The Value of Shopping Around

Shopping excites me. Finding the best deals and saving money is something everyone can relate to desiring even if they don't do it. For me, it's priority. Coupons, clearance, BOGO deals, Oh my! So it's no surprise that even though I (thought I) found my dream dress, I was still ready to compare/contrast prices elsewhere.

To date, I've only visited two bridal shops. I had a random, hilarious dream (later post on that) about ending up in a certain dress - the only dress that stood out from both trips and over 20 dresses I had tried on. Since Tom's opinion is most meaningful to me, yesterday we took a trip back to the shop to re-try on the dress I liked along with a few others.

Let me first say that it was such a good idea to go back to the store. Previously they would not disclose the exact dress style or designer, but the second time around they did without hesitation. Probably a bad idea for them as my shopping instincts kicked in and now I can find the dress elsewhere for cheaper, etc.

Here's the dress I'm talking about... Casablanca Style 1900.


The dilemma came in because it's sleeveless which is highly inappropriate at our Catholic church. Of course, there's many options to make this dress still a possibility. The most recommended is a bolero jacket (AKA cheesy formal-type cardigan) but that's my least favorite. So after talking with the seamstress at the bridal shop, it was obvious an option would be to either have cap sleeves or build in some sort of a top. My idea was for a t-shirt like top. They suggested ordering extra of the glittery overlay lace and getting something sewn on. That, of course, was their best option of what they could do and I was alright with it.

Today I was having second guesses on the gown though. Would it look okay with a complete top and such a flowy bottom? Did I really love it? No, I didn't. But the possibilites for sleeved dresses are so limited and this one was alright I thought...

Enter in a modesty bridal shop, Latter Day Bride online. Start the browsing of dresses with sleeve. "Ohhh, this one looks like what I want. *click* Wait, this is a LOT like what mine with a t-shirt top would look like," I thought to myself. Upon further comparing, I'm convinced it's my exact dress but with the t-shirt top that I thought I wanted.

LOOK.


Casablanca style 1900. Notice the top bead work, colored sash, and the lace bead work beneath it?

Doesn't this dress look really, really similar?(That's all the further I could zoom in)

Yep. It's the dress I wanted with the t-shirt top I wanted. Crazy!!!

So, let's say I still wanted the Casablanca altered into a t-shirt top design. Price at the bridal store (without costs of extra lace and seamstress work) is $898.00. Price at the online retailer (with no extra costs needed) is $1045.00. It seems the best bet would be to order it online... and even if I wanted it sleeveless, Google is to the rescue with cheaper prices on the Casablanca! See? There's a HUGE value to shopping around!




Now, not only could I have the dress for ultimately a cheaper price but it would the top would be prettier. It would actually be cohesive as it'd have the same top material. The only problem is that the dress isn't for me. I'm so lucky to have been able to see a picture of what it would look like -- at it's best -- to realize that it's just not "me" for my one and only wedding day.

Make sure you do the same! Take your time and put effort into making sure you know the dress is for you. It's just one of the huge decisions that goes with planning a wedding.

When you found your (prospective) dress, did you shop around before committing to buy?

Facing The Music

Lately things have been considerably slow in the world of wedding planning. Don't be fooled: I'm still planning 24/7, but for something different right now. Our focus has gravitated for the rest of the month towards making sure we have everything we need to close on our first house (EEEK! :) Super exciting, and more about house+registry=fun soon.)

However, Tom gave me some instructions today: Finish his laundry...check. Look up electrician's phone number...check. Face the music and find a DJ...(screeching halt) This has been one thing up until this point that does not grab my interest. Gasp! Why might you ask? A previous landlord of mine owns a wonderful DJ service but unfortunately he was booked for our date so I kind of stopped looking after that. Trust is vital when it comes to a DJ because you trust them to play good music, keep everybody entertained, and make special announcements in a professional manner. They need to respect your wishes, understand the audience, and make sure everyone is having fun. It sounds easy enough, right? Unfortunately, I haven't been to many weddings but the ones I have been to the DJ's have left me with a meh feeling. When guests leave our wedding, I'd like for them to think of how much fun they had in every aspect-- which includes the dance floor.

(source)

So is it possible to avoid a washed-up, inappropriate music-playing, talentless DJ??

