If years of binge-watching Say Yes to the Dress has given you unrealistic expectations about the cost of a white gown, it's time to snap out of it. Run by best friends Viviana Planas and Jenise Castro, La Vie en Blanc opened in 2012 to give uncompromising brides the dresses of their dreams at a slightly more reachable price. Hundreds of preworn, last-season, and designer sample gowns line the walls of this lovely, welcoming space in an otherwise unremarkable industrial park. Dresses run 25 to 75 percent off retail and are helpfully organized by price. Perfect for procrastinators or those otherwise on a time crunch, dresses can even be brought home the day of purchase. And for the truly budget-conscious, consider this: After the wedding is done and the honeymoon is over, you can sell the dress right back to the shop to recoup some of the expense.

Unless you're a blinged-out professional rapper, chances are you don't spend a ton of time playing the market for jewelry. So when you need some serious ice, how do you pick the best store? You could choose the one with the catchiest radio jingle or settle for a chain store at the mall, but if you're looking for solid customer service and fair pricing, you want a family-owned shop like Brickell Jewelers. Longtime diamond dealer Sam Nissim opened the business in 2008 and has since been joined by his two sons, Mike and Danny. Whether you're looking for a stainless-steel Rolex, a pair of sapphire-encrusted earrings, or a simple gold wedding band, there's something sparkly in most price ranges. Diamond engagement rings start around $300 and top out at $50,000. Repairs are moderately priced, with battery replacement running $20 and ring resizing ranging from $20 to $150. Whether you have a video shoot with Drake lined up or you plan to pop the question, the Nissims will take good care of you.

Jeff "the Dude" Lebowski had it right: Sometimes a rug really does tie a whole room together. Not to fear: Whether your crib is missing that all-important floor covering stolen by nihilists or simply needs a touch of style via that unique piece of '60s lighting or that angular '70s couch, Stripe Vintage Modern is ready to help. Owners Eric Cody and Arel Ramos are well known for their interior design projects and their curated collection of midcentury-modern furniture, lighting, and accessories. Everything you see in the shop is vintage, and nearly all of the merchandise has been restored so it looks even better than new. Be warned: This level of chic doesn't usually come cheap, especially because most pieces here bear the names of famous midcentury designers like Gio Ponti and Paul Frankl. A Karl Springer mirror in embossed crocodile leather can set you back $3,000, while an Italian brass and rattan bar cart costs $2,850. If you've got the cash, you might just pick up a new family heirloom, but even if you can't afford those premium prices, it's worth wandering Stripe just for design inspiration. When the store opened in 2005, it was one of the first to set up on a block now known as Miami's "20th Century Row," just across the street from the Museum of Contemporary Art. Now it's a mainstay for anyone looking for a little Mad Men, or perhaps just some Big Lebowski, flair for their home.

Congratulations on your big move! You chose a realtor, shopped around, increased the mental monthly maximum you were willing to pay, and settled into a nice little money pit of your very own. And because this is Miami, chances are you won't have a lot of extra cash to blow on new furniture. OK, actually you're dead broke. If your wallet is depleted but your tastes are discerning, there's still an option that fits the bill: Habitat for Humanity's 12,000-square-foot warehouse of discount housewares: ReStore. With donations of new and used furniture and appliances coming in every day, the store frequently posts recent arrivals on its Facebook page so you can scope out the selection before making the trip to Cutler Bay. The prices aren't dirt-cheap, but they're always a relative bargain: Think $700 leather sectionals and $150 antique wooden dressers. Plus, you can feel good knowing your dollars go to an organization striving to get working-class Miamians into affordable homes of their own.

The clothes turn. Fifteen minutes pass. They're still tumbling around. The air is hot, and the cloying smell of laundry fresheners is almost enough to choke you. All the magazines date from the Carter era. The damn clothes are still spinning. The worst part of not having your own washing machine and dryer is, by far, the time-suck of having to monitor your clothes in a nondescript laundromat with no escape in sight. So you might as well pass the time somewhere that makes you happy. In business since 1982, Mary's Café has cracked the Miami code to joyfully wasting a few hours: This place serves truly delicious café con leche ($1.25) and pan con bistec ($5.50) while you wait for the spin cycle to wrap up. Plus, it's open 24/7, so you can come and go on whatever weird Miami time you operate on.

