Yes to the Dress

Picking the right wedding dress-whether it be for the night before or the big day-is obviously one of the most important things a bride will do. There is a lot of pressure to choose a dress that looks great but in my opinion, there should be more consideration involved when saying those oh-so-important words "yes to the dress." The first is budget, a dress should be beautiful at any price point so don't fret if you have to do some searching, you will always find something you love that fits within your dream price. The second is functionality because the dress you love should also be something you want to wear forever. I know, I know, you only technically need to wear it for one very important night but when you fall in love with a wedding dress, you won't want to take it off and that means it has to be comfortable. Lastly, CHIC STYLE! Who doesn't want to look fabulous on their big day so finding the right dress means something that looks amazing, fits your own style, and is so memorable that people will talk about you at brunch the next morning. I remember well what my own wedding dress inspiration was so I've included some style ideas I loved below and a few great places where you can look to get that dream dress on a budget, of course!

{THE INSPIRATION}

{Classically Lovely}

try the Recycled Bride site for great and classically beautiful wedding dress options for less

{Open Back}
                                  
open back dresses can be tougher to find and tailor but the Hustle Your Bustle site offers a HUGE variety in all styles including great and unique dresses like the ones above

            
         {Perfectly Preppy}  

searsucker or bust! all you need to do is look at the catalog to see that Jcrew has amazingly preppy wedding dresses but if you try ebay for the dress that you like...they are all online and super affordable

{Hippie Chic}

     

for the perfect flower child wedding dress, check out the BHLDN website

{Making a Statement}

   

you obviously want to stand out so consider Rent the Runway for a dress to match your style in the $100-$300 price range. this is a great alternative to buying and means you have plenty to spare for all of that great accessorizing to your stand-out look

{WHAT I WORE}

   

i finally settled on the Conservatory gown from Siri at Garnish Boutique during a sample sale

i loved this style because it was simple, chic and great (light) fabric for an outdoor summer wedding

           

I wrestled with whether or not to wear a veil being a fairly non-traditional bride but finally decided to go with this fingertip lace one from alexbridal for under $60 that gave my look a throw-back style that I loved