 6 hours. When I started feeling a little faint ( the corset I was wearing was 2 sizes too small for me, but still strangely effective), we made our excuses and got out of there. The customer service was AWESOME, and the prices were right, but I was getting disoriented and confused by gowns that looked AMAZING on me, but weren’t ME at all. On to our next appointment! Our next stop was The Bridal Outlet of Atlanta. This was an outlet in the traditional sense – there were a plethora of dresses to choose from, you grabbed what you wanted, and their fabulous assistants helped you into it. These gowns were a mix of sample sizes and overstocked gowns from their sister bridal salon, La Raine’s Bridal Boutique. They also had a small selection of NEW gowns they simply didn’t have room for at La Raine’s.
I tried on a wide range of dresses that were thankfully, much more to my taste. I had been pretty insistent on NOT getting something strapless, because as a plus size gal, I was worried about looking like I was exploding out of the top of my dress (We’ve all seen those brides. Yikes.) But again and again, strapless gowns simply looked best on me. Also – FYI, the ratio of strapless gowns to non-strapless gowns at any bridal salon right now is probably 10:1.
Finally, I had narrowed it down to two gowns – one romantic n’ flowy, slightly ethereal empire waist gown, and one slinky, ruched gown with a half-bow detail, a sweetheart neckline, and a nice dose of vintage va-va-voooooom.
Wanna know which one I picked? TOO BAD. All will be revealed in good time, fellow brides…
ALSO, my wedding website speedometer thingy tells me that I have a mere 32 days left till my wedding. 32 DAYS.
- Emily
January 19th, 2012 by christen
Oh! Was I drooling? When this beauty of a wedding landed in my inbox, I just stared … and stared … and stared. Heather and Jacob had a stunning peacock-infused and SUPER budget-friendly event in Seattle. They are one handsome couple and the camera sure does love them. Get your bib ready and throw some plastic over your keyboard, because you’ll be sure to soak it with your own dribble.
Name: Heather and Jacob
Occupation: Café/Wine Bar Manager
Wedding location: Tacoma, Washington
Wedding Date: April 2, 2011
Budget: $10,000, but I think we spent around $12K
How would you describe your wedding:
Our wedding was a total expression of our personalities. It was fashionable, funky and creative but with lots of traditional and personal touches. I knew I wanted to go with peacock feathers, and choosing them opened the door to a beautiful, jewel-tone color scheme. We chose over-the-top venues, fun outfits for our wedding party, but maintained tradition by marrying in a chapel and having our pastor marry us. We both wrote our own vows … we were both crying so much we could hardly make it through the ceremony!
What was your favorite part of your wedding? I think listening to my husband’s wedding vows. I had not heard them before that point, and he was crying so hard … it was the sweetest thing I had ever seen. I was so full of love at that moment!
My favorite “material” part of the wedding was our flowers. My bouquet was amazeballs!
What did you splurge on?
Photography and invitations.
Photography is really the only thing that really lasts forever, so we knew we wanted great photos. To me, invitations are really important because I believe they set the tone for the whole event.
What did you save on?
My dress was a sample gown that had been in the shop for six months and had never even been tried on. I think the owner was dying to get rid of it (guess no one else liked it!) so she gave me a huge discount.
I won an essay contest and got $300 off of our invitations (they still were pricey), we had a friend cater the wedding, and we DIYed as much as we could. I spent 13 hours the day before the wedding making our centerpieces and ceremony décor. I also made all the cake stands for the candy bar and had friends and family members make dessert. We even borrowed a cotton candy machine from a friend and spun our own cotton candy!
I also made all the table numbers and table squares, escort cards, the wishing tree and the bridesmaid’s hair fascinators. I had a whole year to plan, and I was literally working on crafts for an entire year!! Day of, I had friends do my hair and makeup, and stayed at a hotel that my parents’ friends own (free!).
Was there anything you would have done differently, in retrospect?
Honestly, everything went so smoothly that there isn’t anything I would change. We had help from a lot of friends and the day went off without a hitch. I still don’t get tired of looking at my wedding photos … I am still in love with the whole event!
What was your biggest challenge in planning?
Definitely having such a small budget for a wedding with 230 guests. We both had help from our families, but we still paid for most of the wedding ourselves. It took a ton of time, energy, and research to find the most cost effective version of everything. I probably spent thousands of hours on the Internet !! There were times when I thought it LITERALLY would not be possible, but it is! I managed to juggle full-time school, a full-time job, and planning a wedding and still did not come out completely broke!
What lessons did you learn from planning or from the wedding itself?
