1.30.2013

Wedding Dress Shopping: Ugh.

I'm having a little bit of a problem when it comes to wedding dresses.

I WANT TO BUY EVERY DRESS I TRY ON.

I blame it on my love for all-things-girly.

Some shoppers know the exact style or designer or cut that they want and they go on the hunt, looking specifically for that one dress. I, on the other hand, love lots of styles. And every dress I try on makes me forget about the last dress I fell in love with.

Here are a few dress styles that are catching my eye...

30's Sophistication




50's Flair





70's Prairie Dress




A "Grand Entrance" dress



As you can see, I have great taste my style is all over the place. Also, most if not all, of these options are only available online. Meaning, I won't be able to try the dress on in person and I won't be able to see how it looks on me until I've already purchased it. Have you, or do you know anyone who's purchased a wedding dress online? What were your/ her experiences?

Thoughts and opinions on the dresses above?? I want honest opinions here. (Male readers: I want your opinions too.) If we can't be honest, then I don't even know why we're friends.


15 comments:

aki! said...

I would make sure that these places have a return policy!

I like most of them, so lemme tell you what I don't like. ...the DearGolden and the PrairieDress. I think your dress should match your location. So... choose a location first then that will help you narrow down your dress choices?

tara said...

I was worried when I went dress shopping that I wouldn't be able to decide, but everyone kept telling me that I would know. And they were right. I totally started bawling when I tried on the one that I ended up getting. It was perfect and I absolutely love it!

I love the 50's flair one!

Unknown said...

Can you try on dresses locally that have similar cuts so at least you can see if those profiles work for your body type? Before my wedding (full disclosure: I was 22 at the time) I thought I wanted flowy Ren-Faire style sleeves. The first dress I tried on, I realized, OH HELL NO! I ended up in a classic A line strapless, which as a girl with ample chest and equally ample upper arms (and some back fat to boot) I would have never picked myself but I loved it. Moral: Try on a bunch of different silhouettes (and avoid Ren-Faire sleeves unless you're planning a theme wedding).

jess said...

sarah purdy's suggestion of trying on similar cut dresses is a smarty pants idea!
i love the Rowanjoy, Wonderxue and SusieWear dresses.
when i got married i wore my aunt's dress, so i didn't have this problem. and when my cousin got married, she tried on, approximately, 1,483,643,894,789,432,654,168,926,580,543 dresses and then ended up buying the first one she tried on! :) good luck!!

Anonymous said...

I totally agree with a comment above about location being something you pick first, and then the dress. Because will a prairie dress really work if you choose an art gallery to get married in? I feel like once you know the space then you'll have a better direction for your dress.

And I have to be honest, I am not feeling dress number two... Maybe if I could see it on, but it shocked me. :)

TILTE said...

I forgot to mention- I'm also looking at vintage shops and on ebay. Which means, no returns. And because the styles I'm eyeing are vintage, it's very hard to find similar dresses at nearby locations that can be tried on.

Also, we've decided on a location. It has both an indoor and outdoor element and it's an older building. Anything vintage or romantic would go. But the more glamorous/ over the top/ bedazzled styles would be a no go.

TILTE said...

Oh yeah- and I love all of the comments! Keep them coming!!

Pam said...

I found my dress online, and while it is usually sold in stores I couldn't find it in one nearby. However, I knew it was the one and I took my chances and ordered it and I was totally right. It was awesome. A few minor alterations and it fit perfectly :) If you do find one that you can't stop thinking about, just do it. If you can try on similar styles - ones with a similar top, ones with a similar bottom you'll at least get a bit of an idea as to what works on your body.

Adam said...

I really like that last one, and the third one

Anonymous said...

I love them all. Please wear one for the ceremony and another for the reception. You are the type of girl that could pull off just about any style wedding dress. I'll save you time and suggest that you not look at 80's style dresses but definitely consider the hairstyle and head pieces. I just made myself laugh.

I love the lace neckline on the first dress. The 50's dresses are dreamy and I especially like the strapless number. A shorter hemline is fun and flattering.

The 70's styles give me personal flashbacks to when I was a sad flower girl in the late 70's. I never smiled the entire day. If you go in this direction keep everything else modern and clean.

The Grand Entrance dresses don't do it for me. I like the buttons on the first one and the sash on the second. The sleeves remind me of the Renaissance comment (funny).

I want to see some 60's styles too. Oh, you have beautiful, shiny, thick, black hair like a french songstress from 68'. Mon Dieu! You are going to be a vision.

Deborah said...

off the shoulder does seem to be universally flattering

What is your body-type? Would the Liz Taylor-like tiny waist work?

I lived through the 70s and loved the fashion, but those prairie dresses are not good. :)

I love all the suggestions to try similar things to see if they do work with your shape.

I, personally, love that 2nd dress in the 50s grouping. Fresh, yet vintage at the same time.

Exciting stuff!

Sara McCarty said...

Oh!! I love wedding dress shopping! I am obsessed with that Wonderxue dress and the last one. I love tulle! But you really need to go try on dresses. LOTS of them. At least then you can get a feel for the right color, style, cut, fabrics, etc. And the dress will set the tone for the ENTIRE wedding. So don't pick a princess ballgown dress and then have a farm wedding. You have to know what kind of wedding you want.

Mandy_Fish said...

I love giving solicited advice on clothing! Yay! Can this become a regular feature?

*Pants like a dog*

I love love LOVE Wonderxue and SusieWear. I like like LIKE Rowanjoy, DearGolden and DHGate.

And I want to break up with Violet Folklore and Animal Head Vintage. I am not into the prairie dress. You are not Laura Ingells Wilder.

*Slaps you*

Snap out of it.

I'm also not a big fan of the Enchanted Attic. Those sleeves look a little Renaissance Festival to me.

*Claps*

Yay, this was fun! Let's do it again!

Bigger than Average Mom said...

My opinions are as follows in order of viewing
1. Maybe
2. No
3. Yes!
4. maybe to yes
5. Hells Bells and good grief Charlie Brown - No!
6. See above
7. Only if you want to look like you are wearing your great grandmother's nightgown
8. Dreamy... two thumbs up... I can totally see you wearing this

Deidre said...

I love the first four! Particularly 2 and 4.

I didn't buy my dress on line but I imagine as long as you can measure yourself before you buy the dress and maybe if you can try on similar styles at other stores before you purchase these ones you'll be good to go!

Also, thanks for your comment on my blog. I'm very allergic to the pill and hormonal birth control, so I don't think Lupron would work for me - have you heard of any other remedies?

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