The going broke part, maybe? Perhaps that’s what I’m so afraid of?
Allow me to back up. I had an opportunity to try on the Saja dresses again in L.A. this past weekend. And I, uh, have bad news. A CLEAR FAVORITE HAS EMERGED.
…AND THE CLEAR FAVORITE STILL COSTS $790.
I went to the L.A. Bella Bridesmaid with an ulterior motive: I wanted to see the bridesmaid version of this dress — which is a “mere” $395 — in person, because I wanted to feel what the fabric and construction was like in comparison with the bridal version. Of course, this store did not carry the bridesmaid line. Bah!
Then, after a few unsuccessful Google searches to find out how, exactly, these dresses are different, I had a brilliant idea to ask Saja directly. I emailed the general contact email address, and someone responded the very same day (bonus points!) with this report:
“The colored dresses are not lined with the heavy fabrics that the Bridal gowns are (the white would be see-through if we did it regular). This is the main reason for the price difference.”
Ah. Uh-huh. Funny you should mention “see-through,” because I while I was trying the Saja bridal dresses on again, I couldn’t help but notice they are kind of… sheer. I was standing there in front of the mirror, admiring my reflection while wearing what is essentially the priciest bohemian nightgown EVAR, and somebody was like, um, so, what kind of undergarments would you be wearing with this thing? As in: Hint hint, we can see your bits under there, and that’s kind of not cool! So needless to say, I’m surprised to hear that the bridesmaid dresses are even LIGHTER than the bridal dresses. How… does that even work without the whole bridesmaid line effectively turning into ethereal hippie lingerie?
During the discussion of underthings another sales assistant swooped in and informed me that I can get an extra layer of lining added to the dress for $18/yard. Which is rad, BUT! I confirmed with my Saja contact that the extra lining option is available only if there is enough fabric at the factory. So that’s a toss-up.
Here’s another thing. The bridesmaid dresses are obviously not available in that classic “bridal white.” For this particular dress, they are available in Buttercup, Soiree, Fleur de Lys, Illusion, Jade, Blackberry, and Dawn:
For the record, I am not opposed to wearing an “everyday” color for my wedding. But in a situation like this when I still have the option of choosing a more “classic” bridal color, what’s my real motivation? When taking price out of the equation, it seems to sort of come down to a choice between embracing and rejecting tradition. And when factoring price back in, it becomes a question of: “Do I care enough about tradition to pay more for a “bridal” look?”
Anyway. So that’s where I’m at. I can either purchase a sheer bridal dress in classic off-white for $790 or a VURRAH SHEER bridesmaid dress in one of seven “non-bridal” color options for $395, and I may or may not be able to add extra lining to each dress for an additional cost.
Hmmm. Kinda takes the romance out when I put it like that.
Oh, but I’ve still got a hardcore crush.
I’ve looked at these dresses online before and I thought the soiree was a very beautiful color. But of course, Lyn, it’s up to you.
My two cents? My roni’s (as in pepperoni’s- a term of affection for my nipples) hate vurrah sheer fabrics. I think sheer fabrics are beautiful, but it’s more work for me to cover up the roni’s with an underling because 9 times out of 10 the underling will also show through the sheer fabric anyway. If it were me, I’d side with convenience over cost and go with the bridal gown.
But that’s just me. I’m sure whatever you choose will be be-a-u-ti-ful! And the post about finding your dress was my first read on Another Damn Wedding! *tear*
I loved this the 1st time you posted it, it’s really lovely, AND something you could wear again no problem. If you COULD afford it, with some other adjustments to budget, I say go for it. BECAUSE IT WILL HAUNT YOU.
Track it down through other routes? I found a couple similarish Saja things on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Saja-Collection-DU6556-Long-Flowy-Silk-Beige-Dress-SZ-4-/300424063211?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Bridesmaid_Dress&hash=item45f2ab68eb (um, that beige is really…beige.)
http://cgi.ebay.com/SAJA-CREAM-CROCHET-DRESS-W-LINING-SZ-SM-GORGEOUS-/220604928020?cmd=ViewItem&pt=US_CSA_WC_Dresses&hash=item335d141014
Or craiglist? Or begging on bridal boards? Orrrrrr?
Also I am not implying those links are options because they are NOTHING like your dress, just that it seems Saja dresses do pop up on ebay once in awhile.
Aww, thank you for those links. I always appreciate tips. And thank you also for reminding me to use my resources. I hadn’t bothered looking at the bridal resell places or Craigslist or anything, because I knew this dress is new with their Spring 2010 bridal line. But you’ve given me a kick in the pants. Because you NEVER know. Maybe I could find something else I love, or maybe somebody just recently bought “my” dress but needs to sell it for some reason or another….
Crossing my fingers one pops up on once wed! I totally contemplated a Saja dress. They are beautiful! Maybe a sample sale somewhere? You definately deserve your dream dress.
