Would you rent a wedding or bridesmaid dress/gown?

Admit it, no one likes being forced to buy a dress, especially a bridesmaid dress. Especially if it looks like this. Would be great for an '80s party though...

As seen here.

There are definitely nice ones out there now (remember my love for Monique's new line). But whether the bridesmaids pay (which mostly happens though there are now more instances where the bride pays because well, she is the one that is telling you to wear it) or the bride pays, in many cases it's $100+ per dress. Though I've kicked myself for not shopping at H&M or Forever 21 earlier - they actually have decent cocktail dresses once in a while for <$100! Ouch X no. of girls in the party. Unless of course you or the parents are rich. Then, awesome, Vera Wang dresses and champagne all night long!

Ok now the wedding gown thing - most ladies like wearing the ballgown or sexy trumpet in fabrics and gorgeous cuts we don't wear every day (hello alencon lace, I love you). But again, the average cost of a wedding gown is about 10% of the total budget according to the Knot and based on anecdotal research is somewhere from $1000 -$3000 (Italian friend expects to pay at least that in Euros, ouch).

That's a lot more than the typical Topshop dress.

We pay up because that's just the way it is in North America and Europe. But it's interesting because in Asia, wedding gown and bridesmaid dress rentals are actually the norm. They may even combine this with your photography and groom's rental too. There are actually Chinese and Korean places in NY (I'm guessing Toronto, California have similar places) that do the same thing. My Singaporean friend is being quoted S$3000 for 2 dress rentals and a tux (to keep). Yep you get a traditional light wedding gown and an evening gown. Or if they got together, something like this.

From here. Nice boots!

I love my dresses and the quality is such that I can pass it down or maybe resell some day. Would I have rented the dresses if they were available? Tempting and very possible! Wear it once right? Why hasn't the idea caught on otherwise? The sentimental factor makes me want to keep the dress though cost and space speak a different story.

But rent a bridesmaid dress? Far more tempting and interesting. It's always a challenge remembering which dress you wore around a certain group of people so you don't rewear the same dress. Rent it and forget it. Why not? Renting clothing in general? Intriguing indeed...

Stay tuned for a giveaway related to this rental dress idea soon!

Photo Love: Gritty, grimey, lovely New York City in photos

I do miss it.

I came across Kenny Pang's blog and saw 2 photos I wanted to take but never did because we ran out of time. graffiti of Marilyn Monroe and Angelina Jolie in the Meatpacking District

high-line view from around 18th street - only glass section with full direct view of the street

Then some day maybe I'll have a photo like this.
I really like Kenny Pang btw. Photographers are such awesome artists.

6000 miles away - how I'm planning my Taiwanese wedding

Wedding planning is hard...and planning it in another language is even harder.

Obviously. Ugh.

We're going to Taiwan and Philippines around Christmas time for our Asian wedding receptions. It's been a struggle planning the Taiwanese one especially because my reading and writing skills are about the same as those of my 7-year old niece. Someone told me to start watching tv so I'm starting to watch this cartoon.

I also don't want the typical Taiwanese wedding where I'll have to wear this (I love lace, but red lace gloves? No further comments.)I also don't want to pay to feed lots of random people.
So begins my planning for an intimate affair with good food and hopefully a good price!

I've come up with the following tips to keep myself sane (that are relevant for any destination bride):

1. Research as much as you can and review actual user opinions if possible. The expat and restaurant forums have been good for this (Taiwan Fun and Forumuosa for me) .
2. Visit in person if you can. Pictures don't necessarily tell the whole truth. I can't but my aunt can do this for us.
3. Get a wedding planner. My friends that have had destination weddings said this was a great investment. The wedding planner has knowledge and contacts that you may not have.
4. If you can't get a wedding, planner try to find someone local that can help. This is helpful if you don't speak the language or know the area as well and want to try to negotiate or create something custom. In some countries, this person may receive kickbacks for getting you to pick a certain vendor so be careful!
5. Ask around for advice. Friends, co-workers, someone may actually have experience in that area. It doesn't hurt to ask so tell people what you're doing.
6. Limit projects and what you will bring. You can only bring so much luggage and the overage fees aren't worth it. Of course you can always ask other people to help you transport things in their suitcases. But go easy on the projects and source locally if you can.

Any other tips? I really feel for destination brides now - it's hard work!