My ideas (kind of no-brainers here!)

• Ask friends & relatives for suggestions based on their experiences
• Read reviews on websites - such as WeddingBee's own section on reviews
  
• Make sure to meet with any DJ before booking to discuss Play/Do Not Play lists
• Keep your fingers crossed
• Or, skip the DJ all together and use an iPod

Any other ideas? How has your DJ experience turned out?

Ridin' In Style

For being such an attention-detail bride, there has been one thing so far that has all been Tom's choice -- what we are riding in from the church to the reception!

I invite you to come in to one BIG (censored) LIMO (and yes, it's really named that...so we'll call it BAL):

(source)

ARE YOU READY FOR THIS MONSTER?!!

(source)

Now that you're in, have a look around...

(source)

Here is a view from the back of the limo (VIP section) If you look closely, you can see the fireplace and huge screen TV above it!

(source)

Here's the view from the front of the limo to what the actual back VIP section looks like. Two TVs, some big speakers, and a bar...not bad.

This bad boy packs:

• 3 bars
• 3 TV’s including a 32” plasma DVD
• CD player iPod hook-up
• Disco floor & bars
• VIP back lounge 34 ft long
• 18 passenger or 20 skinny people
• Moon roof
• Higher ceiling height of standard limo
• U lounge style seating for ultimate comfort and style
• Fireplace

And, I couldn't be more excited about it! Old fashioned cars are classic, regular limos are fine, but nothing says we're serious like this H2 Hummer. We actually got a better deal on renting this for 6 hours compared to a typical Cadillac limo or something similar that we were looking into, and the best part? We've rented the limo from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. After we're done using the limo (before our dinner at 5 p.m.) the driver has agreed to let children go for rides in it around the parking lot for the remainder of the time. How fun and what a great way to really stretch our money to make it worthwhile! I suggest it to everyone if they are having a lot of younger guests or have excess limo time.

Also, the sticker with inappropriate wording will be taken off while we are renting it. The company is obviously used to this request by now so it wasn't a problem.

Did you let your fiance figure out transportation for your wedding? Why/why not?

*All images were prtsc from my laptop so that I could crop and edit.

Bridesmaid Dresses

Tea-length. Bubblegum pink. Thicker straps. High waisted. These are the words that come to mind when I think of my dream bridesmaid dresses...

In the coming week or two, I am planning to take my girls shopping for their dresses! So, the dilemma comes in of either letting them all choose the same dress or, once again, straying away from the beaten path and letting them all choose different dresses.

(source)

VS.

(source)

(Aren't those purple dresses with the bows just delectable?! That silky fabric and huge bow make them so adorable!)

There are pro's and con's to both dress styles. Pro's of doing different dresses would be allowing the girls to pick out something that matches their body type and personality. It lets them know that hey, you are special because of who you are and aren't just here to be my back up dancer. Con's are that they wouldn't be the back up dancers if I so desired, photogenically speaking of course. Pro's of doing the same dresses would be that they are all uniform, traditional, and in a dress I'll obviously love! Con's would be that the dress might not be flattering on all of the girls and could end up ruining some photos, making them uncomfortable, etc.

The reason this is such a big deal for my girls and I is because I have one bridesmaid who is not only overweight but also states away -- all the way in NJ! It seems the easiest choice would be allowing the girls to pick out different dresses from the same retailer in the same color for something to tie them all in. However, is that what I want? Yes, I want to be somewhat accommodating and appreciative of my bridesmaids (they ARE my friends after all...) but am I sure that this "something different" in my wedding isn't going to be too much with my eclectic plates, different choice of reception venue, etc?

My bridesmaid in NJ has went to David's Bridal and also to a Dessy retailer. However all of the same sizes at Dessy were too small, and I'm not a fan of David's Bridal. So of course, she found something at David's Bridal that was nice to her. The problem is it wasn't for my wedding vision. My next step is to have her keep dress hunting and photo snapping for me while I take the other girls shopping around here to hopefully find the "bubblegum pink" dresses that I want and see what happens from there!

Did you go through this much bridesmaid dress dilemma? How did you decide to keep all the dresses the same -- or not? How did the bridesmaids, your family, or guests take the decision?