10 Tips for Successful Thrift Store Shopping

Recently Rachel and her girlfriends spent a few days in San Francisco.  Nearly every day they shopped and nearly every day they came back with fantastic finds.  Not only were they fashionable, they were CHEAP - boots for $16, shirts for $3 and pants for $5.  Brides-to-be could purchase all of their wedding related outfits (engagement party, bridal shower, rehearsal dinner) for under$50!  I couldn’t believe it!  I asked her to please share her thrift store shopping secrets with us.  Here’s the scoop…

Photo from secretpocketblog.com

Rachel’s 10 Tips for Successful “Thrifting”

1. Bring Cash. Although some chain or larger thrift do accept credit cards, cash is always accepted.

2. Set a Spending Limit. Sometimes it is easy to get carried away if you hit a vintage jackpot.  However, if you’re  “thrifting” you are probably trying to save some money.

3. Be comfortable. Wear clothes and shoes that are comfortable to be in and easily removable. This way, items are less of a fuss to try on and aching feet from your cute heels doesn’t cut your trip short. My “go to thrifting” outfit consists of: leggings, tunic, flats, cross body bag, and if necessary a light jacket.

4. Be creative. Like a normal boutique, items will not be nicely merchandised for you, showing you how to wear them. Use your own style instincts to transform an item from the 80′s into a modern chic outfit.

5. Be patient. Depending on the size and clutter, thrift stores can be overwhelming. You have to really search to find items you like. You may hit the jackpot or you may leave with nothing. Don’t get frustrated, it is a process.

6. Be smart. Have a game plan. Know which thrift stores in the area you would like to visit. Decide what you are looking for, if anything, before you start your thrift adventure. This will help you stay focused when you shop.

7. Be understanding. Know what you are getting into. These stores may be busy with people and children or may not be as clean as your normal retail store. Be ready to wash the clothes you buy and be okay with the less than pearly accommodations.

8. Be selective. Not everyone is cut out for the thrifting game. Be choosey on who you decided to take with you. Someone who is not on the same page as you are may end up distracting you or cutting your trip short.

9. Be generous. If planning to go on a big thrifting spree, go through your closet before hand. This way you can donate clothes when you visit the stores while also making room for your new finds.

10. Have fun!

San Francisco has some of the best thrift stores I have ever visited. My best friend and I spend a day down in the Mission District and came home with almost more goodies than we could carry.

Below are just some of our finds accompanied with one of the ways we have recently chosen to style them.

Red Blazer – $5.99

Polka Dot Jacket – $3.25

Monochromatic Wrap – $3.95

Red Polka Dot Dress – $7.99

Floral Tea Length Dress – $5.00

Red Long Sleeve Dress – $2.99

Black Maxi Skirt – $2.95

Cheetah Maxi Skirt- $4.95

San Francisco Stores

Thrift Town - 2101 Mission Street

Mission Thrift – 2330 Mission Street

Goodwill- 1580 Mission Street

Goodwill- 2279 Mission Street

Salvation Army- 1550 Valencia Street

Los Angeles Store Favorites

Goodwill – 4575 Hollywoood Blvd. Los Angeles

Vincent De Paul – 210 N Ave 21 Los Angeles

American Thrift – 3226 West Magnolia Blvd.  Burbank

Rose Bowl Flea Market – 1001 Rose Bowl Dr. Pasadena

Happy Thrifting!

Might Sell? 5 Things to Know BEFORE You Wear {and Sell} Your Wedding Dress

1.  ASK Questions - When you purchase your gown, make sure you ask the salon/ seller for all of the pertinent information.  In order to sell your gown you will need to know the designer’s style number/name (not the salon issued style number), the collection season and year, and the retail price.  In addition, if  you are purchasing a pre-owned wedding dress, ask if the dress has been altered from the original style or size, and if the gown has been cleaned.  You’ll also want to get a copy of the original owner’s receipt for future proof of authenticity and retail price.

2.  Keep Receipts – Keep Receipts for your dress, accessories, and alterations and put them in a folder or binder labeled “Wedding Receipts”.  Keep your receipts for tangible goods for at least 5 years after your wedding.

