My 99 Cent ebay wedding dress with ME in it!

[Harleigh]

Date: 8/6/2007 7:07:35 PM
Author: canuk-gal
HI:

A gorgeous dress for less than a slurpee? Unreal! How about one of those tight underwear thingies? (Spankx I think they are called).

cheers--Sharon

Hi Sharon,

I LOVE that comparison! Less than a slurpee...and fact of the matter is, I am a 7-11 baby, so slurpees were like a household name to me! I wonder if I could do an ad campaign for ebay...a wedding gown for less than a slurpee! Hee hee hee!

And as for the tight underwear thingies...I wish I could use one of those, but sadly, they do not make them small enough for me, nor do I think there is ANY room left under this dress...it''s like my bones are too big, cuz there''s really not too much extra on me! As I said above, I''ll try it again when I''m not nearly so bloated!

Thanks for the nice compliments!

 

[Harleigh]

Date: 8/6/2007 7:34:37 PM
Author: Sujuann
Ohhh.... Myy.... Gossshhhhh!! Wow! What a deal!! It is beautiful! You need to hold ebay shopping seminars on here for all of us!!!

Beautiful dress!

Hi Sujann...

Anything you want, I can find it, I swear!!! Got any requests??? Hee hee hee! I have been at it for years...clothes, jewelry, electronics, etc... So much so, I am in charge of finding stuff for all my friends...if I could find a way to give up teaching and become a personal shopper, I would be ALL OVER that!!!

Thank you for the nice compliment!

 

[Harleigh]

Date: 8/6/2007 7:45:57 PM
Author: Kaleigh
No way!! 99 cents?? That''s some deal you got. The dress is gorgeous, good for you!!!

Hi Kaleigh!

Thank you so much!!! Hopefully I can get it to fit one of these days!

 

[Harleigh]

Date: 8/6/2007 8:17:52 PM
Author: gwendolyn
Holy MOLY, Harleigh, that''s unbelievable!! You must tell, how much was the shipping? Did they just mail it off free of charge due to your amazing eBay awesomeness?!

Seriously, you look utterly fantastic, even without a face! Congrats!!

Hi Gwendolyn...

Shipping was a bit more, but at least I can still say that I only paid $.99 for the dress! Seriously, though, I paid for FedEx shipping, and it wasn''t too bad considering the dress actually ways a LOT more than I thought it would! I still think they should have given me FREE shipping for being the only one to bid on their inaccurately described sizing disaster, don''t you think???

Thanks for the kind words...hopefully it will look better on me one day soon, and then I can put a face with the dress!! Trust me...you DO NOT want to see the face I was making in these pictures!!! I''m almost embarrassed by them myself...didn''t know I could have SUCH an ugly look on my face, to be honest with you! My best friend pleads otherwise, she says!

 

[Harleigh]

Date: 8/6/2007 9:07:06 PM
Author: Skippy123
Holy smokes, 99 cents!!!! It looks perfect on you; you will be such a beautiful bride! I love your curly hair, I use to wish I had curly hair all through high school (since I had 10 years of perms).hehehe Lucky girl and smart shopper!

Skippy,

You are the kindest person I have come across on PS...thank you for always being a ray of sunshine on here...your sweetness comes through like no other, and you are such a gem with such a HUGE heart...thanks for all you bring to this forum!

Thank you, too, for the super compliments! I actually did not know I had curly hair until a few years ago...it''s such a long story...where to begin???

Let''s see...I was born with reddish, strawberry blonde wavy hair when I was a baby, then had blonde, Shirley Temple ringlets as a toddler... Fast forward to my mom HATING long hair and cutting it all off until I looked like a boy for most of my childhood-she had really short hair and never did anything with mine, so she kept it butchered...I actually think I should be in counseling for that, to be honest with you!

As soon as I was old enough to do my own hair, I grew it out all the way down to my butt, thinking it was just really "unmanagable," so I started getting a spiral perm about once a year while it grew to astronomical lengths, meaning long, but NOT healthy...I saw a picture of it awhile back and thought, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!!?" In fact, whenever I got a perm, the stylists commented on how ultra-fast my hair "took" the perm and they couldn''t get the solution out of my hair fast enough! I just figured that my hair was like straw, so that''s why it took to the curl so well, not because it was ALREADY curly!

