So this weekend my sister came down to pick “the dress”. In anticipation of her arrival I made her some new bride to be digs which included a tank top with iron on bride letters and a zip up hoodie with Bride-to-be on the back. On most wedding sites they list these tops starting from $35.00. Knowing my sister would love them but my bank account wouldn't, I set out to make my own. I went to Joe clothing at my local Loblaw’s and picked up a sweatshirt jacket for $14.00 and a tank top for $6.00. I then went to the dollar store and found some iron on letters which were 50 in a pack. It then took me about an hour of sweat and tears to finally have a finished product which only cost me $21.00. My sister loved them and it was nice they were different then what we seen in the stores.
So, she arrived Wednesday and we went out to three bridal stores in Mississauga including: Best for Bride and Bridal Image which were both lovely shops. My sister liked 3 of the dresses that she tried on but none really gave her that glow or tear in her eye that we all expected. We took some pictures to review that night and set out to the third store that evening which called The Brides Project. This is an old house located in North York and is filled from top to bottom with donated dresses. The donated dresses are from either brides or from designers and all the proceeds go to cancer research. Although we did not find a dress here I was blown away by the concept and determination of these women. The volunteers were amazing much better than any paid consultant we seen. They offered honesty, a friendly smile and they also genuinely wanted to try to know you, asking specifics to my sister about how they met and where the wedding was going to be. Another great thing about the Brides Project is that all dresses are under $1200. They have dresses from Alfred Angelo, Jas, Jade, Vera Wang and many more with a high turnover. But no luck here so home we went.
Thursday morning we set out early to go to the outlet bridal stores in Mississauga where allot of the dresses were cash and carry. My sister didn’t think that this was going to be what she wanted but with such little time for ordering and alterations this was definitely a safer choice for her. So, on we went. My sister must have tried on over 40 dresses that day, every shape, style and cut and needless to say became very overwhelmed feeling like all the dresses appeared the same. So the hunt for the dress ended that day with nothing but frustration, although she did see another 3 dresses that she really liked. When we got home she narrowed it down to two stores for the next day Elizabeth Stewart Outlet and Best for Bride.
So, off we went Friday morning. We entered Elizabeth Stewart where all dresses are under $699.00 with the intention of trying on one A-line dress. Instead on the way into the change room she decided to try on the mermaid style one I had picked out the day before as well. My sisters best friend and myself stood waiting and then........there before my eye was, the most beautiful bride I have ever seen. My sister looked amazing. My eyes started to fill up and I could see in her face that this was it. Although she would have never picked this gown originally, the dress had picked her and it fit like a glove. Total: dress, shoes, jewellery and sash=$650.00 you can’ beat that. Task #2 complete, she has said yes to the dress, with money and time to spare!
