Playing Dress-Up

For nearly a year, I’ve been on “wedding spree.” I basically went from zero close girlfriends who were married to four! And while some people may bemoan the mandatory wedding festivities required of guests, I cannot lie: I love them! So, while this point of view doesn’t necessarily make me unique, it does allow me to relish in what others may not appreciate…a chance to play dress-up!!!

Each wedding is a true challenge for me (stylistically-speaking, that is). I believe finding the appropriate wedding garb to be extremely difficult, even for someone as patient as I am when it comes to finding the right look. Typically, I need two dresses: one for the rehearsal dinner and one for the wedding/reception. Finding not one, but two dresses is a deliciously difficult task for any woman, but for me, I’ve found it to be mindblowingly challenging.

Here are some photos of what I’ve worn to the recent weddings:

Jess & Brian's wedding in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. (I'm on the far left.) I'm wearing a purple silk frock from Bebe that I got on sale...a very good sale. *I don't typically shop at Bebe (not my style), but was desperate after months of searching. I aimlessly wandered into the store on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach and left with the dress. It also came with a yucky beaded belt that I immediately cut off...

This is one of my favorite finds of all time: a Catherine Malandrino dress from Neiman Marcus's New Year's Sale. (I actually don't think this photo is very good, FYI, but you can really see the ruffle details on the bodice, which are so beautiful.)

I’ve enjoyed both dresses, but am dying to find a new one for my dear friend Connery’s wedding in Boston in June. I’ve been toying with the idea of renting a dress from Rent The Runway for months and I just haven’t been able to take the plunge. I think I’m going to do it for her wedding, just to try it out!

Here’s the concept: You reserve a dress you want to wear to an event. You input your dates into a calendar, the site lets you know if the dress is available, and it’s shipped out to you. As soon as the event is over, you return the dress in a prepaid envelope. The website features designer dresses (Halston Heritage, Escada, Diane Von Furstenberg, D&G, etc.) that would be extremely hefty to purchase for a one time donning, but can be rented for $50+ dollars, depending on how many days you rent it for and how much the dress actually retails for. You can also rent accessories likes purses and jewelry.

The concept is wonderful, but I’m always contemplating whether or not a dress will actually fit me. If it doesn’t, I’ll be left without anything to wear as the rental is usually for four days (so you receive it right before the event of choice) or for eight days, which is more expensive. They do allow you to order the dress in two sizes or to order a backup dress as another option, to be sent with the original, which is nice.

Check out RTR’s How It Works in further detail here.

Here are a couple of dresses I’m thinking about renting for the wedding in June. I’d LOVE to know your thoughts on which one you like better and why. Post a response in my comments! (Click on the image below to make it larger…)

Dress option 1: Halston Heritage (Snapshot courtesy of Rent The Runway)

Dress option 2: Badgley Mischka (Snapshot courtesy of Rent The Runway)