The Dress Saga: The Beginning...

As I noted in my previous post, there is still some unfinished business when it comes to my wedding dress. After getting engaged back in May, I kept telling myself that I was going to be a simple bride, wait, more like a smart bride. I had heard stories about women paying thousands of dollars (I'm talking, more than my car is worth) on a wedding gown which just seems CRAZY to me. I told myself I wanted something simple, comfortable, and classic, kind of like me, but I wasn't going to pay thousands for it. $1,200 was my max, and I thought even that was pushing the limits.

I figured I would get around to buying my dress eventually - preferabley after I lost a few lbs... Then one day in early August, I got an email from The Knot. "Find your Dream Designer Gown at Bargain Basement Prices at Filenes Running of the Brides." Whoa! I could find a designer dress to fit my frugal wedding dress budget. As soon as I got the eamil, the wheels started turning. I was searching for dresses online, checking out all of the designers I loved in the 20+ bridal magazines piling up on my coffee table. Here are a few of my favorites:

(Watters WToo Bridals)

(Watters WToo Brides)

(David's Bridal)

Then I fell in love with Paloma Blanca. More specifically #3958 as seen below...

Simple silhouette... Elegant lace. Strapless. Oh man, I love it. I still love it. I searched online to find out that this dream dress also came with a $3,000 price tag. YIKES, ummmm, more than twice my dress budget. BUT - what if I can find it, or something like it at The Running of the Brides?? That would be PERFECT! So, I was hooked. I was going to run with the brides and find my Paloma Blanca dress at a bargain price. And even if I didn't, I still had 12 more months til the wedding and plenty of time to find that perfect dress.

I got myself so excited to run with the brides that I even had shirts made up for myself and a few of my bridesmaids who offered to come along with me. Here are some photos of my inspiration...

The day was finally here. The girls were all dressed and ready. We all knew what we were looking for. Stay tuned for the next Chapter of The Dress Saga: We Ran with the Brides - and other random men and women in attendance...