Window-shopping and street fests are my budget's best friends

We've been tracking our expenses in Kublax (for London expenses) and Mint (everything else, credit card, etc.) and London has indeed been harder hitting on our collective wallet. We're not eating out as often and I'm incorporating lots of vegetables in our diet, but ouch. NYC definitely has a wider array of low-cost eating options.
We're also spending more because we traded to a bigger flat in our building. We're paying £300 more a month, but now we actually have a big studio! We decided that the extra room would keep us sane. I'm not exaggerating when I say it was tight if we both stood next to each other in the old flat - it was a bizarre long, narrow shape.
So we moved on up to the first floor (that's second floor for the North Americans).
That means I'll be politely declining joining friends who are clubbing at places with £20 cover charges and not eating at Sardo again soon (I'll miss you veal chop, you were delicious).
But I will start researching low-cost things to do in London a lot more closely now and of course window shop. My eyes can own that beautiful Burberry coat even if my wallet can't right now!
I'm heading to Burlington Arcade (longest covered shopping street and arguably most beautiful) today to look at lovely stores like these:
Maybe munch on these...Sunday I'll go to the Regent Street fest (10th anniversary) - should be cute with music and possibly free cupcakes, oohhh!
Have a great weekend!

If I got married in France...and shopped at NYC sample sales - Cymbeline NYC Sample sale - Sept. 25 - Oct. 15

I'd wear Cymbeline for sure. Though of course you know I still would have worn my Monique Lhuillier Parisian as well. Sigh, I loved that dress. The alencon lace, jewel neck collar...le sigh.

Maybe it's because of Cymbeline's photography in front of classic Parisian cafes; imagine a photo session traipsing around the Tour d'Eiffel or outside the glass pyramids of the Louvre. Cymbeline really caught my eye though because of the use romantic French lace (I'm thinking Chantilly or alencon), beautiful lines, and timeless feel. This would be my dress:Though the ruffles and train on this one would be a close contender as well. How couture, feminine and edgy!


Would love to hear about it if someone goes!

Cymbeline Paris Sample Sale
NYC Showroom
September 25-October 15, 2009

Make your appointment today by calling (212) 671-1051.

Cymbeline Paris
5 E 19th St, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10003
email | www.cymbelinenyc.com

Please e-mail me if you want the 10% coupon off Cymbeline accessories from the Knot.

Fun Free Friday (FFF)! DIY ice cream cones/labels from @iDIY @eatdrinkchic and cake buying tips

Oh dear apologies because I have yet again missed Designer Thursday (though I did have intentions of posting about my ceremony dress). I will try to post about Pronovias soon though I still DON'T have my professional pictures. Sigh, it isn't really that hard to send a cd of images to London is it?

Anyhoo, I've been very theme-happy lately with the addition of LOTC so now I'm adding Fun/ Free Friday. Fun is of course why we should do anything and if it's free, even better!

For the ice cream lovers, please find on iDIY a lovely ice-cream centered compilation here. How lovely to have this for a shower or any party really.

Love the tags from eat, drink, chic. As someone who served ice cream cake for her wedding (ummm, slightly more melted than I liked when it was cut but still delicious), I have a special place in my heart for ice cream.

I also wanted to pass along an ice cream cake buying tip: warehouse clubs offer the same cakes for a big discount. I wish I had known this before, but I went to BJ's the day before moving to London and discovered that large Carvel cakes were only $17 there. I paid $25 after coupon for each cake and thought that was good. I don't have a membership but went with someone who did. The other pastries were also decent looking for a great price. So if you do a dessert buffet, consider purchasing them at your local warehouse club. They may have the same desserts for much less!

Glass slippers for the Cinderella in you

Yes, they do exist. Prince not included.
Check out Blog Goggle's post here.

Just a smidge under $10K HKD - not cheap or practical but so cool!

DIY - Use an edge punch to dress up a simple invite and my wedding invitation with edge press and heat embossed images

I found pictures of our invitations! I have just a few but wanted to share in case anyone else had or wanted to create simple invites like mine.

I only had a week to design our invitations (with no background). I knew they would be:
- super simple
- have an interesting textural element
- have a slightly vintage feel
- only one page

I knew I wanted to heat emboss some images to create texture. I also found Martha Stewart Edge punches at Michael's. I edge pressed all the invites and I thought that gave the paper a vintage vibe as well. I used this with our thank you card (which are in NYC now!) and I really like how those turned out though you won't see those for a few months since we're a few thousand miles away.

