First Look at Prom 2010 Dresses

We're off to Atlanta in the morning for a four-day whirlwind buying spree to put together the best-ever collection of plus size dresses for Prom 2010. We'll be busy!
- Meeting with top Prom dress designers like Night Moves, Mori Lee and Faviana
- Scouting for new, undiscovered designers making their debut
- Catching all the hot styles on the runways at fashion shows
- Going behind-the-scenes with Teen Prom to get a trend watch

But we PROM-ise to find time to keep you posted.
Check back here often for fashion blasts from the Atlanta Prom Market.

Plus Size Cocktail Dresses Get Great Toasts!

Here at the NYC Preview of the 2010 Signature Collection VIP guests getting a sneak peek love the delicious colors like plum, apricot and cherry in our next assortment of plus size cocktail dresses. There's also great excitment over the prints, including a bold, graphic pattern in purple, black and white! Another sure winner: a so sophisticated little black dress in shantung silk with delicate beading on the skirt and cap sleeves. Look for it to also come in silver.

New York Preview of 2010 Signature Collection

Off to NYC to give a Preview of our 2010 Signature Collection to a VIP list of selected guests. They'll get a first look at the dreamy ball gowns, red-carpet formal dresses, sexy Prom 2010 dresses that rock and sassy cocktail dresses. New for 2010: more styles coming up to size 36!

Fan Mail from a Very Happy Bride

Thanks to Monica U of Alabama for sending us this fabulous email.

Dear Sydney,
I just received my wedding dress today, and it is absolutely LOVELY! I can't believe how wonderful it is. I'm so excited and I can't wait to send you pictures from the Wedding. I was worried that I could not find a dress to fit me, and this one is actually a little big, but it can be taken it. Again, thank you so much!
Sincerely,
Monica U

Click here to read fan mail from more Happy Customers.

Ten Money Saving Tips for Brides on a Tight Budget

Here's 10 Tips for cost-conscious Brides to save money on the wedding of their dreams and still go down the aisle in style:

1. Smaller weddings: cut costs by cutting the guest list
   
   
2. Destination weddings: say "I Do" in places near - not far!
   
   
3. Accent colors: dress up a simple wedding dress with a splash of color
   
   
4. Weekdays: tie the knot Monday through Friday instead of weekends
   
   
5. Go green: use eco-friendly decorations can be replanted or potted
   
   
6. Simple invitations: skip fancy paper and forget save the date cards
   
   
7. RSVP online: save the planet and money by not mailing reply cards
   
   
8. Sweet Things: serve cupcakes and slice a small wedding cake
   
   
9. Something borrowed: flatter family or a friend by asking them to lend you wedding jewelry.
   
   
10. Skip Extras: it's back to basics; who needs a chocolate fountain or wedding planner anyway?

Shopping for a cheap plus size wedding dress? Click here for a real bargain!

Do you have a money saving tip of your own to share? Tell us what you did to help the budget on your big day - leave us a comment!

Unwanted Fireworks Just Before July 4th

Thanks to all you loyal Sydney's Closet customers for your extra large does of patience today after a pre-dawn electrical fire knocked out the datacenter in Seattle that processes credit cards for us - and thousands more online stores. Kudos go to our diehard dress-up consultants who didn't miss a fashion beat by helping customers check out using alternative payment methods like Paypal or money order.

It took almost 12 hours, but the fire is out and problems fixed. Everything is back to normal again - just in time to shop until you drop over the long July 4th weekend using any of the four major credit cards. Have a happy and safe holiday! And call toll-free anytime: 888-479-3639 to leave a message with a live operator at our Customer Care center.

The Gift of Glam: Donating Prom Dresses

This is a tale of two dresses that started languishing in a closet in Puerto Rico and now are headed to Prom 2010 at a U.S. high school. It all started when "Bombshell", who lives in Puerto Rico, wanted to donate two pretty plus size formal dresses hanging in her closet since she was a teen.

We all know how painfully hard it is to give away evening dresses with loving memories attached to a once-in-a lifetime nights like Prom or graduation. But for Bombshell it was even emotionally tougher. Her mother was unemployed when she snagged the silver dress for 9th grade graduation where she danced all night under the moon with her boyfriend. Money was still tight when her mother scrapped together enough to buy fabric and pay the seamstress to make her green Prom dress with custom-designed appliques. Even though the dresses were near and dear to her heart, Bombshell knew she'd never wear them again.

So in these tough economic times, Bombshell decided to make a difference. Afterall, she knew firsthand the fashion plight of a teen-age girl on a tight budget trying to find an affordable prom dress. While she'd heard of charities that collect prom gowns for needy girls, Bombshell didn't know of any in Puerto Rico. Lucky for us, we caught her Tweet asking for a recommedation.

Every Spring Sydney's Closet gives the gift of glam to teen-age girls who can't afford to buy plus size Prom dresses by donating Prom gowns to charities across the U.S. that specialize in playing fairy godmothers.

We PROM-ised Bombshell we'd deliver her dresses to a charity that could get them to deserving teens. Within a week, her beautiful dresses arrived. The box decorated with colorful hearts clearly demonstrated Bombshell's love for helping others. With the donation, Bombshell sent a sweet, handwritten note saying she wants the dresses to bring joy to others as they did to her.

We only hope Bombshell's extraoridnary genorosity inspires more teens and women to send Sydney's Closet Prom dresses and evening gowns that they will never wear again. That way, we can continue to spread the joy one dress at a time.