This feels mind-blowing to me, but this is our TENTH wedding dress giveaway. Which means ten wonderful ladies have chosen to part with their wedding dresses, with the hope of sharing the love they felt on their wedding day with others. Today Sarah is the one generously offering her dress. The rules are the same as always: Leave a comment about why you’d like to receive the dress. Sarah will select the recipient (with occasional lobbying from me… as hard as I try not to). The recipient pays for shipping, and promises to send Sarah a picture of them wearing it, full of joy. Hopefully the recipient will come back as a wedding graduate too, but that’s encouraged, not required (but we’ve never had a dress recipient grad post yet. Snifff!). Beyond that, remember, if you receive a dress from a wedding grad, they automatically become a small part of your bridal brigade. Keep them in the loop, send them a love note or two. Because suddenly, they are now invested in your wedding. With all that, here we go:
I am hugely sentimental. I keep ticket stubs and champagne corks and old college tee shirts; objects that become deeply associated with memories. But ever since I first read about the Sisterhood of the Traveling Dress, I knew I wanted to pass along my dress. I’ve been waiting almost a year to write this, and I’m so excited to share it with you all.
My dress is an Alfred Angelo #1148; an off-the-shoulder dress with a sweetheart neckline, ruching along the bodice, a corset back, and a train. It is diamond-white (i.e., ivory) taffeta, and was perfect for my super-pale complexion. It didn’t have any major stains or dirt, and has been dry cleaned, so it’s ready to head out to its new home. According to Alfred Angelo, it’s a size 14, and had some minor alterations—the off-the-shoulder-sleeves were taken in, cups added- for ‘oomph’ (I still needed to wear a strapless bra, though), a three-point hook-and-eye bustle, and the hem. The train is GORGEOUS and very bridal (I left it down for pictures and the ceremony) but even when it’s bustled, the back is beautiful.
Some relevant stats: I am 5’5”; I wore Converse for the reception, and it brushed my toes perfectly. My measurements are 39” bust, 29” waist, 41” hip, and I’m a street size 10 or 12, but this dress absolutely has some give in it for a woman with a little more curve (especially up top). The beauty of a dress with a corset back is that there is no fear of losing or gaining a pound, and if you’ve got enthusiastic bridesmaids like I did, you’ll get laced into that puppy and look (and feel) like a million bucks.
A quick aside about the “pee by yourself” dream—clearly, this dress is pretty big and especially monstrous on the bottom and back (i.e., important parts when going to the bathroom). However, I peed by myself in this dress on my wedding day (multiple times, even!). I found a trick that won me over immediately—sitting BACKWARDS. Yes, you read that right. Just use a handicapped stall (so there’s room for the train/bustle), hoist up the front of the dress, and straddle the seat. It worked like a charm (though I strongly encourage practicing beforehand).
In this rough economy, I briefly debated selling my dress, but I quickly realized that the few hundred dollars I could recoup for my dress might be nice, but not nearly as rewarding as the money and stress I could save someone else. I had an amazing night in this dress, I boogied my butt off, and I married the man I love. This dress is full of happy memories, and I can’t wait to pass it on.
