The Most Expensive Outfit I Ever Wore

So, yeah. I'm married. So, wanna see what I wore? I didn't get a $5 wedding dress, or a $50 thrift-store wedding dress, or even a $250 Running of the Brides dress (my bridesmaids REFUSED to go with me!), so basically this ended being the titular Most Expensive Outfit I Ever Wore. It's sort of sickening, really, but I do plan on selling the dress, if possible, so I can buy, like, some boots or something. I'm keeping the shoes, though. Anyway, drum roll please!

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THE DRESS!

I was absolutely thrilled to find my dress at the Bridal Garden, a New York City shop that sells dresses that have been donated by designers and brides and whose proceeds benefit New York City children's education (currently a charter school in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn). I was even more thrilled with my dress, an Anne Barge trunk-show sample from her spring 2008 La Fleur line that had never been worn. I got a ton of compliments on it. Love those little bows! Here's how it looked when I was getting ready:






And here's how it looked swishing down the aisle with my dad:



THE SHOES

I have talked at length about my shoes. Anyone who doesn't know I wore rubber Vivienne Westwood for Melissa shoes with red hearts on the toes hasn't been paying attention. People adored them. I didn't even get one "different," although my mom did laugh in a way that suggested she wasn't 100% in favor of the decision. You can get them, and lots of other Melissa shoes, via Epaulet in Brooklyn, online or in person.




THE HAIR ACCESSORY

I got this fantabulously fun ostrich-feather hair piece from New York City milliner Artikal:



The designer, Holly Slayton-Chance, does lots of cool fascinators as well as veils and hats. To me this piece sort of echoed the freedom and movement of the bows at the bottom of my dress, and just screamed FUN! You can get her pieces for reasonable prices direct from her (either at her East Village studio or online), or pay a gigantic markup at Kleinfeld's. Yeah.


THE JEWELRY

I'm not really a jewelry person, and I didn't know for sure what I was going to wear for jewelry until the day of the wedding. The necklace was from Etsy seller Tree and Kimball, made of vintage lace with a little blue bead (something blue!):



Looking at the photos, I realized it doesn't photograph that well, but whatever. We all liked that the bead sort of nestled in my cleavage. I borrowed my bridesmaid Randi's grandmother's watch for my something borrowed as well as her diamond studs even though I never wear earrings. And that was that!

THE BAG

Yep, Etsy again. Gotta love it! I got this to-die-for vintage crystal-beaded purse for $25:



It came with two matching clip-on earrings and a great shoe clip (sadly, only one, because it would have made a great earring itself). I barely used this all night but I DID need to reapply lip gloss, after all, so. There. I DID need a bag! Take that, naysayers! Plus, it's gorgeous!


THE SECOND DRESS

Yes, that's right, I had a second dress. For dancing. ("What a DIVA!" they said.) It was a short little Betsey Johnson number that I simply couldn't resist. I'd discovered while dress shopping that I unexpectedly loved lace, and this was a really interesting type of open-work lace:





Also, it was $50. And I was really happy to be able to change into it before the cake cutting, because it was hot and humid that night, and we were dancing our faces off.


DRESS #3 and HAIR ACCESSORY #2

Oh yes I did! I had a dress for the afterparty, too.



I actually bought it before the Betsey Johnson, intending it as the dancing dress, but then I couldn't resist the Betsey Johnson and felt it was fancier, and so this became the afterparty dress. It is vintage and sweet and easily the most comfortable dress of the three. I got a ton of compliments on it, with some people even voting it their favorite of the three (by a hair, I think/hope!). Not too many people were still taking pictures at this point (our photographer had left), so this is the best I've got so far:



The headband is from Forever 21. Loved it, too.

THE BRIDAL PARTY

You've all been patiently waiting to find out what I made Tamron and the rest of my ladies wear. I chose J.Crew dresses: easy and cute. I wasn't really sure about the color (fresh mint, in the Crew's parlance) until the day of the wedding, when all my girls looked so beautiful, especially against the backdrop of the lake.



