Not all wedding budgets are created equal. The bulk of our budget went to the venue, catering and papergoods. All well spent, no regrets there. However, that left me with a smaller-than-I’d-hoped-for budget for a wedding dress: under $1000.00

I’m a sentimental person, but not really about clothes. As a stylist, I’m always looking for the next thing, and there are only ten fabulous items in my closet purchased more than a year ago that get any kind of regular wear. I knew that while I wanted to look good, I wasn’t going to be that attached to the dress I picked and would most likely sell it afterwards. Due to this, I was interested in checking out the new (at the time) White by Vera Wang Collection at David’s Bridal.

I loooooove Capsule collections. Be it Versace for H&M, Missoni for Target or Marchesa for JCP, these lines make design attainable and fun. Most people can’t afford to spend oodles of money on something they’ll wear only once (even a wedding dress!), so I was intrigued by the idea of a high-low line for bridal. And Vera! Oh Vera, how I love thee. And so does David’s Bridal, they just launched the second collection for the White by Vera Wang line a few months ago. </p

My everyday style can be a bit trendy and over-the-top due to my chosen profession, but I wanted to ensure that my dress was timeless. In addition to that, I think too many brides make the mistake of going for a style of dress that they’ve seen their friends wear or that they see as ‘bridal’, and forget to take their own body type, coloring and personality into consideration. Here were my ‘must-haves’:

– Ivory or off-white, not White (here’s a tip: pure white is too harsh for most people)
– A sweetheart or v neckline (big busts do not fare well with some necklines)
– Not strapless (too many hours watching brides pulling up ill-fitting strapless dresses)
– Some kind of lace, organza or tulle overlay (I wanted it to feel ‘airy’, since I am not the tiniest of girls, and heavier fabrics do make you look heavier. There, I said it.)
– Something long enough (I am 5’11”, and I would be wearing heels)

That’s a lot of specifics, I know – but it is helpful to have some idea of what you want going in, or it becomes overwhelming. Now, I always advise brides to not get too wrapped up in the their idea of ‘the perfect dress’, as that can also become an issue. Always try on something that is not what you thought you would want, just to make sure. One of the dresses I tried on was a strapless, pink dress with acres of tulle waves at the bottom. It was pretty – just not right for me, and trying it on was validation that I was on the right track with my initial thoughts about the kind of dress I wanted.

Two trips and three David’s Bridal locations later, I was beginning to think I would not find ‘the dress’ from Miss Vera. The dress I thought I would love, I didn’t. Then one of the associates pulled out a dress I didn’t remember seeing in the look book: a beautiful loose column dress with an organza overlay in ivory. She said that it hadn’t sold well and had been discontinued, but it fit all my criteria. I loved it right away and knew it was the one for me. I asked why it hadn’t sold well, and the associate said people saw it as too plain, and it didn’t really look right on any girl shorter than 5’8″ or so, but she agreed that it was a winner on me. The best part? Because it had been discontinued, it was on sale for only $400.00, and they had a one left in my size in the warehouse. Hallelujah!!

Would I have loved to get married in a designer dress, a ‘real’ Vera Wang or one like this? Sure. But I also didn’t want to go into debt, and knew in my heart that the other aspects I had picked to splurge were more important to me. I would be lying if I didn’t mention I thought for a few minutes about getting a pair of Jimmy Choos ($600) to go with my score of a dress, but then I came back to my senses and got a pair of fab Steve Maddens. I also got myself a pair of gold Toms when I was buying them for all my maids as gifts, and wore those throughout the reception. I recommend the idea highly.

I rarely wear my hair up for anything other than sports or crafting, so I decided to keep my hair down and as natural but ‘pretty’ as possible. For my makeup I said I was looking for an ‘exaggerated take on my everyday look’ – but nothing that would make me look not like myself. I think both were expertly done by Monique Powers Beauty.

And the finer points: I searched for weeks for the perfect earrings, and then promptly forgot to put them on and never wore them. We ironed the sash on my dress with my sisters’ hair straightener. The small bustle required three grown women to figure out. I tripped on it twice; no one noticed. My sister sewed a small heart cutout denim patch from a pair of Chad’s old jeans into the lining. I’m not sure I’ve ever looked better. I still plan on selling the dress.

All photos ©2012 Meghan Christine Photography