Organization. I am definitely more of a “free spirited” person than an organized person, but if you are planning a wedding on a budget, organization is key. You need to keep track of coupons and sales, as well as network with people. I used the homie hookup on whatever I could, and I think that’s part of the reason we were able to have such a beautiful wedding on a budget. We used connections through friends at church, our parent’s friends, and Facebook friends! I made lots of excel spreadsheets to keep track of how much we had spent and how much we had left to spend. I had to keep track of every tiny expense, even if it was 5 dollars!
What were your top 5 favorite things about your wedding?
1-the way my bridesmaids looked together. I think their dresses were amazing, and paired with the peacock fascinators, funky hosiery, sky-high heels, and lime green flowers… I don’t think I have ever seen a cooler bunch of bridesmaids!
2- our reception venue. We had it at a history museum and rented out all three floors. When we walked into our reception it was like being on the loveboat—looking up at three floors of balcony filled with our loved ones cheering and applauding us. It was a surreal feeling. I might be biased but I think it was the coolest reception venue ever (especially since it had a mummy display)!
3- My flowers. They were more than I could have imagined—simply perfect! I even was in love with the flower girl’s dark purple pomander ball! (I used vintage brooches on the front of my bouquet, given to me by my mom)
4-Our wedding video. A very talented friend of ours did a wedding video for us as a gift—it turned out beautifully!
5-Having a candy buffet. Because we had at least 30 kids at our wedding, we really needed to do something they would love. Having a candy buffet complete with freshly spun cotton candy was a huge hit! I loved going around and greeting all of my guests and seeing them all with blue tongues.
Top 5 least favorite?
1. The fact that it ended! We only had our reception venue from 6:30 until 11:00, and I was really sad when everyone had to leave. The party was absolutely insane at our reception, and I think most of our guests moved on to an after party. I am so glad that people had so much fun! (boring receptions are the worst)
2. That we couldn’t have live music at our reception. We just couldn’t afford it, and opted for a DJ instead.
That’s really all I can think of… everything else was wonderful.
What was the worst piece of wedding advice you received?
Well, we had a lot of unique ideas and almost every single person in my life bashed all of my ideas. People could not believe we were doing a candy bar instead of a traditional wedding cake, or that we were doing a wishing tree instead of a guest book. Someone flat out told me that those ideas were disrespectful to our guests! People also knocked the lime green flowers idea, and the fact that I wanted to wear polka dot tight sunder my dress. However, I think once they saw everything together, they realized they were wrong!
The best?
I didn’t get any great advice. However, I am a really independent person and just went on with my planning by myself and didn’t really listen to what anyone else was saying. Planning a wedding is hard enough, you can’t let other people’s negative opinions and comments get to you! I am glad I stuck to my gut because I am SO PROUD of how my wedding turned out.
If you’ve been married for more than a year, what have been some challenges? It’s been the best 10 months of my life! In fact, we are expecting a little baby girl in May.
{Eds. note: CONGRATULATIONS!!!}
Any other bits of wisdom?
Always go with your gut. Only YOU know yourself best. Don’t let other people tell you “that dress is just not YOU” or, “really? You want your reception in a museum? That’s so not you!” Only you truly know your taste, and if you let other people make decisions for you, you might regret it in the long run.
Check out Heather & Jacob’s totally gorgeous wedding vid (WARNING: it might make you a little teary)
Heather and Jacob | Every sunrise and sunset from james dean on Vimeo.
Budget breakdown?
Food and rentals: $4,000
Photography: $2,600
Ceremony Venue: $300 (score! My husband’s aunt was an employee at the venue)
Reception Venue: $1200
Dress: $800
Flowers: $1,000
Décor: (DIY) $600
Invitations: $500
Candy bar: $200 (lots of DIY, bought candy from bulk website)
DJ: $900
Videographer, wedding veil, and desserts were all gifted!
Vendors:
Dress: Jasmine Collection
Veil: Vera Wang
Shoes: Paris Hilton
Hair Flower: Nordstrom
Bracelets: Forever 21
Groom’s Suit: Tommy Hilfiger
Groom’s Tie: Urban Outfitters
Groom’s Shoes: Steve Madden
Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Betsey Johnson, XOXO, David’s Bridal
Bridesmaid’s tights: Nordstrom
Bridesmaid’s Shoes: Steve Madden
Hair fascinators: Made by bride
Cocktail rings: Forever 21
Groomsmen outfits: All H&M
Groomsmen ties: Urban Outfitters
Flowergirl dress: David’s Bridal
Ring Bearer’s outfits: JC Penney
Flowers: Debra’s Botanical Design
Ceremony Venue: Kilworth Memorial chapel
Reception Venue: Washington State History Museum
DJ/Lighting: Adam’s DJ Service
Photographer: Clane Gessel Photography
Videographer: James Dean
Invitations: Peacock Invitations on Etsy
-Christen
January 7th, 2012 by Dana F.
