BHLDN - advice and reviews

Greenjinjo

Hi all! 

I'm looking to buy my wedding dress from BHLDN but only have access to the online store and can't seem to find anyone selling this brand in NZ. What I'm looking for is reviews on the dresses and opinions (fits, true to size, value for money etc) as I am trying to do as much research as possible before I make a decision. 

My main reason for looking at them is price, I do not want to spend a lot of money on a dress I will only wear once ah be there are some nice ones for ~$300 (not including shipping, customs, duty or alterations). 
I'm looking at reviews online as well but thought everyone here might be able to help as well. 

Any alternatives that people would recommend are highly appreciated as well! 

Tyvm

BHLDN is supposed to have lovely customer support. Perhaps you can talk to one of their online stylists?

redwoodoriginal

In regular life I'm a size 4-6 in most stores.... At this store the dress that fit me was a 0! I was shocked. So pay close attention to the measurements bc I was not expecting that at all!

Greenjinjo

@Tyvm will do that, though not quite at the stage of dress buying yet, I would like to book a venue first. 

@redwoodoriginal wow, that's a huge difference. If you don't mind me asking what kind of dress/dresses did you try on? Was it across multiple styles that you found your street size was different to their label size? 

redwoodoriginal

It's been a few years but it was either the Annabelle dress or a dress similar in structure to the Annabelle dress- a light and flowy, strapless dress. It was also super long on me, and I am 5'8"! 

I think I tried only two different dresses on but it was the same situation in both styles. 

Greenjinjo

@redwoodoriginal wow okay, will definitely keep that in mind! I'm around the same height as you so I would possibly look at reducing the length at the bottom. 

WesternMA0516

I also found that BHLDN didn't match the typical bridal sizing and was more in line with my street size so definitely check their size charts. I tried all styles- sheath, ballgown (or as ballgown as they have), A-line. I thought the quality of the outer fabrics and details was really, really nice, but the dresses lacked structure and inner details like substantial boning or form flattering structure. I think I could have made it work with some sort of undergarment but I thought it would push the cost up and make it not worth the initial savings. 

Greenjinjo

@WesternMA0516 thanks for that! Will definitely take that into consideration. I think a $300 dress with a corset or something underneath might work, I'm not really wanting to spend more than $500 on the dress. Undergarments I don't think I would mind spending money on if it is something I would use again. 

Does anyone have any recommendations for any similar online stores? I have found a couple of stores on etsy with dresses that I like the look of for under $500 nzd as well. 

Tyvm

I've got the Ascott dress from Bhldn, it's not a bridal gown but it was true to my street size (http://www.bhldn.com/product/ascott-dress)

I've read on the Internets that a tip for avoiding the $15 gown-shipping fee is to call a store and have them place the order. But I'd double check that it doesn't affect the return policy before doing that  

SwissMs

BHLDN generally gets their dresses from an outside designer - often these are available from other retailers.  I don't know about NZ, but for instance, a lot of the Jenny Yoo BHLDN gowns can be purchased from Nordstrom so I'm sure there are other retailers carrying many of the gowns.  

That being said, the closest BHLDN to me is an 8 hour plane ride away...and I've definitely been there to try on a dress while I was in town for other reasons.  I feel your pain! 

Greenjinjo

@SwissMs we don't have Nordstrom over here (or even in Australia). I will have to have a better look at their wedding dresses! Hopefully will find something nice in my price range. 

@Tyvm nice dress! I was looking at that previously as a possible wedding dress and I'm glad to hear that it is true to street size. 

Tyvm

@Greenjinjo  I also have BHLDN's Gwyneth Gown in my possession in my street size, and it also fits. So even their full-on wedding gowns follow street-sizing, it seems.

Greenjinjo

@Tyvm awesome! That's good to know. I'm liking the look of the Naya dress at the moment as well. Or even going for a top and skirt combo.