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Instead of going to a bridal shop has anyone else considered getting a dress that isnt made specifically for a wedding? like an evening gown, prom dress, or even a bridesmaid dress in white? I've noticed that this route is often cheaper even though the gowns typically arent as elaborate.
i think if you want something more simple or are trying to save money this is a great way to go. There are a lot of designers that make wedding alternatives-- Jenny Yoo, Siri, Aria are a few. I've seen some weddings on blogs where the brides wore a bridesmaid dress in white and they were always really beautiful. www.apracticalwedding.com features different "wedding graduates" and some of those girls have worn dresses that weren't wedding dresses. One girl even had a gorgeous royal blue dress that she wore.
Absolutely. Jim Hjelms has some pretty fantastic bridesmaids dresses that I would definitely wear as a bridal gown.
Totally! And you can always dress up a plainer dress with a sparkly sash, brooch, whatever. Or leave it simple as is :)
this is a evening gown that i really like and think it could totally work for certain weddings(in other words, i'd totally wear it as a wedding dress, haha)
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Ooh yes that dress is very pretty. i almost got this Jim Hjelm BM dress in ivory, but in the end I decided I wanted something a little more. I missed that it didn't have a train and wasn't very poofy. BUT if you want something simple it's definitely something to consider! The JH bm dress was only $295, waay less than a Jim Hjelm bridal gown :)
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@aileen: that's exactly the one i was thinking of with a great sash with a brooch attached and a cathedral length veil OMG!! gorgeous!
Yeah crebre80 that's exactly how I would have worn it...I hope someone does it! I would love to see that dress walk the aisle
I did! This is not me, but this is a picture of someone else in my dress. It's a BCBG dress. I got it directly from BCBG but I know you can get it at Nordstrom's in the US (or you could).
that dress is gorgeous but im just wondering, how do you wear a bra with it? the back is really low
@brianalaura-no picture?
Darn let me try again. . .
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Mine is a BCBG too.. Im eloping so I decided not to go with the traditional white dress.. but I think its a great way to save and have something more unique!
@jwinnings- LOVE the dress you posted!
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@jwinnings: victoria's secret has those low line bras that would work or you could have cups sewn in... okay yeah i'm loving this dress now.. can you imagine it with a bit of lace or something added below it (or even some pleating?!) at the very bottom... mmm kay i am in love with the dress... he needs to hurry up and ask :D
Oh wow, I didn't even think of this! I would have considered this if I hadn't bought mine already...but then again, your wedding is the one chance you'll ever have to wear a bridal gown, so not sure if I would give that up.
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I actually own that BGBC dress that brianalaura is wearing... I'm trying to sell it. It's a size 4, new with tags, never worn. If anyone is interested PM me, I'll sell it for way less than the retail price. 
It's silk and very bride-y!
one designer that does prom dresses actually does most of her dresses in white for that purpose. I didnt even know the dress I picked from the bridal shop was a prom dress until after I fell in love with it and wanted to show my mom and called the bridal shop days later. check out www.sherrihill.com
my dress isn't a "wedding dress." but i didn't want a big fancy white dress, so that's why i specifically started out looking in non wedding stores, and looked in a wedding boutique for about 5 minutes and hated it. i went to a little boutique and found an ivory dress, it's casual, has beautiful lace and beading, and it fits our wedding.
I love the dresses you ladies posted! I'm having a very intimate church ceremony (just the fi and I with our parents) and I was planning on wearing a Mori Lee BM dress in white with a birdcage veil! The price of this dress is only $98 (from bridalmart.com). But for my Aruba wedding I'm wearing a Jim Hjlem dress that a paid crazy money for!
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@arnancia-i just realized that ive seen that dress before, some celebrity(not sure exactly who she is) wore it. here's the pic, its definitely a beautiful dress.
http://gossiponthis.com/2009/09/28/khloe-kardashian-and-lamar-odom-really-got-married/khloewed4/
@tropicalbridey - I wish I had known that before I bought my dress, it is a size 4. Arrrrrg. Good luck on selling it though! I've seen pictures of 3 other brides wearing it on blogs, so I'm sure you will eventually.
I have, and I will again.
I'm going to make my own dress - not only will it be red, I might use an unexpected material.
I already have a backup dress in case something happens to the one I'm making - a short black-and-white tartan Vivienne Westwood dress I bought off the rack in London.
I LOVE this Lela Rose bridesmaid dress for a wedding dress. Considering it, but its way to early to start shopping!
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My sister got an evening gown from Macy's!
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I think it's a great way to get the nice styles and awesome fabrics of the high end designers without paying full price tag. I'm looking at a couple of Vineyard and Jim Hjelm bridesmaid dresses right now!
@jwinnings - what make is the dress you posted? it's so pretty!
and you girls are all super smart - as soon as anything has the word "wedding" involved, the price gets jacked up!
@laBelleBride-You are my sister's Date twin! She got married on our Grandma's birthday!
@labellebride-yea i love that dress! its from designer aidan mattox, he makes soo many pretty dresses.
When I get married, I am planning on ROCKIN' Marchesa's gorgeous white gowns.
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OH! Or any of these gowns from Net-A-Porter's Wedding Boutique!
@jwinnings: Wishful thinking! First, I gotta get engaged, I suppose, hahaha. I've just always been in love with Marchesa gowns, and its the top of my dream wedding gown scenerios.
But I am LOVING the Notte by Marchesa one-should drape and the Vivienne Westwood corsetted silk gown. All of the Marchesas I posted are under $1000, and the Vivienne Westwood is $2,465, and the Camilla and Marc and Thurley ones (The strapless white gown and the short, lacy white dress) are $350 and $285. Damn good deals!
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@jwinnings Awesome post! The dress looks so much better on that post than it does on the bcbg website. One of the things I love most about this dress is that I can wear it again. Im thinking of cutting though.. I dont want to wear my full wedding dress to another occassion- but a cocktail dress, for sure!
I ordered a simple Mori Lee strapless ivory bridesmaid dress and I'm having a friend make a lace jacket for me. The goal is something like the picture below. The saleswoman told me that Mori Lee makes a wedding dress from the same pattern, but with some beading and it is $800. The bridesmaid version is only $130!
It's been a little weird because I never got that "the dress" moment while I was shopping or when the dress came in because it was so simple, but hopefully I'll feel it when the jacket is finished and I try it all on together.
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@arancia-yea i think it looks better on that girl opposed to the bcbg website. i think it would look cute as a cocktail dress too!
@amac25-i hope your jacket works well for your dress and you feel that "the dress" moment when you put it all on!
I purchased a Priscilla of Boston BM dress in white, and I saved thousands of dollars. Even tea-length "bridal" gowns are insanely expensive! I wasn't about to pay $2K for a short party dress, which is what I wanted, so I started looking at BM dresses and had tons of luck.
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