It's All About the ($90) Dress

My daughter and I's dresses (Brooke Mattingly Phototgraphy)

To most, wedding dress shopping seems like this fun, magical fantasy, but in reality, it's trying on the most beautiful, perfect dress that hugs you in all the right places, just to look down at the price tag and see it's $3,800. If you have a $1,000+ budget for a gown, then your stress level won't be nearly as high as those of us with a $300 budget.

First of all, regardless of the fact that I was planning on a budget, I knew I didn't want to spend a lot on a dress that I would only wear once. What for? It just sits in your closet, or even eventually ends up at Goodwill. The dress wasn't in my top ten priorities, but still, I of course wanted to feel beautiful and comfortable in my wedding gown. Being that I was on a rather tight dress budget, I knew that I would most likely have to order a gown offline. However, I still wanted the whole "dress shopping experience," so I set up a day for my mom, Gammie and I to all go to a little bridal boutique. The lady asked what my budget was and I told her $500, (even though I wanted to keep it under $300, I gave myself a $200 cushion in case I found one that was perfect.), and she instantly seemed stressed because the only options were ivory bridesmaids dresses. They were TERRIBLE!!! I knew I wanted a vintage-looking lace gown, preferably with a little bit of a train. Big cinderella style gowns are not my style, so the simpler the better. She put me in a gown, and it was exactly what I was looking for....until I looked at the price. It was $1,830. Why did she do this to me?! It was literally $1,330 more than the budget I had given her. I guess she was hoping I would whip out a credit card and just buy it, but I refused to abandon my budget. My mom and Gammie both loved it because it was so flattering, but still, it was too expensive.

She then brings over a prom catalog and shows me a gorgeous Val Stefani dress! It had a nude underlay with white lace overtop. They did not have it in stock, but they said they could order it, and it was only $300!

The original dress I purchased. (Designer: Val Stefani)

She had me try on a similar trumpet style gown made by the same designer and it was very flattering on me, so we all decided that I should order the dress.

A couple of weeks later, it arrived! I gathered my mom and Gammie, and again, we trekked our way back to the dress shop. My family waited patiently for me to come out, but meanwhile, I was in the dressing room with my new beautiful gown all zipped up in a garment bag. As soon as the lady unzipped it, my heart sank. The white lace was not lace at all. It was little tiny white sequins in the shape of lace. I said, "I'm going to look like a disco ball!" I wanted to cry, and told the lady it's not what I was told it was. She was so upset too because she agreed, but she had me try it on anyway. My mom and Gammie both said it looked nice, but it definitely wasn't our favorite. I felt stuck because I already paid for it, so I didn't know what to do.

I went home that next day and probably cried ten times because I knew I didn't want to wear that dress. I resorted to looking on Lulu's, and I found the perfect dress for $100! They also offered a 10% off coupon for putting in your email address, so I ended up paying only

$90! I was so in love with my dress when it arrived, and I could finally try it on. It was exactly what I wanted! I only wish that I would have looked online like I had originally planned. *This is not an ad by any means, but I must say that I highly recommend Lulu's. Their dresses are great quality for super reasonable prices. In fact, all of my bridesmaids ordered their dresses from Lulu's! They were only $70! www.lulus.com (Morgan had to order a dress from David's Bridal because she was pregnant with TWINS!!! Those sweet boys were born only two weeks after our wedding!)

My gown and the bridesmaids dresses all from Lulu's! (Brooke Mattingly Photography)

Another fun fact that may blow your mind is that all three of our mom's were dressed for the wedding at a grand total of $75! Brad's step mom wore his little sister's prom dress (and looked stunning!), so it was free, his mom bought a beautiful navy colored dress from Lulu's for $70, and my mom found a brand new mother of the bride dress for $5.00 while we were strolling through Goodwill! The original price tag for her dress & jacket combo was $230. What a bargain!

In conclusion, whether you look near or far, online or in store, you will find the right dress for you and your budget! Don't buy the first dress you try on, or buy a dress right away, but instead, take a few days to think about it. Impulse buys, as I've learned the hard way, often result in buyers remorse. Ultimately, I was extremely happy with my $90 dress. Keep searching, and you'll find that special gown that makes you feel like a princess.

Until next week,

xoxo

Gabby