Choosing a Wedding Dress: Tips?
 

Hello everybody,

My partner and I have been together since Nov 2004. We got engaged in May 2010. My partner sprung a month on me, for when he'd like to get married. It's all a bit of a shock, and since I don't know anybody who's gotten married, I don't know where to begin. We've got a wedding planner in the works, to plan every other detail of the wedding for us.

All I need to figure out, is a wedding dress. At this stage, i've figured out that i'd like a colour that isn't white. I'd like a strapless bodice, and a veil, that sits at the back of my head. I'm also planning on walking out into water at some point, and trashing the dress.

Other than that, i'm not sure of anything else. Heck, I don't even know my size lol! Is there anybody out there, who has suggestions on fabrics, and off-white colours, as well as any other considerations?

All help is appreciated :)

Not to sound creepy, but do you have a picture or can describe yourself?
Colors matter, I don't want to suggest blue to someone who'd look better in pink, you know? :P
Also, how much are you looking to spend on your wedding dress?
& have you thought about bridesmaids at all? like what color you want their dresses?
Knowing your size beforehand doesn't matter so much because chances are the store you're out will size and fit you.

So many many questions. o 3o~

Thanks for replying monstahh, hahaha I don't find it creepy at all. Good question xD! Here's my photo album on Mene, if you want a fullbody shot i'll hafta dig one up: click click (LOL sounds like a dating service xD)

Ermmm, I think i'd only go as high as 2.5k NZD. I was going to work the bridesmaids around my wedding dress. Once I get a dress sorted out, I am going to post up images for them, and discuss colour palettes that would go best with it, and look great on them too.

:rofl: I'd love to see you in some bold colours some more, like red, but that's very out there for a wedding, most women even if going "not white" prefer a pastel colour, I believe. Don't quote me on that but most women I know who have gotten married have gone with white or off white colours.

So, from the NZD bit, I deduced you are from NZ (correct me if I'm wrong, lol). I put into google "NZ wedding dress magazine" and out popped this site. Looking through, a lot of the dresses women have look the same, but it's probably just a popular trend. o 3o;

If you want to look at styles of a wedding dress in general in a slightly better format than that last site for just browsing and getting a feel of what you want, this is a good site.
You can even select things you've already decided on...like you want it strapless, and you don't want it to be white.
Browse through what they have. :3 It will (hopefully) give you a better idea of what you want or don't want.

Here is also a good page to read over.
It offers some advice on the actual buying process, like starting early and shopping with only a few people, things I wouldn't know cos I've never been married before. XD

:lol: I also think you'd look great in red. XD Or any other bold color really. Your coloring would be great for jewel tones. :yes:

I plan on having a royal purple wedding dress, so if you don't care what people think and don't want to do "traditional," I say go for any fun color that catches your eye. XD

And since you plan on ruining your dress, I'd actually consider a prom dress -- they're MUCH more affordable than a wedding dress so you won't feel bad about messing it up, and they come in a huge array of colors. :yes:

So excited about this~ >w>

I know you said Nivvy, you had a dress you really liked? Do you have pictures of it? I know you also said it might be hard to get, but it'd give a good idea of what you're really wanting. c:
As for wanting to walk into the water, that'd be interesting, hmmm... A light dress would definitely be the best.
I think just a lighter color would look good, any colors your leaning towards particularly? >w> Red seems like a good choice to me, xD

Thanks for the feedback guys I really appreciate it ^^.

@ monstahh
The links you've supplied are absolutely amazing, I can't thank you enough for that ^^! I found the tips page especially handy, as it has outlined quite a few things for me that I hadn't considered such as... what am I going to wear under the wedding dress? LMAO! Such a simple thing, but one i'd completely overlooked. I'd better sort out what i'm going to wear underneath, before ever going for a fitting X__x;;

Personally I would love to wear a red dress. But I am leaning towards a diamond white/ivory colour. It's strange, but I have it in my head that in the future I would love to have a recommitement ceremony, in say 10 years, to mark our anniversary - and I would like to take that opportunity to wear a bold colour like red ^^.

@ Sizzla

Wow, royal purple! That would definitely be an eye catcher xD!! I'm definitely going to go with a bold colour for my recommitement dress ^^! But I will definitely keep your tip about the prom dress in mind, in regards to ruining the dress hymmmm... I'm thinking maybe I should wait a while to trash the dress, maybe do it on our first wedding anniversary xD!!! and use a different dress for it... I dunno. The more I think about it, the more I like your idea about trashing a prom dress haha.

@ Simply

Aww! You're too cute xD!

