Wedding Do or Don't: White by Vera Wang

This is a post that I was very torn about writing, in fear that I may offend a few people, but in the end I've decided to post it to find out what everyone else thinks about this collection. Vera Wang is known as bridal royalty. When a girl gets engaged, the first thing she thinks about is her dress, and the two most common names that I hear thrown around are Monique Lhuillier and Vera Wang. Vera has designed the wedding gowns for some of the most well-known celebrities in the world (Jennifer Aniston, Victoria Beckham, Heidi Klum, Jennifer Lopez, and Jessica Simpson, just to name a few), which is why I was pretty surprised when I found out that she had designed a collection for David's Bridal. *gasp* 

This can be looked at in a few different ways:

1. For the bride on a budget, this is an amazing chance for her to wear Vera Wang on her wedding day without breaking her budget. 

2. For the bride not on a budget, this could be seen as a "faux" Vera Wang dress. ("My real Vera dress is way better.")

3. For private bridal boutique owners, this is not good news. (I'm losing customers to David's Bridal?! Damn you, Vera!)

I still have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, Vera can appeal to the masses by making her beautiful creations more affordable for women who don't have $6,000 to spend on a wedding dress. On the other hand, by making her designs available to more people, she's sort of "watering down" her amazingness. The moment you go from couture to ready-to-wear, you cheapen yourself. 

The big difference between Vera Wang and White by Vera Wang is not in the design and aesthetics, but in the material, beading, and construction of the gowns. We're talking silk and satin vs. polyester, hand beaded vs. machine beading, built-in corsets boning, lining, and covered buttons vs. zippers, standard fits, and little to no lining. 

Let's look at a few comparisons:

Vera Wang on the left. White by Vera Wang on the right for $1200.

Vera Wang on the left. White by Vera Wang on the right for $1000.

Vera Wang on the left. White by Vera Wang on the right for $1200.

At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter who or what you wear. If you're married to the one you love, then your wedding was a success. People will think you look beautiful in your gown regardless of who designed it, or how much you paid for it (which is nobody's business anyway). I leave you with a few more dresses from White by Vera Wang and these questions: Do you notice a difference? Which do you prefer?