Dress dilemma- the grass is greener?

rooz103

Hello ladies! I was wondering if I could get some expert opinions about this whole wedding dress thing. 

To make a long story short, after a few shopping trips, I purchased a dress from David's Bridal, but my thoughts keep returning to a different dress from Alfred Angelo. I liked the Alfred Angelo a little bit better, but since there was a 80% price difference between the two dresses, I went with the cheaper one. We could technically afford the pricier one, but it's hard for me to justify spending so much on something I'd be wearing once ( I'd rather put money towards good food than a dress). My feelings toward the Alfred Angelo aren't to the extent of  "I have to have it no matter what", but I can't help but think that it looked better than the one I have now. 

Am I being crazy? Is this a case of "the grass is greener on the other side? Should I suck it up and think about the kick-*** food I'll be eating, or should I be getting a dress that I "fall in love with"? Did anyone else have this problem while wedding planning? If so, did you end up regretting your decision at all? 

Thanks in advance for the help!

P.S. Pics are included for reference and for funsies. The first one was the one from DB that I ended up purchasing. The second one is the one from Alfred Angelo that I liked a bit better. 

doeydo

You liked another dress better than the one you bought, but you bought the other dress anyways.  Sorry, but I think that was a mistake.  If you can afford the Alfred Angelo dress, which apparently you can, then maybe you should as it might be the one.

doeydo

Also, I actually prefer the DB dress, but it is not my opinion that counts.

Blergbot

I think the DB dress flatters your figure more, actually. That's coming from a bride who was considering purchasing a DB dress, but went with one from AA (my AA dress was actually 100 cheaper than the DB dress, but I also didn't love it the way I loved the AA dress).

lookame3639

I like the DB dress.. it gives you a great figure.

hyechica81

you fell in love with a aa dress but since it was to much to settled on the cheeper db dress. resell the db dress and get the aa dress its the one you love.

why settle for something if your not in love with it

KGold80

I think the DB dress looks better on you, too! If you were to go with the AA dress, would you really have to compromise a lot on the food or is it not that big of a deal? Everything is a trade-off and you just have to decide what is more important to you.

Rest assured - you'll be stunning either way!

rooz103

Thanks for all the replies and very sweet comments  

The cost difference is about $1000, before alterations (in a budget of about $12k), so it's significant enough that switching the dress would mean cutting into my ever-so-precious food budget. 

Seeing as how there seems to be unanimous consensus regarding which dress looks better (from people who have no vested interest in lying to me), I think I might chalk this up to me being slightly crazy. I think I've heard "once in a lifetime" so many times that it's stressed me to the point of second guessing everything. I guess I ended up with the more flattering dress at the lower price, so I'll accept that I'm just slowly losing my mind in the wedding-planning fog and be happy that I have more money for ridiculous desserts. 

Blergbot

I don't think you're crazy! You probably do get the feels in that dress, but you have to weigh $1,000 of your budget with how much you love the dress. I think, in this case, you should go for the cheaper option that you actually look better in, even though the one you love is perfectly lovely as well. If it were $100 it might be a different story.

CMGragain

There are thousands of dresses available.  You only need one.  That dress needs to make you feel beautiful, like a bride.  Both dresses are lovely.
I didn't have many choices when I was a bride.  There was no DB.  I had to find a dress that I could afford off the rack for a quick wedding.  I found one.  Was it the perfect dress?  Who knows?  It  became MY dress, and I never looked back.  Shopping for my daughter's dress was a whole different experience, with many choices.
I think you have made a great decision, and I would have done the same. It is a beautiful dress.  The other one is not worth the savings.  I am very practical.

KGold80

$1000 price difference? Yeah, you definitely made the right choice. If I were you, I would walk down that aisle rocking that fabulous DB dress and then go score some fabulous food thanks to saving so much money!!!

ktjanesmom

When its all over with and the dress is shoved in a closet or a box, you would regret spending the extra money way more than not spending it.  The dress you chose is beautiful. 

Pepperally

I must say you look damn hot in that first dress!!! The AA is beautiful, too, but you totally rock the DB dress. I'd focus on what you can do with that extra $1000.

jalyndani

Girl, with that body shape EVERYTHING is going to look great on you  I'm jealous! 

Rock the hell out of that gorgeous DB dress and relish the fact that you didn't have to break the bank to find a dress you loved and that (of course) looked fabulous on you. Spend that extra $1000 elsewhere! 

LadyBelle11

What exactly is it that you like about the AA dress? Is it the top? You can always take the DB dress to a seamstress, have her alter the straps, and have lace added for the illusion effect. There are wonderful seamstresses who can do absolute magic to make it exactly what you want. That is what I am doing with mine :-)

Maggie0829

I prefer the AA dress honestly.  I would try and sell your DB dress and purchase the AA dress.  You don't want to be thinking about another dress the day of your wedding and wondering "what if" while getting ready.

ETA:  If you try to do a lot of altering to the DB dress to make it look similar to the AA dress then you really aren't going to be saving a lot of money in the end.

ElcaB

You look lovely in both dresses. I was torn between two dresses, too, but once I made the decision I followed my SIL's advice and just stopped looking at wedding dresses, including the photos I took of me trying on the other dress. 

rooz103

Thanks again for the responses--I didn't think I'd get this many opinions, to be honest lol. 

@ElcaB, That's really good advice from your SIL. I've deleted all the other photos (except for the DB, which I'm keeping for reference) and I'm going to stop the wedding dress insanity. 

LadyBelle11, I might have to take up your advice as well. The straps were what bothered me the most about the DB dress, but since my own SIL does a lot of sewing and altered her own dress successfully, I might see if she could make a few tweaks to mine as well. 

By the way, all the responses have worked wonders for my self esteem. Many thanks for the kind words

suburbanstepmom

ElcaB said:

You look lovely in both dresses. I was torn between two dresses, too, but once I made the decision I followed my SIL's advice and just stopped looking at wedding dresses, including the photos I took of me trying on the other dress. 

This is exactly what I had to do. Otherwise I kept thinking about buying different dresses even though every time I put MY dress on I LOVE it. I think it's just wedding-crazies!