Come Hell or High Water...

...we're getting married! We have the church and now I have the dress so no matter what happens, we will be getting hitched next fall. I'm so excited, especially since it's my dream dress. And by dream dress, I mean the one I've been drooling over ever since I started dress-shopping. I hope my FI never finds this site because without further ado...





















It's a Judd Waddell dress from his fall collection, in ivory organza with alencon lace bands around the bodice and hem. It's so light and "bridal" and best of yet, I scored an awesome discount ;) As the former designer for Carolina Herrera bridal, Judd Waddell is very talented and by no means affordable (at least in my book). But because he isn't as popular as Monique Lhuillier, Melissa Sweet, etc., I couldn't find a used dress anywhere--at least not in this style. (www.preownedweddingdresses.com is a great resource!) So while browsing through the knottie dress board, I discovered Bridal and Formal.

Bridal and Formal is a behemoth of a bridal salon in Cincinnati, Ohio. They boast over 4,000 wedding dresses, 1,500 bridesmaid dresses and are basically a one-stop shop for wedding party attire. It is quite popular in the midwest, with brides-to-be driving in from all over the country. And because they do not offer alterations through the store (probably due to volume), they offer a somewhat standard 20% off each gown!! And while they have a significant inventory of samples, this discount applies to brand-new, designer gown orders as well!! I was bowled over (and excited) when I found this out; knotties even encouraged me to bargain down the price like they did.

Since I'm out-of-state, the entire transaction took place over the phone. My consultant (Diane) was very sweet and helpful, faxing me copies of the contract and pictures of the dress to make sure everything was in order. You are charged a $65 shipping fee, but that was chump change in comparison to the $1k or so I saved in the end :o) If you don't mind conducting your dress purchase over the phone, you might want to consider this option. I had already tried the dress on in a salon, so I knew exactly what size and color I wanted (luckily the sample size was the perfect fit). But make sure to do your homework on alterations, used dresses, sizes, colors, etc. first to make sure this is the best option for you. I also asked around on the Cincinatti board about the store and other knotties' experiences. But the 20+% off a brand-new designer dress is pretty hard to beat! Feel free to comment if you have any questions about the process.

www.bridalandformalinc.com