Attire & Accessories Forum
Options

Taking a Bridesmaids Dress From Long to Short?

We picked out most of the bridesmaid dresses this weekend.  We just went with a short (knee length) black dress.  All the girls picked out different dresses and they look great. However, my MOH went with a long dress and I'm starting to second guess it.

The story behind it is that I wanted short because each girl is going to have a different color and we are going to play up that color against the black dress with the jewelry and shoes.  I'm worried that with a long dress we will lose the shoes.  This is also a fun summer wedding, I definitely don't want to go too formal.  With just 3 other girls in the party I think one long dress is just going to look out of place when the other girls are in fun party dresses.  The problem lies in that the other girls are tiny girls buying dresses between a 2-6, MOH is a larger plus size and is battling body issues so dress shopping didn't help.  She refused to even try any dresses they had.  They did have a sample I knew would fit her.  Instead she just ordered the dress straight out.  I tried to calm her fears explaining the dress I had for her wedding was the same designer, we are the same size, she absolutely loved my short dress so you know a short dress will work.  In the end her being comfortable is more important to me than how her shoes will work.  So if she wants a long dress I'm fine with it.  I just think alot of this is coming from her own insecurities.  Feeding into it also were that my Mom and Aunt were there.  They got it into their head somewhere that everyone needs formal long dresses and kept telling my MOH she wouldn't look good in a short dress.  I didn't hear this as I was trying on my dress that came in, some of my maids told me this later.  I am beyond upset at this and have to deal with it seperately as my mom and aunt keep trying to hijack the wedding and make it a much more formal occasion than we want.  I know they didn't mean it, but all their criticisms definitely didn't help MOH.

Anyways, I feel like she would be much more comfortable talking about a dress wearing one that fits her.  I was going to talk about the length again with her actually dress and the seamstress.  See if maybe the seamstress can help ease her fears about a shorter dress (we are talking knee length, not mini).  I feel like if she can see the dress pinned up she would understand it will look good on her.  So my question... the dress is an empire waist that flows down, if we just want to hem it to the knee that can't be major alterations right? I imagine that would just be removing the extra fabric and heming the dress.       

Re: Taking a Bridesmaids Dress From Long to Short?

  • Options

    Hemming a long chiffon dress, even to closer to knee length is an easy alteration. It can be a little costly if there are multiple layers, but the alteration it self is not complicated.

    I agree with you that maybe it'll be an easier conversation when the dress comes in and she sees herself in it. It'll be farther away from this incident, and if she gets really fabulous shoes she might be excited to show them off. If not, well, then you have the perfect attitude of "her comfort is more important than my vision" and it'll all work out great either way.

    "There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness." -Friedrich Nietzsche, "On Reading and Writing"
  • Options
    its an easy thing to do my bridal salon told me if the lenghts come in a little to long on the long dresses they picked out they can be altered and shortened.  you can use the extra fabric for maybe a shawl or something 
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards