Dress Hunting - Unconventional Excursions

Here are two examples of recent dress-hunting excursions in the Northern California region I test drove with my good friends.

San Francisco Outing

Since I'm not wearing a conventional wedding gown, I've missed out on some of the traditions and hoopla around finding a dress. Dress-hunting excursions, whether for a corset or an ivory gown, can be a truly memorable day out with your best lady friends. Having the team to weigh in on decision making and generally create the celebratory mood is key! Involving friends made some of the daunting decisions much easier.

Dollhouse Bettie Lingerie Shop
1641 Haight St. San Francisco, CA
http://www.dollhousebettie.com
A really great selection of vintage and pinup-inspired lingerie with a great color selection including reds, blacks, whites, pinks, blues and purples. Dollhouse Bettie has a wonderfully helpful staff and a really nice atmosphere. They also have fabulous robes, old school lingerie, a few corsets, a great selection of pasties and other accessories. Lots of options for both tiny and generously sized women! To top it off, the prices are totally reasonable. Bras run about $30 and I got a gorgeous vintage black slip skirt for $19.

Just down the street is Iris, another great lingerie store with good options for the boudoir. Their website requires Flash, here is Yelp Review Link. Iris, 1472 Haight St, San Francisco, CA

Corset fitting at Dark Garden
321 Linden St San Francisco, CA
http://www.darkgarden.com
This was a truly amazing experience. Dark Garden is a luscious, a velvet-lined space with an array of corset styles, lace accessories, and jewelry. The corsets are expensive, but run less than a typical wedding dress. If you are even considering getting a corset, then you’re someone who will wear it more than once and doubtless enjoy it. The store owner, Autumn, did the fitting with me and was particularly helpful picking the right fit and fabric, which is its own art form. These folks truly work magic.

Finish the day with a nice treat and debriefing at….

Citizen Cake
399 Grove St San Francisco, CA
www.citizencake.com
While the wedding cakes are about 400% out of my budget - why not have my cake and eat it too! Visit Citizen Cake for a treat with your friends and partake! They have a full lunchroom and a patisserie. We ducked into the coffee shop and had excellent cappuccinos accompanied by a signature Citizen Cake Cupcake.


North Bay Outing

I accompanied one of my best friends as part of her dress-finding entourage in Marin County. Though she lives in Santa Cruz, she had tried a few local options without success. Jewels on Pacific, while full of affordable destination and special occasion dresses, is hit-or-miss with selection. She’d also ventured to David’s Bridal and practically suffocated in the swathes of white crinoline. On a recommendation, we went to San Anselmo and ended up finding her a beautiful ivory empire-waist goddess gown that literally took my breath away.

Shadows
429 San Anselmo Ave. San Anselmo, CA
http://www.shadowsbridal.com
In addition to a really extensive selection of good wedding dresses, Shadows has a large range of vintage dresses, jewelry, accessories and special occasion dresses in a full rainbow of colors. Make sure you schedule a fitting to make sure you have a dressing room. The ladies at Shadows are extremely helpful. They also have a good tailor they work with for alterations.


Finish the day – or take a break before going back to do veils at...

Debbie Does Desserts
(also does wedding cakes)
This cafe is a good spot for a sandwich, soup, or fresh salad enjoyed with friends and a glass of win. It's a fabulous lunch café and has a beautiful outdoor patio overlooking the creek.
http://www.debbiedoesdessert.com

June 21st, 2009 - San Anselmo Bridal Walk
11am-5pm in Downtown San Anselmo
Though this event is probably more typically bridal - since Shadows is involved, there should be some interesting options.... for info... http://www.dsama.org

Red Wedding Dress

Like many of my peers – I bring a blend of originality and tradition to my wedding vision. I originally planned on wearing my mother’s wedding dress. When I took it out of its box and stood there clad in 40 years of yellowed lace and expectations… it was just clear. This was not my dress. This was a 1960’s relic from I. Magnin picked out by my grandmother. Even though my mother passed away several years ago, it is clear that wearing her dress is not the solution to that loss.

That is when I knew – my wedding dress would be red. I fully support everyone doing what they feel: wear white, wear red, wear green polka dots and stand on your head - as long as it represents you! While I feel more comfortable in red, a dear friend of mine is going to look gorgeous in her vintage ivory gown. Every person should be supported in doing what they choose and have resources to realize the vision!