Years later, I went through my straightening phase, which included my putting smoothing crap in my hair immediately upon exiting the shower, blew it dry straight and then used an actual iron and ironing board, much to my mother''s dismay, then graduated to a flat iron...I honestly just thought I had some weird cowlicks that were just put upon my head to make my life severely miserable!

Needless to say, one New Year''s Eve about 6 years ago, I showered early, put a towel upon my wet head and laid down on my bed to read a book. Of course, I fell back to sleep and when I awoke, my hair was all wavy under the towel, which I hadn''t seen in years since I immediately combed it out as soon as the towel was removed. I thought, "Heck, I can make THIS work!" Turns out, my hair is extremely NATURALLY curly, and I never knew! After a few years of perfecting my methods, I have it down to a science!

Wearing it wildly curly is my easiest "DO," but I do straighten it upon occasion for variety. I actaully just got bangs cut a few months back and I''m still undecided about those...since my hair IS curly, the current "sweeping" bang look is a bit difficult for me to achieve, but I do my best when I actually take the time! I now absolutely LOVE being able to do what I want with my hair and have so much variety available yo me...it truly has been a blessing in disguise, and I feel so fortunate to have a big ol'' mop on my head, even if my mom thinks it''s a bit WILD looking...eeegads!!!

Thank you again...I love hearing from you on here!

 

[Harleigh]

Date: 8/6/2007 10:26:16 PM
Author: diamondfan
Harleigh, there are lots of safe slim down tips that Hollywood stars utilize before a bathing suit scene or an awards show. DKS is righ about fiber, and about lowering salt intake. As for fluids, absolutely, but do not gulp huge amounts rather sip all throughout the day. I have also heard that sauna and bathing in baking soda can help, it might be just a case of retained fluids. (just do this carefully and wisely). Also, I agree it might have been altered by the previous owner, though size being a bit off it not a huge shock to me...However, you have an awesome figure, the dress is gorgeous and a bargain to boot, and your hair is pretty too! It is not about overall weight loss, but focusing on the waist. Your figure is wonderful, but we all can be a bit bloated from time to time. I would also just have a seamstress look at it, I am sure they leave seam room in dresses like this, since some brides need that option but do not want to go up a whole size. Just please take it to a very high end seamstress who deals with satins etc...sometimes you can have stitch marks if you let out silk satin. But they will know for sure! I would frame that dress to show what a great bargain hunter I am!

Hi DF...

Thanks for your great advice-you are awesome as always! As soon as I read about possibly being bloated, the "Ding, ding, ding" went off in my head, so I''m going to sit on it for a week or so and try it on again when my water retention might not be so outta whack! I will definitely take your suggestions into consideration...I would LOVE to go get a body wrap done one day soon, too! I did it years ago and it "appeared" that I lost inches all around, so I am curious to see how it works at age 35. If that shows good results, I will just plan to do that right before the wedding, as well!

LMAO...how did you know I planned to frame my dress as my "Ultimate ebay find" ??? Hee hee hee!

 

[Harleigh]

Date: 8/6/2007 10:41:05 PM
Author: EBree
It looks AMAZING! And $0.99. Wow!

Hi EBRee

...thank you, thank you!!

 

[diamondfan]

Honey, that dress would be on display in a plex box in my hall if I found something like that for .99. I would assume shipping would be tremendously more, but still so worth it!

A body wrap that helps you lose inches is a great idea. Sometimes you need a series of them for them to work. Call around to some awesome spas and see what is available. Where abouts do you live?

 

[Harleigh]

Date: 8/7/2007 12:55:23 AM
Author: diamondfan
It is quite a conversation piece. What was the retail of the gown?

Hi again, DF...I am slowly but surely getting through the posts tonight!

When I purchased it on ebay, I did not actually know it was an Alfred Angelo...in fact, I have never cared for many of that line of dresses in person, so was delightfully surprised when I saw the quality of it when it arrived by Fed Ex. I think it may have been a sample gown as the auction stated that it was NWT''s, never been worn but tried on a few times. As it had absolutely NO marks or stains on it, just some wrinkles from being crammed in a box, I figured they were honest about it. Inside I found a small tag that said Alfred Angelo and what the fabric is made of, but there is no actual designer label OR size tag, so that to me indicates a possible sample.

