Running of the Brides: 2009 Dates

Still looking for that dress? Some dates for the Filene's Basement bridal sales have been announced! The Filene's sales feature designer gowns from $249-$699. For more info on the bridal sale (and tips for success!), go here.


Just added: April 3, 2009: Tyson's Corner, VA

Rosa Clara Collection 2009

I had never heard of this line of gowns until one of my August 09 brides informed me that she was in love with one. For Northeast Ohio brides, apparently The Perfect Bride in Rocky River just got this collection in. They are beautiful and so worth checking out!

27 Dresses: The Lesson!

So, I dragged fiance with me to see the movie 27 Dresses this past weekend. Fiance loves going to the movies so much that he didn't even give me push-back when I suggested that we use a Friday night out to see the movie.
Now, this movie has to be in a category of its own concerning people who would actually WANT to go see it. I mean, it's like beyond a chick-flick--and to me seems like it would only appeal to either engaged chicks or really-ready-to-be-engaged chicks!
Judging by opening night and the twenty chicks in the movie theatre--I was right. Well 21--including my fiance.

I'm not going to "review" the movie except to say it was actually entertaining. I'd rather like to say that it brought up a really good point for all brides-to-be to consider: choosing your bridesmaid's dresses.

Brides-to-be need to remember that a bridesmaid dress is just that--a DRESS. It doesn't have to say 'Alfred Angelo' or 'Watters' on the tag for it to work as a bridesmaid's dress. In fact, most 'certified' bridesmaids dresses--mostly appearing in unflattering silhouettes...and tafetta--kind of suck and indeed cannot (or at least should not) be worn again.

Moral of the story: When considering your girls' attire, look in places you'd normally look when shopping for party dresses for yourself! Pure common sense. Many have recently been touting JCrew and Ann Taylor celebrations collections as being good choices. But I don't even like these, as still, the dresses were made expressly to be a part of a 'celebrations,' i.e. bridesmaids dress line.
I say look places that are COMPLETELY disconnected to the wedding machine like Anthropologie, Nordstrom, Dillards, Macy's, Arden B, Spiegel....you get the point. These places have more interesting choices and this way you're more likely to choose frocks your gals will love, and many times, that will be cheaper than the cookie-cutter 'bridesmaids gowns.'

Here are some examples:
Max &Cleo Brocade Dress-Dillards-$138

Lydia beaded halter dress-Dillards-$110

Jessica Howard lace dress: Dillards-$80

Shirred Tube Dress: To the Max: $108

Ruby Rox Bubble Tube Dress-Dillards: $69

As U Wish Rosette Party Dress: Nordstrom-$78

Review: Henris Cloud 9

What: Bridal shop, Henris Cloud 9
Where: Minerva, Ohio
My Visit: Wednesday, December 26

Review: RK Bridal, NY, NY
Review: Country Miss Bridal, Upper Marlboro, MD
As you may know, I had previously come in contact with the staff at Henris at a bridal show in Cleveland a few months ago when I put a deposit down with them to hold my gown. Henris had a 'showroom' of gowns at the show where I unexpectedly found my dream dress.
I then was able to get them to lower the price they wanted to sell to me for by a few hundred dollars and to lock in that price.
Well, Wednesday my mom, sister and I drove a hour and a half south of Cleveland into very rural Minerva, Ohio to visit Henris' shop.
Its located in the 'downtown' area of Minerva--a quaint road lined with shops that reminds me of my college town--and from the outside looked cute, but disappointingly small for the long drive we'd made.

But upon entering Henris, we were very pleased. There are two levels of the store, which inside looks like a large, old mansion. The first level is prom dresses and the second floor is all bridal.

I was impressed with the number of gowns they had by Spanish atelier Pronovias, and the sales staff were very helpful but no pressure!
Me in a Pronovias gown. I liked the top a lot. It's NOT my gown!


