Thanks to our sponsor Set Ready Garment Bags for presenting this week's posts on Offbeat Bride. We love 'em, and think you will, too...

One of the side effects of working for Offbeat Bride and living in Los Angeles is that newly engaged friends will always ask me things like, "ok, smarty: where can I go to find unique wedding dresses in LA?" Before now, unless a wedding dress shop or designer was an Offbeat Bride vendor in LA, I wouldn't always be able to answer them... Then I got engaged and went on the personal hunt for a unique LA wedding dress shop... and let me tell you, it was a surprisingly difficult task!

But, after almost a year of shopping around, I have managed to track down the top five places to get an offbeat wedding dress in Los Angeles. BEHOLD...

1. RMINE

RMINE Bespoke in Studio City is where I'm getting my custom wedding dress. Yup, after a year of searching, I never did find The Dress, so I had to resort to getting it made. (More on that later, I promise!) The moment I walked into RMINE, I knew I was home. They got my offbeat aesthetic. The owner and designer Arminé's face even lit up when she saw what I was trying on and heard how I described my perfect wedding dress. ("I want it to look like a unicorn sneezed on me.") She immediately said, "I want you to be one of my brides!" RMINE loves to have fun and get creative - these are our people, y'all.

2. Mermaid Miss Kristin

It's no coincidence that the number two on this list is not only my kick-ass hair stylist, but she's also an incredible dress maker. Mermaid Miss Kristin takes vintage wedding dresses, rips 'em up, and re-assembles them into a new wedding dress - whether it's custom-made or from her ready-to-wear collection. And with varying textures, laces, and color options, you're sure to go viral the moment your dress hits the interwebs. Sorta like this bride did.

3. JLM Boutique

If you have the luxury of splurging on your dress, you should head to JLM Boutique. They have Hayley Paige and Jim Hjelm and champagne, and amazing sales reps who will kick ass to get you what you want. Seriously, my head was spinning for days after visiting that store.

4. Les Habitudes

Les Habitudes is one of my favorite dress shops in LA, because it's where cosplayers and high-fashionistas collide. This is where my nerd friends go get their outfits for the Labyrinth of Jareth Masquerade Ball. This is also where my stylist friends shop for their clients - and even shop for their own wedding dresses!

5. Glamour Closet LA

Basically, Glamour Closet is a brick 'n' mortar space full of used wedding dresses. They have an incredible selection of unique gowns - including couture and well-known designers - for like 25-75% off retail prices! I found a couple rad dresses that would have been perfect, but weren't in my size. Keep going back if you don't find something the first time, because you never know what's gonna show up.

Thanks to our sponsor Set Ready Garment Bags for presenting this week's posts on Offbeat Bride. We love 'em, and think you will, too...