I found what I am pretty sure is the same dress online, and the retail was $599, which I am certain is REALLY inflated for a dress like this! I know it''s not the most designer dress or made of the classiest material out there, but I love it and guess if I ruin it dragging it along the beach, my heart won''t be entirely broken, huh?

 

[Harleigh]

Date: 8/7/2007 1:50:50 AM
Author: diamondfan
Honey, that dress would be on display in a plex box in my hall if I found something like that for .99. I would assume shipping would be tremendously more, but still so worth it!

A body wrap that helps you lose inches is a great idea. Sometimes you need a series of them for them to work. Call around to some awesome spas and see what is available. Where abouts do you live?

Hee, hee, hee...I guess I should have just kept scrolling so I could see all of your responses! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the plexi-glass idea! I wonder if my man would go for it? He doesn''t even have a clue yet that I actually found a dress already, nor that it was so stinkin'' cheap, and the shipping really wasn''t bad at all! In fact, those pix were taken in his bedroom while he was slaving away at work as acting Battalion Chief that day! My MOH (who trussed me into the dang thing and snapped the photos) lives about 50 miles away from me, so his place is in between for both of us, so she comes up there when he''s working and rooms in his spare bedroom and spends the weekend iwith me whenever she can! As I''ve said on some other posts, she''s been my guineau pig for all of the bridesmaid''s dresses I''ve found on clearance at ROSS, and she is certainly a trooper if I do say so myself, and she HATES to shop!!! (Did I mention I think I found BM''s dresses for $11.99 each at ROSS? I''ve been to 13 ROSS stores in Nor. Cal. already in the past 2 weeks, and am hitting some more on the way down to Manteca for a FI family event tomorrow night!) Sad to say that I can''t get THOSE for $.99, but I''m willing to splurge a little for my girls!

Am I bad or what???

Now, onto the main point here...I did a few body wraps several years ago and the results were fantastic...if I were made of money, I would get them done as often as possible! I live in Roseville, CA, and the salon is up in Auburn. It is called The Casablanca Spa and the gal''s name is Shelly Winters...not the actress, of course, and she is an absolute DOLL!!! A friend introduced me to her and she was simply too kind...instantly made me feel comfortable. I haven''t been back there in years, but she is still there and I think it is definitely time for some visits again! (Heck, with all the money I saved on my dress, I could go a zillion more times!)

I''m calling tomorrow and making a body wrap appointment...all this wedding grief is causing me stress, I swear!

 

[diamondfan]

Harleigh, I had a friend in Manteca and one in Salida! How funny is that. She was Spanish and the word for exit is salida so we would say take the Salida salida and we would say long I and short I. Thought we were pretty clever!

 

[Harleigh]

Date: 8/7/2007 2:22:42 AM
Author: diamondfan
Harleigh, I had a friend in Manteca and one in Salida! How funny is that. She was Spanish and the word for exit is salida so we would say take the Salida salida and we would say long I and short I. Thought we were pretty clever!

LOL...my FF was born and raised in Manteca/Ripon, so we spend a lot of time down there! In fact, we will most likely be having our reception at his folks'' church right there in Ripon next August...hopefully the hall is available!! (Keep your fingers crossed, I''m talking with them tomorrow!)

I knew Salida meant exit, but never thought of putting them together! All those years in Spanish class obviously never paid off!

 

[diamondfan]

Well, we were just being silly because when I went to visit her once she told me to exit in Salida and I asked her which exit and she said there is only one. Then I asked, rusty Spanish and all, isn''t salida (pronouced E like eat) the word for exit in Spanish? Thought that was really funny!

 

[bee*]

wow what a find!! You look amazing in that dress!!

 

[Krissie]

Wow - what a great deal, and I think the dress looks great on you as-is! I''d kill to be able to look so good in something form-fitting. Also, I second Skippy in being jealous of your hair

 

[Miranda]

OMG!!! 99 cents!!!! I cannot believe that! I do not know how folks can find such great ebay bargains! I always find crap and have never even bothered to buy anything.

