Alternative wedding dress which doesn't cost the earth?

[threeleftfeet]

Ooh, a S&B picture thread! I have a question up my sleeve (no pun intended )

DP and I are engaged, and I've been thinking about wedding dresses.

I'm not into traditional white wedding dresses. I think they are lovely, but are simply not me at all, it's not what I want.

I'd like to get married in a colourful, pretty dress which has a sense of occasion, but it doesn't need to be weddingy at all. I expect it won't even come from a wedding range.

I don't want to spend the earth! Maximum budget probably about £500 but hoping to spend less. As I'll be giving birth between now and the wedding, I can't say for sure what size I'll be, but hopefully a curvy 14 (possibly more realistically a 16!)

Any ideas lovely mumsnetters? I'm not sure where to start!

Nightwish that's lovely, I like the shoulders especially. However it's still a bit short.

I think I'd like a longer dress.

I am difficult aren't I?!

Where do you go to get posh boho frocks then?

This thread is helping me work out what I want. I think it's

• very boho / alternative
• long
• colourful (although actually my favourite so far is pictish's boho dress which is white!)

Anthropologie?

Sorry, meant to add...

or ...

You could do a boho flower-crown or similiar with this one! Orange blossom or something?

J.Crew?

Thanks for the pics optionalintegration :)

Very nice but - I think I'm not explaining well enough the full extent of what I mean by colourful and boho! (Perhaps I'm using the wrong word? I'm wondering if perhaps I shouldn't have said it was to be a wedding dress at all?! )

Let me try some examples ...

This dress doesn't say "special occasion" enough for me to want to get married in it, but I absolutely love the colours.

And this shape isn't the kind of thing I'm looking for to get married in, but the general style and colours are the kind of thing I think of when I hear "boho".

Ah gotcha. True Bohemian as opposed to posh celeb vanilla boho :)

Will have another think. I like your approach!

Right - the crochet boho dress is from the following retailer. I can't see the actual dress on the site (although I haven't been through it with a fine tooth comb) - but there are loads of others that may well appeal to you.

Only problem is, their pictures are a bit shit unfortunately.

here

I'm sorry, people are making great suggestions. I feel like I'm being an ungrateful so-and-so (I am grateful, really!)

I need some help with this stuff as I usually live in jeans or maxi hippy dresses! I know where to get bargains from but not a clue about the better quality stuff (besides Monsoon).

This is my big chance to dress up, and I want to wear something stunning, but not necessarily reserved. DP and I have a great sense of fun, and I'd like to show that in our outfits.

FWIW DP will probably be wearing something like this:

or this.

(Both from 21st Century Kilts)

"True Bohemian as opposed to posh celeb vanilla boho"

Definitely! Brilliantly put

lots on Etsy

Ha ha! Yes I've found it!

in green

bit wedding-y I guess, but different? I got my wedding dress from Monsoon, it was a bit like this only beaded.

Look at this one!

Sorry that first link is not working.

here

Right getting an idea...what about these

Boho Wedding dresses -scroll down to bottom theres about 6

This?

also seeing loads on etsy.

green

I had a lovely custom made dress and accessories from www.zizzyfay.com

Around 350 and great service. I did have to pay a local dry cleaner for some small alterations but that was me unexpectedly losing weight and nothing to do with the dress, I think!

This is colourful?

I'm a size 14-16 and got married in a Boden prom style dress. They do something similar every season and always have matching shoes and accessories they just tend to change the colours and tweak the design. Lovely fabric though mine is silk. Problem was though that I had to tell all the girls beforehand in case a guest wore the same one! I don't like normal wedding dresses very much and married abroad so didn't want a really pricey one getting damaged in transit!