Eagle-eyed readers will notice that Tamar sluttily shortened her dress and later paired it with silver Toms for dancing (of which I was profoundly jealous). All the bridesmaids wore silver shoes of their own choosing , and I got them all different silver bow necklaces from Etsy, to echo the bows on my dress. Here's Tamar and her fiancé — how do they make their eyes sparkle like that??



Moving on to the boys: They wore black suits and stripey multicolor-blue ties (see the pic of my brother, above).



We didn't want to spend a lot of money on ties, so we got stripey aqua ties for $15 each at thetiebar.com. Don't judge. The colors were perfect and complemented the groom's tie, too.


THE GROOM

The groom wore a windowpane-print Hickey Freeman suit that (even on sale) cost more than my dress and still needs to be cleaned. He looked absolutely fabulous in it, even when he'd sweated through to the pits. (Note to future brides: Make sure he wears a V-neck T-shirt underneath if he's a schvitzer—wife-beaters not so classy in this situation!)



And that's all she wrote as far as my wedding fashion is concerned. If you'll excuse me, I'm off to take a totally normal walk in a meadow with my husband!

I Heart These Kate Spade Heart Heels

($325, Kate Spade, Endless.com)

Even though they're Kate Spade... Can't have it all. HOW fun would these be peeking out from under a wedding dress, hmmm? (Much like Cat had her Melissa x Vivienne Westwood heart heels peeking out from beneath her super-fun wedding dress!)

LOOKY CAT! ALL HITCHED UP!

Meet the NEW Mrs! Cat done got HITCHED UP! Here we are doing make-upy things during the cocktail hour, where everyone looked like someone out of The Great Gatsby, (minus the greedy bummer-ness of that book). It was an emotional roller coaster, and an absolute blast. Cat looked phenomenal and magically married -- if you will -- FOUR fun pieces that totally should not have gone together but did so perfectly! (Dress, fun hair poof, vintage lace necklace and THE Melissa x Vivienne Westwood heart-toe shoes.) Seriously, Cat should quit her day job and become a stylist for girls who want to look cool and gorgeous and not ZZZZZZ on their wedding day. Everything fit together perfectly... just like the bride and groom.

More fun to come. Cat's off to Paris, and I'm off... to bed! Bon soir!

Cutest Lil Ballet Flats For Your Wedding, No?

($119.50, Maloles, Barneys)

Fully wackadoo that these Beatrix Lace Maloles ballet flats were originally $340, but I can handle them at $119 for sher. Perfectly perfect for you ladies looking for flats for your special DAAAAAAAY. I love how they're sorta little-girl-cute, sorta Madonna.

Leather Bridal Bracelets -- Because You Just Don't See Enough Of Those

($107, Littmack, Manjoh.com)

ZOMG I love these soft leather embroidered Littmarck bracelets. The grey one is wedding-able, no?

($55, Day Birger et Mikkelsen, Manjoh.com)

Also, speaking of Manjoh, uh, this Day Birger et Mikkelsen necklace is on cuckoo sale. Ahhh! #linebetweenwantsandneedssteadilyblurring

Bridal Binge: Ring-a-ling!

I'm now literally dreaming about the Piaget Possession ring, but this one is calling my name now, too....


Tiffany Frank Gehry Torque ring in 18k white gold, $650.

UPDATE: This ring is soooo not right. It was all square and mannish looking on my finger. Didn't fit with my engagement ring at all. The lady straight up told me not to do it, and that I should get a "classic" platinum ring and "leave the funky" for other areas of my wardrobe. However, none of the other Tiffany rings spoke to me. Le sigh.

Melissa + Vivienne Westwood Anglomania Heart Shoes Worn As ACTUAL Wedding Shoes!

Okay, remember how Catherine and I have written about Melissa x Vivienne Westwood's Anglomania Lady Dragon shoes (AKA "the heart shoes") like a TRILLION times, and how Catherine is even considering wearing them for her wedding? Well, LOOK at how beautiful/ awesome they are on an ACTUAL bride -- Hannah. The exquisite pix were shot by Max Wanger, who I REALLY wish lived in NYC and not California, because I can't even get over how gorgeous his images are...

($149, Melissa for Vivienne Westwood)

+ Preorder them at Epaulet or RevolveClothing.com. And thanks to FashionBinge reader Kathryn for the heart-shoes-in-action tip!