(Double click on photos to see the amazing detail)
The selection of gowns was good. Of course it couldn't compare to a large warehouse like RK, but the quality of the gowns at Henris was awesome. They were all beautiful selections. Some at higher price points like Eve of Milady and some really gorgeous, more affordable gowns like the Essence of Australia collection. I was left to try on gowns and received help when I needed it. The store is well lit and my mom and sister also tried on a few things.

We were also allowed to take photographs of the gowns I tried on, which is increasingly becoming a no-no in many salons. But that may have been because it was the day after Christmas, laid-back and seemingly slow.

That day, I ordered my gown. I'd say a drive to Henris from the Northeast Ohio area is worth it, especially if you're considering a Pronovias gown. They also have some gorgeous, albeit pricey, Tacori jewelry.

Say Yes to the Dress!

I did it! This weekend... I said "I do"... to my gown!
Now, if you've been following the blog, you know that I have been rather indecisive concerning my dress...

**Below is a timeline of the dress saga:**

-I began with a narrative declaration of the style of gown I wished to have.
-Then, I continued with some bridal shopping adventures in New York and Maryland.
-Then, even more shopping that I didn't blog...
-Then, I proceeded to compare several gowns and nervously seek advice.
-Then, I had the nerve to declare to the world that I had FOUND my gown. (Knowing I was still unsure...)

Now, I am proud and resolved to announce that this weekend my mommy and I found the gown!
And I even sealed the deal by putting down a deposit.
I found my dress at the Today's Bride magazine bridal show in Independence, Ohio on Sunday.
Basically, there were tons of wedding vendors that mom and I had went to check out, but it happens that an Ohio bridal salon, Henri's Cloud 9, actually had a showroom on site where they were selling gowns with a one-day-only discount.

Here's how it went:
**dozens of brides-to-be and bridezillas frantically looking through racks of dresses in a tiny, crowded showroom in a corner of a hotel**

Me to Henri's employee, Jason:
"Where are the sexy/fitted/trumpet gowns in here?" Trying to bypass the looking-through-racks thing and doing crazy body movements to show that I wanted a form-fitting gown.

Jason:
"I'll find them!" He pulls two gowns, one he says is a Henry Roth that retails for $3,000. Henry Roth isn't making dresses anymore, that's why it's marked down to $799, he says.
The Roth was gorgeous. Material and color were pretty but it was too plain for me and didn't look amazing on. The second dress Jason pulled just wasn't what I had in mind.

However, as I was getting dressed, I looked up...and I saw thee dress! Outside of my fitting room curtain, a girl was looking at herself in the mirror in MY dream dress. All I could see was the perfect shape of the dress and the embellishment that was shining through the curtain. I peeked out and grabbed my mom and Jason, and in my own bridezilla moment I crossed my arms and said:
"Get me that dress. That is MY dress. She needs to take it off!"

Well... the girl didn't like the dress. Said she wanted something "simpler" so she and I traded gowns.

I slipped into the gown(a Fall 2007 Christina Wu).
It fit me like a glove.
I bargained them down about three-hundred dollars below the retail price (it retailed a bit out of my budget).
Fiance paid deposit with his credit card over the phone.
And the rest is history!

Onward!

Review: Country Miss Bridal: Upper Marlboro, MD

Also see: Review: RK Bridal, NY, NY

Saturday morning I visited another local bridal called Country Miss. I know. I said I had found a gown. But hey, no harm in looking around, right?

First impression:
The shop is cute...located in a mini strip mall on a narrow street in the very "country-looking" neighborhood of Upper Marlboro. It was not far from where we live, but I had never ventured into the area.
Just from the way the store looked on the outside (small) I assumed their collection of gowns would also be disappointingly small.
I was wrong.

The store was larger inside than it appeared. There was a staff of about six women, who were for the most hands-off and not at all pushy. The girl who helped me asked what I was looking for and grabbed some gowns while allowing me to also look through their racks.
Compared to the other bridals in this area I've been to--maybe 4--they had the largest selection of gowns.

Experience:
The girl helping me was laid back and helpful. There was a stage to view yourself on. I thought it was weird they had a sign that read: "No cameras on Saturdays." Not sure what that was about.

