Wedding Dress Shopping for Lolitas: Tips and Shop Recommendations

I now pronounce you Lolita and bunny bear. (Tokyo Fashion Festa 2010)

It's a bit hard to envision a wedding when your a Lolita. And there are not alot of resources out there.  GeekMeNina is recently posting updates about her upcoming wedding. And there's Pink Milk Tea's posts about her simple ceremony at City Hall.

Especially, if you want to incorporate your love of Lolita, but also have a wedding.  A real wedding, not a civil ceremony at City Hall.

This goes same with a dress.  If you're a Lolita, you have a good sense of what looks good on you, what materials you want it, and how you want it to look. Not too plain, but not too shiny, and maybe a bit of lace.

Some tips for the newly engaged and wear Lolita and looking for a dress:

• Marathon at least one season of Say Yes to the Dress. This gives you a good idea what you do or don't want. It also saves you money if you don't want to buy and flip through several wedding magazines. (Also once you have a dress, stop watching.)
• Leave David's Bridal as your last resort. There are plenty of salons in your budget (see below) if you just look. Also I've learned your information is also given out to affliated third party vendors.
• The best way to set a budget if you're a Lolita: imagine there's your ultimate dress on an auction site. What's the maximum limit you would spend on this dress? (Note: Another tip is use your monthly rent as a typical gauge of how much you'd like to spend)
• Bring a close friend who's into fashion or a Lolita. 
• Physically try on dresses before considering ordering online. You never know you'll like it if you just try it on. Wedding dresses, I've found, look completely different on the hangar than on you. 
• Start with a boutique that sells more traditional styled dresses before thinking offbeat. You may find out you want a dress that's more traditional after all.
• How to tell it's the dress: nothing else will matter if you get the dress. Even if your significant other plans to wear a certified replica Doctor Who suit.

I'm sure you are not here to listen about tips, but physical places to look. Here are list of boutiques I recommend you check out if you're in the New York area, or are planning to head to New York City to shop for a dress if you city lacks in the bridal department.

Birnbaum and Bullock - What I love about this place is that their website has a specific webpage addressing "Alternative Sizing." They understand that not everyone is a size 4. Also they make sure you are the only appointment in the atelier so you can take your time and not feel like another cog in the wedding machine.

Their dresses are a bit traditional, but also different from your typical wedding dress styles looks and a fan of retro styles.

151 W 25th Street
#2A
New York, NY 10001

212-242-2914

Klienfield Bridal - If you want to go to Kleinfield's for the sake of saying "I've been to Kleinfield's," then by all means go. No one is stopping you. They do have a large selection all in one place with a large number of price ranges. However, I recommend you know what you want in terms of a dress otherwise you may be shown a detailed dress out of your budget.

110 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
646-633-4300 

Lovely Bridal Shop - Another place which I think would be good for Lolitas who are also into mori-girl or natural-kei. They have dresses by Ivy & Aster and Elizabeth Dye, which are great for girls who are interested in flowly, etheral dresses or thinking of marrying barefoot in an outdoor fall wedding in an apple orchard.

313 West 4th Street
New York, NY 10014
212-924-2050

The Bridal Garden - A nonprofit boutique that has a variety of vintage to designer gowns. And all sales go to charity.

54 W. 21st Street
Suite 907
New York, NY 10018
212-252-0061


RK Bridal - If you are a no frills girl who just wants to sift through dresses and pick out what you want. Note: This is a store you shouldn't go alone. Bring someone who can at least carry the ones you want to try on.

318 West 39th Street
#2
New York, NY 10018-1407
212-947-1155

Are you engaged and into Lolita fashion? Do you have any additional tips for brides-to-be? Most of all was this helpful?