Wedding Dress Nightmares

fbmandy55

My dress...technically, a bridesmaid dress. I am not really a formal girl.

So THIS is what Q looks like!

_Khaleesi_

I get married in October. I like dress styles that are not "in" right now. It took me 9 hours and about 40 dresses before I found "the one." It's gold lace and I am adding cap sleeves. Out of 40 dresses, there wasn't any other dress that I even liked. You just have to bite the bullet and put yourself out there. And if you don't find anything, you have the luxery of having parents who will fund something custom.

Weddings are exactly what you make them. If you stress about it being a nightmare, it'll be one. It's all about perspective.

lizzybethclaire

This was my gown:


For the reception, I removed the outer jacket and had short sleeves put on. They simply clipped inside the strapless underdress. The jacket was heavy and cumbersome (pretty but frustrating for dancing):


FWIW, I went through 52 different gowns at 8 different shops before I found the one I got. I loved it. It was perfect.

Be patient and make sure you look around.

Sorry for spamming you with pics... just wanted to say that this style of dress does exist, but they are hard to find right now. I got mine at David's and had the short sleeves added later by them.

loved your gown!!! so pretty

AlsDonkBoxSquat

I got my dress the week before I got married due to some internet scamming *kitten* *LOL* Luckily, it fit off the rack and did the trick I don't have great pics available, though...

I think your accidental dress is lovely, and you my dear, are gorge!

lizzybethclaire

I had such a nightmare finding a dress because not only was I overweight, I was also 6'1 and no dress was long enough on me. I am the only bride in history who had to have her dress altered so it would be longer! I loved my dress, I have to find a pic of it. It looked like Princess Leia's dress when she is putting the medal;s on them at the end of Star Wars: A New Hope.

MJ7910

So I am getting married in a year and a half and like all brides I want everything to be perfect. Mom and dad are perfectly willing to pay to have my dress(es?) custom made but I really didn't want to miss out on the hunt. I went to David's Bridal and had an okay time but I am getting super frustrated and jaded with the whole idea of wedding gowns.
I don't like strapless dresses. I do not like the weird frills and pick-up and other random stuff they're doing with skirts. I do not like bodices that look more like underwear than formal wear.

Was I born in the wrong decade?!

It's bad enough I feel I'm the only girl in my generation that actually likes yellow gold.

I'm just over it. I still have to look at plus size dresses because I've only started my weight loss journey and all I can think is how BAD most of these dresses look on bigger women. I want my big wedding, though, and I want to feel like a Goddamned princess on MY big day.

I do not want my 'dress consultant' to bring me things I specifically said I did not want. I do not want to have to resort to looking online for dresses because none of the stores I can go to have more than one or two dresses that meet my idea of what I want.

I'm just.... Over it. Is it really too much to ask for a dress that is elegant, modest, and beautiful?

i'm right there with you with the strapless. everyone loves it but i've never liked it at all. i like sleeves on my dress or at least spaghetti straps... just something. i've always been terrified of my top falling down so i've always stayed away from strapless. but it seems to be all the rage. my gown was something like a princess gown with billowy sleeves - i just did a quick google search and can't even find anything like it anymore. everything is strapless now.

ps - love yellow gold too! and round cut diamonds, single stone, no embellishments.

Jreneewright

i got my dress from alfred angelo.. i promise they have beautiful elegant plus size dresses.. my dress came with sleeves that you could take off so i chose not to use them but they had so many options for larger ladies!! when i renew my vows if i need a new dress iwill def use them again!!

nakabi

I got my dress from Alfred Angelo as well. It was the first one I tried on and I loved it. I don't know how to post pics, but you can see it in my profile.
I agree, you do want to feel like a princess on your big day; don't feel bad for it!!! Keep looking and you will find your dream dress!!!

Schnuddelbuddel

I had mine made also... after hunting and not finding!

Little question though: it's another 18 months away, so why start hunting now already? I'd buy magazines and go 'window shopping' but until you are nearer the time and know what your body will look like, there's no point going dress hunting yet. Well, other than for the fun of it, but doesn't sound like you're enjoying it very much at the moment.

Also - if you, like me, find that dress but it's too expensive, get it made, that's cheaper (was for me, about 2500 quid cheaper!) or, if you can't find the exact one, it can be altered to suit. So, if you find a strapless dress you love, get straps made for it! My dress was strapless (as in, it didn't need the straps for holding it up!) but had decorative straps attached to it, which was gorgeous Don't knock a dress before you explore all possibilities

Happy hunting!

AlsDonkBoxSquat

I loved my gown and veil. I'm a little more classic and was definitely born into the wrong era. I bought my dress at a store in Burlington, NC called the bridal warehouse or some such. There was no assistant. I went to boutiques too, but preferred the set up of grabbing my own dresses to try on, digging through the racks, and paying a smaller cost because I didn't have to over pay for too many people's salaries and all the accoutrements of a boutique.

Your dress is amazing!

