Not just for Cinderella: affording a stylish wedding

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February has arrived. Love is in the air, and wedding bells are ringing.

Almost every girl I know has planned out her wedding to the “T.” I’m talking about what color the bridesmaid’s dresses are, what food will be served at the reception, what font will be on the wedding invitations, what month the happy couple will say “I do,” how the bride will style her hair, what dress her mother will wear but, more importantly, the dress that the bride will wear!

I know for a fact it was Walt Disney himself who planted the beautiful “happily ever after” fairytale in my head at the tender age of three: the perfect story of Cinderella marrying her handsome prince in an elaborate castle, without a care in the world. Yes, her glass slipper was what ultimately led her back into the arms of her prince, but it was her elegant wedding dress that always caught my eye.

As I grew older, spending hours watching Cinderella soon turned into spending hours watching TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress.” I love watching the Kleinfeld consultants hunt for dresses and the emotionally distraught brides–not to mention the outrageous prices. I just can’t see spending the cost of a down payment of a house on a dress I will only wear for less than 12 hours.

For years, I  always associated the name Vera Wang with “perfect wedding dress.” She has designed wedding gowns for Ivanka Trump, Kate Hudson, Jennifer Lopez and Victoria Beckham, just to name a few.

Of course, her gowns are not the most affordable; some custom high-end gowns cost as much as $15,000. Sadly, my dreams of ever wearing a Vera Wang wedding dress on my special day were pretty much thrown out the window after seeing those prices, but two words kept my dreams alive: David’s Bridal.

That’s right, David’s Bridal. It was just last spring when Vera Wang and David’s Bridal announced their upcoming collaboration, and one year later “White” by Vera Wang is almost here.

According to an NBC article, the first 20 dresses in the line are set to hit stores  Feb. 11 and will range in price from $600-$1,500. Due to the struggling up-scale bridal market, Vera Wang decided to join forces with the mainstream bridal retailer.

According to David’s Bridal, the company accounts for 30 percent of the bridal business; which is more than Vera could say about her company when standing on her own two feet.

The bridal market seems to be getting more and more competitive, as if it weren’t competitive enough already. If you were unaware, J.Crew has had its very own bridal collection for almost a year now, and joining in on the bridal fun is the trendy retailer, Urban Outfitters.

On Feb. 14 (appropriately so), Urban Outfitters will debut its wedding brand BLDHN on their online boutique, bldhn.com. According to stylelist.com, BLDHN will offer a curated collection of wedding gowns, bridesmaid frocks, party dresses, assorted jewelry, headpieces, footwear and lingerie, with prices ranging from $1,000-$4,000 for gowns and $200-$600 for event dresses. A stand-alone store is expected to open the second half of the year.

So whether you are currently engaged, in hopes of that surprise proposal or simply a hopeless romantic at heart, there is a dress out there with your name and price tag waiting for your arrival.