Some dress questions...

[tinkerlisa]

1: Has anybody on here ordered their gown online? How was the experience? Did you somehow feel gyped about not trying it on before you purchased it?

I have nobody to go dress shopping with. My mom isn't into that stuff and my future SIL would go with me but to be honest, she is way to opinionated. I emailed her pictures of 3 different dresses and she said "honey you don't want to wear that dress cuz you will look boxy"(it was an A-line dress), and the other 2 she said would make me look more heavy and I don't want that because I am already overweight!
That's why I am considering ordering it online.

 

[IndyBride]

bestbridalprices.com has a good reputation if you like. But don't let other people ruin your experience. Try going by yourself just once. The girls at the bridal salon for the most part will be very supportive.

 

[caryndisneydiva]

to be honest with you, i tried on my [final] wedding dress by myself and knew i loved it. when i went with my mom, i ended up picking out (and buying but not wearing) one that she liked. i ended up buying my dress on ebay and i tried it on again once it arrived. i loved it and had a great experience doing it on my own.

 

[lurkyloo]

I definitely recommend trying dresses on in the shop and *then* buying them online. Sometimes the dress that looks great in a magazine looks totally different in person, or fits you differently, or just isn't a flattering style in real life. I tried on more than 60 dresses in my search for the right one, and when I found it, I bought it off eBay.

Regarding shopping alone: I did most of my dress shopping alone and loved it! But then I like to shop for most things by myself so I can really concentrate on what I'm doing

The thing is, the right dress will feel right to you - you won't need to have other people there talking you into it.

 

[caryndisneydiva]

ita carrie. i love shopping alone. i don't want others influencing my sense of style or my dream of how it's supposed to look.

 

[Stephanie218]

I bought my wedding dress alone, because we pretty much eloped, and I was on the opposite side of the country from all of my family. At the time, I was really upset that I was shopping for my dress alone, but now I'm really happy that I got to make my choice by myself and not have anyone else influence me. At least try it on in stores, you can always go and order it online if you want.

 

[MysticalBeauty]

I actually have not seen the actual dress...crazy I know...BUT I hired this company to replicate the dress in my signature...and they asked me EVERYTHING to the very last detail... ...so I think that you should just go with your gut feeling...if you see one online and feel like its def. the one then look into it...talk to someone from the company asking for detailed pictures etc. Years back I also bought my prom dress online without trying it on...and it fit perfect "crossing my fingers" hoping thats how my wedding dress goes too...also...you can always go and try on a dress that has a similar style to it...if its a drop waist try a wedding gown on that has a dropped waist to make sure it feels right to you and fits your body the way you want it to

 

[BecBennett]

What does everyone recommend when picking your size when buying online? Should you add a size so it's easier for alterations? Or just get the size closest to your actual size so there's a chance it won't need any alterations?

 

[tinkerlisa]

Thanks for everyones help!!!

 

[adisneygal]

What does everyone recommend when picking your size when buying online? Should you add a size so it's easier for alterations? Or just get the size closest to your actual size so there's a chance it won't need any alterations?

I ordered through a bridal shop in CA. I measured my bust, waist & hips. I was advised to go off my biggest measurement. I normally wear a size 12 but either my waist or hips put me at a size 16. It certainly wasn't the bust, I think that measured at an 8... Then you have the bigger parts altered down. You don't want to order too much bigger or too much smaller as you can only take it it or let it out so far.

 

[OtherFigment]

What does everyone recommend when picking your size when buying online? Should you add a size so it's easier for alterations? Or just get the size closest to your actual size so there's a chance it won't need any alterations?

I used to work at a bridal shop and bridal dress sizes are not normal. For most brides, they will end up ordering a size or 2 (or more) higher than they wear normally. Drove me nuts. You'd think the bridal industry would want brides to feel better about their size, not worse... Grrr....

 

[keenercam]

The other thing to remember is that not all measurements will matter. (That sounds funny, doesn't it?) For example, my hip measurement was indicative of a bigger size but since my dress is A-line, I would have refused to buy the bigger size to accommodate my hips. BTW, many designers have a sizing chart on their website that can help you figure out what size you'd be in their gowns. HTH!

Oh, one last thing. I never got to shop for my gown the first time (my mother bought the hideous thing -- LOL!) This time, I took my husband to Davids and tried on a bunch of gowns to see what he would like, and we had a wonderful time. We knew going in that no matter how that went, I'd look other places too and he wouldn't see me in "my gown" before our vow renewal day. It was soooo much fun to try on dresses for him (kind of like in "Four Weddings and a Funeral"). You may want to do that on your first outing. The great thing is that Davids has all sizes so you can try on gowns in your size range that will fit, whereas at many designer boutiques they may not have many dresses in every size (the largest that I saw at the salon I went to was a size 10 and I am nowhere near a 10! )