That is THE VERY DRESS I’ve been eyeing for months… if I weren’t getting married in a month, and I knew if we were remotely the same size, I would totally split the cost! :-/
Hmm. This is a tough one. I would vote either:
1) Buy the wedding dress and plan to sell it later, to recoup some of the $$ (it might take a while, but Saja dresses are popular and I think you’d be able to resell it via oncewed.com)
2) go for the bridesmaid dress in one of the paler colors (fleur de lys or soiree would be my choice). It’s still sort of bridal-y looking. Also: what color is the model wearing on the Saja bridesmaid website? If that’s buttercup, it looks almost white/ivory to me!)
3) Find something else that combines what you like about the Saja dress with the price of the bridesmaid one. Maybe try etsy or alchemy.
The bridesmaid dress isn’t shown in the real colors, so the site is a little deceptive.
Also, while I’m a huge etsy advocate on most things, I’ve had a lot of friends with bad dress luck on alchemy. Unless the dressmaker is an expert at the same sort of dress you’re interested in, it’s hard to get it right with delicate details, cut, and line in a dress. (And, it’s also stealing a design (to my mind) unless adaptations are made.) However, I think there are excellent options on etsy for buying wedding dresses in general – you just need to find a designer who’s work you love, who’s expert at his/her styles, and who has lots of reviews.
And I’m totally with you on the reselling idea. Or wearing it again, like verhext said upstream. It’s such a lovely dress!
Wow, that’s mega-deceptive. Boo on Saja for that,
And yeah, you *definitely* have to be careful with alchemy. I used it once to rework a vintage dress and was happy with the result, but I spent a lot of time weeding out offers from people who were sweet, but didn’t quite have the skills.
“(And, it’s also stealing a design (to my mind) unless adaptations are made.)”
oh, absolutely. as a costumer designer, that would totally piss me off to have people duplicating stuff for cheap.
Also: I think this is the same dress… maybe you could track this woman down and offer to buy her dress??
SO THEY ARE. I’ve seen this post before, but it never occurred to me to see whether she wants to sell it. !!!!!
Thanks for all the ideas. I’m feeling inspired.
oh my goodness! that dress is so amazing. if youre going to regret it, just get it. sometimes making substitutions doesn’t work in the long run. If you are like me, you fixate on things. There is a dress I would have gotten if I had more money and clearly by mentioning it here, I am still dreaming about it. Don’t get me wrong I love my dress but alas…That being said those above colors are great and I would love to see a bride rock a ‘blackberry’ dress. but keep in mind, I am currently watching E! so you may not want to take any advice from someone like me 🙂
The picture! of the skirt of the dress kind of going FLOOF out to the side! It is so pretty!!!! [Sorry, I realize that everyone else commented with like, useful advice, and I’m just contributing to the not very constructive WANT feelings. But PRETTY!]
Soooo gorgeous!! love the floaty-ness and that back is amazing! Obviously you must get this dress in some form or another since (based on this post) I sense you’ve fixated too much to settle for anything less at this point without feelings of regret haunting you about it.
I’m really liking “illusion” and “fleur de lys” and if you wanted to make it look more bridal you could add a twinkly belt type thing or a broach to it. And I’m thinking the extra lining on the bridal white/ivory dress = the extra cover-up provided by color. So I say go with the far cheaper color option and chances are they can probably add extra lining (and couldn’t they just add it to the vital parts, if they don’t have enough fabric to do the whole hem?)
Anyways, congrats on falling in dress-love! It’s a great little love affair I must say.
As everyone else has said it’s a beautiful dress. And I think it could be reworn even in the bridal white shade. It does not scream bridal that people would wonder why you are wearing a wedding gown to a fancy dinner with you husband years later.
But oh, a colored dress would be divine too. That blackberry shade is lovely and chic.
Follow your heart and your pocketbook. I know you are resourceful and practical and will find a way to make it work for both.
I love that dress. Love it. I have to admit that I overspent on my dress (about the same price as the dress you want) because I went shopping in a huff after being mistreated at a bridal salon. Keep searching; you may find a resell solution yet. Also keep searching for other dresses.
And I agree that you shouldn’t go the etsy route for a dress. I ordered an eyelet dress from etsy last August. We’re now in dispute resolution mode and she KEEPS promising delivery to avoid refunding my money but I still don’t have the dress.
i love the dress, and if the pictures are at all accurate, the bridal dress would look beautiful with your skin tone. if you decide to go with the bridesmaid dress style, i like the light blue shade (illusion). the buttercup seems a little too yellow, and not in a good way. but soiree and fleur de lys would also look nice on you.
Hello – First, congratulations! I just found this website after doing a search online for Saja wedding dress as I’m about to buy the SAME DRESS but am having a hard time committing to the cost. And I’m nervous that it’s going to be totally see through! I would love to know if you ended up buying it and if you added an extra layer (I want to do that!). And if it’s still hanging in your closet and you want to sell it – I’d be willing to consider buying it!!! -Maria
Hi Maria! I’ll be sending you an email about this, but long story short, I did buy it, I did not add an extra layer of lining, and I haven’t quite decided if I want to sell it or not yet. I keep going back and forth on that. But anyway, like I said, I’ll send you an email with more detail.
Hello! I am getting married in may 2013 and i wanted my bridesmaids to wear this dress but it is too damn expensive.. anychance any ladies out there want to sell their used dress? I know some of my ladies would purchase it and everyone would come out happy?