Okay, so prepare for wedding dress overload.

Here's the dress that took my breath away. I love the way it works upon the chest, and how it flays out at the bottom. I love that it doesn't accentuate the bum too much LOL! I wanted something womanly, but not overly sexed up. This is "Sara" - Maggie Sottero. Issues with Sara, is that it is not available through the MS retailer here in NZ, and I am waiting to hear from one wedding boutique if they have it in their collection. I would need to order this dress from overseas, if this particular boutique in NZ doesn't stock it </3
Sara

I like this dress, because it reflects some of the qualities I liked about Sara. Unfortunately it is only available in all white, or all ivory. I'm not as keen on the reflective quality of the fabric, as it kind of reminds me of a sleeping garment xD;; The motif on the chest will have to grow on me. However, this dress is stocked in NZ through the Maggie Sottero stockist here in NZ. This dress is "AD3300". This dress will be more expensive, since i'd be purchasing through the MS stockist.
AD3300

This dress also reflects some things that I liked about Sara. It is available in diamond white, and splays nicely on the hip like I seem to like. It is available in NZ through the MS stockist. I find the splay at the bottom is a bit larger than i'd like, and the bodice would have to grow on me. I'm guessing because of all the work with the crystals this dress would be significantly more expensive than the other dresses shown previously @[email protected];; This is "Michelle".
Michelle

and lastly "Vogue". This dress is available in NZ through the stockist. I do like the way this dress accentuates the hips, but the lace up corset goes down a bit far, and i'd be worried about being seeing my butt crack or underwear lol!! I'm a bit hesitant about the textural difference between the bodice, and the dress itself. I'm also getting a bit of a wedding cake decoration vibe from it... but I still dig it for some reason. I like this dress more so without the veil they've used in the image.
Vogue

Okay, so I can COMPLETELY see why you're in love with that dress... out of all of those, it's easily my favorite. ;___;

Dress 1 is just...so beautiful. ;__; I can just imagine you wearing it with your hair up (Is your hair long/short now? o: ) and having a cute lil' veil on the top~ :squee:

Dress 2 I can see how you got "sleeping garment" out of. It's really pretty, the design of it is, but I think it'd be better in a different fabric. Not only that, it slightly reminds me of a cheapish prom dress. o.e

Dress 3 is easily my second pick.. I like how it all looks over all, and it can have a color that's not all white. Plus, I think the back of it is just stunning, I love lace ups. <3

Dress 4 is what you said, lmao. xD I can't help but think something would show, but they normally have a layer of cloth behind stuff... but that one seems to not have it, D: I think if it did, it'd be nice so nothing would show, but at the same time it'd throw off the design. Plus, the design throws me off. I really like the upper part of it, but as the "cake" like parts spread towards the bottom I don't like it. I think it'd look pretty neat if it was continuous on the dress though, kinda reminds me of a velvet-y material. >w<

I just went through her dresses as well...they're so pretty. D:
I'll list a few of my favorites/ones I think you'd like and look nice in. c:

Florenza - This dress' color would look SO good on you. I'm not sure I like the style of it (The back mainly), but I do this it's really very pretty.
Colette - I think THIS is my favorite dress, that I clicked on that I thought you'd like >w< I love the lines on it, and the back makes me :drool: Just..so flowy and nice. It'd be...okay for water, possibly, lmao. xD
Anniston This dress is like the Vogue dress, but is much more to my liking in design, >w> I like that the design is only at the top part and not in the bottom.
Kay - Simple dress really, but I felt it'd do good in water, and it was cute. xD
Yasmin - For the lolage. xDD <3

General tip: If you're spending that much money, DO NOT get it unless you are 100% in love with it. If you have any reservations about a dress, don't get it.

My aunt works in the "formalwear" industry here in the U.S., and she hates the days that she works in the bridal shop because she can't sell expensive dresses to girls who have reservations. She makes commission and does terribly because she doesn't want to see someone unhappy with something they spent so much money on and will only wear once.


Otherwise: I second all suggestions about prom dresses and bold colors (I was just skimming though, sorry! :sweat:). Also, if you go to bridal shops, look at the bridesmaid dresses! They have a lot of non-white (and even white!) colors, and they cost considerably less than bridal gowns. I got married today (woo!) wearing some old clothes from my office job. Tomorrow I'm having a reception with "THE DRESS" and it's SO not white. It's black and royal blue and white (but mostly black). And I LOVE it! I got it from the formalwear section at a department store (since prom dresses don't really fit me well, as I am... a developed lady...), and saved a ton off of what I would have spent at a bridal store. I even went to bridal shops just to look at bridesmaid dresses because I wanted color. I wasn't happy with any of them, especially for the prices.

So bottom line: don't buy any dress you don't absolutely LOVE.

@ Simply

My hair is long ^^. It's only just reached to the small of my back. I'm planning on having it up so I don't turn into a sweaty beast xD;; I'm loving the veils that sit at the back of the head, as opposed to draping over my front. I would end up sneezing the whole way down the isle haha

Fiorenza - Oh my goodness, i'm in loooove with this dress! That colour is just absolutely gorgeous wow *o*!! Most definitely an eye popper. If it was available at the stockist, or through the bridal boutique who are snagging MS dresses for cheap, Sara would have serious contention lol.

Colette - Wow *o*! I love the way the lines work from the hip. That's just absolutely gorgeous. If only we were able to get married once a year LMAO! I absolutely love the fluted side drape on that one <3

Anniston - I was seriously considering this dress, because it's up for sale now, at 1.6k NZD through the wedding boutique. It's in my size even, the only thing that put me off this dress was the fabric of the skirt part itself. Plus I really don't like Jennifer Anniston xD!!! Is that a weird reason to be put off a dress? lmao.

Kay - I adore the back of this dress, the way it's bunched <3 That's hawwwt. I like the elegance of this dress. Very womanly. The lace motifs are very lovely too, i'm glad they don't repeat down in the dress part itself.

Yasmin - ....... Woooooow..... xD!!!!! Yeti much?

@ Keyori

Firstly, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR WEDDING DAYYYY! <3333 I hope you had an absolute blast ^^! Is it too much to ask to see a picture of your dress? Aww, that's so awesome! Did you take your partner's last name?

I'll definitely follow your advice about not getting a dress if I have reservations about it ^^! It is a lot of money to waste if my heart isn't entirely won over. Aww, your aunty sounds like a lovely sales person. She's in it to genuinely assist women, and not rip them off for her own gain.

What i'm thinking about doing, is doing a trash the dress on my first wedding anniversary. But instead of wearing my wedding dress, I might sell her off (reluctantly ;-;) and purchase a lovely deep coloured prom dress, and trash that instead ^^! I never ever went to a prom, so I don't know what a prom dress feels like anywhoo - and I think it'll be a nice way to kill off two birds with one stone lols!


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Edit - Welp, the wedding boutique got back to me, and they can get Sara in for me, in about 2-3 weeks. It will be size 10, but they've said it could still fit me, due to the lace up corset being able to go up a size to 12. I'm gonna give it a try, if their refund policy will stand <333
Sara

Awesomeness! 8D Long hair is just so much better for weddings, you can do so much. c: <3

I'm glad you liked the one I like too! >w< I feel like my search was successful, rofl!! XDDD

And yeti is SO right for that dress, lmao. I just looked at it and burst into laughter, my family probably thought I was going whacko. >w>

You didn't like Anniston because of the name? LMAO. xDD I thought it was really pretty, but the name was odd. If there was one named Shannon I totally would have pressed you into getting that one, no matter what it looked like. That way I could be there! In...name/dress form? LMAO. xD <3
Total bummer they didn't have one with my name though. :p

And Woooo! That's so awesome!! Do you plan on getting it?! >W< That dress is so pretty, and it's the one you loved. c: That's what's good about corsets... you can get a size that fits certain places, but you can always make it tighter or looser to fit the middle area. ;D <3

I'm waiting on my photographer to get back to me, but I'll post pictures of the dress I wore to my reception, absolutely! And yes, I did take his last name. I'm not really established professionally (I just finished school after all) so there's not really any point in keeping my own last name or doing that silly hyphenated thing.

My aunt is really lovely. She hates the bridal shop she works for, but that's not her main job (she works mostly for the tux shop, but I guess the same people own both companies or something). Especially since they don't carry any dresses over a size 12 or 14, because the manager "doesn't want to cater to those people." And since bridal gowns (and especially prom dresses!) tend to run smaller than normal dress or pant sizes, I would have been one of those people. It's kindof upsetting, really. She's definitely not the pushy sales type--she doesn't ever have the best numbers out of the shops in the area--but she's really good at helping people get what they need, which is what I would want out of a salesperson.

@ Simply

Yeah ^^ I've been growing my hair for a few years now, just to prepare for this day. It's likely i'll wear it up, coz my hair makes me really yucky and sweaty when it's down xD;; I'd look all greasy in my photos hahaha. Plus i'm sure my dad is gonna make me cry heaps, and my tears would destroy my hair if I had to have it straightened lol.

