My mom will be coming up here to go shopping with me, and I likely won't be able to do a traditional order from a bridal store as my wedding's 10/1 (she'll be coming the first week of June).
I put off getting my dress as I was getting really frustrated, and had a pretty bad bridal salon experience (the girl who was helping me told me to come back when I had a "better shape."). I also changed the vision of what I wanted, from big white gown, to sleek and modern, potentially with fabulous flair. Finally, I lost 30 pounds, and have already lost 10.5 inches from my waist and 8 from my hips (which put me at basically a 14, to now I'm at a 6/8, goal is a 2/4). I didn't want to have to do a crazy major alteration, and the bridal shops said I couldn't alter down that many sizes. But I think altering from a 6 to a 4 will be much more reasonable.
Budget: 2 grand, might be able to go slightly higher
Deadline: Will be ordering ~the first week in June for a October 1st wedding, so 4 months
Other requirements: No lace, no beading, no tulle
I'm thinking maybe my best bet would be samples, maybe one of the designers here (I love Chrissy Wai-Ching's dresses), and non-traditional places (Nordstrom, White House Black Market?). I didn't see anything I liked at Davids Bridal.