My older daughter is getting married in July, and I splurged on the Shoshanna dress in Finds for my MOB dress. For the record, it fits like a dream and is TTS. It was instant love and I knew I didn't want to look anymore, even though at more than $400 it was quite an investment in a dressy party dress I wasn't sure would see the light of day after the wedding, given my fairly casual lifestyle.

Fast forward to yesterday, when I met up with a client I had not seen for 6 months. She started describing a great dress she had worn to a Bar Mitzvah, and it began to sound veeerrry familiar. I asked to see a picture, and lo and behold: the exact same dress! Turns out she rented it from Rent the Runway for less than $100 (and also got a second dress included in that amount as a backup).

I immediately went to RTR and ordered it for the wedding, and when I return to Portland this afternoon I am returning the expensive purchase (I've checked my purchase online and it is indeed still returnable). Also, in my RTR order I added a Derek Lam dress for the rehearsal dinner -- both for about $100. I have both dresses for 8 days.

For me, this was a much smarter way to go. For special occasions, it's worth checking to see if RTR has that dress you have your eye on! Note that they often have specials (right now, if you rent one dress you can get two free). I have not used them before, but my daughter (the bride to be) uses them a lot for outings in New York.