Note: Edge punches are useful on heavier cardstock. If you experiment on copy paper, it will likely get stuck in the punch.

Tips: Punch aluminum foil to sharpen the punch and wax paper to lubricate it. Also, use a good amount of force when punching or you will have to re-punch the card stock.

The heat embossed flower on the envelope seemed to have the most impact. People loved to touch it!I included the grosgrain ribbon because I bought 27 rolls from eBay and had to use it for something! 

I liked the way the image in back was in back of our names. If I did it over again, I would have included the image in front though.

Our NYC skyline! This was on other aspects of our stationary too.

Reminder:
Blossom Stamps has generously offered the following discounts to Chic 'n Cheap readers:
Offer #1 - 10% off orders of less than $40, 20% orders $40 or over - stock stamps only.
Offer #2 - Order a custom stamp, receive a free return address stamp.

Luxing it on the cheap (LOTC)- Jimmy Choo/H & M (new pictures)

In a very London-inspired (and generally Chic 'n Cheap) moment, I've decided to add a regular section called "Luxing it on the Cheap" or LOTC.

London is indeed fab. But it is also not cheap.

At first London prices scared me because I was coming across items like choi sum vegetables for£7.5/kilo (seriously) or 6 eggs for £1.5. I was pretty bummed. But there are bargains if you look around (Thank you, Tesco for reasonable grocery prices). In terms of fashion, I've come across wearable/affordable pieces from Next, TopShop, and even Marks & Spencer (besides the standbys of H&M and Zara of course).

So in this first feature, I'm actually covering a designer collaboration we covered before: Jimmy Choo collection for H&M. I found some great new pictures from blogger Bags, Shoes & Beyond and wanted to pass them along. Prices for the handbags, jewelry, shoes, and clothing will range from £40-£200 so it certainly puts Jimmy Choos within reach. Definitely checking it out on Nov. 14 (participating stores will be listed starting Oct. 15)

Here are some faves:

ooh, what an acessory with a LBDLove that it's just a small touch of a print, simple edginess

Ok, I finally got into Gladiator sandals - are they still in?! Either way, love the straps

Great with some tights or a cute dress

Jenny Yoo 2010 #wedding fashion show - NY(9/29) and Chicago (10/8)

Fashion. Prizes. Gift bags. Jenny Yoo 2010 collection - I am so there (if I wasn't in London, sigh).
Either way, love the new bridesmaid dresses. I'm really falling for the one-shoulder look - edgy and refined at the same time. I'm also just loving the wearability of these bridesmaid dresses.
Details and RSVP here.

$20 for a bride and a guest.

Win Richard Nicoll or Red Bull Fashion Factory tickets for #London Fashion Week

I've had Fashion Week fever ever since I saw London become a trending Twitter topic because of London Fashion Week. Man, the power of Twitter to sway easily influenced minds. Yeah I need to find a job here. Stat.

So the next thing I do is search for tickets of course.

Richard Nicoll clothing - laid-back with great draping.Enter here to win tickets to his London Fashion Week show.

Enter here to win tickets to the Red Bull Fashion Factory.

Good luck!

Designer Thursday - Monique Lhuillier bridesmaid line(and my reception wedding gown!)

How can I write about fashion and not write about one of my fave wedding and overall high-end fashion designers: Monique Lhuiller.

Isn't she lovely? She is a Filipina fashion designer based in the United States and she is of mixed French and Spanish-Cebuano descent (from her Wikipedia entry).
Lhuillier and her husband Tom Bugbee, founded their company in 1996 and launched their first bridal collection (as a 25 year-old!) shortly after she designed the apparel for her wedding entourage (which was also a high society wedding). Her bridal and ready to wear collections have already been a hit and now she has launched bridesmaid dresses!

Here are some favorites:

The one-shoulder classic look is awesome  while the pleating is great on the second dress.

I loved the last design and it is close to an Amsale I originally wanted for my girls.

How lucky for girls that can wear these styles now! Actually I will probably look for one to wear to a formal event - I love the practicality and rewearability of these gowns.

Now for my reception gown (ceremony gown here). I bought the Monique Lhuillier Parisian 2.5 weeks before the wedding and wore it for the reception.  I was obsessed with alencon lace (my journey here) and was crestfallen I couldn't find an alencon lace dress that was actually affordable,

Then I saw the dress (it was actually the second one within my size posted on eBay in a few weeks),  I bought it, truly loved it, and will be wearing it to our small Asian reception at the end of the year.