Details:
Like most other bridals, deposit for gowns and BM dresses is 50%. If you get al BMs dresses from them they offer 15% off each dress (mothers' too) plus 10% off yours. I think that was the most generous I'd seen. It looked like they did alterations on site. They said the longest any gown would take to arrive was 3 months. I've heard longer delivery times quoted other places.

I think the best thing about Country Miss is that they double as a tuxedo rental place. Compared to some of the staple tux rental spots (i.e. Men's Wearhouse,Tuxedo Junction)they had way nicer tux options and
many designers.

A downfall of this bridal is that they don't carry any couture gown lines.

I may take fiance back there with me to look for a tux though.

Overall score: C+

The Dress

I've found it!
I've posted a photo of it below...
Yeah, right.
Of course you can't see my dress! But I thought I should at least share that I have settled on one...seeing as though I've been thinking aloud here on the blog.
I will say this, it's nothing like the photos of any of the gowns I've posted previously.
I'm really excited.
Now, however, I'm faced with one more hurdle.
From whom do I order the dress?
Options are:
1. online vendor
2. Full service, 'brick-and-mortar' bridal boutique
Pros of Online Vendor:

-Almost always cheaper
-Very reliable... as long as the online vendor has an actual, reputable store somewhere in the U.S. That means, if said boutique has had a popular bridal store, say, in North carolina for 25 years and then branched out to also sell online.

Pros of Traditonal Bridal:

-Real, live person to assist you, measure you and take care of logistics
-Real live person to answer questions, etc. that has been through this many, many times
-Usually, small (10%) discount on bridesmaids dresses if you order everything from them
-Usually do alterations on site or can refer

Cons of Online:

-Sketchy if the vendor is solely based online and doesn't have a physical store. For all you know they can just take your $$$ and disappear.
-Sketchy just because you're not dealing with a real person
-Alterations are on you- have to find someone to do them, and figure in that extra cost

Cons of Bridal Boutique:

-Almost always more expensive
-Almost always fairly crowded and often chaotic (at least the ones 'round here)
-Some degree of pressure from salespeople

Still not sure how I feel about the possibility of ordering something this important online.
On one hand, I feel like as long as the vendor has a reputable physical store, and if you can check them with the Better Business Bureau, then why not?
Then something says..."just be safe."
What are your thoughts?

Veils: They're for the Birds...

Hmmm...where do I begin?
I detest veils.
And in explaining my feeling about veils, I will try not to offend anyone culturally or religously, rather to express my humble views.
In terms of the veil being voluntarily donned by women as a symbol of modesty--I can respect that.
But, it seems that, of my knowledge of the veil, it has largely meant and been equivocated to things like: oppression, suppression, sexism, extremism, hiding, silence, concealment, antiquated, "darkness."
In sharp contast, I think of myslef as: free, expressive, equal, liberal, embracing, vocal, modern and "light."
Perhaps I am off-base.
But I have never really liked veils or what they stand for.
So why should I have to wear one just because it is "tradition?"

I have expressed this to my fiance. he wants me to wear a veil. I love him, so I will give... but not without putting a twist on it.
Introducing...the french netting (a.k.a. birdcage) veil!


A compromise for all!
It's old-fashioned. Fiance gets to 'have his moment' lifting it from my face during the ceremony. And for my sake, it's very small and netted and does not totally hide my face!
What do you think of veils? Are they important to a wedding ceremony?
***Extra***
Indiebride.com discussion on birdcage veil and vendors.

And the Dress Saga Continues...