You look fantastic in that dress. It was made for you! A beach wedding sounds perfect!

BTW, I think we share the same metabolism. You are the only other person in the world that I have ''met'' that can eat as much junk as me and lose weight! I once ate a 1/2 sheet of Costco cake over a week and lost weight! LOL!

 

[Harleigh]

Thank you, bee*!

Thank you, too, krissie! I tried it on again tonight, and it definitely fit better, but not perfect, so I think DKS was onto something! I''ll have to post some better pictures when I have a photographer handy again! Thank you, too, for the hair compliment! Let me tell ya, it definitely depends on the day and whether or not it wants to curl!

 

[Harleigh]

Date: 8/7/2007 6:47:08 PM
Author: Miranda
OMG!!! 99 cents!!!! I cannot believe that! I do not know how folks can find such great ebay bargains! I always find crap and have never even bothered to buy anything.

You look fantastic in that dress. It was made for you! A beach wedding sounds perfect!

BTW, I think we share the same metabolism. You are the only other person in the world that I have ''met'' that can eat as much junk as me and lose weight! I once ate a 1/2 sheet of Costco cake over a week and lost weight! LOL!

LMAO Miranda! You crack me up! I eat ALL the time and have nothin'' to show for it! Do all of your friends hate you, too?

Mone claim they don''t, but they''re always trying to cram fattening stuff down my throat in hopes that some of it will stay, but that never seems to be the case! 1/2 sheet of Costco cake...that is just too much! I can eat a whole large supreme pizza by myself, a whole box of cereal with milk, etc... It really drives my friends batty!

Thank you for the nice compliments! I have had a lot of luck on ebay...some good, some bad, and this one just happened to work out in my favor. I''m hoping that I can get it to not "pull" quite so much, as that''s not quite the look I was going for, but I suppose only a seamstress can tell me that.

I also think it needs to be taken up quite a bit, but I just don''t know...maybe I can wear 5" platform heels on the beach???

 

[monarch64]

Harleigh, that 99-center is freakin'' gorgeous!!!

Ummm...can I just tell you that I lost 7 lbs. the week of my wedding? Yup, not intentionally, but mainly due to stress and a bad head cold. Every time I watch "Devil Wears Prada" and Emily says "I''m just one stomach flu away from being a size (whatever)" it reminds me of my dress experience! I actually had to have my mother take my dress in two nights before I got married. So maybe I wasn''t the healthiest gal that week, but running around and not feeling well in combination with being just very excited to get married did it for me, LOL!

Honestly, from your pics it looks like you only need to drop about 2 ounces...hee hee. But I''m not you, and you have to do the "sit" test first, to make sure nothing rips at the seams!

It looks fabulous, though, what a bargain of a lifetime. Great job!!!

 

[Harleigh]

Date: 8/10/2007 1:26:50 AM
Author: monarch64
Harleigh, that 99-center is freakin'' gorgeous!!!

Ummm...can I just tell you that I lost 7 lbs. the week of my wedding? Yup, not intentionally, but mainly due to stress and a bad head cold. Every time I watch ''Devil Wears Prada'' and Emily says ''I''m just one stomach flu away from being a size (whatever)'' it reminds me of my dress experience! I actually had to have my mother take my dress in two nights before I got married. So maybe I wasn''t the healthiest gal that week, but running around and not feeling well in combination with being just very excited to get married did it for me, LOL!

Honestly, from your pics it looks like you only need to drop about 2 ounces...hee hee. But I''m not you, and you have to do the ''sit'' test first, to make sure nothing rips at the seams!

It looks fabulous, though, what a bargain of a lifetime. Great job!!!

Thanks monarch! That really stinks that you lost so much weight before your wedding, but I''m sure you looked gorgeous when it was all said and done! I seriously think the only way I could weigh any less is if someone wired my mouth shut and tied me down for a week, though I''d probably still manage to gnaw on a wall or something somehow...I am seriously quite incapable of NOT eating!

I am really hoping that a bit of diligence at the gym to tone as well as going back to work tomorrow (I''ve kinda been a lazy glutton this summer!) will help out a bit, but next July is a LONG time away, so I could either look like Miss America or be a 2-ton Tessy by then...you never know!