Here I am! My brother thinks this is one of the best pictures. I agree. Embrace the cheese and make faces (though I've decided to crop out mine).

P.S. I got it on eBay for almost 90% off retail price (remember the start price is pretty high tough).

Chic 'n Cheap ladies.

@HaydenHarnett NYC in-store warehouse and studio sale - Sept 18- Sept 20

Go.

Seriously.
I've gotten clothing for as low as $1 and bags as low as $75. Either way, one of the best brands for the quality and price even at their regular prices.

You could get dresses like these for 60-80% off (under $100, maybe under $50)
when: friday-sunday, September 18th-20th
where: both HH design:shop locations
brooklyn: 211 franklin street, greenpoint
manhattan: 253 elizabeth street, btwn houston and prince


time: 12-8 p.m. daily


what: Amazing sales and bargains on samples, past season merchandise, one-of-a-kind items, vintage items, and bizarre space oddities that need a new home. All spring-summer 09 collection apparel, bags, shoes, and accessories will be 60-80% off.

Bilingual or even Multilingual #wedding invitation options

So I'm still keeping up with wedding planning details because I'm helping a friend plan her wedding. One of the things she's asked for help with is invitations. She's Chinese and he's Polish.

She thinks she'll probably have her invitations printed in both English and Chinese (though she dreads the Chinese part because her written Chinese isn't great). I guess the Polish part is not needed which is good because the only Polish things I can help her with are kielbasa and pierogies. Yum.

So, what do you do if you want to translate into another language?
Choices:
- Google translate or Babelfish
They're not 100% accurate though due to grammar differences in languages.

For example: "We're getting married!" should be "我們要結婚" but I had to type in "We want to get married!" to get that result.
I told her she should probably ask her mom to send a translated version over. :)

Alternatively, she could find an invitation store in her local Chinatown. I had a friend order her Chinese scroll invitations in Hong Kong. That's hard-core.Luckily there are a few stationary people that meet her needs.
I met the invitation designers at Double Happiness Creations. They've done wedding invitations in Chinese, Korean, Japanese, German, and Spanish (maybe more).

They have some lovely options (sorry can't copy images because I don't know how to do that from Flash) and I have also seen them print on velvet and wood!

Hapa Culture also has some cute invitation designs (their portfolio doesn't seem as large though). Here were a few favorite images:
Yin invitations - kinda looks like an old Chinese paintingMing style thank you cardsOtherwise, I think a custom invitation would be pretty cool too. Anyone know bilingual graphic designers? :)

@Bridaltweet giveaway - Win free jewelry rental from Adorn Brides

Dangling diamond earrings. Check.

Yes, these beauties can be yours for the day courtesy of Adorn Brides..
Win a chance to rent these beauties just by joining BridalTweet before Oct. 30.

Enter to win free Bare Escentuals makeup and a makeup artist for your wedding from @100layercake

I don't wear makeup and yet have come to love Bare Escentuals. Smooth coverage, non-cakeiness, SPF15 - yep, good stuff indeed. So good I wore it when I did my own wedding makeup. Well that and Laura Mercier moisturizer just in case. I'll write about my makeup soon for people who want easy makeup and don't know much about it like me.

I even received the Starter Kit as a bridal shower gift. Holla. Yep, I've brought it to London.

I'd love for one of my blogger buddies to enter to win free makeup and a makeup artist for your wedding from Bare Escentuals.
Just enter here.

Priscilla of Boston Wedding and bridesmaid gown/dress Sample sale nationwide - Sept. 17 - Sept. 21

Thanks for the tip Bridechka!
Dresses starting at $199.
I saw someone buy a unique vintage glam $500 dress/$5000 retail.

Bridesmaid dresses starting at $19.99.
Yes, I bought a gorgeous $19.99 teal chiffon floor length dress last time.

Go. Info here.

eBay finds - Vera Wang wedding dresses

I love eBay and used it a lot for the wedding. I thought I'd start sharing random eBay deals I see online.

Vera Wang strapless silk a-line with cute crinoline. Starting at $199.

Vera Wang ivory tulle sheath gown. Gorgeous, could have totally seen this for my original vineyard wedding. Starting at $149.

Disclaimer: I'm not advertising for anyone and think these are authentic, but am no expert. These are just pretty things I see on eBay.

p.s. Sorry about lack of pictures, I couldn't figure out how to save the images.

