As my fifth-year wedding anniversary approaches, I’m reminded that wedding season is upon us and am crossing my fingers that I will receive at least one invitation because I absolutely love going to weddings! I have to admit that I was never one of those girls that dreamed about their wedding day nor did I have a hidden stash of wedding magazines and planners that I secretly obsessed over. I was perfectly happy heading to the courthouse to exchange vows and spending the rest of the money on an over-the-top honeymoon. If I had to do it again, I would pick a courthouse or destination wedding, but one thing that I wouldn’t change was getting a wedding dress.

I absolutely loved my wedding dress!! Truth be told, my mom actually picked it out and I knew it was the one as soon as I tried it on. It was a long, full princess dress with rouching from the bust down the torso and the train was full of silk flower embellishments. It was perfect!!  And my mom (thank you) paid a pretty penny for it. You would think that with all of the love and adoration that I have for the dress, it would be in pristine condition, stored in a glass box, sitting on a pedestal, in our foyer for all to see.

Wellllllll (in my Larry David voice)…that’s not quite the case. Believe it or not, my wedding dress is hanging in a closet in my parents house. I asked them to store it when we first got married because we didn’t have a lot of space in our small one-bedroom condo. Since then, we’ve moved into a bigger place and have more than enough space to store any and everything. So you would think that going to reclaim my wedding dress would have been top priority, right? Not exactly, it’s still at my parents house and in the same condition that I left it on my wedding day five years ago. I never even got it dry-cleaned!!! Isn’t that awful? Did I mention that it rained on my wedding day and my ceremony took place outdoors, which means there was some mud on the train of my dress!?!? And five-years later I didn’t have the decency to even get it dry-cleaned? Yep, that’s pretty much my truth. The dress that I absolutely adored and still do, has sat alone, dirty and probably shivering cold in my mom’s storage closet.

So why share this pitiful, heartbreaking (exaggeration) story with you? To save anyone out there that is planning to get married this season or any season in the future and is willing to spend their life-savings on a dress. DON’T DO IT!!! Especially, when there are so many beautiful and affordable dresses out there to choose from. I found a few that I absolutely love.

Asos Bridal Jumpsuit

Asos Curve Bridal Vintage Lace Button Back Fishtail Max

Lulu’s New Love Ivory Lace Maxi Dress

Asos Chi Chi London Bridal Tulle Maxi Dress

J.Crew Gigi Gown

All of these dresses are absolutely beautiful and won’t break the bank. You might have to factor in costs for alterations, but depending on the extent of the tailoring, the price should be minimal.

So, the big question is, if I had to do it again, would I pick the dress I wore or one of the lovely gowns above?  I have to say that I would still pick the dress I wore, as long as mom paid for it again (wink, wink). Even though my actions show otherwise, I’m still very much in love with my dress and I couldn’t imagine my special day without it. I guess the moral of this story is, I’m a walking contradiction! I do think it’s wise to get a dress that is financially practical, but I also think you should go with what you love and what makes you feel special. My dress made me feel special from the first time I put it on, through many visits with the seamstress to the last time I wore it walking down the aisle. Look at how happy I was! I mean obviously I was thrilled to marry the best guy ever, but the dress definitely made me smile too!

XOXO,
shannon b.

Me and my dad

Me and hubby

Me in my favorite dress with hubby