Some brides are planning their walk down the aisle with an extra reason to celebrate – a baby on the way. And if you are one of these brides, you know finding the perfect wedding dress can be an extra challenge since your size changes on what feels like a daily basis.

Empire waist gowns are amazing for pregnant brides.  This style eliminates the guesswork (meaning stress) about what size you’ll need since they flow loosely over the stomach.  Not only that, they are so comfortable, a bride can have relax and have fun all night.

Here are some of our favorite PreOwned gowns that would be perfect for a pregnant bride.

Monique Lhuillier Gayle,  Alisa Benay Claudia,  Jenny Packham Rosalind

Romona Keveza RK654,  Melissa Sweet Rome,  Alice Padru April

Jenny Packham Cleopatra,  Anne Barge 495,  Pronovias Heraldo

I received this email recently from a bride who just sold her dress on the site.  I loved her story about why she decided to sell her dress…and how happy she felt when she did.

So many brides tell us they want to sell their gown because a wedding dress should be enjoyed again instead of tucked away in a closet.  I couldn’t agree more.

The seller in her Priscilla of Boston wedding dress

“My reception dress sold in no time while listed on PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com, and now my gorgeous couture Priscilla of Boston gown, is off to a new loving home.

I have to confess, when I first shared with my girlfriends the news that I was selling my wedding dress, they couldn’t fathom why, and almost all of them said I would regret it someday. They brought up things like what if your daughter wants to see it, or you could cut it up and use it for a baptismal gown. All of their arguments made sense, but nevertheless I responded to emails from brides wanting to know more.

Finally, the day arrived when a bride and her girlfriend made the 6 hour drive to try on the dress. I wasn’t sure how I would feel seeing another girl try on something that only months before had meant everything to me. However, after seeing how much another bride loved my dress and how beautiful it was on her, I never doubted for a second that I made the right choice. I was happy the dress brought her as much happiness as it brought me, and to see it go home with her just felt right.

I know for sure that my beautiful (and very pricey gown) will be loved, photographed, and admired once again, and isn’t that what we all secretly hope for for the dress we waited our whole life to wear?

Now instead of storing my dress for the next 30 years and hoping for a daughter to pass it on to, I am using the money to buy my hubby and I a new hot tub to enjoy for years to come.

In the end, not only did I earn a little much needed cash by selling my dress, I made a new friend.”

Tell us.  Why did you decide to sell your wedding dress?

“Bridal Bliss,” that’s what I would say if someone asked me to describe my bridal shower in two words. More simply put, it was perfect.

My bow hat...don't tell Colin that I purposely broke 3 bows (I want 3 kids he wants 2)

Having planned and attended several (feels like a hundred) bridal showers, I knew the routine – ask the bride tons of wedding questions that you don’t care to know the answer to, try to make conversation with people you’ve never met, snack on some of the bride’s favorite snacks that you don’t really like, play horribly boring games only to win some lame prize that you’re going to throw away as soon as you enter your house, and then sit for hours watching the bride open gifts that she doesn’t need just to find that some other person bought her the same gift that you did. These things all made it difficult to get excited about the bridal shower until Colin said, “You’re going to a bridal shower this weekend and it’s for YOU!”

I lie, from the moment I got engaged, Kirsti (MOH) and I talked about exactly what my bridal shower would be like. I browsed through magazines and websites looking at themes and colors and favors and décor, after all, this wasn’t someone else’s shower, this was MY SHOWER!

The ones who made the magic happen

In Martha Stewart I found the perfect look, paper lanterns, vibrant sangria, and bright colors everywhere. When I sent it to Kirsten, I never thought that a shower like that was a possibility for me – I grossly underestimated the talent of my ladies!

My nana even trekked out for the fun!

My bridal shower was BEAUTIFUL. My parents live on about 17 acres of open land and this is where the girls set up shop. They borrowed a tent and set it up poolside (thanks Uncle Chuck!) Inside the tent they put up paper lanterns, colorful poofs (just like the ones Martha made), hearts made of paper containing seeds that when planted grow beautiful wild flowers, balloons in the pool, and tables with different shades of green and yellow (ironically I’ve told Colin before that if I got a second wedding I’d use yellow.)

There were a lot of people who pitched in - including my parents who let us use their property and got things set up, and my brother who helped with food prep!

Non-brides, I know that bridal showers can be boring, but suffer through it for the bride’s sake because on this end, they’re glorious. You get to brag about how great your wedding is going to be to all of your favorite people who you finally have all in the same place at the same time, eat your favorite snacks, watch your friends play silly bridal games and give them totally awesome gifts, and then open presents…for you…that you picked out…for hours! Oh, and when you get repeat gifts, you get to return them for more presents…that you picked out! I wish I could have a bridal shower EVERY day! (Well, that may be excessive, once a year?)

As you’ve probably guessed my bridal shower was great, and I take most of the credit for picking such WONDERFUL bridesmaids!

To all of the other brides out there – Happy Bridal Shower!

Yours,

The Bride

I’m a big fan of outdoor ceremonies like Erin + Jeff’s…I’d love to be just passing by and happen to see a beautiful couple getting married in a 7-acre park in downtown Asheville, North Carolina! The bride looks beautiful in her Priscilla of Boston dress and sets the perfect tone for their super charming and down-to-earth ceremony and reception. I LOVE the bunches of lavender at the alter; the mix of colorful flowers in tinted glass and mason jars for centerpieces; and oh the baked goods…they look downright delightful in their upside down teacup and saucer stands and vintage dessert platters.  Just perfect!

Erin + Jeff | April 30, 2011 | Pack Square Park + Pack’s Tavern, Asheville, North Carolina

The Ceremony
We were married outside in Pack Square Park, a 7-acre public park that sits in the middle of downtown Asheville. We were originally looking for a mountain setting for our ceremony, but couldn’t find anything we could afford, didn’t force the use of porta-potties, or involve an hour-long drive out of town.  When we heard you could rent the park, it seemed like the perfect Asheville urban setting.  We live here and get to enjoy all that our downtown and city has to offer so to have our wedding downtown where it was convenient for our guests just made sense. (Other than 7 people, everyone was coming from out of town). Our ceremony was something we worked hard with our minister to personalize, with readings from our friends and family and hand-written vows. We wanted everyone to feel God’s love and how blessed we are to have found each other and joined our families.

The Reception
Our reception was held next door at the Century Room at Pack’s Tavern, a loft space that is above the restaurant overlooking the Park. It was a huge space, and we were a little afraid our 70 guests would get lost in the space, but we used long tables to dress it up beautifully. A dear friend of ours, Peggy, played with her jazz band, and we served food grown locally from a green caterer. In lieu of favors, we made a donation to a charity that is close to the hearts of each of our guests, including The Breast Cancer Research Fund, Friends of the Great Smoky Mountains, Multiple Myeloma Foundation, Sweet Relief, and Appalachian Voices, with a special note thanking them for joining us on our special day. It really meant a lot to have the most important people in our lives join us for our special day and we really wanted them to know how much we love them, wouldn’t be who we are without them, and how grateful we are they made the trip.

How Erin Felt in Her Wedding Dress
Classic, Understated Romance. I really wanted a dress that made me feel beautiful, while being something comfortable that worked with my body style and didn’t overwhelm or under whelm our outdoor space, semi-casual feel.

Why Erin Decided to Sell Her Wedding Dress
I am not a sentimental person and want someone else (who maybe can’t afford this dress at a retail price) to be able to wear it.

Erin’s Wedding Dress | Priscilla of Boston Hampton
Photography | Aaron Imaging