GET THEE TO GILT GROUPE For Their Louboutin Sale!

Gilt Groupe's Christian Louboutin sale is goin'... goin'... almost GONE, but there are, surprisingly, a few pairs left, which would be PERFECTION for weddings! Check up on it, and refresh the page if they're lookin' like they're all sold out. Not sure if that will actually land a pair in your basket, but I am seeing inventory change when I do that. Hee! And, leave your email in the comments if you need a Gilt Group invite.

($428, Christian Louboutin, Gilt Groupe)

The Draped lurex Louboutins in Platinum are freaking HEAVENLY and PERFECT for brides, no? And OBVS you could wear them OVER AND OVER AND OVER again.

($428, Christian Louboutin, Gilt Groupe)

Same Draped Lurex Pumps, in Fuchisa. I love the rhinestone buckle.

($468, Christian Louboutin, Gilt Groupe)

Not rully my speed, but perfs for a fancy beach wedding. Go geyt 'em gurlz!

Totally Cute Beige Rosette Heels!

I have many a wedding coming up, and at first, I was looking for some beige rosette heels to wear in the wedding I'm in at the end of this month. I ended up going with some vintage gold heels instead, but check out these great Seychelles "Dinner Is Served" satin rosette heels in beige and black.

($84, Seychelles, Zappos.com)

The question isn't what WILL these go with but what WON'T they go with? And usually I'm not a proponent of silk shoes due to their high propensity towards getting completely ruined, but for a wedding they can be perfs, especially in a natural color like beige, or in a deep rich blue or magenta or purple. Yay, fun, cool bridal stuff!

Edressme's White Sale and Reception-Dress Dreams

So my dreams of a reception costume change continue to pop up, despite having The Dress. Perhaps I can change just prior to the afterparty? Not least because of edressme's Simply White sale, which knocks 20% off their white dresses, of which they have a bunch. Some of them unfortunately look like Mandee's rejects, the stuff of spandex nightmares, but here are my picks:


Kirribilla "Deirdre" minidress, on sale for $272. Those sleeves are amazing, and sharp shoulders are totally in!



Another cute offering from Kirribilla, the "Selene" dress, $316, with gorgeous ruffled collar, and bonus: pockets!



This ecoskin Ecoskin dress, $116, is floaty but fitted: a perfect combo. And while it's not much of a party dress, I suppose, it would be just so chic for a trip to the courthouse.


That's it for things I like from edressme, but look at what I found at asos:



Miss Milne Layered Frill Sleeve Dress, $91.22. I always LOVE tiered dresses and then they look like crap on me, though. Maybe this one would be different, because it has a waist tie??

Whaddaya think, peanut gallery?

Target Has a Fine Jewelry Department?

Don't worry. I'm not getting this. But for a sec, I thought this would make kind of a cool, funky wedding ring, maybe for someone with a square-ish engagement ring. And hello! Seriously budget-friendly!



Target 10-karat white gold .25 carat diamond ring, on clearance for $83.99.

The quality is obviously not going to be great. You don't even need to read the review to know that. But I might get a real jeweler to do something like that, though. And hey, this one doesn't resemble any genital parts that I'm aware of!

The First Wedding Ring I Really Like

Wedding bands are so boring. A circle of diamonds? Snooze. I want something simple, sure, but with a twist. Perhaps literally. We'll see. But tonight I found this awesome, awesome ring, with a little hidden diamond. You can wear it with the diamond facing you, or so it's facing out. I'd probably keep it as my little secret. I'm comforting myself with the fact that it's wider than I think I want a band to be, because goddamn, this thing is over $5k. (That's the price for platinum, and I want a silver metal; yellow gold is obviously cheaper, but it doesn't come in white gold.) Isn't it excellent, though?





Neissing "Refuge" ring, $2864 for yellow gold and $5552 for platinum 6mm bands.

Anybody got any tips on sources for unusual wedding bands like this?

UPDATE: I am further comforted by a friend's reference to this ring as both "wacky" and "Diamond Clitoris."

