HELP! I need a dress...

Help! Help! Help!

I need a dress!  I don't want a traditional white wedding gown, because frankly, our wedding will be too low key for that.  However, I do want a really lovely fun and slightly sexy dress.  The wedding is going to be most likely summer or early fall (yeah, no date yet) and set outside either in my parent's beautiful garden or my best friend's beautiful garden.  I would love to wear something in a beautiful deeper shade of blue (DF's favorite color on me), with my hair down and slightly wavy (very natural), very minimal make-up.  Think, hippie chic.  I am a very earthy person and not one for dressing up or wearing make-up, so, ultimately, I want to be a more polished me.  Not over the top because what DF finds beautiful about me is my "earthiness."

DF will wear a nice off white collarless linen shirt over brownish trousers.  Very easy going, laid back style (his only request was no ties!).

So, help!  Suggestions, advice?

are you in the UK or US right now?

monsoon does lovely dresses here in the UK.  many of them have a "hippness" vibe. 
(just some of my favorites)

http://www.monsoon.co.uk/invt/95186872
http://www.monsoon.co.uk/invt/95208937
http://www.monsoon.co.uk/invt/95186739

the other thing might be to get a pattern, fabirc and seamstress... away you go.

I am in the US, but have a couple of friends in the UK and will probably go over before the big day. 

I LOVE the tulip dress!  Lovely!

Hmmm, hadn't thought of a pattern...

Keep the advice coming...

Oh yay!  There is a Monsoon in NYC!!  YAY!  I have to go look there!

i had a 'low key' wedding as well and bought a gorgeous dress from monsoon. be warned - IMO the dresses run big.

good luck!

i had a 'low key' wedding as well and bought a gorgeous dress from monsoon. be warned - IMO the dresses run big.

good luck!

Hey, if they run big, then that will just help boost my self-esteem!  Ha ha! 

Hey, if they run big, then that will just help boost my self-esteem!  Ha ha! 

oh god, absolutely! esp in the uk/eu where everything seems tiny compared to us sizing. you take what you can get! good luck finding the dress.

if you do come to the uk, btw, you can try topshop in london on oxford street, they have some very funky stuff and not expensive. i got my dress from monsoon and a gorgeous fake white fur coat. sounds tacky, but was good fun.

How about J.Crew? They have a LOAD of dresses in deep blue and navy:

http://www.jcrew.com/catalog/multiProduct.jhtml?ids=prod81970401,prod81718401
http://www.jcrew.com/catalog/product.jhtml?id=prod81972401&catId=cat160129
http://www.jcrew.com/catalog/product.jhtml?id=prod81992401&catId=cat160129
http://www.jcrew.com/catalog/product.jhtml?id=prod68585401&catId=cat160130
http://www.jcrew.com/catalog/product.jhtml?id=prod82100401&catId=cat160130
http://www.jcrew.com/catalog/product.jhtml?id=prod73877401&catId=cat160130
http://www.jcrew.com/catalog/product.jhtml?id=prod66128401&catId=cat160130

Those are just a few on there.

ooh, meggles, thanks for the monsoon link!  I need a really fabulous dress for my engagement party this summer and they've got loads of gorgeous ones.

are you in the UK or US right now?

monsoon does lovely dresses here in the UK.  many of them have a "hippness" vibe. 
(just some of my favorites)

http://www.monsoon.co.uk/invt/95186872
http://www.monsoon.co.uk/invt/95208937
http://www.monsoon.co.uk/invt/95186739

the other thing might be to get a pattern, fabirc and seamstress... away you go.

Those are super cute! And can I just say, that is the first time I have ever seen "Smart Dresses" as a category on a webpage! I had a giggle. 

I went low-key for my wedding as well, with a Debut dress from Debenham's.

http://debenhams.guided.atomz.com/?q=debut

I went low-key for my wedding as well, with a Debut dress from Debenham's.

http://debenhams.guided.atomz.com/?q=debut

I went low key for my wedding as well, but I got my dress at J.C Penny's. my dress was lavender with a matching jacket that totally made the dress complete. we didn't have a traditional wedding, neither of us wanted the fancy traditional wedding.

Oooo, so many choices!!  I didn't even think of JcPenny or JCrew!  It is nice to hear that some people had low key weddings as well.  It might make my mom feel better! 

I agree with the suggestion of a Monsoon dress; however, I am horribly biased because my wedding dress was from there.

I hope you find something wonderful and in your budget. :-)

Maybe this isn't what you're looking for but I went with a less formal gown from Mon Cheri, the line is called Destinations:

http://www.mon-cheri.co.uk/destinations/
http://www.moncheribridals.com/Destinations/Gallery4.aspx

They have white and colors.