VR Dress Question??

[29apr00]

Has anyone worn their original wedding dress to a VR? Or wanted to even?? My wedding was only 10 yrs ago, so my dress isnt' that out of style. I was wondering if there was a way a seamstress could alter it a bit, make it a bit shorter or something? anyone know if this can be done, without loosing too much of the original look??

Jennifer

 

[dakcp2001]

I think that if you can still fit in your dress more power to you!

But on the other hand, an excuse to buy another pretty dress!!! I think you should go to a bridal shop and talk to one of the seamstress's that do alterations, and while your there, have a look around!

So many beautiful dresses to pic from....so few occasions to wear them! But if your original dress was the dream dress, wear it again!

 

[cryssi]

do it! If I can ever persuade DH to do a VR (very, very unlikely) I'd wear my dress if it still fit b/c I LOVED my dress...

 

[Lisacope]

I have my original wedding dress and I could fit in it...but I wouldn't want to wear it! It really looks like it was from twenty years ago - and last time I opened the box it was getting very yellow. I have bought my dress for my VR and my daughter has asked me to keep it in case she wants to wear it - I don't think she will! I have pix of both dresses in my PJ if you want to see them.

 

[29apr00]

I really do love my original dress, and yeah, it still fits. even after 10 yrs and 2 kids. BUT...i just don't see any way that it could be altered to be suitable for a beach wedding. Obviously the train would have to go, and make it atleast floor length. And i can't figure out a way to rework the sleeves and stuff. I"m sure bridal shops are VERY busy right now getting ready for the summer wedding season, so if I do think about doing this, i'd probably wait until Aug or Sept to go see them.

Another thing to consider would be if they could do it for about $300-$400. That's the range the new dresses are that i'm looking at, so it wouldn't make sense to spend MORE on the alterations, if i could buy a new one cheaper.

 

[Lindsay22]

Another thing to consider would be if they could do it for about $300-$400. That's the range the new dresses are that i'm looking at, so it wouldn't make sense to spend MORE on the alterations, if i could buy a new one cheaper.

I completely understand this. I really tried hard to wear my grandmother's wedding dress for my wedding. The cleaners said it was going to be $650 to CLEAN (and it would take 6 months) then it would be another $600 and another 6 months to have it made into a dress I liked. It's cheaper and easier to get a brand new dress.
So you might want to think about cleaning it too....

 

[myprincessgirlisa]

i considered this for our 10yr (but plans changed)

I would take it to a seamstress & see what they have to say? it doesnt hurt to ask

they do make dresses cheaper nowadays, but i noticed they are cheaper cause the fabric is cheaper....that was something i considered when looking into this.

what are your plans with your dress if you dont use it for the vr??

oh...congrats on the 10yrs!!!!

 

[keenercam]

I think your original gown is exquisite and you should definitely wear it again if you still love it. That is so romantic! I dont' think you'd have to do much to it, perhaps just remove the train, but I think the sleeves and the whole look would definitely work for a beach VR. It is gorgeous!

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

Why not just bustle it and use it like that...it is such a pretty dress, I wouldn't want to change it..children or grandchildred might want to use it!!

I think it is PERFECT...very very stunning!

 

[sajilunni]

It's a very romantic idea to wear some altered form of your wedding dress to reflect the alterations that your life has gone through (children, jobs, etc). I think you could do a lot with that dress. It's a matter of whether the cost will be worth it to you, because it will probably end up being about the same as a new dress.

I'm technically only 4 pounds away from my wedding weight, but I think I'm about 20 pounds away from my wedding body, as the 3 kids have made my ****s and tummy all floppy. I think I just wouldn't look the same in my wedding dress, and there would be the compare and contrast with the original wedding photos.

You don't have to be confined to wedding dresses for your V.R. I'm wearing a prom dress to our V.R.! It's a yellow princess dress (a la Belle) with a big hoop skirt, and I feel very pretty in it. Wear what makes you feel perfect for the day!

Good luck!
Jil

 

[29apr00]

Why not just bustle it and use it like that

I thought about that! I really like the way it looks bustled! But i'm not to sure about the sleeves being the same. I really think spaghetti straps, or strapless, would be better for a beach wedding.

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

actually..I think the sleeves look great! I love the off shoulder look

 

[Janet2k]

29apr00, I didn't pick out the dress for my original wedding. To make a long story short, I was living on the West Coast and was forced to elope due to the marriage licensing requirements in my old home state in the Midwest. Because of that, I really didn't want to wear a wedding dress but my mom sent me one in the US Mail -- "just in case." It actually arrived a day or two before my elopement. I had no idea what it looked like until I opened up the package, but thankfully it fit fine and I thought it was kinda cute -- the photo doesn't show it well but it felt very 1920's, which I loved:

For my FTW VR 20 years later, I never even thought about wearing my original dress, I don't know why. My mother also sent me a dress, sight unseen, via the US Mail since I told her that I was dreading finding something to wear. The dress arrived, was very lovely, and fit perfectly. But as the weeks counted down to my VR, I decided that I needed something that looked a little more wedding-y (I wanted the staff to be able to pick me out of the crowd in case something went wrong on the night of my VR and they needed to get a hold of me). A month or two before my VR, my husband, our daughter, and I went dress shopping. Believe it or not, my husband & I pulled out the very same dress from different racks in the bridal shop. The lace on the dress reminded us both of my original wedding dress. That is the dress that I wound up purchasing. It was plain & simple, just like I am:

So, to make a long story short, if you want to wear your original dress, by all means do so. But if you find that your feelings have changed, perhaps you can find a new dress that has elements of your original dress and wear that one instead. That is kinda what I did. The lace on the new dress wasn't identical to my original dress, but it reminded both my husband and me of it and that was all that truly mattered.

I now have two "wedding" dresses. We plan on having a VR for our upcoming 25th anniversary. I'm sure I'll pick out yet another dress. I'm not into clothing or shopping, but I think purchasing a new dress makes for a cute story to hand down to my children & future grandchildren. I know that I will never forget the moment when my husband and I discovered that we had picked out the EXACT same wedding gown for our 20th wedding anniversary. They say that after you've been married for quite a while, you begin to look like each other; but no one ever told me that you'd have the same taste in wedding dresses.

Good luck with your decision. And congratulations on your VR.