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 Garden321 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 Cake399 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.
Shadows429 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
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