Different does not mean more affordable. This Jovani dress above, while gorgeous, is $1,300. Prom 08-09 style #15773

Custom Couture Corsets

These corsets offer a luscious solution for the unconventional bride with a bit of an edge. Corsets look and feel incredible and are forgiving of every figure! Who knew that California’s greater Bay Area and Central Valley are thriving hotspots for custom couture corsets. The prices are pretty reasonable for the product and quality. Any prices shown below are approximate based on web listings.

Isabella Corsetry, Sacramento, CA USA
Custom Corsets – on the expensive side, but really good quality for corset-aficionados. ($99-$350)
Isabella Edwardian Overbust Corset










Dark Garden, San Francisco, CA USA
These San Francisco based corset queens make truly incredibly corsets. Their Le Jardin bridal couture line is gorgeous as well. For a corset you’ll enjoy for decades to come, Dark Garden is a great choice.
($235-$950)
Dark Garden's Le Jardin Bridal Corset Line






Corset Connection, Fullerton, CA USA
Incredible range or styles and colors. High quality and reasonable pricing. They also have a delicious selection of skirts and accessories that will delight red-dress-seekers.
($200-$400)
Corset Connection Romance Overbust Corset
(at left)





Meschantes Corsetry, NC USA
A really incredible and well priced range of custom and ready-to-wear corsets and inspiring looks.
($180-$300)
Meschantes Contessa Corset (at left)






My friend sent me this link for Tactical Corsets. While more hardcore than most unconventional bridal themes - they may be appropriate for Burning Man brides and I can't help but post it. These corsets were a hit at the Maker Faire in San Mateo, California.

Dress Hunting - Tips & Strategies

Once I decided on a red dress, I set about looking for options, and in so doing embarked deep into the wedding kingdom – a frothy, creamy white but unexpectedly rigid world.

I was looking for something between $200-500 that was red with black highlights - something elegant and sensuous that reflected me. I wouldn’t have anticipated it being so difficult to find a red wedding dress. I’m not even talking about period costume wedding or gothic wedding – just anything outside of cream and eggshell. Several sites pretending to be for red wedding dresses are just ad sites – So I am committed to filling this egregious information gap for all of the unordinary women out there.

Finding your red wedding dress
(or other interesting colors!)

Look at Prom, Bridesmaid, and Evening Dresses!

• The secret to finding a red wedding dress is to not look for a wedding dress. Looking for a prom dress, evening gown, or bridesmaids dress offers a huge range of more interesting and affordable options. Many prom dresses even include a bit of a train. Though many prom dress designers have nothing to offer the unconventional bride, an increasing number of designers are offering classy, sexy, and elegant options. These dress prices range from $150 - $800 and average about $350.

• My Picks: Unwedding dress designers
  (see full list in sidebar)
  Jovani, Alyce Designs, Alvina Valenta, Dave & Johnny, Faviana, Night Moves by Allure, Tony Bowls

Anyone find any other good designers I should add?

Custom Made Corsets & Dresses

• Go for Baroque: One can find custom gown makers who specialize in artful design for faerie-folk and period weddings. Some of these dresses are truly breathtaking but the price tag and timeline can be prohibitive. If you have a lot of time and a budget of $1000-$3000 this may be an interesting option. A custom corset, however, can be paired with a luscious skirt and cost much less. There are a surprising number of custom corset shops with reasonable prices, listed in the sidebar.
• Custom Online: This option is a mixed bag. You can find custom gowns on Etsy and online and from suppliers in your state or overseas. Some custom gowns are truly works of art and cost as much, ranging from $3,000-$5,000. However, there are increasingly more options on Etsy and other incredible seamstress magic-makers with dresses for $200-$600.
• Overseas Online: My experience with overseas online custom/designer copy gowns has been mixed. Prices and quality can vary extensively. And of course you save a lot of money, but they're possibly made by children....
  
• Go Local. Finding someone local can be a great success. My sister-in-law had an ivory dress with red empire waistband done by a local seamstress for $500. If you know what you want, this might be a good option for you. Look on Yelp for good seamstress and alteration reviews.
• (more specific ideas coming soon...)
  

Vintage

• Check out evening gowns and costume shops. You may find something interesting, but vintage is best for ladies seeking at the white end of the spectrum.
  
• www.preownedweddingdresses.com is an interesting site and sometimes has an occasional red stripe in the mix...
  

Bridal Boutiques

• Unconventional brides are seldom served by mainstream boutiques. The San Francisco Bridal Galleria has zero red dresses. The first obstacle is that any woman looking for a touch of color will find almost nothing in bridal salons and boutiques. If you want a traditional dress shape, you may have luck with a few mainstream designers.