3.  Find The Right Cleaner – You have the best chances of selling your wedding dress if it is as close to new condition as possible.  That means that you need to choose a cleaner that specializes in cleaning wedding dresses.  This is most likely not the neighborhood cleaner that has been cleaning  your pants and party dresses for the last few years.  Expect to pay more, but know you’ll be getting your money’s worth.  Better to have your dress looking like new for $400 then not fully cleaned, or worse, ruined, for $150.  Of course you don’t have to have your wedding dress preserved if you are going to sell it.  Get referrals for a cleaner before your wedding.  If you are getting married out of town or will be on an extended honeymoon, consider giving a trusted family member or friend the task of sending your dress to a cleaner you’ve chosen.  More information about wedding dress cleaning.

4.  Notify Your Seamstress - Make sure to tell your seamstress that you may sell your gown after your wedding.  There are things she may or may not do when altering if she knows you might sell it.

5.  Begin Preparing to Part – Prepare to part with my gown before I’ve even worn it?  May sound a little silly, but the emotional and mental process of passing on your gown can take time.  You’ll receive the most money for your gown in the year after your wedding – exactly when you’re feeling the most sentimental about it.  Used gowns sell for about 50% of the retail price, depending on the collection year.  They depreciate about 10% every year after your wedding.  So, in approximately 5 years your gown will be worth….

Want more information about how to sell your wedding dress fast and easily after your wedding?  See our Seller Info Page.

Tags: sell wedding dress, wedding dress cleaning, wedding dress consignment

Real Wedding: Amber & Will – Los Angeles, California

I first met Amber at one of our larger multi-vendor events at the Belamar hotel in June of 2008.  She fell in love with a Reem Acra dress there and later purchased it.  Not only does Amber have a flair for fashion (she is the  lead designer for her own clothing line, LANYA), but she is one of the sweetest people I’ve met.  A healthy congratulations to Amber and Will — may wedded bliss last a lifetime.

Here’s Amber’s recap of her Los Angeles based wedding — ENJOY!

**All photographs by Issa Sharp, www.issasharp.com

“When Will popped the question, we had no idea what we would do for the wedding.   We knew it would be big, and we new most guests would be traveling from the East Coast and Europe, so it had be worth their trip.  We had to figure grandeur on our small budget.

Like most brides, one of my first dress try-ons was The Dress, and of course, it was from Encore Bridal!  My dress was an incredible Reem Acra design, covered with Swarovski pronged crystals and all over embroidered tulle.  She was perfect from first sight!  Being a fashion designer, I was so worried about needing to settle that I had even planned on making my own dress.  Thank god I found Encore Bridal, because I could have never made anything so stunning, with all the gorgeous embroidery and applique details.  Incredibly, my dress was originally over $6,000 and of course, I had it at a fraction’s fraction of that price!  My dress, being of the old world Hollywood style, set the perfect atmosphere for our wedding – Old Hollywood Glamour.

Since we had such a great response from the 150+ family and friends, who would be mostly traveling great distances, we wanted the focus to be on our guests.  We wanted everyone to know that our wedding was special because our friends and family were sharing this most important day with us.  My husband had recently discovered this incredible old Super-8 footage from his grandfather, dating back to 1920′s with Princeton football games and flapper parties, and I had just discovered my mother’s 1970′s Super 8 family films with 1st birthdays and Grand Canyon trips, so we knew these had to be incorporated.  We love the Silent Movie theater on Fairfax, and while we were once attending a film party there, we thought, maybe we could get married here??!  When we researched the venue on a whim, we learned that it was not only very affordable, but also accustomed to holding special events.  The setting was perfect!!!!!!!!!  While guests arrived, we had the Super 8 films playing on the theater screen with great reminiscent jazz as the soundtrack.  This space also allowed for a lovely pre-wedding reception in the back bougainvillea patio.  Guests could enjoy the films or meet each other on the patio with Champagne, Cheese and Crackers (all fancily decorated items from Trader Joes and Costco).   Everything looked incredible with champagne glasses, white linens and a small bouquet at every cocktail table top.

