As I graduated from college and began packing to move in my with my boyfriend at the time, I started to notice that I had a few extra dresses, which did not NEED to make it to our new apartment. Moving happens to be the time when downsizing becomes essential. I guess over the past four years in my college apartment, I didn't notice that my closet had tripled since I left home. Looking at all the dresses while I tried to convince my boyfriend I needed to keep the multiple bridesmaid's dresses I had paid $300+ for, he just looked extremely confused. I may have had an issue. I was in love with the dress because of the memories I had in them. I also LOVE to dress up. After the years of greek-life formals and birthdays, I was able to let go of quite a few dress with hopes that someone else will have a great time in them.
When my friends get engaged, I am always excited because honestly, I love to and what girl doesn't enjoy getting dressed up. So following an engagement typically comes multiple celebrations with the biggest one at the end- the wedding. This year when my friend got engaged, I knew Rafael would not be thrilled to go out searching for a dress for the events. A co-worker had recently also had to attend a wedding, with no luck in finding a dress at the department stores. My co-worker used "Rent the Runway". Rent the Runway is an online company which rents out designer dresses and accessories for all occasions.
How it works from the consumer side:
A few weeks in advance you can select the settings for the days which you will need your rentals. The website suggested selecting the delivery date as the day prior to your event. The delivery should be there by 8 p.m. that day. You have until noon on the fourth day to get the garment bag back in the mail.
There is already a return label provided when you receive the beautiful garment bag.
Why I personally love rent the runway:
My favorite thing about the website is that the reviews of the items are from other real customers like myself. Let's be honest, many things look great on a 5'11' model that is thin and bony. I am neither of those, so I love that there are other girls reviewing the dresses, including their height and weight, along with the size they ordered and how they believed it fit. This can help ease the nervousness that comes with ordering a dress for a big event online without being about to try it on.
My second favorite aspect of using rent the runway is they send you two different sizes for free. What a great option for anyone who is sometimes a six and sometimes an eight.
There are physical locations, which if you are lucky enough to have in your area, you could pop in and try dresses on. Becoming increasingly more popular, Rent the Runway is also an awesome option for bridesmaids dresses. Many brides will pay to get the dress they like in multiple sizes so the entire party can try them on and then know for sure which size they need for the day of. Photographers are using rent the runway as well for styled shoots that can lower the overall cost needed for attire for the shoot.
For me, it worked out perfect for my out of town wedding. The dress and earrings I had ordered arrived the day prior to the hotel. The wonderful staff at the hotel put them in my room and I was able to try on the dress see which size would work best for the next night. I had the chance to wear a beautiful dress that was worth hundreds, while only paying less than $50 for the entire look.
If you are in the market for an outfit that makes you feel beautiful, I encourage you to check out the selection they can offer through rent the runway. There are additional member options which include unlimited options of rentals, pro, where you pay $29.95 that gives access to free standard shipping, free insurance, a $50 coupon to use towards a dress during your Birthday and a Style Pack which runs $25 redeemable for a styling appointment in stores or online. With the Style Pack purchase, you will receive three $99 complete looks, redeemable at any time. Each $99 look includes one dress, one backup size and two accessories. The company was founded on the pure bliss a girl feels when they get to even just try on the dress they have been drooling over.