How to research wedding hairstyles

Ms. Westside Wedding had a great post outlining the various sites to research wedding hairstyles.

I wanted to repost and add a few (first 4 are from her):

1. haircomesthebride.com: This site has a lot of pictures of celebrity hair styles. Like everyone on theknot that wants their hair 1/2 up, I am inspired by Carrie Underwood's hair.
2. brides.com: Refine your search by the type of hair you have, the length and the look.
3. Theknot.com: They have wedding 101, you can search by the same above criteria and you can even take a quiz on how you should wear your hair. One of the questions was "You can't leave the house without…" but all the options had to do with beauty, I needed an option for iPhone!
4. Oncewed.com: They have interesting wedding styles from "Mariah Carey", "Wild and Crazy" and "Spanish Up Do", I had serious doubts that they would be able to show me pictures of hairs that could be described in such titles but let me tell you that wild and crazy did look wild and crazy and the spanish up do is how 90% of girls wear their hair at the quincinera!
5. jenniferbehr.com - Seriously I got inspiration from this accessories design site
   
6. Yourweddingcompany.com - directory of other bridal hair websites
7. Onewed.com - categorized into ethnicity, type of do, and type of look - it's pretty cool!

Sexy boots for the wedding and after!

So I've seen a few people with awesome cowboy boots for their weddings (or they plan to Mountain Bride, are you one of them?)

But I was browsing through Barney's today and thought, whoa about white wedding boots? Comfy looking and sexy too!
Chloe Lace Up Over-the-Knee Boot at Barneys New York

This is also so hot too - love all the folds! Ok maybe not for the wedding - but talk about a statement shoe...Jil Sander folded knee boot - $1895

Le sigh. To be rich and have a huge shoe collection...

Geezees Custom Canvas Giveaway - ends Sept. 15

A picture is indeed worth a thousand words. But isn't it nice when you can combine that perfect picture with the right words?My friends had one of their engagement shots (the two of them hugging near an old theater) blown up into a large canvas and displayed this near their escort cards. It was just so lovely and fun.

Geezees makes custom canvases to commemorate those special moments and are giving away a custom canvas. Enter here for your chance to win a custom canvas!

Newlywed life - My new neighborhood in London and funny pix

So I'm 1 week in as a London resident. It's been lovely so far and I've walked EVERYWHERE. I really love the architecture, buzz, and history in the city.

We live in a tiny studio in a great location though so the space will be nice and challenging. Imagine living on 2 burners, a fridge that goes up to your knees, and 1 combo microwave/convection oven! Yes, cooking has been a challenge. I no longer fry/sautee anything.

But we are in our first place together and it's been cool. It's interesting meeting people for the first time and introducing yourselves as a married couple - they only know you as a unit now. We've slowly gotten used to it though. After the initial giggles, we are simply husband and wife. I didn't feel that different, but he said he did because he's much more a part of my family. He even calls my mom and dad "ma" and "pa" now (like me). :)

Anyhoo, I can hardly miss the craziness of NYC when I see such fun things here in performance art, baking and restaurants right by us! If you try of the restaurants, let me know!

Guys in skirts juggling (1 on a unicycle) in Covent Garden

Ben's cookies - don't they look like rolls and they're huge!

Ahhh yes, authentic American Fried Chicken!Texas Embassy restaurant (couldn't get the state flag that was at the side)

Win a free $2500 jewelry rental from preownedweddingdresses - Ends Oct 31

To be a movie star and be lent thousands or millions of dollars of free jewelry...alas most of us don't get that lucky rental. Now there are services that actually do rent out luxe jewelry we normally wouldn't get the chance to own.

Winning a $2500 rental - woohoo, here comes the bride adorned with bling!
Enter here for your chance to win - I hope one of you ladies gets to wear something like this!

Anna Sui "Gossip Girl" inspired looks at Target tomorrow - Sept. 13!

No I'm not 16 nor am I an upper-east side private school girl. I also don't follow every trend. But I do love pops of color, nice draping, and the comfort of long tunics and tights.

That's why I'm glad I stumbled across some of the Gossip Girl inspired looks by Anna Sui launching tomorrow. I'm all about affordable vintage chic after all (most dresses are about $50-$60).

I also love that these some going out as well as office worthy. Love practicality!

Here are some of my favorite looks. Ladies that can buy in the US, I'm very jealous! Please shop!