My sister always has the best ideas and suggested that she rent an antique car for us for the drive from The Silent Movie Theater ceremony to our Griffith Park reception.  Through the Automobile Driving Museum’s website, we were able to pick a stunning silver 1936 Packard with driver, again at an incredibly reasonable rental price for the 3 hours.  We had the most memorable drive through Los Angeles and Hollywood as a newly married couple and all the horn-honking well wishers along the way!!!!!

To follow, we found this incredible spot for the reception at The Griffith Park Golf Course Club house with Monterrey Concessions.  As my sister said, this was the best kept secret of LA, being unknown, affordable, high quality catering and beautiful Old Spanish atmosphere.  We got a few strings of antique style lantern lights, hung big white paper Chinese Lanterns, added a few floral bouquet and the patio was absolutely gorgeous!

We were most concerned with our cake being super yummy, so we went to our favorite bakery, Susie Cakes, and let them have (almost) free rein in decorating.  Susie Cakes is the most incredible tasting cake in LA and we got their traditional White Cake.  I gave the designer my wedding inspiration page of color, trims and overall mood pictures, and let her design it with her own impressionist vision.  Again, our cake was so gorgeous, and such a lovely treat to discover at the reception.  As much as a bride wants to know every detail of her wedding, I loved leaving some items to the specialists and seeing what they created.  I can’t wait to have it again at our 1 year anniversary!  I wanted a cute wedding topper and was lucky to find a 1930′s vintage porcelain figurine on ebay, with its Venice Beach gold sticker still attached to the bottom.

My brother and wife were very generous and donated the flowers.  This was not an easy feat with the several bridal party bouquets and groomsmen boutonnieres.  Again, as with the cake, I let the designer work her artistry and did not micro manage this aspect of the wedding.  She sent a few images of the line that she was thinking.  Gorgeous spring bouquet inspired by my mood page and colors with simple single flower arrangements on the tables.  We didn’t have the huge table center pieces, but I don’t think they were missed.

With so many out of town guests, my mother-in-law decided that transportation buses for these guests were essential.  With the downtown hotel, the Fairfax ceremony, the Griffith Park reception and with all the champagne in between, buses were necessary, and I appreciate her foresight and offering to cover this expense.  We went with US Bus Charters, which more expensive than a private owned school bus company, but they were insured and it seemed worth the security.  This company was also less than most other quotes I received and the buses were, as my ring bearer said, “swanky”!

Fortunately, we have a great DJ in the family (DJ Neville Chamberlain if you are in the DC area and he does weddings! and he suggested his friend,  DJ Marco in LA.  We met Marco a couple times to enjoy meeting him during dinners at our home, and it was nice for us to get to know one another and for us to share our music interests.  We let him know our music priorities, which he appreciated.  A few times, he said that he wanted to bring the “must play” wedding dance songs, and we frankly – didn’t let him.  We thought again, if we are hiring an artist who is respectful of our requests and will prioritize those, we didn’t want him limited to an idea of what “should” be played.  I’m from a family of dancers, and we made a great list of our favorite hits, including Elvis, Devo, the Go Gos and even T Rex and the Stooges.  No one made a special request, and Marco felt the freedom to play what he wanted.  He felt the mood of the dance floor and adjusted the music artists to reflect what would be best.  The dance floor was always full and everyone said we had the most incredible DJ.  Marco is expected to play at many friends’ weddings to come!

Our photographer was amazing.  Since my husband is a part-time photographer, picking someone to capture our day was not easy.  Because we wanted the best quality, my husband searched and searched, and we found Issa Sharp.  We loved her approach in non-traditional posing and over-all atmospheric and artistic pictures.  I think our wedding pictures are stunning and love the old world wedding style which fits us perfectly.

With all our out of town guests, we had The Hotel Figueroa in Downtown as our hotel headquarters.  Will and I stayed there for the pre and post wedding nights as well, which made it great to be part of the party with our wedding guests.  The Hotel Figueroa has incredible group, wedding rates and is an exceptional, glamorous atmosphere.  Uno is the manager and head concierge, and Uno made sure everything went smoothly.  He was very patient with my bride jitters.  Uno also provided a great “breakfast by the pool” so we could still share our last moments with our guests, and again, at an affordable price.