Awe, thanks. It was between this one for $800, a Vera Wang for $7500, and another designer for $6000. This is the dress that made me cry when I put it on, the others I loved but didn't make me cry until I looked at the price tag.

mmsilvia

When I got married I had the same problems. I wanted something elegant not revealing or clingy. I dragged my mom to all kinds of bridal stores and finally after 101 stores & 507 dresses...I found the dress of my dream dress at a consignment store. It was the classic prefect dress I imagined and at half the price of my budget.

My suggestion to you is to try looking outside of the so called normal bridal stores for your dream wedding dress.

Congrats & Good Luck

grassette

You have my sympathy. That strapless look is so NOT for heavyset girls, and now that is all they have. When my sister in law got married, she chose a lovely gown with mutton sleeves (a Gibson girl look) that hid her heavy shoulders and big arms, and the silhouette made the most of her figure. When my nephew got married, his bride wore a strapless that revealed far too much.

Royal Kate's wedding dress had that strapless look, but at least she covered up with a lace over-bodice.

If you have having your dress made for you, look into vintage patterns, or into the period costumes in the pattern books. Finding the right neckline and sleeve can make you so becoming, and you won't look like everyone else. To see which style suits you best, don't limit yourself to wedding shops, but take in costume shops too. Take pictures of necklines, sleeves and skirt shapes that you like. A good dressmaker should be able to put together and sew the look you want.

And if you are having the dress made, you can choose gorgeous fabrics that will make any frill of geehaw look cheap. Check out the fabrics at the fabric stores so you can get your imagination going.

A_Fit_Mom

This was my gown:





I had the same issue you have with wanting a gown that was a little more coverage. While mine was strapless, the jacket kept my shoulders and back covered, and the strapless top came up higher than other tops keeping me covered. It was a dark ivory/chamgpagne color.









For the reception, I removed the outer jacket and had short sleeves put on. They simply clipped inside the strapless underdress. The jacket was heavy and cumbersome (pretty but frustrating for dancing):



FWIW, I went through 52 different gowns at 8 different shops before I found the one I got. I loved it. It was perfect.

Be patient and make sure you look around.

Sorry for spamming you with pics... just wanted to say that this style of dress does exist, but they are hard to find right now. I got mine at David's and had the short sleeves added later by them.

I had the same dress, or one similar. I needed a dress that covered my arms for my church. Loved my dress, got it at David's Bridal. (I am referring to the first dress)

Edit to add: I think the only difference was the dress had design on mine in the front, but the "jacket" was exactly the same.

sara0418

I am the same way, I did not want anything traditional, so I went for a short dress. Its way cute and def not traditional.. You will find the perfect dress....

kerriBB37

I purchased my gown last week from a store called Group USA.. they usually are in malls. I had a great experience and they had lots of styles and colors.. designer is Camille LaVie I paid less than $650 for it.
Happy hunting! It is fun! I only tried on the one dress and ended up falling in love.. I ordered a goldish/ivory color NOT stark white lol

odusgolp

I purchased my gown last week from a store called Group USA.. they usually are in malls. I had a great experience and they had lots of styles and colors.. designer is Camille LaVie I paid less than $650 for it.
Happy hunting! It is fun! I only tried on the one dress and ended up falling in love.. I ordered a goldish/ivory color NOT stark white lol

LOVE the arm band *LOL*

kerriBB37

I purchased my gown last week from a store called Group USA.. they usually are in malls. I had a great experience and they had lots of styles and colors.. designer is Camille LaVie I paid less than $650 for it.
Happy hunting! It is fun! I only tried on the one dress and ended up falling in love.. I ordered a goldish/ivory color NOT stark white lol

LOVE the arm band *LOL*

my body bugg!! hehe.. my friends always ask me what the heck that is when I show them pictures!! they wouldn't get it

Schnuddelbuddel

I purchased my gown last week from a store called Group USA.. they usually are in malls. I had a great experience and they had lots of styles and colors.. designer is Camille LaVie I paid less than $650 for it.
Happy hunting! It is fun! I only tried on the one dress and ended up falling in love.. I ordered a goldish/ivory color NOT stark white lol

That's a fab dress!! You look great in that!! And only bought last week? Does this mean your big day's still ahead of you? Hope your OH isn't on here to see you in it before ;P

MrsCon40

Was I born in the wrong decade?!

...I want to feel like a Goddamned princess on MY big day.

Yes.

Nowadays weddings are about both of you. Quit acting like a demanding child - and go to a real dress shop - not David's Bridal.

I bought the 2nd dress I tried on when I went to a locally owned boutique. I didn't want white and I didn't want frills. They pulled the right dresses because they loved brides and weren't just "working retail". And super bonus - the dress was HALF of what I budgeted.

shanolap

I got my wedding dress from a local mom & pop bridal store. Not being into frills myself, I ended up purchasing a bridesmaid dress for $100.

Thge bodice was satin with a square neckline, sleeveless (married in August) and had an open lace up back. It was a drop-waist style that cascaded to the floor in tulle.

I loved my dress! So think outside the box and you might find exactly what you are looking for.

(Sorry no pics)