When I started my gown search, I knew I wanted my gown to be stunning, suit my short and small frame, and do the least amount of harm to the environment (and my bank account) as possible. (And, of course, make me look as much like Katherine Heigl or Catherine Zeta Jones as possible. Weddings are about dreams right?) My criteria left me with three options:
1. Order a gown made with a sustainable fabric—like organic cotton or bamboo.
Pros: Sites like Olivialuca.com and GetConscious.com make it easy.
Cons: It's not a lot less expensive than buying a dress in a bridal salon, and you can't try them on first!
2. Find a vintage gown. This would require finding an extremely skilled seamstress to bring it up-to-date. I loved this store that specializes in vintage wedding attire in Berkeley, Recapture Designs.
Pros: Affordable and has a cool "trendy" factor. I loved this store.
Cons: When you try on these dresses, many of them still have big poofy sleeves and yellowed lace, so it's hard to imagine wearing them on your special day.
3. Buy something from a former blushing bride.
Pros: You can see the dress, try it on, and get it's whole story before you decide if you want to buy (options are endless in bigger markets like the SF Bay Area). Buying second-hand you can get the fancy, designer dresses for less than half the price (and without the sales tax). And you meet people who just went through the whole wedding planning chaos—they can share tips with you.
Cons: The dress might not be perfect. It might be a little dirty. And there's always the possiblity that your "newly-wedded" bride could be a "newly-divorced" bride instead—which might be a deal-breaker if you're superstitious.
I opted for Choice #3, and as a bonus my perfect silk satin Jim Hjelm gown had been altered to fit someone who was exactly my size. That means, I saved the $200-300 on alteration fees, too. That's more money I can blow on my honeymoon! As you can see by the photo it could use a good ironing, but other than that it's perfect!
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