#29: Go Vintage Or Go Home: Spotlight on DOLLY COUTURE

If you've got great taste, a tight budget, a love of all things vintage, and impressive dance moves that require a fun, flirty skirt, then I've got the wedding dress designer for you: Dolly Couture.

This company specializes in short 1950's/ 1960's wedding dresses, but they can pretty much make any kind of custom gown that your little heart desires! And at an extremely reasonable price, too.  (Oh, joy!)

                             Image via ShortWeddingDress.com/blog

Dolly offers a whole line of designs to choose from, all customizable, starting at just $395. (No, that was not a typo!)  Even the custom designs that Dolly draws and creates based on her brides' ideas are often under $1000. (That was not a typo either.)

I had Dolly create a completely customized floor-length lace gown for me with tons of vintage details like a ruffly bustle. What a wonderful feeling it is to have your creative vision come to life! Worth. Every. Penny.

Here's a fun fact for you: My dress inspired the newest addition to Dolly's collection called the "Avila Bay". Click here to check it out.

The last thing I'll say about Dolly Couture (I have to cut it off somewhere, people), is that they offer THE best customer service around. You can call or e-mail them and expect a prompt response from Nickie Scates, multi-tasker extraordinaire and handler of all things related to your gown. You can even talk to the extremely personable and friendly designer/ founder/ owner Dolly Thicke on her Facebook page! There you can ask questions, chat with her other customers about their gowns, and view tons of "real brides" in their Dolly dresses. In short, working with Dolly Couture is not just about buying a dress; it's a unique experience full of creativity, fun, and support.

I'm sort of a softy so I expect integrity, kindness, and heart from wedding vendors, NOT just quality goods. I assure you that Dolly Couture CARES about us customers. And if there is one thing that brides need as they're getting pressured, judged, and ripped off throughout the wedding planning process, it's to feel cared for.

Bravo, Dolly Couture! You get the Brave Bride stamp of approval.

#22: Videography on the cheap

                                         
Remember back when I wrote about the BEST wedding video I have ever seen? You know, the one by the company Aqua Vivus, which that can film your big day so that it's got the feel of a music video, indie film, and documentary all in one? The one that can be recorded and edited in a flash so that highlights of your wedding ceremony can played back at the end of the reception for your guests?

Well. A representative from this company found out that I featured them on my blog and gave me some kick-ass tips on how to create my own video on the cheap. That's right - someone from the wedding industry actually tried to help a $10k bride like me find an affordable alternative to his service! And that, friends, is what I call a small business with heart and integrity.

So here's the note that he sent to me, along with a few of his suggestions:

Hi Kim!
I was just checking my web stats and I came across your blog. Thanks for the amazingly kind words and little feature you did on our work! If you don't have any money for a videographer I can give you a couple suggestions that might help. If a few of your guests have camcorders you can try to strategically seat them so that you can have a few different angles of your ceremony and toasts. Don't forget audio! It is sometimes more important than video footage. You can buy a cheap voice recorder like this one - http://www.amazon.com/Sony-ICD-BX700-Digital-Recorder-Microphone/dp/B001RB1XVG/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1275025006&sr=1-4

and then buy a mic for it like this-http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-145045-ME-15-Microphone/dp/B000815CF4/ref=pd_bxgy_e_img_c

Start recording, slip the recorder in your fiancee's jacket pocket, and clip the mic to his jacket low on his chest.
 
I know you're pinching pennies, so maybe you could put it in your registry?

At the end of the day at least you'll have some stuff recorded by your guests and you can have it edited somewhere down the road...ask a film student with editing software if they want to take a crack at it.

It's not going to be the work of a professional, but 50 years down the road it will still be a great memento to have.

Best of luck!
Good luck with everything!