Looking for Stylish Modest Wedding Gowns?

Well hello J.Crew!  J.Crew's 2012 wedding collection is offering up two stylish modest wedding gowns that require few alterations.  Are wedding gowns with long-sleeves finally making a come back?  You tell me...

New York Weddings Event

New York Weddings magazine is throwing an event that will be sure to inspire any bride's wedding vision...and tickets are affordable (online tickets are only $40 for 1 ticket or $60 for 2 tickets).  If you're looking for fresh wedding ideas, access to top wedding vendors, or you'd like any particular wedding questions answered, I highly recommend attending this event.
When:  March 28th, 2012 5-8pm
Where:  Metropolitan Pavilion (125 West 18th Street, NYC)
Cost: online tickets are $40 for 1 ticket or $60 for 2 tickets

Buy tickets before they're sold out!

More Stylish Modest Bridesmaid’s Dresses

Bloomingdale's latest wedding lookbook offers up some stylish modest bridal dresses.  And for those winter brides out there, check out the faux fur wrap... a great solution to making your wedding dress more modest!

Wedding Dresses with Sleeves are Popular (Again)

Glamour magazine has published their top choices for wedding dresses in 2011, and I am excited to say several of these dresses have sleeves!!!  Could it be that secular fashion is turning its back on exposed skin in favor of the modest looks from the past?  According to Glamour's taste for 2011, the answer is a resounding YES.  As fashion moves forward and we enter 2012, there is more than a glimmer of hope that modesty is making a come back, and the new modest fashion trends seen on the catwalk will make their way to your local stores.  Finally!  Here are some of Glamour's top wedding dresses of 2011:

How to Build up Bridesmaid Dresses

I have to admit that I went a little insane when trying to figure out the best choice for bridesmaid dresses that were modest yet stylish and unique (and inexpensive!).  If you already haven’t noticed, it’s hard to find off-the-rack bridesmaids dresses with sleeves.  One common approach to resolve this issue is to select a fabric and color to be used for building the dress and have your bridesmaids figure out the seamstress situation...the design, cut and cost of the dress.  I chose not to take that approach, mainly to ensure that the dresses were not too expensive.  So, what did I do?

1. The Look:  Find pictures of the perfect modest bridesmaid dress:  I used the internet to find inspiring long-sleeve styles. Check out these ideas.
2. Where to Purchase:  Determine whether the dresses that you found inspiring are accessible, reasonably priced, and can be purchased online or at a local store. 
• I couldn't access the dresses I wanted.  I found a great dress online that I would have purchased but it would take too long to arrive with enough allotted time for alterations.  Instead, I got the brand of the dress and the style number so I could refer to the dress when inquiring whether a seamstress could make it or order it and make alterations in time.
3. Reasonably Priced Seamstresses:  Assuming the dresses cannot be purchased online or at a store, find reasonably priced tailors or seamstresses that make custom gowns in your area.  This can be tricky since most seamstresses may not want to give price estimates over the phone.  They will say they need specifics such as the style and material of the dress.  Ideally, you should be prepared to email or refer them online to pictures of dresses that include the style number and designer’s name.  If they still won’t provide estimates, DO NOT give up –some seamstresses may be reluctant to provide estimates but trust me, there are seamstresses willing to work something out.  Find a seamstress willing to give an estimate, but don’t hang up until you have negotiated the best offer. 
4. Negotiating with the Seamstress:  You’ve already found the look you want and can refer to the brand and style number of the dress.  Have the seamstress go online and view the dress to determine if s/he can make the dress or order it and make alterations in time.  Show that the dress online costs x amount and state that you cannot spend over y amount per dress.  If there are at least a handful of bridesmaids, you can also sell the fact that you are buying in bulk.        
• After calling four seamstresses that were unwilling to provide estimates over the phone or were unwilling to try to work something out I was about to give up and give in to pulling out my hair.  I hung in there and called the fifth seamstress on my list.  She was amazing – right from the start it was obvious she was the one.  Why?  When I asked her if she had any Landa long-sleeve dresses and she said no, she immediately followed up with “but I can customize a dress just like that”.  I responded that a customized dress sounds expensive and her response was “what is your price range”.  I said the Landa dress was $150 and I wanted to pay somewhere in that ballpark.  We negotiated to $163 per dress… an amazing deal for tailored long-sleeve bridesmaid dresses that had the look and feel I envisioned.
• Who was this amazing seamstress?  Jacqueline from Staten Island (718.370.3936; jkline46@aol.com ), and yes it was 110% worth driving from Manhattan to Staten Island to get fabulous long-sleeve bridesmaid dresses at a discounted price. 
5. The Pseudo Bridesmaid Fitting (a fitting without having to go to the seamstress):  Now that you’ve negotiated a reasonable price, you need to have your bridesmaids fitted.  But this could be a problem if they live far from the seamstress.  No worries!  My seamstress was willing to have each bridesmaid fax over or email specified dimensions.  My seamstress provided the bridesmaids with a form that had a picture of a woman and all of the measurements needed for each part of the body.  This is a list of measurements she needed with sample inches per part:        
• Bust: 32"
• Waist: 27.5"
• Abdomen: 32" 
• Hip: 39" 
• Shoulder to Shoulder: 12.5" 
• Shoulder to Shoulder Back: 13.5" 
• Center Back Length: 15" 
• Arm Around: 10" 
•  Dress Length: 54"
• Sleeve Length: 15"
6. Since my seamstress was inconveniently located for my bridesmaids, I picked up all bridesmaids dresses and gave them to my bridesmaids at my bridal shower.  End of story!  It’s that easy :)

