Went Dress Shopping Yesterday...

I started looking at wedding gowns yesterday and went with my mother and sister to try some on. I ruled out strapless gowns right off the bat, but the only thing they really had to try on were strapless, so unfortunately, that's what I wound up looking at. It was a little disheartening that every other woman in there had to have the dress clipped to fit properly, while she could barely close half the dresses on me (size 10 samples my ass!), but there were a couple of dresses that I really liked...surprisingly since they were strapless. Of course, the dresses I tried on were about $3000 more than I want to spend, but it was such an eye opening experience (although my mother pretty much ruined if for me, but that's another story entirely).

My sister just called me from Texas, where she lives (she left yesterday after dress shopping) and told me that I shouldn't rule out strapless dresses because I looked beautiful in the one dress I tried on twice. She's such an amazing MOH and that totally made my day.

Does anyone have any suggestions where I can go next to continue my search that has a lot of dresses but not just strapless ones that I can try, preferably in Nassau? I know strapless is really big right now, but I want to try different styles to see what I like the best. I do know now what general style looks best on my body, but most of the dresses I tried were ivory and they had very little in white, so there's still so much that I want to see.

This has got to be the best part of the wedding planning! When she put a veil on my head for the first time, it was surreal!

Re: Went Dress Shopping Yesterday...

Sorry, I can't give you any suggestions on other places to go but I just wanted to say that if you don't want to do strapless, you can always have them add on thin straps to the dress (that's what one of my friends did) and it looked beautiful.. you couldn't tell that they were added on after the fact. Just a suggestion. I need to start shopping for mine soon too! I can't wait!

Re: Went Dress Shopping Yesterday...

I like you went in NOT wanting strapless but got a strapless because I loved the dress and the way it made me look. I can help with the salons because everywhere I went 90% of the dresses were strapless! but I will say the women at Lillettes in Baldwin were a GREAT help!
Also, most dresses come in WHITE! just ask! I tired on alot of ivory dresses but REally wanted white...which I got!
Good Luck

Re: Went Dress Shopping Yesterday...

Thanks ladies! I wanted to stay away from strapless because I don't like my flabby arms and my mother is against it because I'm having a daytime wedding (one of the reasons she drove me nuts yesterday was because she feels that her opinion is fact and anyone who disagrees with her is plain wrong), not to mention that it seems like EVERYONE has a strapless dress these days. I would definitely want some sort of covering for my shoulders for the ceremony, even though we're having it at the hall, and was thinking of maybe adding cap sleeves or something. I'm not getting my dress from a salon...I'm either getting it directly from a designer (I have an in) or having it custom-made for dirt cheap, so that's why I'm looking to try on as many as possible - to really decide what I want.

I was surprised that they carried so few white gowns, but I liked the ivory so it didn't bother me. I'd just like to see how white gowns look with my skin (I'm pretty pale).

Re: Went Dress Shopping Yesterday...

I'm sure there are other places you can look at that have some sort of sleeves that you can try on just to get an idea of what you like.. I can't help you in that dept. though since I live in Brooklyn. Maybe someone else on the boards can point you in the right direction.

Good Luck.. I am sure you will find something you will love and then can have made for you and whether it be white or ivory, I'm sure it will be beautiful!

Re: Went Dress Shopping Yesterday...

I just wanted to say, DOES YOUR MOM KNOW MY MOM? Or did they just take the same class where they were taught that their opinions are FACT????
Listen, go strapless if that is what you want. I almost think strapless is MORE appropriate for a day wedding. I did NOT want a strapless dress, but that is what looked best on me. I am very self conscious about my arms because they are quite chunky, but the strapless almost takes away from them, rather than have a tight cap sleeve digging at them.

Re: Went Dress Shopping Yesterday...

you described my dress shopping experience exacly.
i didn't want strapless
i'm pale
my mother thinks everything she says is fact
not one dress fit me properly
i'm havigna daytime wedding

what i can say is this....i ended up with strapless, because it did look amazing on....like a princess.
BUT, you can add sleeves, or straps to anything you want...i'd say try out the body styles to see what flatters you most and then worry about adding on to cover up the arms (i have those too also)

good luck!!!!!
isn't it a wonderful feeling to put the veil on witht he gown???? magincal!!!

Re: Went Dress Shopping Yesterday...

At least I'm not the only one. Let's just say it was so bad that, several times, the saleswoman laughingly called my mother vicious! I was mortified.