Reader Request:
Hello! I loooove your website! I’m definitely a bride on a broke-ass budget. I’m also a plus-size bride and really wanted to know if you had any good recommendations on less expensive plus-size gowns? Lots of ladies are curvier nowadays but the price tag seems to go up along with the pounds unless you want to look like a shiny satin tent. Please help me if you can! If I could find something for $500-ish, I would be over the moon! Thank you so much!
These gowns all go up to size 24-26, and definitely not tent-like. They’re all within your budget, and I hope you’ll love at least one!
From David’s Bridal, clockwise from top left: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7
Alfred Angelo, priced under $599:
Target, $70 (!)
Etsy is another good place to look. Many Etsy sellers will make custom dresses in plus sizes. Here are a few of my favorites:
Etsy seller Elbling, $250:
Etsy seller Rosemortem $199
Etsy seller AtelierTami, $430
December 31st, 2011 by Dana F.
Reader Request:
I’m looking for cute bridal “belts”, but am having a hard time finding an elegant one at a good price. Do you have any advice or tips on where to look? This is my dress:
Beautiful dress! Here are some beautiful bridal belts that won’t break the bank. Which one would you pair with your wedding gown?
Shop Now:
December 29th, 2011 by Emily
Wowza! Your response to last week’s “The 5 Things Nobody Tells You About Trying On Wedding Dresses” was VERY enthusiastic! You guys had a lot to say – so much so in fact, I think it merits a second “5 Things” post. Here are 5 MORE things that, according to the Broke-Ass readership, you DEFINITELY need to know before you visit the bridal salon.
1. WEAR MORE MAKE-UP. As Heather so aptly put it on our FB page: “Have your hair and make up looking good. Not professional, but just don’t go on a ponytail day! You want to start the day feeling pretty!” Like a lot of you, I’m not an everyday make-up wearing kind of gal. So when I went to try on wedding dresses, I upgraded my make-up quotient from NONE to SOME. But I really should’ve bumped it up a notch to “GLAMOUR SHOTS READY”.
PICK ME! PICK ME!
Blog reader Elise is a fellow semi-regular make-up wearer, and she shared my feelings: ” I kept noticing how flat my features looked against that big expanse of white fabric, and I think I’d get a better sense of it all if I had a little more color on my face!”
2. Wear “The Good Panties.” As I mentioned last week, you are going to be kinda NAKED for a large portion of this experience. I’m not suggesting you wear cute underthings for your bridal salon assistant’s benefit, but you’ll feel a lot better about yourself if you think you look more than decent in your undies. Also, make sure you don’t have an experience like Jessica’s: “Wear nice panties- that are not DARK colored. This might seem obvious but when I stepped out in a VERY thin dress with no petticoat on underneath, well, lets just say my mom and sisters knew that I had very cute red undies on! And anyone else in my general vicinity!”
3. AVOID the accessories! Do you want to see some ridiculous mark-ups? Walk into a bridal salon, and you’ll see a plastic comb glued to a piece of tulle retail for $45. When they have you TRAPPED in front of that mirror looking completely gorgeous, bridal salon assistants will lavish you with muoy overpriced accessories.
Reader “bellydancenajila” observes: “That satin sash with the incredible pearl and rhinestone embellishment may ‘make’ the dress, but it will also add $500 to your bridal salon bill because of the word “bridal.” Take the time to research trimmings stores online, and/ or visit the garment district of your nearest major city; you’ll quickly find out that that incredible confection is made out of a $5 satin ribbon, a $30-50 pre-made embellishment and some glue. This is one of those times when a little research and easy DIY can save you major money.”
4. HUMOR YOUR MOTHER. No matter how great/life-affirming/terrible/horrendously stressful your relationship with your mother is, be a good sport and try on something you know she’ll love, even if it’s nothing like the dress you actually want. She’s been imagining how you’ll look on your wedding day ever since you were born. Try on a dress that’s in the ballpark of what she’s envisioning – and then- if you absolutely HAVE to, gently explain why this isn’t the dress for you, as sweetly as you can!
On a similar note, Kirsten says: “Try on something ridiculous first. I had never envisioned myself in a wedding dress, so it was WEIRD! But after that first poofy 50-pound monstrosity, the rest of the dresses looked relatively normal, and I could really start to enjoy it!”
5. Ask about “OFF THE RACK”. Most bridal salons want to sell you a custom-made gown, but by getting something “off the rack”, you can save a bundle! These are usually sample sizes that salons need to move in order to make room for new gowns, so they’re available for a fraction of the original price. This is especially important if you are under certain time constraints – as you’ll have to rush order a custom gown for certain (if you can get it in time at all!).
So there you have it, brides! Another 5 things nobody tells you before you get whisked away by the wedding dress shopping experience (or NOT). Don’t forget to read the original post, if you haven’t already! Did we miss anything? We want to know!
