MY UP AND DOWN RELATIONSHIP WITH MISS J.CREW

J.Crew and I have had a loving relationship for over a decade. She (He? Would J.Crew be a "he"? Nah!) always provided for my every clothing need. When I needed a dress for my high school graduation, who was there? J.Crew. When I needed a suit to wear for my very first job interview, who provided? J.Crew. When I needed "cool" outerwear to impress my friends, who came through? J.Crew. Yup, she has always been there for me with fashionable clothing that keeps me rollin' in style.

(Remember this bad boy from the mid-90's? This J.Crew anorak was STYLIN'!!!)

Naturally, I turned to her first for bridesmaid dresses to outfit my special ladies. And faithfully, she provided me with some beautiful dresses. Taffeta, cotton cady and silk chiffon in a wide array of styles and silhouettes. Colors like light flamingo, fresh mint, tea rose and spiced wine in reasonable prices that made me...WAIT, hold up J.Crew. $225 for a taffeta dress? Since when did you get so pricey, missy?!?

Oh, that's right. I'd been hanging with J.Crew's step-sister, Miss J.Crew-Sale Rack. I couldn't possibly ask my BMs to shell out that much for a dress, so as a result, my relationship with J.Crew was severed. We were officially in a fight.

The fight didn't last long because as I was casually doing some holiday shopping, I came across this adorable satin rosette belt that I had been coveting for quite some time. It was featured in their catalog, but at the whopping price point of $39.50, I decided to make my own version for the BMs. But on that fateful day, they were on sale for $11.99. YESSS! And they had 4 in the brown and pink, our wedding colors! Hi, J.Crew...can we be friends again? I quickly snatched up all 4 belts and happily brought them home.

My BMs, the belt and I went on a couple of dress shopping excursions to find the perfect BM dress. After a number of failed attempts, I got an email alerting me of J.Crew's Extra 30% off on their sale and clearance items. I quickly went to their website and found 2 dresses that were perfect for my BMs. I gathered up their size information but by the time I went to order them, the sizes were gone. Boo on you, J.Crew!

So the search for BM dresses continues. But this weekend, J.Crew and I made up again when she introduced me to her little sister, Crew Cuts. I found these light pink flower hair clips, which will be perfect for my BMs:

So, J.Crew and I are buds again. Anyone else have a similar up and down relationship with a store? What are your favorite wedding-related buys?