Bridal Binge: Wedding Dress Also-Rans

I found it. The Dress. It took four separate shopping trips and innumerable visits to sites like preownedweddingdresses.com and Once Wed, but I found it. I wouldn't dare post it, of course, in case the other One happens to look here (he doesn't want to see it till I'm walking down the aisle -- cue awwwwwwws). I will say that I got a gorgeous Anne Barge dress at the Bridal Garden, a not-for-profit resale boutique that sells only samples and donated dresses at heavily discounted prices and gives the proceeds to a charity for New York City children. I was hoping I would succeed there, and I can't tell you how great it feels to support that instead of the money-grubbing, bloodsucking wedding industry. (Getting a crazy bargain feels pretty good, too.) Here are some of the other dresses I bookmarked, tried on, or otherwise drooled over in the course of my weeks-long quest for The Dress:

Watters "Monclova" dress, about $1400. This was one of the first dresses I tried on. I love love loved the folds and ruffles at the bust; it's exactly the kind of organic detailing I was after and had a hard time finding amid all the beading and bling. And it made my waist look small. Ultimately, however, I didn't think that cool bodice was enough, and I wasn't crazy about the huge skirt. Or the price (even though, in wedding land, that is considered one-dollar-sign).


Watters "Torrean" dress, $1300-ish, I think. I started off against strapless but ended up liking a few of them anyway. And I discovered I liked lace, although in retrospect I think it might have been more that I just preferred lace to beading. I'd done my research and put this one on my radar, but it was a little too sparkly in person.


Mary L. Couture bias-cut gown, sadly unavailable. This would have fulfilled one of my major requirements: boob-flatteringness. I wanted something like that: sexy but not slutty. My mom and I might have disagreed on whether this dress falls into that category, but it's worth noting that she, a proper Englishwoman, opined without prompting that I would want something "sexy" and seemed to agree that that was okay. I do not believe I ever heard my mother utter that word before in my life, and I was mildly scandalized. Moving on...


Alfred Angelo style 1127, price unknown, but you can get it on discount sites for a couple hundred bucks. Another boobalicious style. Loved the top, wasn't crazy about the length. Would be perfect for someone who wants a shorter dress but prefers something more modern than the whole vintage/tea-length look, though.


Nicole Miller aqua one-shoulder gown, $620. Not technically a wedding dress, but who cares? I love the one-shoulder look and the crinkliness, and this definitely has a wow factor. Nicole Miller has a ton of sleek, elegant, white wedding dresses in addition to this series of stretch metal ones, too.


BCBG one-shoulder silk gown, $358. So elegant. Hilariously listed as a "mother of the bride" gown.


Jessica McClintock "Charleze" dress, $167. Before I got my dress, I was thinking how fun it would be to have a costume change and be able to dance freely, in a short dress, at the reception. Now, I just can't imagine taking off my dress for anything.


I even think it's better than this Oscar de la Renta embroidered number, a heartbreaking $10,500...


...which sort of reminds me of this Kelima K gown. We saw a whole bunch of their pretty dresses this weekend at the New York Wedding Workshop Signature Event this weekend, and by we I mean Tamar and me, not me and my betrothed, although there were plenty of couples walking around sipping the cocktails and tasting the cupcakes and sitting on the rented white furniture. Only one person, who shall remain unnamed, was blithely tossing piping-hot crab poppers hither and yon. Good times!


But I digress. There were a few dreses I ripped out of magazines more than once (note: I LOVE wedding magazines! weird!), so that I now have multiples taped into my all-important wedding binder. This Melissa Sweet Cosimma dress is one of them. God, I love floral appliqués.


This crazy Betsey Johnson gown also appears several times. I just love the ruffly ridiculousness!

Another heavy hitter in the bridal world is Lela Rose, whose feminine dresses are so pretty and unusual (for bridal). I saw a couple of her dresses at the Bridal Garden, but unfortunately, they were too small. Some examples of her work:







Finally, there is a Seattle designer who makes some truly amazing nontraditional gowns. Tamar, you must get one of these Wai Ching dresses! It's a little scary ordering a custom gown over the Internet, but if they did it right, how awesome would some of these gowns be? The color, the detailing, the sheer fun!