So, if I was going to buy a dress, I had some requirements:
1. The construction had to be high quality. The workers who put the dress together should be more skilled than me. If I feel like I can do a better job I'm certainly not going to pay someone else to do it!
2. It had to be something I couldn't make myself. Not only did I want the skill in construction to surpass my own, but I wanted a design I couldn't even make myself.
3. The materials should be higher quality than I could find in the Boston area. While I could make a fabric shopping trip to NYC, I would probably end up paying more for materials (especially lace or silk) than a finished dress would cost. True bridal lace STARTS at $100 yard. Other fabrics like satin easily run upwards of twenty or thirty dollars a yard. And if I made a mistake I would have to buy more fabric. Keeping in mind that there many many yards in one dress it makes sense to buy a dress if buying the fabric alone would cost more than buying a finished dress! This wouldn't necessarily be true for the "gala appropriate" styles, which are not as full and use less fabric, but for full skirted bridal gown, which often have over a dozen yards of fabric, it certainly is.
These first three reasons are why I didn't fall in love with anything at Alfred Angelo. The designs were gorgeous, but I wasn't impressed with the construction details up close. The quality of the fabric was also not stellar. In my mind, the dresses should have cost 50 to 75% less than the retail price considering that they were using really cheap fabric.
I knew I wouldn't have those problems at Vows. If you're not familiar, Vows is a designer bridal outlet store. They carry big name designers like Vera Wang and Monique Lhullier, generally at least half off regular retail. What they have in stock is what they have- these are sample dresses (generally in sample sizes) and if you don't like the color you're out of luck.
1. I wanted something inherently bridal. Not a dress I could get in a different color and wear to a gala or fundraiser. This ruled out trumpet, fit and flare, mermaid, and sheath dresses. I wanted a big old skirt and a train!
2. I wanted something classic, but with a wow factor. Not something too traditional, but not something my kids will laugh at thirty years from now!
And this afternoon, with my fiance's mom and one of my bridesmaids, I found the dress! Gorgeous fabric, alcencon lace, and there is NO way I could have put this together myself!
Want to know what it looks like? Sorry- only moms and bridesmaids get to see it before the big day!
And I am MUCH less stressed now that I'm not pressuring myself to make it!
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Saturday, December 29, 2012
The dress. . . . . . .
The dress. . . .the most anticipated purchase of a bride's career.
Emphasis should be on "purchase" here, as we've romanticized the whole dress shopping process. The expectation is that you must drag at least half a dozen bridesmaids, your mother, future mother in law, and any other opinionated females you can round up to the miniature runway inside the local bridal salon. Bonus points if any of those opinionated females will subtly (or not so subtly) point out that the dress doesn't really flatter your hips, or thighs, or whatever body party you are most self conscious about. Also, if your father will judge you for wearing anything other than a frock that covers you from floor to chin, bring him too because his obvious inability to let go of his little girl will add to the drama--I mean family bonding experience.
Fortunately, this isn't actually based on any real life experiences, merely a quick synopsis of basically any episode of "Say Yes to the Dress."
I do some theatrical costume design for a high school and some community theaters, and love to sew. I mainly focus on historical costumes, especially Elizabethan and Victoria style gowns, which are comparable in complexity and similar in structure to a wedding dress. My plan has actually been to make my wedding dress.
While I've been fighting a nasty cold (which I seem to have gotten for Christmas) I've been working on some mock-ups of my wedding dress. The bodice/corset part has been what has been concerning me the most as the construction is far less forgiving than a full skirt. I was feeling anxious with the progress I was making. I wasn't quite satisfied with the silhouette I had when I tried on the corset I was working on. I was starting to feel like maybe I would save myself a lot of hassle if I just bought a dress. . .
I told myself that if I could find a dress that I loved, in a style beyond what I could comfortably make myself, then I would be content walking down the aisle in something other than my own design. I was feeling frustrated with my own sewing, and was thoroughly discouraged.
I went to Alfred Angelo to see if I could find the dress. I tried on many gorgeous dresses, some of the ballgowns inspired by the Disney princesses. Much as I hate that whole woman needs a man to rescue her so her life is complete, there is something to be said for a gorgeous poufy dress encrusted with rhinestones. However, I wasn't loving the way the boning in the princess seam fell over the bust. A similar problem to what I was having with my own bodice. There was one dress from their Sapphire collection which wasn't as bad with the boning, and was actually really really gorgeous.
But then, when I got home, I looked at the picture the fabulous stylist took of me in that dress. And as much as I loved how I looked in it in the mirrors, what I saw in the picture wasn't how I wanted to look as a bride on my wedding day. It was just too much. After making some alterations to the bust line on my corset, I realized that I had managed to fix the issue that had bothered me so much earlier.
If I can get an appointment tomorrow at Vows, I think I'll take another stab at finding a dress. While I'm again feeling confident that I can make my own dress and I think I've finally nailed down the style if I do make it, I'm no longer ruling out buying a dress, if I find the right one.
As long as I can get a good deal on it!
Emphasis should be on "purchase" here, as we've romanticized the whole dress shopping process. The expectation is that you must drag at least half a dozen bridesmaids, your mother, future mother in law, and any other opinionated females you can round up to the miniature runway inside the local bridal salon. Bonus points if any of those opinionated females will subtly (or not so subtly) point out that the dress doesn't really flatter your hips, or thighs, or whatever body party you are most self conscious about. Also, if your father will judge you for wearing anything other than a frock that covers you from floor to chin, bring him too because his obvious inability to let go of his little girl will add to the drama--I mean family bonding experience.
Fortunately, this isn't actually based on any real life experiences, merely a quick synopsis of basically any episode of "Say Yes to the Dress."
I do some theatrical costume design for a high school and some community theaters, and love to sew. I mainly focus on historical costumes, especially Elizabethan and Victoria style gowns, which are comparable in complexity and similar in structure to a wedding dress. My plan has actually been to make my wedding dress.
While I've been fighting a nasty cold (which I seem to have gotten for Christmas) I've been working on some mock-ups of my wedding dress. The bodice/corset part has been what has been concerning me the most as the construction is far less forgiving than a full skirt. I was feeling anxious with the progress I was making. I wasn't quite satisfied with the silhouette I had when I tried on the corset I was working on. I was starting to feel like maybe I would save myself a lot of hassle if I just bought a dress. . .
I told myself that if I could find a dress that I loved, in a style beyond what I could comfortably make myself, then I would be content walking down the aisle in something other than my own design. I was feeling frustrated with my own sewing, and was thoroughly discouraged.
I went to Alfred Angelo to see if I could find the dress. I tried on many gorgeous dresses, some of the ballgowns inspired by the Disney princesses. Much as I hate that whole woman needs a man to rescue her so her life is complete, there is something to be said for a gorgeous poufy dress encrusted with rhinestones. However, I wasn't loving the way the boning in the princess seam fell over the bust. A similar problem to what I was having with my own bodice. There was one dress from their Sapphire collection which wasn't as bad with the boning, and was actually really really gorgeous.
But then, when I got home, I looked at the picture the fabulous stylist took of me in that dress. And as much as I loved how I looked in it in the mirrors, what I saw in the picture wasn't how I wanted to look as a bride on my wedding day. It was just too much. After making some alterations to the bust line on my corset, I realized that I had managed to fix the issue that had bothered me so much earlier.
If I can get an appointment tomorrow at Vows, I think I'll take another stab at finding a dress. While I'm again feeling confident that I can make my own dress and I think I've finally nailed down the style if I do make it, I'm no longer ruling out buying a dress, if I find the right one.
As long as I can get a good deal on it!
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