FashionBinge Goes To Kleinfeld And Goes Bridal, Which Begat The Say Yes To The Affordable Wedding Dress + Non-Traditional Dress Post

So, yesterday I went to Kleinfeld and tried on about 20 dresses. My sales woman, Patricia, was wonderful and not pushy and was so so helpful and listened when I said I didn't want a crazy princessy dress with 1000 miles of fabric shooting out behind me, and that I didn't want a ballerina princess pony unicorn dress or anything. And while they didn't carry the Jenny Packham dress I really love, she and Fashion Director Randy Fenoli were so great about trying to find dresses that looked similar to the Jenny Packham dress I love and listening to my prices concerns (and ultimately, it's fine that they don't have that Jenny Packham dress because it's $5,000. Next!)

Anyway, the stuff I saw at Kleinfeld was nice, but a lot of them felt nightgowny, as my friend put it, and even the one I really did like was really nice but just didn't feel right for me -- too Cinderella-ish. So, while the selection at Kleinfeld is beyond extensive (note: their dresses, as they'll tell you when you make an appointment, start at $1,800), it's not the place to go if you're looking for a non-traditional gown. It all sorta reiterated the fact that a traditional white/ off-white wedding dress just isn't for me.

So, later on, I checked out the evening dresses in the windows at Bloomingdale's and saw some awesome non-bridal/ bridal-for-me options. Then I went home and read Tickled Pink's post on wedding dresses on a budget and was inspired to start my search online at places like Nordstrom, Saks, Bloomingdale's and the like to find either bridaly or non-bridal dresses there. I found tons of great stuff by BCBG Max Azria and ABS dresses. Read on please, as they say on the makeup boards...

($248, Bloomingdale's)


($435, ABS, Bloomingdale's)

($438, BCBG Max Azria, Bloomingdale's)

Whatever I end up with, I want it to be very modern, so I really love this one!

($375, Coast, Bloomingdale's)


($2595, Templerley, Net-a-porter.com)


($3760, RM by Roland Moure, Net-a-porter.com)

($3400, Marc Jacobs, Bergdorf Goodman)

I know it's insane, but I've always had a little bit of a drag queen in me and would be fine with wearing a purple sequined dress down the aisle.

Anyway, ladies, if you're just embarking on the wedding dress search, have hope. There's cool stuff out there! Will keep you posted, of course.

xoxo,
FashionBinge