Have you ever driven around with a bag of dry-clean-only items in your trunk for six weeks, telling yourself every day you'll eventually drop it off? Quit messing around and just head to Kim's Valet Cleaners, where you'll find free parking and friendly service from its personable owner, Kim Coe, who opened the business way back in 1975. At her location on Biscayne Boulevard at NE 51st Street, Coe has an uncanny knack for learning the names of her newcomers in just a few visits. Whether you're dropping off a dress shirt ($4.15), a pair of pants ($7.25), or a dress ($15), Kim's Valet Cleaners has a sterling reputation for quality care. Coe can't cure procrastination — she's not a superhero, dammit — but with customer service like this, it won't take you so long to make the trip next time.

Since the dawn of man, people have modified their bodies as a way to mark their identity for the world to see. Inserting a large animal bone through a septum or puncturing ear lobes with rows of precious gemstones helps people tell their story on their terms. At Miami Tattoo Co. in the heart of South Beach, body piercing is a true art form practiced by two leading ladies in the game. Jane-Marie Ravelo, a raven-haired piercer with a radiant grin and funky eyeglasses, fell in love with body modification when she was 13. She spent the next seven years honing her skills, including a yearlong apprenticeship with renowned Miami tattooist and body piercer Maytee Bringas. Her passion for piercing took her to Las Vegas in 2011 for the Association of Professional Piercers Conference, where she met and learned from the top body modification artists in America. And even though she became a registered nurse in 2015, Ravelo continues to oversee Miami Tattoo Co.'s body piercing department while grooming the shop's other piercer, Bridgett Dearing, a rising star in her own right. Both women are the only certified members of the Association of Professional Piercers based in Miami. In addition, Miami Tattoo Co. offers top-of-the-line jewelry made from implant-grade titanium, niobium, and gold. The shop also takes custom orders, including requests for Swarovski crystals. Ravelo and Dearing don't play around when it comes to providing clients with a sterile environment. The piercers use a steam sterilization machine called the Statim G4 2000 to sanitize their tools and jewelry on the spot.

Sorry to break it to all the leather-wearin' rebels out there, but tattoos are so mainstream at this point that if you go to your average PTA meeting, almost everyone in the room has at least a little ink. But tats are still more-or-less forever — you want to put some serious thought into what you're stenciling permanently onto your flesh and who's doing it. Enter Briga at Grove Ink. The rainbow-haired artist with a tarantula inked on her throat and a secret love of Abba is a master of both the needle and the pencil. So before you ever hear the first buzz of the tattoo artist's tools, Briga will sketch out a bespoke and personal design based on your precise wants. She'll also take the time to modify it until it's perfect. From creating an elaborate architectural piece of baroque artwork to inking a simple bumblebee, Briga makes sure you're happy with your long-lasting piece of body art. Her prices vary by size and design, but a smallish tattoo runs around $150.

Readers' choice: Tattoo & Co. Wynwood

Tokyo Valentino might well have the largest collection of adult videos in South Florida. And unlike your friend who never quite got over her prudish Catholic school education, this Upper Eastside shop doesn't stash its X-rated films under the bed. Tokyo Valentino's immense selection is proudly displayed alongside all the lube, adult toys, and naughty-nurse costumes a person could ever need. Don't worry: The high-school nuns can't get you anymore, so there's no need to be embarrassed here, especially when the staff is friendly and can answer all the questions you were too afraid would show up in your Google search history. They welcome patrons to take advantage of their "Videoplexxx," offering private booths and bedrooms that stream adult films from the store or even ones you provide. Yes, the doors lock. And the parking is discreet.

Along Calle Ocho's tourist trail, shops lure folks inside with wafts of cigar tobacco and the enticing beat of the rumba, but the inconspicuous Botanica Negra Francisca doesn't need to rely on those tricks. They're counting on your spirit guides to subconsciously move you through the door. Owned by a warm, welcoming family of Santería practitioners, this botanica never makes visitors feel awkward or unwanted even if they're unfamiliar with Cuba's fascinating syncretic religion. Instead, an employee will ask you why you're visiting and whether you're looking for anything in particular (be it an antidote to your latest heartbreak or a special candle to secure a promotion at work). For a small shop, it's stocked full of beads, necklaces, bracelets, perfumes and colognes, and an entire wall of votive candles dedicated to Ogunn, Eleggua, Babalú Ayé, and any other orisha with whom you may need to commune. As Brickell and the Roads push ever east into Little Havana, Negra Francisca is one of the last botanicas still standing amid the gentrification of their sacred hood.