- Blog
- Bios
- Boards
- Classifieds
- DIY
- Gallery
- Vendor Reviews
- Shop Weddingbee
Weddingbee Blog
There’s one thing in particular that I have in common with a lot of other brides. Here’s a hint:
Its name is Casablanca 1900.
Left: Photo by Erin Jean, via Style Me Pretty / Right: Photo by J. Cogliandro Photography, via Style Me Pretty
Left: Photo by Allison Davis Photography, via Style Me Pretty / Right: Photo by Ben Q. Photography, via Style Me Pretty
Left: Weddingbee Hive Member monicamiller101010 / Right: Weddingbee user asweetpea737
This is a tough post for me to write, because no matter how I try to put it, it makes me come across as snobbish. But it’s something I’ve never addressed, so I’m going to give it a go…one of the things I’m most known for within my family and circle of friends is my fashion sense. I love clothes. And shoes. And handbags. And I have never in my whole life worn the same outfit as anyone…until I picked what might be the most popular wedding dress of 2010. (Really, I’ve even seen threads on the boards awarding it that title…)
When I first got engaged, my visions of my wedding day look were very high fashion. I tore out pictures of Oscar de la Rentas and Monique Lhulliers…Christian Louboutins and Jimmy Choos. If there’s a day to go all out, it’s your wedding day, right? But the closer I got to trying on wedding dresses, the more conflicted I felt about my family spending that kind of money on an outfit I’d only wear for one day. So I made an appointment to try on more practical dresses at Down the Aisle in Arroyo Grande, California, and I promised myself that one day I would make a fabulous fashion splurge to make up for it.
The ladies at Down the Aisle were wonderful, and I just had so much fun trying on dresses! Each one I tried on made me more and more excited about getting married! And when I tried on Casablanca 1900, I loved the Swiss dots on the lace, the subtle sparkle, and its soft, vintage vibe. Not everyone with me thought it was the one, but my mom and I both teared up at the idea of me walking down the aisle in it! So I decided to say yes to the dress!
Then I got home and noticed a few brides wearing it on wedding blogs, including our very own beautiful Ms. Frozen Yogurt. At first I was just so excited to see what my dress looked like on real people! But then, on Facebook, I saw the wedding photos of a girl who I’d grown up with, and guess what dress she was wearing? Casablanca 1900! And then one of my engaged best friends texted me with excitement that she’d found her dress! She texted me a picture, and once again it was “my” dress. (She hadn’t realized it was the same as mine and ended up going with a beautiful Priscilla of Boston instead.) All of a sudden, “my” dress was popping up everywhere! Since then, four more girls I am Facebook friends with chose to wear Casablanca 1900… all of whom had overlapping guests with our wedding!
On our wedding day, I loved wearing my dress. It felt comfortable and swishy and just really fit the vibe of our wedding. But over the past year, it feels like everyone I run into says something along the lines of, “I saw your wedding pictures! You wore the same wedding dress as my daughter/cousin/family friend!” And as shallow as it is to admit, having that in common with so many people just makes a girl who never even wore the same prom dress as anyone else feel pretty…well, unoriginal. I feel like people who know me expected more. Of course I want to appear all confident and everything, so I brush it off and say something along the lines of, “Wow! That is such a fun coincidence! It really is a beautiful dress!” But in an effort to be candid with you guys, I didn’t even post wedding pictures on Facebook until just recently, partly to keep our wedding private, but mainly because I knew everyone would recognize my dress and connect it to all the other people we know who’ve worn it.
I understand that this may be a petty issue to many of you, but it’s really taken me this long to come to terms with it. It’s taught me an important lesson. The point of your wedding is not to be original. As the judges on American Idol like to say over and over again, the best thing you can do is “make it your own.” Even though I have a crazy amount of wedding dress twins out there, I really think we all looked beautiful in the dress in our own way. Looking back, do I think it was “the dress?” No, not really. As hard as it is for a sentimental person like me to admit, I don’t even think I believe in “the dress.” I’ll admit that some days I still dream of floating around in a show-stopping couture gown, or having a dress made just for me like I did with my lace shrug… but who’s to say that I wouldn’t have regretted those options if I’d chosen them? In the big picture, I really truly am glad that I wore Casablanca 1900.
Do any of you know someone in real life who wore the same wedding dress as you? How did you feel about it? Has an aspect of your wedding besides the dress made you feel conflicted about originality?
Your dress was BEAUTIFUL on you, and I love that you changed it to a sweetheart neckline! I’m surprised so many people recognized the dress; I feel like when you pair it with accessories and flowers, every bride and every wedding looks unique no matter what!
i liked reading this post, and i don’t think it comes off as snobbish because i think all brides can understand wanting to stand out in their wedding gown. i had the complete opposite problem - while i loved my dress - i kept wanting to see it on other brides and to this day i still have yet to find a real bride wearing my dress 
probably because its not name brand and can only be bought at a particular store but i couldn’t figure out if that was a bad thing, is my dress super ugly? or is the store i bought it in just in select areas of the country? im determined to find a dress twin somewhere! haha
I think honest opinions like these are what we value from Weddingbee, so thanks for sharing. They make all of us feel less crazy for our own hang ups! But I am so sorry you felt that way!
Also I skipped the line where you said it was the dress, and could totally not tell that they were all the same one…
Maybe this is just me, but I never realized that any other bride wore your dress. I thought that you looked so beautiful in it that it I never noticed it was a popular dress.
I totally agree that it is more about how you wear the dress and make it your own that is important. You looked gorgeous in your dress (as did the other ladies pictured) because you’re unique and beautiful.
I totally agree about the originality thing - although, while I do feel like that somewhat about my wedding dress, my big thing is my name - it had always been very unusual for almost my whole life and I really liked that, but lately, more and more people have been telling me “Oh, that’s my daughter’s/grandchild’s/niece’s name!” Sad face. Ridiculous, I know, but true!
But, I think you ended up in the right place - someone on here had posted a quote about how nothing is original, and really all that matters is you “steal” with discrimination, so that the overall effect is “you” - and I think you totally did that, your look was so fresh and charming with the tweaks you made to it, and that’s really I think what matters!
That’s funny… I think I read every post that you and Frozen Yogurt wrote, and I didn’t even realize (or remember?) that it was the same dress.
I think the great thing is that even though you did wear a dress that was the most popular dress of the year, you did completely make it your own! The way you accessorized it and switched the neckline made it so you. It was absolutely perfect for your wedding.
Oh i love that you wrote this post!!! I feel the same way!!
I also have a pretty awesome fashion sense, and never match other people in what i’m wearing. I bougth my wedding dress, not because it was “the one,” i dont think it is, but i felt fantastic in it. It didn’t have all the elements I wanted, but it didn’t matter, i felt great in it. Turns out, its a SUPER popular dress - Adorea anyone? I even found a FB post from a girl i know (we happen to have the same exs..) who wore the same dress!!! It’s hard to feel unoriginal. But you’re right - we each make it our own…..
I’ll be wearing a dress that many of my friends/sorority sisters will have seen before. One of my pledge sisters has gifted me her gorgeous Priscilla of Boston/Michelle Sweet dress (5 years old), and I feel so blessed that I was able to get such an incredibly beautiful, well-made, originally super expensive dress for free! (My guy and I are having to pay for everything ourselves, and we don’t have lots of money.)
BUT my guy has already crocheted a beautiful blue shawl to wear with it (yes, he IS super crafty), so even though the dress itself will be deja vu for some guests, the whole outfit will be decidedly me.
P.S. You looked stunning, and I totally didn’t even realize it was the same dress as others!!!
I know this is not what most brides want to hear, but 20 minutes after the reception no one remembers what your dress looked like anyway (except you and possibly your mom). That shrug was exquisite, just breathtaking.
I admit, I tried on the 1900, and I loved it, but it was way to formal for our casual intimate wedding!
I find a ton of brides using the “Eat, Drink and Be Married” phrase in a lot of places and I used it on my STD’s, and even though I’d seen it before, it still felt like it was ‘mine’ and I get a little twing of irritation when I see other people using it.
I honestly didn’t even notice you and Fro Yo had the same dress. it just looks so different on different people. Really, people are looking at how beautiful YOU look in it, not what dress it is. All that matters is that you are happy with it!
I’m a wedding bee blog stalker and I didn’t notice you guys had the same dress. Sometimes, we think too much about what we *think* other folks are thinking (wow, too much t-word in previous sentence!) Anyhow, I loved your dress, love this post, loved your reacps.
It’s a popular dress for a reason, Turtle—it’s absolutely gorgeous!!! And my goodness do you look stunning it that gown 
As far as the originality issue, I totally know how you feel, lady. The dress I fell in love with and purchased last year is also very, very popular (this could even perhaps be the reason I’m so reluctant to unveil it to the hive). I’ve gone through some serious dress regret as I couldn’t help but feel many of the same things you felt and eloquently expressed here, but THANK YOU for writing this post. Seriously. You’re right. Despite having a million gown twins, I will totally make it my own LOVE YOU TURTLE!
This is such an honest post, I think the topic is extremely important and can totally understand why you felt the way you did. I think in the end, you hit the nail on the head when you said that it’s not about being original, but “making it your own.” I love that tidbit and will remember it as I start to plan my own wedding.
I’m not in that position, but I can totally see myself feeling the same way you do if the occasion arose. I’m trying in every way to be unique without being tacky. I’m confident my dress will not be “the dress” of 2011, but I’d be pretty much devastated if I saw someone I knew wearing it. Of course, I’d be supportive, but it would indeed kill me a bit inside. And I’d probably obsess over it.
I don’t think it’s snobbish at all to want your wedding dress to be unique and “you.” That’s what you want your whole wedding to feel like! And when so many people wear the same dress, it chips away at the “you-nique” quality.
I just pointed this dress out in a shop to my mom - I love it! And one thing I said to her was it needed a sweetheart neck - good call! 
Also… I understand how you feel, I would probably feel the same way… However… You LOVED your dress, you were comfortable in your dress, and you got MARRIED! I think you have done a great job coming to terms with it
…I had similar issues early on in my engagement because a friend from my church (of like 150) got engaged a month before us (even though they started talking about 4 months after us, and started dating about 2 months after us)… and then scheduled a quick wedding, thus getting married 4 months before us! I felt like it was all ruined… My day was never going to be special… Everyone would just compare it to hers… and THEN we chose the same reception venue - I bawled!
However… on a good note, I got a trial run at my ceremony and reception venue And with the same flower girls (my nieces)… and with some of the same musicians (my brother and sister-in-law)… and with the same pastor (my dad)… and with a couple of the same attendants (again, my brother and sister-in-law)…
I had a LOT of trouble early on - But now, I’m happy for them and happy that we got to know each other better before we got married… And happy that I have more time to plan all of the details that matter to me Needless to say, I do feel like I understand a little bit of what you were feeling
Thank you SO MUCH for posting this. I had such a struggle finding my dress because I’ve recently lost over 100 pounds due to weight loss surgery, and it’s stressful enough dressing a body you don’t know let alone for the most important day of your life! When I finally settled on the dress last month, I made the very conscious decision not to purchase until the last moment (October) because I am still losing weight and don’t know where my body will settle. Had I just paid for it then, I would have closed the book but instead I still have an out. I LOVE my chosen gown, but as I “liked” the designer on facebook I noticed in my news feed every so often I’d see a link they posted to another blog or photo spread that had my gown in it. I even saw some tyrant of a woman wear it on Bridezillas! It had me second guessing what to wear, but I do love the dress. And like you, I don’t think there’s THE dress out there - I could probably find another that I loved just as much. But I don’t want to stress out and go through that process again. I too have decided to buck up and enjoy the dress as I originally planned, with a little extra bling than the other times I’ve seen it. It’s just great to see that I’m not the only one doing so.
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Mrs. Turtle, Central California Age and Occupation: 21, Art Student/Teacher Fiance's Age and Occupation: 22, English Student Engagement Date: August 16, 2008 Wedding Date: July 2010 Venue: Mr. Turtle's Grandparents' backyard, Arroyo Grande, CA About Me: I am a California girl who loves the beach and the mountains, but is quite satisfied living right in the middle where I can enjoy the best of both worlds. I am happiest when traveling to faraway places, wandering through museums, watching old movies, or baking up a storm. Mr. Turtle and I are high school sweethearts and fellow book nerds who both drive Mini Coopers and are most likely to be found browsing in antique stores. We're having so much fun planning our European garden wedding with a vintage twist and can't wait to share more of life's adventures together!
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
Latest Gallery Pics