Ready-to-Wear Bridal

For most brides, finding the perfect wedding dress is a stressful occasion. Brides typically spend several hours in a by-appointment-only boutique (with an entourage of female relatives and BFFs of course) and then undergo hours of custom fittings topped off with a hefty price tag.

All that is set to change though. Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that several major retailers were getting in on the bridal game with off-the-rack wedding dresses. J.Crew was the first to sell bridal gowns back in 2005, but Ann Taylor, White House Black Market, The Limited and Urban Outfitters are all set to follow suit. In addition to avoiding lengthy appointment-booking times, brides can find gowns that are, for the most part, considerably cheaper than the average boutique wedding dress.


J. Crew sells dresses for as low as $295, Ann Taylor retails for less than $500, and Urban Outfitters' line, which is set to launch in February 2011, will start at $750. The Limited will be offering two dresses in June for less than $300.

Reasonably-priced bridal behemoth David's Bridal has even stepped up their game by announcing an upcoming collaboration with high-end designer Vera Wang. Gowns will start from as low as $600, as compared to Wang's regular line which retails from $4,000 and can go to higher than $25,000. Of course diffusion lines are hot these days, with everyone from Zac Posen to Thakoon having lower priced lines (for Target) under their belt. Vera Wang is no stranger to the concept of mass fashion; she has designed a line for Kohl's, Simply Vera, since 2007. However her planned collaboration with David's Bridal is the first of its kind.

A lot of ready-to-wear bridal creations are less formal than their designer counterparts. The J. Crew dresses are more suited to a low-key event than to black-tie nuptials. But since the recession has resulted in a nationwide trend of more laid-back weddings, savvy brides everywhere should rejoice at high-quality, off-the-rack options.

Bride on a Budget

Weddings are expensive. Very expensive. If you live a big, metropolitan city and you plan on having an "averaged-sized" wedding (150 guests by US standards) you could easily be spending upwards of $60,000 if you wedding is staffed by experienced professionals, is held in a fancy location and takes place during the popular summer months.


But there are options. It is completely possible to have a budget-friendly but sophisticated soiree. It's simply a matter of prioritizing. Here's my top 5 favorite money-saving ideas:

1) Consider getting married off-season
Everyone, myself included, wants a summer wedding. The weather is lovely and the summer always feels celebratory. But having a wedding outside of the peak season could seriously slash your location fees. Plus don't fall weddings with changing leaves or snowy January weddings seem appealing too?

2) Say no to Vera
Everyone wants to get married in a dress that makes them feel beautiful, but that doesn't mean that you have to drop serious dough on designer duds. Consider a pre-owned dress from eBay or OnceWed. Other possibilities include wearing a short dress (you're so much more likely to re-wear it) or if you don't think white is your best color (lots of brides don't) get a fancy cocktail dress in a different color - it'll be cheaper.

3) Have a DJ instead of a wedding band
This could just be a personal preference but wedding bands generally aren't very good and I would prefer to hear the real song than a washed-up wannabe Sting's version. You'll save big bucks on your music budget.

4) Nix favors
Chances are your adorable monogrammed knickknack is just going to be collecting dust in your parents' homes. Everyone else will probably toss it after 6 months- tops. I say skip it entirely.

5) Limit the open bar
I understand the hesitance to go the route of a cash bar: it looks stingy and guests hate it. That said, open bars are expensive and who wants to be presented with a (partially) surprise tab at the end of the night? A good compromise is serving only beer, wine, and champagne at the open bar. You'll save tons on pricey top-shelf liquor. Also forget that champagne flute at the table thing. Most guests simply toast with what they have or take one sip of champagne. Guests who love the bubbly can get it at the bar.

What do you think of these ideas? Would you use any?

Wedding Trend: Trash the Dress

You spent hours searching for the perfect dress, hours more in detailed fitting sessions, not to mention the years that you spent dreaming about the dress as a child, only to – drag it through the mud after your wedding? Light it on fire? Swim in it?


It may sound ridiculous but growing numbers of women are doing just that. They are part of the trash the dress trend, where women hire a photographer to take beautiful, dramatic pictures of them essentially ruining their wedding dress shortly after the ceremony.


According to the New York Times, the trend started in 2005 when Las Vegas photographer John Michael Cooper began photographing his clients in extreme conditions. Apparently Cooper was inspired by fashion photography which long ago learned the merits of juxtaposing beautiful, couture garments with ugly, grungy or dirty settings. Cooper was bored by the same, cookie-cutter photos that every bride requests.

Why do the brides want it? Good question. Many superstitious people think that destroying your wedding dress is bad way to start a marriage. Maybe that’s why precisely why the modern bride chooses to trash the dress- it’s her little form of rebellion. Or maybe the bride really just wants gorgeous, dramatic photographs of herself which wouldn’t be out of place in the pages of W. Another option is that brides don’t like the idea of their dream dress sitting in their closet gathering dust.

What do you think? Would you ever trash the dress? Remember you would be paying your photographer extra for the photo shoot.

I am working on an in-depth reported piece on this trend, so any brides who are willing to be interviewed for the piece, please contact me at SJL446(at)nyu(dot)edu

Best of NYFW: Wedding edition

New York Fashion Week fall 2010 ended a couple of weeks ago. I followed the shows closely, as I always do, but this season I paid attention to looks that could double as bridal outfits or wedding attendee clothes. Here is a round-up of my favorites.

Rachel Roy


This Rachel Roy dress is absolutely divine. It would be such an ethereal and chic wedding dress. I am obsessed with the gently cinched waist. Strapless wedding dresses are so ubiquitous that I fear they are quickly becoming passé but I still love them, I can’t help it. This dress is especially perfect.

Erin Fetherston


This Erin Fetherston dress is so pretty. I love the mod, 60s feel. I think it would make a gorgeous wedding dress for a slightly offbeat bride. I would like to see it for a day wedding. I think a short wedding dress can be so fresh and unexpected; I wish more brides would take the risk and go short. This ban.do headband would be perf with the dress.

Lela Rose


I was so happy to see that one-shouldered dresses are still going to be in for the fall. I have about ten of them, so it was good news for me! I think most brides would shy away from a one-shouldered wedding dress since it’s so trendy and rightfully so, you don’t want your wedding photos looking extremely dated in six years. That said, your rehearsal dinner is a great place to have some fun and go a little trendier. This beautiful, romantic Lela Rose dress would be lovely for the bride’s rehearsal look. I think the gold mini-sash really completes the look.

Tracy Reese


Tracy Reese is one of my favorite designers and I almost keeled over when I saw this dress. I adore the styling: the absurdly girly dress, the sexy lace tights, and the tough boots = perfection. This dress could absolutely double as an amazing maid of honor dress. The ballerina-inspired poufy tulle skirt makes me happy just looking at it. Trust me: your maid of honor will thank you if you put her in this.

Alice + Olivia


This dress is so adorable! Wouldn’t bridesmaids look so darling in this strapless, tiered, bubble-skirted number? It’s Alice + Olivia and you can never go wrong with Stacey Bendet's quirky sensibility.

Diane von Furstenberg


Finally this last look would be beautiful for a wedding guest. I like the strong but poufy shoulders and the deep V neckline. Of course Diane von Furstenberg is the wrap dress queen so I think that detail makes the dress even more special.

Thoughts? Would you wear any of these pieces to a wedding? Hope you like the picks!

all images from style.com