

Mr. Pinot Noir and I will be joining our friends and family for an informal after party gathering somewhere in San Francisco. I originally planned to wear my actual wedding dress for the get together. After all, I will only get to wear it once! But after my fitting I realized that this just isn’t a practical choice. I’ll want something a little more comfortable for the evening festivities.
My criteria for the after party dress included, but did not require, the following:
1. Costs under $100
2. There is some white in the pattern/design
3. Something I can wear it again (I’m all about reuse)
4. Will allow me to sport a regular bra (no spaghetti straps and nothing strapless)
Mr. PN and I took a trip to Macy’s to look for my after party dress. I must admit that Mr. PN is really good at shopping for me. He picks out styles and colors that I wouldn’t typically try, and they usually turn out to be great. I get the most compliments on the outfits that he picks out. Too bad I couldn’t take him wedding dress shopping with me! After scouring the sale racks, we came up with four options.
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…from posting pictures and blogging that is! I’ve been staying at my parents’ place since taking the bar exam (it’s four hours away from my beloved apartment where Mr. Coconut is no doubt playing Call of Duty) and I’ve done a ton of wedding planning! Is your Google Reader broken?! No. (*Said in a very irritated and stubborn voice). I ignorantly forgot my USB cord to upload pictures and my 2GB SD card is too large to just pop into my laptop.
I have so much to share with you, and I can’t do it yet! Ahhhhh! I know, I suck. This weekend is my bridal shower, Friday is our cake tasting. Too. Many. Things. No. USB.
In the meantime though, I will give you a look at my rehearsal dress. Since our rehearsal takes place on Halloween, it’s only fitting that I should wear this color, right?
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One thing that was definitely on the to-do list while in New Orleans was finding my mother a dress for the wedding. Finding a dress for Mama ST was imperative because
1. She hasn’t seen my dress or knows what colors we are using
2. I didn’t want her looking too matronly, since she’s younger and has fun with clothes
3. But I didn’t want her having so much fun it would look like a hot mess!
I love my mom, but let’s just say her clothing style is very hit-or-miss. As we don’t live anywhere near each other, it was either do it now or do it never. If Mama ST knew how to turn on a computer, I would’ve loved to just send her some photos of ideas and have her pick her own dress that she liked. That not being possible (she refuses to learn, I tell ya!), it was a whirlwind afternoon of dress shopping with Mama ST.
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The rehearsal day is, after all, the first time you will see your entire wedding party together… and more importantly, the last time you will see your fiance before you guys take the plunge! What a great excuse to buy a pretty little dress! I wanted something cute, light, yet would convey “bridal”. These were the candidates in the running…

Satin Bridal Dress from White House Black Market ($158)
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After going through all your suggestions, I purchased the following dress from Cache — a shop I would never have checked out if it weren’t for you!

I recently dyed my hair red, so I thought a blue dress would really complement my new hair color. Mr. Bee really liked the dress (I almost always ask for his opinion) so I found a coupon online and purchased it.
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Thanks so much for all your wonderful dress suggestions! I did end up buying a dress that one of you suggested, but I’m not sure whether I’ll wear it to the wedding. I’ll get your opinions on it in a subsequent post, and pull together a dress wiki on all the fabulous stores you guys suggested.
Meanwhile, let’s talk a bit more about dress designers since many brides buy several dresses for the events leading up to the wedding. Or in my case - and I’m sure for many of you as well - I’m a frequent wedding guest!
My friend Nhung sent me a link to this article that lists the top 10 dress designers. They are:
I definitely have to agree with BCBG, Shoshanna and Tracy Reese! I especially adore Shoshanna’s dresses because they always fit so well – she really knows a woman’s body! As lovely as Oscar de la Renta and Marchesa’s gowns are, I can’t say that I’ve worn dresses from them or the other designers on this list.
What about you - do you agree with this list? Do you have a go to designer when shopping for a dress?
This is a completely selfish post, but I need help finding a dress to wear to my cousin’s wedding!
I’ve looked through all the department store websites and a couple online boutiques, but can’t seem to find anything I love. I’m looking for a cocktail dress that’s not too lowcut and under $250 (of course a bargain is always great!) for an evening wedding in Los Angeles. The green dress below is lower cut than I would typically wear, but it was something I had in the back of my closet for years.
Here are a couple pics of dresses I’ve worn to recent weddings I’ve attended…

(Laundry ($20 from a thrift store), Kathlin Argiro, ABS, Zara in Paris)
Where are some of your go to shops for cute dresses?
Bonus: If you find me a dress, I’ll send you any item you want from the Weddingbee gear shop! ![]()

Yay! Mama Milkshake number two (Mr. Milkshake’s mom) bought two hot little numbers for herself. It’s so nice to see our mothers in dresses, so here’s her very own tribute in the few photos I was able to snap of her. This particular store in Vancouver’s Chinatown had tonnes of dresses that were in the $50-99 price range and alterations seemed to be complimentary! They have a good handful of these stores in Vancouver’s Chinatown, and I realized a little while ago that Seattle offers nothing of the sort. My friend rented a Cheong Sam from a local Seattle shop for her wedding because that was the only option.
I thought with the final decision on the bridesmaid dress, we’d seen the last of my dress orgies…but I was wrong. There are more dresses in the world for me to try on! And it turns out that Mr Milkshake is a pretty darn good photographer!

This blueish-green one below is perhaps even more stunning in this photo than when I tried it on. The color is gorgeous and not garish, and the yellowy-peach details go so well with my skin tone.
I’ve been looking for a rehearsal dinner dress for a long time now. Originally I wanted a white dress, then I wanted a black and white dress, and, finally, I decided on just plain black. A while ago I became a member of the Gilt Groupe website, and every day I get to access some amazing sales. A lot of the items are a little pricey for me, but I’ve managed to find a couple of great dresses.
Today, I found the rehearsal dinner dress. Ladies, I present to you my new Vivian Tam Flower Petal Bubble Hem Dress: