Wednesday, August 12, 2009

$411.50 Bridal Look

Here are the things that went into my awesome prewedding photoshoot. All the little details really paid off.

First, I bought this dress off of ebay for $200 (with $25 shipping). I looked for a dress that was my size (bust, waist, hip, and even height) so I wouldn't have to tailor it.


It is made of tulle and very ginormous.



I knew I wanted something really big and poofy because Phil would never let me wear anything that big on our wedding day. He said that he wanted to be able to hold me close to him and not at arm's length! The girl I bought the dress from said she had originally bought it for $2,000! It was preserved in a box and even came with her veil and crinoline (which I dyed purple).


I also bought this white wedding shrug/stole a few months ago. I forgot which ebay seller and how much it was, but I'm pretty sure it was around $25. It's so pretty, and I will definitely use this many times over!


The mannequin pictured was bought from ebay seller talk2sean for $84 with free shipping.


I love it and it will look nice for pictures on the day of the wedding. Measurements of the mannequin were Bust 34", Waist 24", Hip 34". It didn't fit my ebay dress that I wore for the shoot, but it fit my white looking QiPao dress (below) and my actual wedding dress (which I also got on ebay).


The white QiPao looking dress was another ebay steal that I bought for $25 with $12.43 in shipping. I had wanted to wear it for our photoshoot, but we didn't have enough time. Maybe I'll wear it for the rehearsal dinner? Too bad we aren't having a tea ceremony. I would have totally worn it for that. Anybody interested in buying it after September? Can you believe that this is a Jessica McClintock dress?


This dress fit me perfectly and does not have to be altered at all! I am so lucky. Actually, my method is to look for only my size so that I don't have to pay for alterations.


Here is a flower I bought from Forever21. It's so cute and was cheap at $8!


I bought a simple birdcage veil from Etsy seller PishPoshes for $23 with $5.50 shipping. I had originally wanted to wear it with the QiPao for the photoshoot, but we didn't have time for a dress change so I just wore it with my big poofy dress.


Another veil I bought was a simple, long cathedral one from Target, on clearance for $10! I didn't mind trashing it (but it's still pretty clean). I had a $10 gift card so I actually didn't pay a thing for it, score! I'll probably wear it again for some more outside pictures after the wedding.



Finally, the last thing I bought in preparation was the Tobi steamer for $80 from Costco.

I was wanting to buy a steamer forever because I suck at ironing. The only steamer I had heard really good things about was the Jiffy, but it was pricey at close to $200. The only reason I bought the Tobi was because it was at Costco and I figured, if it sucks, then I can always return it. Well, I love it and it was a good buy. It steamed my wedding dress and Phil's suit nicely. Now, I kinda want the Jiffy travel steamer ($69 plus shipping).

The jewelry I wore came from two places: The San Jose Flea Market and a cheap jewlery store I found in Dallas, TX.
My shoes came from DSW, which were on clearance. I forgot how much they were because my mom bought them for me, but they were most likely less than $50. I will write these up in my next post.

So, for a budget beautiful bridal look, it can be done!
Dress: $225
Crinoline dye: $5 (I think? I forget)
Shrug: $25
Veil: $10 (or free with my gift card)
Birdcage Veil: $28.50
Flower clip: $8
Shoes: guestimating $50
Jewelry: guestimating $20
Makeup/Hair: $40 done by friend
Total cost: $411.50!

I did not include the QiPao or Mannequin since it was not used in the photoshoot. Nor did I include the steamer because I will use it FOREVER.

I can't wait to show you pictures! We'll all just have to wait on my dear photographer to give us some sneak peaks =)

How much did your bridal look cost?