After all the festivities, our family and close friends were on the greatest love high, so my father hosted an impromptu post wedding dinner at Roy’s downtown for our family, which was a perfect end to a perfect weekend.  Of course, Will and I were exhausted and delirious after the preparation, decorating, wedding, brunch and then post wedding dinner, but it was the most amazing finale to a once in a life time day and weekend. ”

Amber’s Vendor’s:

Flowers:  Centia Batz

1808 Gillette Crescent
South Pasadena, Ca. 91030
323.574.9928

Ceremony:  The Silent Movie Theater

611 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036-1714
(323) 655-2510

Car Rental:  Automobile Driving Museum

610 Lairport Street

El Segundo, CA 90245

310-909-0950

Reception and Catering:  Grifith Park

Wilson Harding “The Clubhouse”
4730 Crystal Springs Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90027

P. 323.661.7212

Cake:  Susie Cakes Bekery

11708 San Vicente Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90049
(310) 442-2253

DJ: djmarco@solidsoundsystem.com

Hotel: Figueroa Hotel  (ask for Uno)

939 South Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90015-1302

Photographer: Issa Sharp, www.issasharp.com

Bus: http://www.usabuscharter.com/

Tags: discounted designer wedding dresses, Discounted reem acra, griffith park, hollywood silent movie theater, hotel figueroa, real wedding, used wedding dress, wedding ceremony, wedding reception

Real Wedding – Georgina and Chris 11.10.09

First of all, you have to know that if you purchase a dress from Encore Bridal, it literally makes my day when I get to see pictures of you in your dress on your wedding day. I love to see how your look came together and to see the smile on your face as you marry the love of your life. Many times my smile is as large as yours or you might even catch me wiping away tears as I look at your emotion-filled wedding photos. You should have seen my smile when I first saw these photos of Georgina and Chris. Georgina is one of our e-Boutique brides, so I’ve never met her in person, but through our phone calls and emails I feel like I have. She was nice enough to share snapshots of her wedding day as well as the vendors she loved. Isn’t she gorgeous!! Wishing Georgina and Chris a lifetime of happiness!

A Note from the Bride:

My wedding was held at the Royal Crest Room located in Saint Cloud, Florida. It was set on a golf course, which was the perfect fit for us since Chris loves Golf as much as I’ve always envisioned having my wedding in an outdoor garden setting. The location made for great photos with the help of my talented photographers, by ‘Simply Different Photography”. The centerpieces and floral bouquets for both the bridesmaids and myself were all done DIY style and I’m very thankful for the help of close friends and family to help organize many of them within minutes of the wedding! Sometimes, not even the most organized bride can do without her family and friends. The Votive candle holders were used as escort cards for Guest which doubled as favors! I’m all about practicality, down to my shoes, which might I add were by Jessica Simpson bought at my ever favorite style for less store, ‘Marshalls’ and boy were they comfortable!

**All photos by Simply Different Photography, Orlando, Florida

Vendors:
Banquet Room: Royal St. Cloud Golf links – Royal Crest Room in St.Cloud Florida
Photography by Simply Different Photography, Orlando Florida
Bridal Dress: by Watter’s & Watters found in the fabulous – Encore Bridal.com
Seamstress: by Judi at the ‘Seamstress Inc” – Winter Park, Florida
Veil: by birdcageveils.com – 16″ Russian net
Bridal Shoes: By Jessica Simpson – found in Marshalls – Altamonte, Florida
Bridal Bouquet: Individually bought from – Wishing Well Florist, Kissimmee Florida
Bridal Accessories/Sash/bridal comb/with matching brooch by Icing101 at Etsy.com
Votive Candle labels: www.Etsy.com
Hair/Make-up: Mariana Dalmasi, Orlando Florida
Music: Academy DJ’s – Richard Barker
Video: Cinematique Films – Winter Park, Florida
Cake: Publix, Saint Cloud Florida

Want Georgina’s chic look?

Monique Lhuillier Geisha

Monique Lhuillier Jacqueline Jacket

Tags: discounted designer wedding dress, stylish weddings on a budget, watters wedding dress

Favorite Etsy Finds for Your Wedding Day Look

With a little searching you can find some of the most fantastic hand-made wedding accessories at Etsy shops.  Above are some of my reasonably-priced favorites.

Tags: etsy weddings, hand-made wedding accessories, wedding dress sash