Yesterday, a fellow wedding blogger drew my attention to a Watters gown I hadn't seen that is trumpet-style and resembles some of the haute couture gowns that are far beyond what I can do budget-wise. So here I have posted pics of that Watters gown and two others--a "2 Be Bride" by Sabrina Toy and a Mon Cheri Couture that I actually tried on and that was way more lovely on and in person. I am still considering a few others, but of these, which one do you like and why?
Please note, this will likely be my last post about and with photos of specific gowns.
**Once I make a decision, you'll just see my writing about "that gown!"
Watters


2 B Bride (please, pretend that veil is NOT there)

Mon Cheri

Hjelm VS. Casablanca

You get what you pay for.
Nine times out of ten...this is so true...especially when it comes to wedding gowns as fabric, craftmanship and attention to detail is essential.
But--I came across this Casablanca gown ($$) and really feel like the style and cut of it resembles a couture Jim Hjelm gown ($$$-$$$$).
So the photo on top is the authentic Jim Hjelm (yes I've written about this gown before...)and the one below is the Casablanca at about a third of the cost (the top could likely be altered to a "deep V"...)
Honestly, which one do you like better, and why?

*****

Review: RK Bridal: New York, NY

Where: RK Bridal, 319 W.39th Street NY, NY 10018
My Visit: Friday & Saturday Aug.31, Sep.1

Over Labor Day weekend I visited RK Bridal Boutique, located in an unassuming building on a side street near Times Square in New York City. It by FAR had the largest selection of wedding gowns I've seen under one roof in my search so far. In fact, it had more gowns than all of the places I'd visited in the DC/MD area, where I wasn't having have much luck.

First, I made the mistake of going on a Friday afternoon when it was super busy. So after choosing some gowns to try on and realizing I'd have to wait for an hour or so to get a fitting room, the fiance and baby and I decided to return the following morning exactly when the store opened.

Fast forward to Saturday. RK opened at 9:30 a.m., but due to typical NYC traffic/congestion/hell fiance didn't get me there until about 9:45. But even as about a half-dozen brides-to-be and bridesmaids had beaten me there, I was immediately assigned an assistant and given a dressing room.

My assistant was very helpful and laid back--not at all pushy. I told her the look I was going for and she immediately suggested some gowns for me to try. Meanwhile, I stormed the rack of mermaid/straight gowns-- (it's in the back on the left)a secret I'd learned the day before.

Then she asked the magic question: "Are there any gowns you've been wanting to try specifically?"

Me: "Yes!" (Then blurting out the four-digit number of the Allure gown I love but that I couldn't find anywhere to try on. "Pleasssse tell me you have it..."

And they did!! They had THE gown!!

So I got to try on about six or seven gowns in the styles I'm interested in. And now I really do have a better idea of what I do and don't want.

By the end of my "try-on" only two gowns had made my heart skip a beat: The one I'd been pining over (the sample fit me almost perfectly...and it was stunning) and one other gown that was never one that "jumped out at me" but that on looked really fabulous.

SO--at this point, I don't imagine trying on too many more gowns, mainly because of the selection at area shops...
I may visit a bridal when I am home in Cleveland in October.
One popular one, Catan's, promises to have a pretty good selection. In the meantime,I have to first decide on a gown, then figure out through which bridal shop or vendor I'm going to order!!

Overall Score, RK Bridal: A- for the sheer volume of gowns they have in store. I think they may very well be one of the largest bridals, period.

Black is the new...BLACK!!

Word on the street is that chocolate is the new black--and from the weddings I've been to this year, chocolate as THE accent color for weddings is EVERYWHERE. It looks good. But its omnipresence is exactly why I will not use it in my wedding.
Now, black...I love.
I know, I know. Why in the world would I want the color *black* to make an appearance at our wedding??
After all, black is synonomous with things like:
-dark
-evil
-sinister
-funeral
-licorice?
Well, not for me. Black is, indeed my favorite color. And for good reason. Black is:
-timeless
-elegant
-sophisticated
-classic
Think "the little black dress," or "black tie formal." Point is, you cannot go wrong with black.
That is why my bridesmaids are going to wear black dresses!
Now, don't be concerned. Black is not in our "color scheme," if you will. Rigid color schemes, where everything is matchy-matchy, are PLAYED OUT to me. So we just have what I call "color inspiration."
We've chosen 4 or 5 colors that complemt each other to feature throughout our wedding ceremony and reception.
In fact, the ONLY thing that may be black are the ladies' dresses and guys' suits.
To me, black will act as an accent color that kind of "finishes" and "pulls together" the other colors and makes them "pop."
Seeing as though the wedding begins in the evening, it will be even more fitting.
So if any of my BM's are reading this and *hate* that little dress above, please, "speak now, or forever hold your peace," cuz I'm feeling it!!
Cheers to black!

