When prom goes bridal

I tend to think that the wedding dress is the best part of a wedding. Well, at least the best part that you can buy. Wedding gowns are so pretty and delicate and really give the bride an opportunity to show her personality. So, naturally, I was excited when it came time to buy my own wedding dress!

So excited, in fact, that I bought it like six months before I got engaged!

Well, I didn’t mean to buy it that early. It’s not like I was actively searching for a wedding dress. I swear! But, when I was doing some innocent shopping for vintage dresses on Etsy and came across a genuine 1950’s era prom dress, all tulle-y and white and embroidered with flowers, I just couldn’t say no!

(And then I had to hide it the back of my closet so Bryan wouldn’t find it and run for the hills!)

I ordered the dress from Off Beat Vintage while Bryan was riding across the Northwest on his biking adventure last September. It cost $175, and I ordered it knowing it was almost four inches too small in the bodice. However, thanks to my talented seamstress, The Sewing Lady, it wasn’t anything that couldn’t be remedied! The dress had a few quirks – after all, it was old and had been altered a few times before – but it only made it more endearing to me.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I also found my veil on Etsy at Agnes Hart‘s shop. She makes such beautiful headpieces! I had originally intended on wearing a floral crown, but after trying on family heirloom veils while visiting my parents in Michigan one weekend, I couldn’t get over the dreaminess of a long, sheer veil.

I had two pairs of shoes for the day: one pair of barefoot crocheted sandals for the beach (which I also purchased on Etsy) and one pair of vintage kitten heels for dinner, which I found for something like $5.00 at Value World.

My Aunt Darcy loaned me a pair of green earrings to wear, and my mom bought me a vintage pearl bracelet from an antique shop.

While buying a 1950’s prom dress and a 1920’s-inspired veil from two different online vendors was somewhat of a fashion risk, I was overjoyed with the outcome! I wanted to wear something unexpected (I really wanted to surprise Bryan!) and I also wanted to have some fun. Who says a 30-year-old woman can’t still enjoy playing dress up?