How a last-minute wedding dress disaster made me remember what really matters
I had an amazing process getting my first dress custom-made. But an incident with my curious kitties made my dress unwearable. In swooped my amazing fiance and bridesmaids who rallied to my aid to find a new dress just one day before my wedding! Here’s how the situation managed to make me realize what really matters when it comes to weddings…
Dress designer Alfred Angelo closing down! Are you losing your dress? Here’s help…
The big news is that wedding dress behemoth Alfred Angelo is shutting down, taking along with it thousands of dresses already on order by brides. Are you one of them? Are you now dress-less? Don’t panic, there are some things you can do to snag a last-minute wedding dress…
6 awesome and unique LA wedding dress shops
One of the side effects of working for Offbeat Bride and living in Los Angeles is that newly engaged friends will always ask me things like, “where can I go to find unique wedding dresses in LA?” After almost a year of shopping around, I have managed to track down the top five places to get an offbeat wedding dress in Los Angeles. Go to one of these places…
6 tips for inexpensive and totally stunning custom-made wedding dresses
I’m getting my wedding dress custom-made and I’m so glad I went this route. As a US size 16, and after watching my size 14 sister struggle to find places who even had things in her size to try on, and then settling for something at David’s Bridal, I knew I was going to get a custom dress. I can’t believe more people don’t do this. Here are my tips for making the process rock…
Insider bridal salon tips from a stealth Offbeat Bride working in the field
I work at a bridal salon. As an Offbeat Bride myself, I’d like to say that I work in one of the cool, mom-and-pop boutiques that specifically cater to offbeat weddings, but no. I work in a bastion of Wedding Industrial Complex influence. But I do work with Offbeat Brides every day and I have picked up some traditional bridal salon tips to help you navigate them. Here’s how you can survive (and maybe even thrive)…
Why a dress seamstress might not work on your wedding dress
I am a costumer and have to deal with wedding dresses on a fairly regular basis. Typically, I am the only one in the shop who will go near them — the “scary mess it up” factor exists even long after the dress has been worn and donated to my organization. Many private seamstresses who I have spoken with refuse to do wedding attire because brides (and other members of their party, like Mom) have a reputation for being crazy over their dresses. Most of us are not willing to deal with that sort of drama.