Oh, Mermaid... my Mermaid...Where Art Thou, my Mermaid!?

OK--- Bridal Boutique Rule #1:
Do have a VARIETY of gowns for brides-to-be to try on when they drive 25 miles on a Saturday to visit your shop!!
Arggh! I'm so frustrated. In the past few weeks I've visited at least five bridal salons and NOT ONE has had more than 3 mermaid/trumpet-style gowns for me to try on.
They "claim" that the mermaid--a fit-and-flare, sophisticated silhouette gown-- is not in high demand...however, several other young brides in these shops were looking for this style and shared my frustration and many runway styles for Fall 2007 are in this mermaid shape.
This from Wedding Channel:

"One of the season's hottest looks, mermaid gowns are showing up in the collections of top designers such as Reem Acra, Monique Lhuillier and Mika Inatome."

And this from Bridal Discounters:

"Wedding gown styles for 2007 are swiftly shifting to a high fashion focus....Mermaid gowns are abound, modified mermaids are the most popular, showing fitted bodice that stretch to below the hip, with exaggerated, full, low skirts, a definite retake on the 1950s Barbie."

Not in high demand...?
I am sure i want to be a "mermaid" bride. I have a list of gowns I'm interested in...but none of the shops in my area have any of them on the racks...and not even anything close! This is why I am super giddy about going to New York City this Friday to storm some of their infamous bridal outlets to at least get a sense of how the mermaid looks on me before I order one.
Here are some gowns that inspire me. Thanks, Ariel!




And two more of my favorite gowns that I CANNOT afford, by Jim Hjelm and Alvina Valenta... but do keep in mind-- I am one ENTERPRISING sista!:

Gowns: "Inspired By..."

Yea...so for the past day or so I had been getting
really excited
about what I admittedly thought was a goldmine of knockoff gowns from Ebay sellers based in China.
Several
of these sellers--many whom even have good ratings--are offering all
kinds of knock-off designer gowns for super-cheapo prices...like $100
for the gown and $80 for shipping. They claim the gowns are
custom-made to your measurements and are dead-on replicas of the
original...

Well, long story short, after due research it seems like, as with anything else, usually you get what ya pay for.
Apparently,
many traditional bridal boutiques are having to actively combat online
retailers to protect their businesses from being swallowed by web
bridals. They especially have to watch out
for sellers peddling shabby, bad quality fakes.

To discredit Ebay and other knockoff sellers, one online discount bridal shop actually bought a few of the China-made
knockoffs and put them right up against the designer photos they were
claiming to produce.

CLICK HERE to see the real gowns VS. the knockoffs.
It's pre-tty bad.

I hope this "un-inspires" anyone else who is tempted about going the "alternative route."

I'm not saying that ALL Ebay or other online sellers who custom-make designer "inspired" gowns are
of horrible quality like these. I AM saying to be VERY careful and to
do your homework before buying from such a seller.

Several web sites for brides--weddingchannel and indiebride,
to name a few--- are a treasure trove of info and host thriving message
boards where past brides and brides-to-be are sounding off on any and
every vendor you
can think of. I suggest taking a few days to do as much info-gathering
as possible on these "alternative" vendors before taking a chance.
Especially helpful
are message threads where members post photos of these gowns they have
received from little-known vendors. That's hands down the BEST way to
get a feel for what YOU would get if you ordered.
For instance, many former/future brides seem to swear by Queens, New York dress-maker Julius Bridal Inc. There is lots of info on Julius' gowns on indiebride and even more on weddingchannel, where dozens of ladies have posted photos of themselves in their discount/custom-made Julians...and theydo look good:)