One Word: Ebay

Not a great photo of it, but this is my dress. (photo taken by Momma Phares via I-Phone)

Okay, it has been WAY too long since my last post! Sorry I got so behind!

I guess you are wondering what the answer is to my prior post. I posted the question on my social networking site and received some great answers! I also received some feedback in first person from various friends. I first, want to go on a little ramble about dress shopping.

It.Is.Stressful. Or, so I experienced recently with Kelly. It is just awful. Its crowded. Hot. Tense. Nerve wracking. Frankly, I found the whole process annoying. Yes, annoying. I also felt like a steer being herded on the range.

I do not like a lot of people. Crowds...well, they are just stressful and if I can avoid them, I do. Mostly, in a shopping situation. My mom and I went after Thanksgiving Day shopping ONCE. One time was enough for us. Never again.

So, dress shopping I will say is comparable to Thanksgiving shopping. Especially, if there is a trunk sale going on. Dress shops are like car washes. They want you in and out in three minutes. Its sort of like spray tanning too. You go in a booth, pull on layers of crinoline and try on as many dresses as you can in a certain amount of time, only you are sharing a space with a bazillion other brides.

I will say something: I do not care how small your bridal shop is---you will be busy like this at least ONCE a year, I know you will! And do not get me started on chain bridal shops. Ugh. I know there are miracle good experiences out there, but there are a lot of bad ones too.

People are inadvertently rude ( I say inadvertently, but you all know there are those who are purposefully rude as well), they are stressed, they have friends and family with them, they are thinking about $$, their weight, their hair, etc....it is a stressful situation.

Okay, that's enough of my tangent, lets get to the good stuff.

Ebay. Its a beautiful thing. It is fantastic. You can sit at home on your couch with your dog and a glass of wine and order EVERYTHING. I mean, there is stuff on eBay that amazes me..but I digress....

I ordered my dress on Ebay. It was perfect. It is my measurements, my color, my style. If it doesn't fit, it was $200 and I can resell it on eBay. Awesome. I do not have to be worried about getting stuck with an $800 dress that I cannot return.

Okay, so there is that "stress" factor of it not being perfect, but..um...it was $200!!! With shipping, $220. Seriously, I can deal. I am trying it on for the first time this weekend, if it is not it, I will not freak out.

I can order my crinoline on eBay too, for $30 bucks. Yeah, they can cost up to $100+ elsewhere. Is this not awesome, or what?

I suppose the point to all my rambling is simply this: Do not shy away from non-traditional options when it comes to wedding purchases. You can find some great stuff on the internet, just do your checking, read reviews, email the seller, get background info, do your homework and you could end up with an $800-$1000 dress for $200, I did.

The reason my dress was $200, the dress shop was going out of business, just not enough brides in the small town it was located. So, not only did I get a great deal, I helped out a small, locally owned business. I think I did well. So can you! There are other great sites out there, besides eBay that sell wedding dresses, you just gotta do your research. And, who says you can't go try on dresses before you order or even, try on the one you found online.

Wedding dress: Check. $200 Amazing.

Happy Thursday!