I prefer not to list the budget number until after the wedding, where I promise I will break down all the wedding costs one by one. And if any of you are REALLY wanting to know how much I'm spending, I'm sure that you'll be able to keep track with individual items as I book, reserve, and pay for them. But that would make you a borderline stalker. :P
With all that said, I will routinely list ways I'm planning on saving money during the planning/paying process. One of those ways is with the dress. I know a lot of girls would never dream of the dress being anything BUT the most important item on the budget. I'm not one of those girls. I'm willing to save on the dress to add to another area (photography!) on my wedding day. Brides wear their dresses for maybe 12 hours max and then never again.
Don't get me wrong. I definitely want a gorgeous gown that will illicit gasps & awes as I walk down the aisle. But I'm not willing to spend a lot on it. Period. This is where "The Running of the Brides" comes in. Once a year, select Filene's Basements hold an event where thousands of designer gowns are marked down drastically for brides-to-be. I'm fortunate enough to be living a little over an hour outside of Atlanta where one of these events are held. So can you guess what I'll be doing on March 20th this year?!?! My bridesmaids have already signed on to help take out anyone standing between me and my dream dress! Haha...but seriously, I'm sure Ashley might cut someone for me! ;)
I'll only have to take about $750 with me to the ROBs because they only sell dresses at 3 price points: $249, $499, and $699! They once had a $10,000 dress sell for $199 back in the day! So no matter what, I know I'll find my dream dress for an awesome deal.
The day before ROBs, my girls and I are going to have a sleepover so I can "drill" my mini army on what I want so they know what to grab. I'll also outfit my team with matching outfits so we get the full effect of the day (maybe the classic BM tank tops?). I've already had a style of dress in mind and I've even found a designer that carries a lot of those styles. I'll update later with more details on my dream wedding dress, but to hold you over here's an idea of what I'm wanting:
Photo Sources
Anyways, I ran across an awesome opportunity today regarding ROBs. AtlantaOccasions.com is hosting a contest where a bride can win a dress from the event and even have her team outfitted in matching outfits for free! I thought about not posting it here in a public forum (who wants to slim their chances), but I'll look at it as good karma. ;) If I make it to the finals, I'll be coming back to hit everyone up for votes!
I really like the style of dress you're looking at. I think you'll be able to find one, no problem! But I could not imagine participating in ROB. EVER. That sounds terribly scary. I was also going to say, though, that no matter what you're wearing, you know you will elicit gasps because you're already GORGEOUS! Geez!
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