Here Comes the Dress

As much as I love fashion, I've never been much of a wedding girl. The pomp and circumstance has always seemed so artificial to me. And all the ridiculous pressure to have ONE PERFECT DAY? Gah. It's a recipe for disappointment and disaster.

But here I am, a second time bride gearing up for a non-traditional wedding that's a little bit Him (family, friends, vows, old-fashioned romance) and a little bit Me (we're having a big ol' multi-course dinner party themed to 1920's Paris).

But what to do about the dress? 1920's Paris calls for ultimate fabulousness, but A) I'm on a budget and B) wedding dresses these days all look the same to me: strapless satin A-lines or mermaids with tasteful details of beading or lace. Which, to be fair, is perfectly nice. It's just not my style.

A couple of weeks ago in Bal Harbour, I found a gorgeous, 100% silk evening gown on the Neiman's sale rack for 75% off. I can't go into detail because Scott reads this, but suffice it to say, it looks the part. And the whole thing felt somewhat fortuitous. It was the only one left, a size 6, and it zipped up as if it were meant to be mine. I had it shipped home, tried it on for my family, and felt good about it.

But...I can't quite commit, and I don't know why. Maybe it's the fact that it's the only one I've tried on. And while I do love a bargain, I also like to exhaust all of my options before making a final purchase. And so, I made an appointment at Bridal Mecca, aka Kleinfeld's. If I don't find my WOW dress there, then it just doesn't exist, and I'll be happy with the one from Neiman's. But if I do...

So, in preparation, I started searching the web for ideas. Here are a few I like, although I don't think any of them are quite "it."



Vintage glamour from Claire Pettibone.



A little evening bling from Pnina Tornai.



Simple elegance from Sarah Arnett.

These are all perfectly nice. But, of course, what I really want to do is rip this Chanel Couture gown from Kirsten Dunst and make a run for it.



Now that's a WOW.