Weddingbee Blog

Alright, I had a little talk with Mr. Tulip about not reading this post…. Which means I can finally show off my wedding, uh, dressES…!

Mr. Tulip, here’s where you stop!

OK. So. Once upon a time I searched the Internet for dresses and fell in love with the style of Alfred Angelo 1839. But it was $700 when new, and even the cheapest Web discounters listed it for around $430. And this budget bride thought she could do better on eBay.

I ended up buying an eBay dress for around the same price as the discounted Alfred Angelo. But in this case, it was an Italian silk designer gown (sample dress) by Lucrezia Sposa that originally retailed for over 2,000 euros. It’s beautifully made, fits my mental picture of a 1920s-ish wedding, and has the interesting feature of an attached mantilla veil that can drop down as a sort of bustle when you’re not wearing it.

The only trouble was, I never really felt attached to the gown. Part of the problem is that I’ve gained weight in recent months, and I looked a little stuffed in. And the top was a bit big, which I know alterations could fix. (But not much they can do about the first problem!)

Meanwhile, I had a “saved search” on eBay for my original Alfred Angelo. In all these months, exactly ONE showed up — in my size and for only $215! I dithered back and forth based on the fact that I already HAD a dress, and feeling snobbish about the idea of trading in designer Italian silk for mass-market American polyester with a zipper back…. But eventually I decided to bite the bullet.

So, here’s the thing. I love the Alfred Angelo dress. I love the way you can just unzip it and step in, and I love that it’s roomy and comfortable on me. When I first got it, I thought, “Yes, this is the one!” But in looking at photos today, I think the Italian dress just looks so much richer and prettier. Now I can’t decide.

Dress #1 — Lucrezia Sposa

Dress #2 — Alfred Angelo

(Pardon the self-timer photos. And the dogs, who were fascinated with the whole process!)

(Veil borrowed from the Lucrezia, just to see whether I wanted to wear one.)

So, time to take advantage of the combined wisdom of our WeddingBee community: Of course I’ll ultimately pick the one that feels most “right,” but I’m interested in your opinion.