Ann Taylor has discontinued their bridal line as well.
I recently read something that said that J. Crew initially did very well with its “little white dress” lower cost bridal concept, but that too many other companies entered the market, such as BLDN, so J. Crew backed out.
I would NOT call BLDN the “lower cost option”. Sorry…but it’s not.
For wedding attire? I guess it depends. Most of the outfits I like of theirs are separates, and the whole thing costs under $500. Seems less expensive than the traditional bridal gown manufacturers. Anyway, that’s what the article said.
I’ve been shopping for MOB dresses…and the more expensive ones are in the $500 range. Sure, there are plenty of dresses a lot more costy than that…but really BLDN , while nice, is not lower cost.
It’s just not.
Re: separates. Not for me. The tops that are longer look dowdy. And for,the shorter tops (some which @Consolation linked and were very pretty)…when I do Shout or YMCA…I don’t want my midriff showing when my hands are up!
My daughter got her dress and veil at BLDN. It was about $ 1,000 for both, but they were at the lower price range for the store. Luckily she fit in a size off the rack, and only had to pay $40 for hemming. Great deal. And I agree @thumper1, those separates were very matronly, not for me!
Do you mean BHLDN?
Oops, yes.
@thumper1, I think they meant it was on the lower end for the bride, not for anyone else. 
@thumper1, The thought of the horror on my son’s face if the older generation participated in YMCA or Shout just made me giggle. Your crowd must be a lot more accepting of the older generation ;-).
Everyone gets out on the dance floor for THOSE tunes!
Isn’t the idea that most will have had a few drinks by then so all is good? 
3 weeks out, and just ordered the Seville Topper from BHLDN. D will wear it for the ceremony then take it off for the reception. Can’t link it for some reason, but very beautiful and elegant.
Here you go @CottonTales http://www.bhldn.com/shop-shoes-accessories-cover-ups/seville-topper/productoptionids/fbcaeb8b-b90b-4e9a-9313-32da085940dd
Very pretty
My daughter got her dress at a BHLDN warehouse sale. Now that was a deal! The dance floor at her wedding was never empty, which was a real testament to the band. Six year olds to 80 year olds hit the floor! One person that practically never sat down were my 84 year old mother in law - all the grandkids danced with her. YMCA was one of the banned songs so I can’t attest to the participation for that one.
I don’t think my DD banned any songs. People were out on the dance floor all night long - YMCA, Shout and Macarena were definitely played by the DJ. I asked for the real Cotton-Eyed Joe (the one we did in TX, NOT Rednex but he didn’t have it - I didn’t think to ask ahead of time. If he had played that, all of our family members would have been out there showing how it is done, lol.
For brides that have lead time, check out https://ameliasposa.it/
DD got her wedding dress and veil from them - and it was price friendly for the quality IMHO. Dress was as good as they look on the web site. This designer saves on all the retail costs by having full control with directly selling to the customer. DD’s dress is this one: https://ameliasposa.it/catalog/item-94/
You can choose to have standard size (and that is returnable) or custom. We chose custom because this is the dress. It fit DD perfectly, and no alterations needed.
They also made a cathedral length veil (it has a hair comb to attach, and the lace of the dress is around the hem of the veil).
Amelia Sposa must have wanted to move some dresses through manufacturing and offered a 10% discount during a short time (I believe it was end of year/beginning of year) - so we took advantage of that.
The payment for the dress/veil was also based on the money exchange rate - so DD’s dress was $1426, and her veil was $221 - that included it all and were the two charges we had on credit card. They shipped our items together but we paid for them when ordered. We ordered it using our VISA card from our credit union, and let them know the charge was running through from Italy (so it didn’t do a fraud alert).
IMHO we did better on price and quality than top of the line David’s Bridal. Of course when one gets a dress clearance, from warehouse sale, discontinued dress sale, etc - can also do very well. I had DD try dresses on at David’s, and all looked really good on her (5’9" and slim). We confirmed with our very helpful sales person at David’s that Amelia Sposa was legit - and she agreed if that was the dress DD was in love with, to go for it.
Thank you @deb922.
@SOSConcern - what a wonderful dress! I’m so glad they’re finally getting away from strapless.
My dress was a discontinued sample and was very reasonable. It did have to be shortened but otherwise it fit me perfectly.
I took my husband’s name for expediency, if nothing else. My maiden name was odd and constantly mispronounced. My H’s name is straightforward and unmistakable. I’ve never looked back.
That is a lovely dress and it’s great to find lovely non-strapless styles!