Your search was very successful! I'm so over the moon with those gowns xD!!!!

LMAO. Poor Yeti dress, gets no luuurve. But wow... gotta have a lot of courage to wear that dress if i'm honest. Lols!

Bahahaha! I can just picture this Shannon dress arriving on my doorstep, and this note attached to it with this --> >:-/ !!!!! <-- LMFAO. Anniston is available through the wedding boutique who are getting Sara in for me ^^. It's in my size too, but one lady has already begged them to list it for her. I'm surprised it's still up for sale to be honest. Silly woman better purchase it soon @[email protected];; They have a Coco dress, and if they had that in NZ i'd snap it up xD - Coz my name is Chanel... it'd be like... Coco Chanel. LMFAO!
Coco

I'm going to purchase it, and try it on ^^. If it goes well, i'll keep it for sure <3 I have three days to contact them regarding a refund. So long as I send the dress back in the condition I received it in ^^. So fingers crossed it all goes well, i'll probably need a seamstress to do some adjustments though @[email protected];;

@ Keyori

Ohhh very kewl, i'm looking forward to seeing it ^^! How exciting, waiting for your photos to get to you as well. I'm in the same boat as you =) Fresh outta studies, nothing established, so gonna take his last name too. I am not a fan of the hyphen thing lols! It looks confusing and weird xD! Did you have to change your signature? I'm quite lucky in that my maiden name starts with a 'B' and my partner's last name starts with a 'B'. So I won't have to change it xD! My signature just consists of 'CLB'. Stupid part about it, is that none of my middle names start with an 'L' xD!

Aww, you know if there were more people in this world like your aunty the world would be a better place. It's really great that she's true to the essence of what she's doing and not out for the commission alone. It's really refreshing to hear, I hope she is blessed coz she deserves it. What the hell? "Those" people... LOL. Shame on them! I hope they learn their lesson one day, and get over themselves...

Technically I can sign whatever I want, it doesn't even have to be my name, I just have to be able to prove that I was the one who wrote it. xD

But I'll probably sign my new last name now. I have to practice cursive uppercase S's now. I'm so bad at them. My maiden name starts with a C... much easier to write. But then they both flop. My new name on the whole is shorter and the rest of it is really easy. My maiden name is longer and the rest of it is more difficult (stupid lowercase r's...).

I might do the same thing I did with my first name. It starts with a D but I HATE traditional cursive D's... so I "re-designed" it into something easier to sign and more pleasing to the eye. I might do that with S's as well.

Ahhh! Tis so cute when family makes you cry. :p And I understand, I'd hate to have my hair down on that day. I imagine I'll do a half up, half down type of thing, rofl. xD Long hair will make your hair soooo cute when it's up though! More options and more fancy designs. ;D <3

Rofl. I know! xD I have to wonder if anyone has ever bought it, or even liked it minus a few people that are close to the creator. o.e Kinda curious, lol. xD

LOLOLOL, YES! xD! There'd also be attached "I AM HERE, HURHURHUR~" and you'd just KNOW I was there, LMAO. xD <3 Rofl, she begged them? why not just purchase it so you don't have to worry about someone getting it? >w> Weird girl, lol. So glad you're gonna get Sara though, it's going to look beautiful on you! I just know it. >w< Ahhh, I liked Coco, but based on what you'd shown you liked, I didn't show it, lol. xD Because of the embellishments on the hips~
I'm sure once you get that dress on you'll love it, and won't mind taking it to a seamstress~ XD Gonna make it fit all riiiight. :'D <3

@ Keyori

True that ^^ I wish I could change my signature all the time, coz there are some real beautiful fancy ones out there. But then I wouldn't know what to change it too xD! I'm not exactly the best at keeping my hand steady haha. If you change your sig, you'd hafta go through sooo much just to change it X_x;; at least here you would </3

o0o lucky! I wish my name would be like that, but my new name will be a crap load longer than my current name. Maybe I should just do away with signing my first name, or whatever - and just use his last name as my signature xD;; I do hate all the 'e's in my current last name though, my 'e's are very ugly lol.

