Wedding Hits and Misses: The Dress

HIT:

I bought the dress very soon after getting engaged and I was happy about it. If I was going to spend hundreds of dollars on a dress I was never going to wear again, at least the proceeds should go to a good cause, and since they were going to New York City public schools, it's like I'm giving back to the community. I never actually posted a photo of the dress I bought for fear of Dude seeing, so here are the originals.





The top lace piece comes off, which was great for a costume change mid-reception.

MISS:

Because the dress had to be taken in from a 14 to about a 4 or 6, and because there were two pieces, one of which was a really intricate lace applique thing, the alterations cost as much as the dress. Luckily, Pinpoint Bridal in Manhattan did a great job. Not the best in communication, but the final result was amazing.

Here it is in action:

Question

When should I bring in my dress to the tailor?

I have some major alterations to be done. My dress is two pieces, both of which need to be taken in and shortened. Also, the lace appliques on the outer piece need to be taken off and then put back on after the outer piece has been made smaller. All in all my dress needs to go from a 14 to a 6, I think. And both pieces will need some sort of bustle.

Is it too soon now?

The Dress, the Aftermath

So, I cannot believe how many people asked me if my dress is Monique Lhuillier (ahem, five). First of all, I have absolutely no idea because I didn't look and now it is wrapped up in my closet not to be seen for another six months. Second of all, who is this designer? Why does everyone seem to know who she is and make a big deal out of the possibility that I got one? And third, I don't think so... I just took a look at the estimates for a Monique Lhuillier and there's no way they would have discounted a gown by that much. Especially because mine is brand new and I paid way less than a grand. Way less.

Since it's brand new I'm guessing that the dress retails for 1200-1500.

If it is from a big name designer I'd feel a little bad because I really swore I wouldn't do that. But all proceeds went to NYC schools so I guess I wouldn't feel too bad. And I fully intend on donating it back to Bridal Garden after the wedding so that I can get a tax write off.

I posted that picture because I couldn't find my exact one from looking through all the gowns on Brides.com and The Knot. Sorry for the confusion.

The point is, I don't know who made my dress, but my Maid of Honor or my bridesmaid who came with me might know. They might have been smart enough to take a look.

OMG The Dress!

I bought my wedding dress today!! I went to Bridal Garden in Manhattan, which is a non profit that has samples donated by designers, a few once worn dresses from brides, and a few new dresses from stores/designers. All proceeds from the dresses go to inner city schools.

A few thoughts before I talk about my dress:

1. I had read that one shouldn't stress too much about the size, because it differs by style and designer. And holy crap was that true. Normally I'm a 4 or 6 depending on how much pizza I've eaten that week. I was trying on 6 and 8 mostly, but imagine my stress when a 10 wouldn't go past my butt. The dress I eventually bought was a 14!
2. Poofy dresses are HEAVY. I felt like they added another 10 pounds. There was no way I would have fun in one of those.
3. The dress I got is so not what I thought I would get. I picked it up on a whim after getting really frustrated and just wanting to try on one more thing.
   

And now, about my dress. Behind the cut.



I couldn't find the exact design of the gown, which bummed me out because I couldn't figure out how much of a discount, if any, I got. It kind of looks like this:



But better. My dress comes in two pieces, where the lace piece can be completely detached and underneath is a very simple strapless dress. The lace piece has a really long train, I forget what it's called... cathedral maybe? It's one of the few new dresses that came into the store, since most of the dresses were samples.

It was the VERY LAST dress I tried on, and I was feeling pretty bad because I had tried on about 12 and I was getting very frustrated. I was iffy about it until I stepped on the platform and both my maid of honor and bridesmaid gasped and said "awww..."

I do have pics but you'll have to email me to get them for fear of Dude seeing it.

Since it's a 14, it's way too big in the bust area and the lace piece is too big and long, but I can work with that. My friends have some very good seamstresses.