Bride Clown Costume

Matt and I got invited to a "Clown Gala" tonight. I'm still not entirely sure what we're getting ourselves into. Doesn't the advertisement little a little--um--scary?

We just found out about the event and haven't had much time to pull together our costumes. My original idea involved wearing the tutu I made a few years ago, but I couldn't think of anything else creative to go with it.

And then it hit me. I should be a bride clown. Yes!

My idea involves procuring a cheap wedding dress from a secondhand shop, doing a little work to make it short and poofy, wearing my rainbow thigh-highs (from my Rainbow Brite costume a few years ago), making a garter, finding/making a veil, and making a colorful yarn wig.

I started searching for cheap wedding dresses on Wednesday with my friend, Camella, but we didn't have much luck. Even dirty, sweat-stained, ugly-ass dresses cost more than a $100! I found the perfect one for $19.00 but squinted a bit more and realized it was actually $190.00. Seriously? The influence of the Wedding Industrial Complex extends all the way down to secondhand shops?

Matt and I continued the search the next night, but even at a really seedy place, the dresses still cost $38. Too much for a costume!

As the store was turning off and on its lights to herd us to the cashiers so they could close, I pulled out a super-ugly and stained dress for $4.80. It wasn't what I was looking for (I wanted poofy! lacy! beady!), but it definitely was a wedding dress. I held it to my waist to make sure it stretched at least halfway around on both sides.

Since I don't have that much time, I won't be able to alter it to make it poofy, lacy, and beady. I might just have to go for poofy. I'm thinking of simply sewing layers of tule to the outside and cinching everything together with a sash.

And I have to make the yarn wig...

At least I was able to buy a gawdy veil for $6.50. The cashier thought the veil was beautiful and assumed I was going to use it in my wedding. Oh. I felt terrible. That's exactly why I spent approximately five seconds looking on craigslist for dresses. I couldn't bring myself to buy someone's wedding dress and then have to confess, "Um, I'm actually already married, and I'm going to cut up your dress to turn it into a clown costume."

Now that is tacky!

I'll let you know how it turns out...

P.S. Traditional wedding dresses are h-e-a-v-y!

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