@ Simply

Garghh my dad just won't stop crying I know it xD!! He'll be giving me away and sulking the whole time. Poor lad, I might get him a towel coz he's a very sweaty person naturally </3 Coz we're having a beach front ceremony, he's gonna be swimming in yucky sweatness D: It's annoying, coz he's gonna wipe his face heaps and have yucky wet hands xD;; Hopefully he gives me away quickly bahaha

Dang, I regret cutting my fringe, coz I do like that whole... sweep the fringe across and down the forehead. Can't do that currently X_x;; Half up half down would like nice, are you gonna have a tiara or anything? I think i'm gonna look through the Maggie Sottero site, and see what hair styles their models have ^^.

xD!! That would be interesting to know, yeti loving people bahahaha. That dress still makes me chuckle!

You will be there in thought lols. I will be thinking about the yeti dress the whole time LMAO! Yeah she begged em to put it on again, coz she missed it the first time - but she still hasn't purchased it o.o;; Weirdooo. I don't think anyone is gonna purchase it though, it's been sitting there for a while. Yusss I had better call this seamstress they recommended and check that she's able to adjust Sara @[email protected]!! I'm crossing my fingers, that by some miracle Sara arrives late next week xD!

I don't think it will, but I can hope right ^______^!

OH RIGHT, I owe you pictures! We just got them last night, so lemme crop a few of them and throw 'em up. I don't think I got a full picture of my dress, so I'll probably just make a montage or something xD

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Ah, managed to get two okay photos out of what I had.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y20...ppythingie.jpg http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y20...dressthing.jpg

Yes. Yes I am very pale. ;D

@ Keyori

Woooow, that is a lovely dress! Certainly not something you see everyday at a wedding <3 I like the shades of blue you went for too, and the fact that there are a different bunch of shades visible. I think the colour works very well with your skin tone ^^! Thank you for sharing <3

What kind of ring did you go for btw?

I actually don't have a wedding ring yet. We can't afford one :( So I'm wearing my engagement ring for now.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y20...ngringring.jpg

The stones aren't actually that light. They're dark sapphires. The flash just made them look so much lighter than they are x_x

And no, I did not plan for my dress to match my ring. It was something I realized a couple months after getting my dress. xD

Aww, I know how you feel >: We're having a hard time, with being able to afford rings too. I'm thinking I might just purchase something second hand, from a failed engagement @[email protected];; lols.

Lovely though <3 Sapphires are beautiful. Is your band white gold, or silver? I'm trying to find a white gold ring with emeralds but it's proving to be a lot harder than I thought it would be X_x;

Hahah funny how things kinda just come together like that xD

White gold. I actually like silver better, since it looks more "blue" compared to white gold. The wedding band I want is also white gold, but it has no stones. I'll post a link if I can find it again. Edit: Here it is!

And yeah, the whole cost of throwing everything together (including family contributions--like my aunt and uncle, who bought my dress for me) was less than $2000 (USD), and we had about 45 guests. My family is so broke :gonk:

But hey, I consider it an accomplishment to do it so cheap. xD And we had a lot of fun. That's what I wanted more than anything.

And cheesecake. That was pretty much my #1 priority after actually getting married. :ninja:

Ohh lovely ring ^^ I like it. Has a nice air of simplicity about it, but a kind of sophistication about it as well @[email protected];; If that even makes sense hahaha. I have to have white gold, coz where i'm from the geothermal turns anything silver, into disgusting tarnished corroded yuckiness xD!

Wow, that's a real feat! A wedding for less than 2k. Well done. Wish I could attest to the same thing... My family is dirt poor too, but thankfully partner has been working his butt off for the last 6-7 years. So he's managed to put some money away @[email protected];; Wish I had an uncle and aunty who would purchase my dress xD!! I don't think anybody is contributing towards our wedding.

Yep, fun is the main thing and that your family had a great time :)

Hehe cheesecake as in cheesecake, or cheesecake as in... *turns the light off* xD!

Cheesecake as in cheesecake xD

We had plain cheesecake served with toppings on the side, so you could put whatever you want on it. Cheesecake topping bar! I put chocolate and caramel and walnuts on mine. :drool:

We also had a sheet cake for people who didn't want cheesecake. Basically one of the kinds you get from the grocery store and they write whatever you want on it. It was marble cake with plain icing.

@nivvy
i think a strapless white satin dress would look stunning. My sister is also a bride and she checks to see if theres any local bride expos they help alot with dj's and video captioning on your big day. Congrats on getting engaged. some bride expos show fashion shows so you can get an idea of what dress style you might like and they show groom tuxes and bridesmaid dresses. All the brides that go have a sense of security when they find the perfect dream dress in the fashion show and it's just really fun to take your groom and bridesmaids. good luck on dress hunting:)

Thank you all so much for your feedback guys <3333
It really has helped a bunch ^^!
Also thank you for the well wishes, and input


http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...soup/Dress.jpg