I went to private school my whole life, and had a set uniform. When it came down to making my First Communion I was so excited because I thought I’d finally be able to wear something I like.  That wasn’t the case.  I was making it in the summer, June to be exact. For those of you who live in California, you know how hot it can get during that time. Unfortunately for the girls making it along with me, we were told we were not allowed to wear spaghetti strap, nor sleeveless dresses.  So there I was, in a long sleeve (with shoulder pads), pantyhose so that the crinoline wouldn’t itch my legs, poufy dress in the middle of June in 90 plus degree weather. It wasn’t exactly what I had pictured my special day to be.  I remember getting home from church and changing.

Young girls have many options now a days and churches are being reasonable and allowing girls to wear spaghetti strap dresses BUT with a shawl or bolero for the Mass part, which is understandable. They can pick from tea length to ankle length, sequins or embroidered, sleeveless or cap sleeved.  Majority of the Communion Dresses come with crinoline followed by smooth material that touches the leg instead of having to deal with the scratchy material on the legs.  It’s the detail on the dress that I think makes it stand out.  You can get a simple A-Line dress with just enough detail on the bodice to make it stand out like our style LSP947-WT.  Or go for a more extravagant look with our D3130-WT that has embroidery all around the dress.  If you really want your daughter to shine all night, then you’ll defiantly like our LSP927-WT which has rhinestone detail on the bodice.

With so many selections in Communion Dresses that we offer, we’re sure coming to an agreement on what you like and what your daughter wants, won’t be a hassle.

Sleeveless Beaded Satin A-line w/ Bolero Communion Dress

Shantung w/ Rhinestone Accents First Communion Dress

I have to admit when I first saw them, I wasn’t THE biggest fan. Once you see them on and with the right flower girl accessories, they don’t look bad. I’ve seen girls wear them with black tights and heels and it looks fun and comfortable.  Toddlers look adorable in them. It’s an every day “princess outfit” for them.  They’re great for dressing up a regular t-shirt or to wear and twirl in for ballet class.

They’re fun, easy to maintain, and practical. There’s no need to take it to the dry cleaners or go thru the hassle of ironing it. They’re hand washable and the more crinkled it gets, the fuller it looks. Majority come based on age so you don’t have to worry about taking any type of measurements, and with an elastic waist, they’ll have enough room to grow into. They’re mainly made of floating chiffon and ruffles that go on forever. Some of them even come with a ribbon at the waist for extra detail.  They come in various colors and styles. They even have a full body petticoat dress like our style SP554, just in case you can’t find a shirt, this one already has it attached to the skirt.

Many brides are starting to use them as flower girl dresses because there’s no need to add a petticoat like you would to a “regular” flower girl dress. They’re easier to mix and match with the bridal parties colors, or you can get one with petals already inside the skirt, like our style SP110 on pinkprincess.com.

They make great gifts for girls of all ages or for your own princess to wear in any occasion. You’re sure to find the color/colors you’re looking for. Pettiskirts are all about having fun, and with 40 yards of fluffy chiffon, you can be assured you’re princess will have the time of her life twirling and playing in hers.

It’s simple. All you have to do is submit your child(rens) photo from July 28th to the end of the day on August 28th, Friday. You can only submit one photo of the same child. Once all photos have been submitted, you will then be able to vote on our voting page starting September 1st-30th, Wednesday. The winner will receive a $100 gift certificate that can be redeemed on your next Pink Princess purchase.

Don’t forget to tell your friends and family to vote for your little one. Posting it on a blog, or message board, will help increase your chances of winning so feel free to spread the word. Just make sure you send the email and the picture as the attachment. Make sure you include your name, email, address, and order number if you have one.

Contest starts soon, so send your picture here, and then you can start voting here. Check back once voting has ended to see who the winner is. Good luck to all participants.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=35587023932

Now, it’s not the shopping per se that sends me into a panic. It’s the thought of shopping with my two children. Kate is four and Hayden is one. Going anywhere, let alone to a kids clothing store, is a disastrous production. But I really couldn’t head into the holidays without knowing that at least two fancy dresses were hanging in each of their closets. Kate, my toddler, is all frills. Put her in bows, taffeta, or a flowing flower girl dress and she’s happy as a clam. As for Hayden? Well, she wears what I pick out for her. Last Christmas I choose something functional. This year I want her to shine in her first real Christmas party dress.

I put on my game face and dragged the kids to the mall. I scoured the racks, taking inventory of the Christmas clothes in all the children’s stores. Everything was picked over from the post-Thanksgiving crowd. I didn’t like a thing. The Santa dresses were silly and those long sweater dresses were cute, but probably more appropriate for older children. I was looking for young frilly, fancy dresses but in subdued holiday colors. No bright reds or greens for me. No way!

Three hours later, I had had enough of pushing and shoving my way through the mall. I went home to do what every other civilized person does the week after Thanksgiving. Hit the internet.

With my children in bed, I used the quiet time to Google “toddler girl clothing.” As expected a lot of bargain online retailers popped up, then some department stores and boutiques. So many choices! I browsed all of the Christmas clothes at the major stores and decided I would be paying too much for a similar holiday dress I could find somewhere else. Then I remembered Pink Princess. My mom had heard that this was the place to shop for party dresses, great and small. I hit their home page at PinkPrincess.com and struck gold. Within minutes I had purchased matching frosted pink and blue taffeta dresses. Then I splurged and bought matching two-toned velvet-taffeta dresses in sage and silver. The bows on these dresses were just too adorable. My girls were set! The dresses arrived less than a week later, just in time for their first soiree.

 Today, I breathe a sigh of relief. As my girls twirl around in their new fancy dresses, I can finally start concentrating on something a little more meaningful… like shopping for myself!

by Erin McElveen

12.03.2007