Crap! I never even thought to do the "sit" test! You mean I can''t just be wheeled out on a dolly, propped up and stand there and look pretty all night??? Sheesh...guess I should look into getting a dress with some lycra or spandex in it...do you think they make those??? Just think of the new bridal line we could start...just like all the new jeans out there! Hee hee hee! We''ll be millionaires!

 

[VRBeauty]

I thought I snagging some good e-bay bargains, but...

I bow down to your ebay greatness!

The dress looks great and what a fantastic bargain. And just think... it would still be a bargain at twice the price!

Since you''re from the Ripon area, do you by any chance have some Dutch blood coursing through your veins? I''m only half Dutch, but I swear that accounts for 100% of my bargain-hunting compulsion!

 

[Harleigh]

Date: 8/10/2007 2:23:32 AM
Author: MINIMS
I thought I snagging some good e-bay bargains, but...

I bow down to your ebay greatness!

The dress looks great and what a fantastic bargain. And just think... it would still be a bargain at twice the price!

Since you''re from the Ripon area, do you by any chance have some Dutch blood coursing through your veins? I''m only half Dutch, but I swear that accounts for 100% of my bargain-hunting compulsion!

LMAO MINIMS!!!

I''ll meet you mid-bow...would love to hear about some of your bargains!

Actually, I was born in San Bernardino, grew up in Fairfield and have been in Roseville since 1984...my FI is the one from Manteca...his parents lived in Ripon until about 7 years ago, but their church is still in Ripon as well as most of their families. I am actually Irish, but his parents are both Van ____''s, which is all there is around there, so it is all about the bargains for us, though I am by far the better bargain hunter...I guess maybe that''s why he loves me!

Whereabouts are you?

 

[VRBeauty]

I live in Sacramento now but I was born in Holland. I know a bit about how strong the Dutch community is in Ripon because some longtime family friends/distant relatives ended up there. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if your future in-laws know them -- through church, of course!

I'm sure your FMIL is having a great time telling all her friends about your wedding dress bargain and your shopping prowess...

BTW, keep laughing like that and you just might take care of that fit issue... so much more fun than a bunch of "core crunches!"

 

[Harleigh]

Date: 8/10/2007 2:46:44 AM
Author: MINIMS
I live in Sacramento now but I was born in Holland. I know a bit about how strong the Dutch community is in Ripon because some longtime family friends/distant relatives ended up there. In fact, I wouldn''t be surprised if your future in-laws them -- through church, of course!

I''m sure your FMIL is having a great time telling all her friends about your wedding dress bargain and your shopping prowess...

Oh, that is too funny! Howdy, neighbor!

Everyone in his family has asked if I''m going to do wooden shoes and windmills as my theme, and I''m kinda like, um, nooooo...I could just as easily do four-leaf clovers and claddahs, OR...red, since I''m a teacher and he''s a fireman...hmmm...maybe I should re-think my colors now that I just typed that out loud! That would go with everything we already have in the "fire" room at his house!

As for the future in-laws, they know EVERYONE in the area, and are related to at least half of them, it seems...who knows, you''re probably related somehow!!! Wouldn''t that be a hoot?

And I haven''t gotten to tell my FMIL about my dress yet...I just got it on Saturday and then we went to a reunion in Manteca on Tuesday, and I barely got a chance to ask her for a list of people/addresses for the wedding then. It was a crazy day, but they are coming up to Carmichael (where FI lives) for lunch on Sunday, so I might get to tell her about it then...I don''t want FI to absolutely FREAK OUT that I''ve already bought a dress when we haven''t even set a date quite yet, but he will DEFINITELY appreciate my frugalness when he does find out!

 

[Harleigh]

I just posted in "Show me YOUR dress" but thought I would add to my own thread...

Again, the dress is STILL too tight, but at least I got it zipped up all the way! Not sure if I can get it let out enough or not so that it doesn''t pull.

And yes, hair is straight in the pix...just got it cut and my hairstylist went crazy with the straightener! No one recognized me at work yesterday!

The pink dresses in the background are my BM''s dresses I found at ROSS for $24.99, which seems like a crime after only paying $.99 for this one!

I look like a complete dork, but I hope you enjoy the pix!

 

[Harleigh]

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