Badgley Mischka Award Winner Grown Sequin Bridesmaid Dress Rent the Runway-13

Badgley Mischka Gown c/o Rent the Runway

Photos by the amazing Rachel of Rachel Beck Photography. (Rachel also shot my brother’s wedding last year!)

Over Memorial Day Weekend, I attended the wedding of my childhood best friend, Katie. It was the best weekend, filled with an incredible amount of love and fun and joy. And I can’t even tell you how much of an honor it was to be a bridesmaid. :)

Katie and I met as children when our families moved from different towns on Long Island, New York to the same development in Princeton Junction, New Jersey. We were the only girls in the neighborhood, and quickly became inseparable. So many of my happiest childhood memories include Katie, and I truly can’t imagine growing up without her. She was the sister I never had, as clichéd as that sounds. 

It goes without saying that seeing Katie marry the love of her life was one of the most wonderful experiences ever. I cried when they said their vows, I cried during their first dance, and I cried during the toasts. Katie, the two of you complement each other so well, and I’m overjoyed to see you with someone who loves you so deeply and knows just how amazing you are. I’m beyond happy for you!

Oops. Getting a bit too sentimental over here. ;)

But really I love you and remember that time at Patsy’s on University near Union Square and how we thought we’d never find good guys and now we’re married to the best guys in the world?! If only we could have caught a glimpse of the future back then…

Onto what we wore, though! Not sure if you guys remember, but last year, I wrote a blog post about Katie’s bridesmaid dresses. She’d fallen in love with the “Award Winner Gown” by Badgley Mischka via Pinterest, and was heartbroken when she found out just how much the gown retailed for. You can read the full story here, but one of the Pinterest photos actually belonged to my blogger friend Andrea Lee from Tickled Pink… and she told us that–hallelujah!–the dress was also available on Rent the Runway.

Renting bridesmaids dresses sounded a bit stressful to Katie and me when we first heard about this option, but Andrea had had such a great experience with it that we decided to take a chance and go for it. (We went with the blush dresses, as a result of your amazing input. Thank you!) And I’m so glad we did. Because every single girl fit into her dress (RTR sends you a complimentary extra size), INCLUDING ME! And I was super preg.

We really couldn’t have wished for a better experience with Rent the Runway. Some of us went into the Chicago and New York City stores to try the dresses on, but others who lived farther away simply went off our recommendations–and like I said, not a single sizing issue. (Though, if you’re curious, I went from a size 2 to a size 10 in the dress! Holy goodness, haha.) For non-preggos, our best advice is to go up one size from your normal size. A stick-on bra is essential, as are low heels unless you go for the long version of the dress. Side note: It comes in a short version, too.

(I went with the regular version, as I’m about 5’4 and this totally did the job last year when I tried on the gown. However, the bump did pull the dress up a little, and I therefore wonder if the tall version would have been better.)

The dresses came a few days before the event, which was also super convenient. A lot of us were flying into the New York region from various parts of the country, and being able to ship the gowns to our parents’ and friends’ homes was a lot easier than carting them onto planes and whatnot. We also simply dropped them in the mail before our return flights, which was awesome!

A big thank you goes out to Rent the Runway for outfitting me for the day, and for being so helpful with figuring out the right size for an ever-growing baby bump. (Fabulous customer service. While I’m not sure how they were able to predict how big I’d be by May, they did it! As you can see, I was the teensiest bit self conscious about the bump and tried my best to tuck myself at the end of all the bridal party shots so I didn’t look so big, haha. But, you know: there’s no disguising a month eight bump!)

And lastly, a huge thank you to Katie for letting me share her gorgeous wedding photos on the blog. :) Kate, you were a stunning bride, and I wish you and John a lifetime of happiness and love! I love you!

Questions about renting your bridesmaids dresses from RTR? Leave ’em in the comment section below or email me at Kelly@Kellyinthecity.com!

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