The elusive wedding dress. Ok, it is not totally unobtainable but it felt like that for me. I was so overwhelmed by the range of wedding dresses out there, that I had no idea what dress I wanted. I searched for hours on the internet and then when I thought I had found the right one I was devastated by the price. It was a Jim Hjelm gown and had a price tag of $5500.
Now if I hadn't mentioned this before we are a one income family, and the price of the dress was about half what we wanted to spend on the whole wedding!
I have wonderful parents who said that they would pay for it, but I was not going to let them spend that much on something that I would wear only once. So I set about finding someone who could recreate it.
I found them!
So I looked around and found a couple of Jim Hjelm 'inspired' gowns. Wow $150 dollars in comparison to $5500. That's amazing. How can I not buy it!
Did I mention it would look 90% like the picture on the site.........
So I placed my order and was advised I would receive it within 22 days. So fast! Now this was placed through a website located in China. As far as I am aware most dresses are made in China and are shipped over here for resale at a ridiculous price.
I was so excited and the day finally came. I had a huge smile and was ripping open the packaging. When I first pulled it out I was in shock. My dress was plain and looked nothing like what I had ordered.
Whoops it is inside out of course so as it doesn't get damaged during transit. Silly me.
Again big smile on my face as I am turning the dress back the right way. And then it faded.
I think it looked 80% of what the original dress looked like. There were flowers where circles should be and the material was cheap. I was not happy at all. My beautiful dress was HIDEOUS! It looked like a deb dress for a 16 year old and not at all the beautiful, elegant wedding dress I had imagined. And of course it didn't fit.
Back to the drawing board.....
I was so devastated by the dress ordeal I thought I would not find a dress I liked at a reasonable price. I went shopping with my bridesmaids for the bridesmaids dresses and thought I would have a sneaky look at some wedding dresses as well, only to be knocked back shop after shop as I did not have an appointment. Finally we went into one shop that allowed me to try on some dresses. I felt poofy and meringue-y but kept trying them on. Then I tried on one that I thought looked nice but it was $2000. Still out of my price range. I tried on one more which they described as lilac and although I didn't like the dress style, I LOVED the colour. It was from that moment I decided I needed colour in my dress.
My family were buying dresses at op-shops that we could spruce up but nothing seemed to interest me. It is now Less than 6 months until the wedding and my mum is starting to worry and willing to pay any price just so I have a dress.
My Saviour. No more wedding dress blues. Or is there......
I got a message from my friend Sally. She said she had seen my sister in the supermarket and she had told her that I still didn't have a dress. Funny enough this friend is a dress maker and she asked if I would like her to make my wedding dress.
She said she would come over and we could talk about it and I show her images of what type of dress I wanted. After a great catch up and a few months later my friend Sally has made my dress. She has been great in letting me know what stages she is up to and showing me how the dress was coming along. It looks amazing and I am sure it will turn a few heads. I know it is not everyone's cup of tea but I hope that everyone will get as much enjoyment and fun out of it as I will.
Once the wedding is over she will have an image of my dress on her business page on facebook titled Sally Cromie Designs. If anyone is looking for an option other than the shops and something 'Unique' I would highly recommend her.
Bridesmaids Dress Decisions.
Now I am a bit of an indecisive person and like to go with the flow. But when there is something I like or dislike passionately then you will know about it.
Because my wedding had taken such a twist in moving away from the traditional dress, venues, etc. I decided to change my choice of bridesmaids dresses to 1950's style halter swing dresses with coloured petticoats.
I have four bridesmaids. My two sisters and two of my best friends from high school!
I didn't decide on one colour for them. I decided on four! Just to make things difficult for me later down the track.
Pink, Yellow, Purple and Green. I purchased these from a site called Unique Vintage under the PinUp dress section.
I hope that the girls have fun in the dresses as they look like a lot of fun! I also hope that they will actually get a chance to wear them again. And I apologise now for any wasted monies on outfits that they think are hideous. If it is any consolation you will all look fabulous!
Last but not least....
My baby girls of course! A friend sent me a site called Muddy Ruffles. It has gorgeous little tutu skirts or as they call them pettiskirts. They were too cute not to buy, so I bought a marshmallow and raspberry for Aurelia and a marshmallow and lavender one for Isabella. Can't wait to see them all dressed up!
I can't wait to have pictures to show everyone!
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