Our Wedding: The Dress

Having a homemade wedding means you feel a little less guilty when you (or your wonderful family) splurge on your dress. I've never been the kind of girl who spends money on clothes. The bulk of my wardrobe consists of thrift store buys, hand-me-downs, and gifty clothes from mom (I think she feels sorry for me having a pitiful guilt complex about spending money on anything other than a necessity).

So, when the dress shopping mission began and the price tags contained extravagant numbers consisting of- not two, not three, but four digits, I peed myself a little. 

A lot.

All over the place.

Clean-up on Aisle Bride. 

In that moment, I made a pact with God that if I'm a good wife, I get all boys when I decide to bear childen. Rented tuxedos for life!

On top of lofty prices, I, the uninformed bride-to-be, had not a clue how far in advance one has to actually purchase their wedding dress. I found my perfect gown on a sunny afternoon in July. I was ecstatic, enthralled, elated, various other e-words!

The boutique clerk asked me excitedly, "SO, when's the big day?"

"October 6th!" I boasted.

Crickets. Very sad violin-playing crickets on a rainy day.

".... Oh. Yeah, your dress isn't going to be ready by then."

"What? ... But, it's right here. Let me have it," I thought daftly (<--- picked this word up from my English mates- er, friends). This is promptly when the phrase, "off the rack sale" suddenly made sense to my air-filled head. It's a special occasion because you. can't. usually. buy. off. the. rack. I get it now.

Luckily, the stars aligned and we were able to pull some strings (i.e. rush delivery dollar bills) and my beautiful dress arrived just in the knick of time for the big day.

The Dress: Queen Anne's Lace

Designer: Claire Pettibone

Boutique Purchased From: J Majors Bridal Boutique (Charlotte, NC)

I ended up cutting corners on the rest of my attire with sparkly flats borrowed from my sister, an Etsy garter, and "something borrowed" jewelry from my mother-in-law. For anyone hoping to find a delicate, antique-like dress with fairy-like, natural undertones, Claire Pettibone is your woman. I'm completely in love with her whimsical style and unique understanding of the female figure. :)