Stylish Modest Bridesmaid’s Dresses

If you’re looking for long-sleeve evening dresses now is the time to find them.  As the winter months approach, several major department stores offer a wider selection of long-sleeve options.  Not to mention, you’ll find sales, discounts and perks like free shipping and free returns at these stores around this time.  I’ve found the best selection of stylish modest dresses to be at Macy’s, Nordstrom, Dillard’s and Bloomingdales.  While some of these dresses can get pricey, most are affordable and don’t require a schlep to a seamstress for customized cuts.  

There are also certain brands that tend to offer long-sleeve options in their selection of styles.  Brands such as SL Fashions, Alex Evenings, Adrianna Papell, JS Collections, Maggy London, and Diane Von Furstenberg offer some elegant modest styles.

Check out these stylish modest bridesmaid’s dresses:

 Still can't find the perfect long-sleeve dress for your special occasion?  Feel free to contact me or type a  comment in the Comment section.

Jewish Bands that Rock: Orchestras / Bands for your Jewish Wedding

Any good band will claim to play pretty much anything the customer requests, but they may not be well-versed in the various styles of Jewish music.  Jewish orchestras and bands can play an assortment of Jewish music, from Klezmer to Tel Aviv techno to Israeli folk, like the back of their hand.  In our search for the perfect Jewish wedding band, we found that (at least in the metro-NY area) it seems several Jewish bands and orchestras choose from the same repository of musicians looking to play at a “gig”.  Thus, the name of the music group may differ but the actual musicians / talent in the group has overlap, and that overlap means the quality of the music being played may not differ by much between these music groups.  That being said, when we searched for our Jewish band our focus was less on the quality of the musicians in the group and more on how to get the biggest bang for the buck.  There is room for negotiation on Several Factors that Impact Price, such as:

the Number of Musicians needed, Type of Instrument (i.e., string, vocal, base, etc), Number of Hours needed to perform, if you or a family member or friend are “Connected”, and whether the band or orchestra is Willing to Reduce their Price to fit your budget.

We wanted a reputable Jewish music band and a reduced price, and that’s exactly what we got.  How?  The key to our discount was:

• Average Cost of a Jewish Band / Orchestra:  Establish the “going rate” by calling some of the reputable Jewish music groups and asking for price ranges to play at a wedding.  For us (in 2010), the range was between $4,000 - $10,000.

• Reputation Rules:  Ask family members or friends to think of the music groups used at Jewish events that they enjoyed most.  Word of mouth can help confirm the quality and professionalism of the band.  Several music groups offer music samples on their websites…listening to them may help alleviate any anxieties about their quality.

• Stay Local:  Choose a band that does not require you to pay for travel costs to get to the wedding.  Travel costs can add up.

• Use your Connections:  Some of your family members or friends may be “connected” to musicians in a band that can drop a name and help drop costs.

• Negotiate to Fit your Budget:  The strategy that worked for us was to inform the band that another reputable band was offering $4,500 dollars…much higher than our budget would allow—then we simply asked:  Can you do better?  This actually worked with the band we ended up choosing, and they did an incredible job.  Another notable strategy is to say flat out that you can only afford X dollars (fill in the blank), and ask whether they have options for reducing the price by only working for a shorter number of hours, using less musicians, or using instruments that are less pricey.

In our search for the perfect Jewish band for our metro-NY wedding, we asked several family members and friends to tell us what they think.  

Here is the compiled list of Jewish Orchestras / Bands (admittedly not a complete list, just those highly recommended to us):

• BaRock:  Contact Ari Green; http://barockorchestra.com/
• Greg Wall:  Contact Greg Wall:  201-294-3297; http://simchaallstars.com/klezmerfest/index.html
• Nafshenu Orchestra:  Call 516-371-6660; http://www.nafshenu.com/main/
• Neshoma Orchestra: Contact Jordan Hirsch:  201-837-1396; http://www.neshomaorchestra.com/
• Shalom Orchestra:  Call 212-875-1600; http://www.shalomentertainment.com/
• Shtreiml: Email Jason Rosenblatt; visit www.shtreiml.com
• Yitzi Spinner:  http://www.yitzyspinner.com

Please feel free to recommend your favorite Jewish orchestra or band.