Did you have more than 1 wedding dress - that you wore the same day?

[C.Ann]

"Say Yes To The Dress" is on while I'm DISing and I'm pretty sure that a few minutes ago a bride came in to pick up her third dress for the same day.. One for the ceremony; one for the reception; and one for "later"..

I don't think I have ever known anyone who had one dress for the ceremony and another for the reception.. DD just had a very long train - that when removed for the reception gave the dress an entirely different look - and made it more comfortable for her to dance..

Is this a common thing now - multiple dresses?

 

[AKL_Megs]

I didn't, my dress was from Macy's!

DH cousin had THREE dresses. (She looked fat in each and every one of them... )

 

[dakcp2001]

Several of my friends have had two dresses, one big poofy one for the ceremony and one more silouhette like for the reception. I can't even afford one, lol. I feel like anything with the word wedding is such a rip off, I am certain this "two dress" trend was started by the bridal industry to make more money. I also think it kind of makes your wedding dress less special if you have two, I want just one great one. But to each his own.

 

[NotUrsula]

I understand that it's especially popular in situations where the service and the reception are separated by a delay of several hours.

I made my living making gowns for several years, but it was a while ago, and the only time I ever had brides do it was when they were Chinese. They always ordered at least 3 dresses: one for the "American" ceremony (usually white), one for the Chinese ceremony (*always* red), and one or two for the reception.

 

[FireDancer]

One of my friend's wife did this. They had an indoor wedding and an outdoor reception. After all the pictures and the ceremonial things (cutting the cake, first dance, etc) they changed into a much lighter dress because the outdoor reception was in August on a 90 degree day.

I don't know how common it is but I know this one person in real life who did it.

 

[Handbag Lady]

I didn't, my dress was from Macy's!

DH cousin had THREE dresses. (She looked fat in each and every one of them... )

OMG! I don't know to laugh or cry, okay, I'll laugh! (I'm plus-sized so there you go!)



I think more and more people are buying more than one dress. I had one. I think the ability to have different pictures is a strong case. I had over 1000 wedding pictures and I'm wearing the same freaking dress in all of the pictures. Change would have been nice. Plus, you want to have a nice gown for the wedding and then something you can dance and socialize in later. I think bustling a dress is falling out of fashion (No one wants a big-looking butt these days.)

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I didn't--but it wasn't a trend for us low on the totem pole non-socialites back then.

I was watching a Bridezilla marathon and evidently it has become a trend. I kind of get it, but kind of don't.

 

[AKL_Megs]

OMG! I don't know to laugh or cry, okay, I'll laugh! (I'm plus-sized so there you go!)

You'd just have to know this girl... she thought she was Miss Thing... Miss Hottie in all THREE of those dresses. Her dresses were NOT made for her figure.

 

[Ember]

Nope, one dress was enough! Besides, it was so darn pretty I didn't want to take it off. I wish there were more events that you could wear a wedding gown to, because it's sad to see it hanging in the closet knowing it won't get worn again... (Unless I get around to a trash the dress photo shoot!)

 

[shellybaxter]

I only had one wedding dress - for the ceremony and the reception - but I had a "traveling outfit", which was a nice suit for when we left the reception and headed off for the honeymoon.

 

[EMom]

One dress, one husband. That's my limit.

DD better not get it in her head that she's getting more than one dress. Too bad, so sad.

ETA: Like shellybaxter, I had a "going away" outfit. That was the norm when I got married.

 

[JessicaR]

One dress for me but 20 years ago that wasnt in fashion. I loved my dress and would have hated shopping for more than that one!

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

my dress was a two piece, so i kind of wanted a shorter skirt for the reception, but i never ended up finding one so i just stuck with the one dress.

not to mention, i wore that ONE dress THREE times. DH and i got married in Disney, so i wore it for the wedding and reception there, a few days later for a MK photoshoot, and then a few weeks later when we came home and had a reception here.

 

[YoYoAurora]

I got married three years ago, and I had two dresses. I didn't plan it that way. I ordered my wedding dress. About three months before the wedding, I needed a formal dress in a hurry. The only dress I could find on short notice that was flattering was an off white dress with loads of sequins. My friends told me that I should change into it at my wedding reception, and I did!

My wedding gown was beautiful, but very heavy, especially after it was bustled. My accidental reception gown was light and easy to dance in. I changed after dinner, the toast, cake cutting and first dance were over. Funny thing is that most people thought I just removed the train from my wedding dress.

I'm a wedding planner. About half of my brides choose to have a second dress for the reception. Most of those brides have sit down dinners with dancing afterwards at their receptions. So, they want something they can be comfortable in for the dancing.

Going away outfits are, sadly, going away.

 

[C.Ann]

my dress was a two piece, so i kind of wanted a shorter skirt for the reception, but i never ended up finding one so i just stuck with the one dress.

not to mention, i wore that ONE dress THREE times. DH and i got married in Disney, so i wore it for the wedding and reception there, a dew days later for a MK photoshoot, and then a few weeks later when we came home and had a reception here.

DD wore hers twice.. Once for the ceremony at Nubble Light in Maine (and the dinner reception for 58 guests afterwords) and again 2 weeks later for the large reception we held back here.. Made us feel a "little" better about the cost - LOL..

 

[bigbabyblues]

Nope, only one dress for me. I wore it twice though, we got married on Friday night and our reception was on Saturday. Couldn't get the church and the reception place on the same day with two weeks' notice.

 

[hopemax]

I did have 2 dresses. The second was a dress like one of the guests would wear, and in fact, I wore it to our groomsman & bridesmaid's wedding the week before. We got married on the 4th of July, and the venue had a fabulous view of the city's fireworks. I changed before the fireworks started because I didn't want to sit on the ground in my wedding dress.

 

[C.Ann]

I did have 2 dresses. The second was a dress like one of the guests would wear, and in fact, I wore it to our groomsman & bridesmaid's wedding the week before. We got married on the 4th of July, and the venue had a fabulous view of the city's fireworks. I changed before the fireworks started because I didn't want to sit on the ground in my wedding dress.

Now to me, that would make sense - given your circumstances - and it's not like you spent another $5,000 on a second wedding gown..

I probably would have strangled my DD if she had been in your position and sat on the ground in her wedding dress!!!

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Just chiming in to say that I too had a "traveling outfit". That's just what brides did back in the day. I had a nice little suity dress and spectator heels to wear with it.

We drove off in DH's car straight to our apartment at college, the dress came off, we fell into bed, got up early the next morning and went to summer classes!

 

[Ephany]

I had two, my wedding dress with the train and a white version of my bridesmaid's dresses but short not long like theirs. My wedding dress was lovely, but long and heavy. Changing into a shorter dress after all the ceremonial stuff was finished was much more comfortable.

The bridesmaids and my reception dress were after prom clearance specials at Penny's so total of my wedding dress and reception dress was under $500. I think my bridesmaid dresses were $25ish. I know that they wore them again on multiple occasions so I think we did good.