Dress frustration

KatieJL121

I have been looking for a dress off and on for awhile but have had a lot of trouble finding one I really like. I'm petite and it's difficult to tell what the dresses will actually look like when the sample sizes are too large and there's so much extra fabric! I've also had a hard time finding one within my budget. I finally found a dress the other day that I decided "this is it!" but they didn't offer it in ivory...go figure! I'm starting to get frustrated with dress shopping and just wish I could hurry up and find one so I can move on with the rest of the wedding planning such as bridesmaid dresses, flowers, etc. I was just wondering if anyone else had, or is having, these same problems and frustrations! Surely I am not alone in this!

Barakins

Katie, I'm 5'2", and what the consultant at the bridal boutique that I went to did was to give me a pair of heeled shoes to wear while I was trying on the dresses. Do you have any pictures of the one that you fell in love with until you found out it didn't come in ivory? Maybe we can help you find a new one to love.

GracefulMeadow86

maybe you could brings pics of it to a dress maker and she can create it for you in the ivory color. or can you dye a white dress ivory? i dont know if you can, but a seamstress or someone would know the answer to that depending on the fabrics adn things.

KatieJL121

Thanks for the replies! Barakins, the heels definitely do take care of some of it, but I'm also very small in the waist so they look strange all around :-( The dress I found was by Maggie Sottero but to be honest, I failed to get the style number/name of it since I was so bummed about the color choices and pretty much ruled it out! Now I'm regretting it though because I can't find it on the website. However, it was a fit-n-flare/trumpet style (something like that...not sure what the difference between the 2 is) with an asymmetrical waistline, strapless, ruching/pleating on the bodice, a little lace on the top and some beading underneath the chest area. The fabric was silk satin and they said that in this type of material the designer just didn't offer ivory. All that aside, I'm not looking for anything too specific other than my must-haves are strapless, trumpet or an A-line with a dropped waist, and a train of some sort. I prefer simple styles with minimal beading and/or lace. Oh, and my budget is somewhere around $1000 which is pretty reasonable for my area. If you know of any good designers that I can look up, please let me know! :-) Graceful, that is a wonderful idea actually, but I'm really unsure of where to look in my area, as I live in a fairly small town. Hhmmm...maybe I should post this on my local board anyway though! Thanks for the suggestion!

junelley

Being petite myself, I had a hard time looking for dresses.  I had to just try on as many dresses as I could.  Some trumpet/fit and flare worked well and A-lines, too, but I'd advise against dropped waist, or at least be aware that it lengthens your torso and makes your legs look shorter.  I totally understand that it's so  hard to tell how the dress will actually look when you get it in your size.  The gown I ordered had tons of fabric, too, but I ordered anyway because I just loved it and had faith that it'll turn out well.   Have the store's seamstress look at you when you are trying on samples.  She should be able to tell you if it's "workable" or not.

Barakins

Yes, you just have to keep trying on dresses.  As june above me posted, avoid dropped waists for the most part unless you have are a very proportionate petite chica.  I was surprised that I fell in love with a dropped-waisted ballgown dress, which normally I feel makes you look shorter, but it just sort of seemed to balance things out for me personally.One of my favorite designers is Alfred Angelo.www.alfredangelo.comI fell in love with his style 805, but nowhere around me seemed to have any dresses even similar to it.  It might work for you, still, though, unless you want something a little more traditional.Also, check out Davids Bridal.  They have a LOT of options for those of us on the petite side.www.davidsbridal.com

lookame3639

I to am rather petite. 5 ft 2in and 110 lbs. I read several different magazines and things saying the trumpet would look best but when I tried them on I would get uncomfortable because well after having a baby my midsection isn't in as perfect condition as it was in high school. I tried on pretty much every dress at every store I walked into and got so frustrated and would cry in dressing rooms. After awhile I began seeing that A-lines suited me best with a structured tops. Flowing dresses don't suit my body because it enhances certain bad features. Just keep looking something will appear

Deidra123

Katie, You sound just like me in my post from early September.  I'm 5'1" and yes, I understand your frustration.  I ended up going with a trumpet style that the consultant picked out.  It's a lot easier to see how those will look on you than the ballgowns.  Maybe you just haven't found your dress yet.  Try a trumpet style.  Until I did that, I felt like I was wearing a big and very hot costume. 

Deidra123

Katie, One other thing, you asked for other designers if we know of any. I went with Demetrios Ilissa style 900. If you check it out, keep in mind that the model is really tall - your feet won't show like hers and the train is actually chapel length (but you can have it lengthened - I had a half yard added to mine, for example). Demetrios has been designing wedding gowns for a while now so you can probably find the dresses in your small town. Also, there are Brides by Demetrios stores that pretty much carry his entire line. Maybe try looking one of those stores up. Most of the a lines were 1100-1200, my trumpet was 1400 and 400 for the extra length on the train (don't know how much his other trumpet styles are) but they have trunk sales and you can get 15% off so that might get you into your price range. Also, the store that I went to is in Atlanta, in the most expensive part of town (Buckhead) so, if you live in a small town, the store in your area may be less expensive (all wedding shops have the latitude to set their prices at whatever they want as long as they stay above a certain designer-required amount, so you can also shop around a bit if you find a dress that you like but it's too expensive. Also, Pearl's Place may carry a style that you like - and I've heard from many on this board that they have good pricing. So you might try it on in the store, get your measurements and order from Pearl's Place to get the dress you want at the price you want).

lindseyanne1

You should look at a rack sale or sample sale.  I stopped in at one just to look not expecting to find my dress and I wound up finding the one.  I'm 5'2" and mine is a carolina herrera in ivory, it is very simple and the lady said they would have no problem altering it.  Good luck!!!  I know you'll find the one.[IMG]http://i37.tinypic.com/rc55vr.jpg[/IMG]

mbcdefg

Why does the dress have to be ivory? Did you dislike the way the white looked on you, or do you have ivory in your wedding color scheme and feel that your dress needs to match?

KatieJL121

Thanks for all the great advice, girls! You all are a lot of help. I have checked David’s Bridal but didn’t find much that I really liked as far as wedding gowns go. I’ll browse Alfred Angelo’s site and see what I can find though! I’ve also found some pretty dresses on the Demetrios website and had originally assumed they’re out of my budget, so it’s nice to know that they are reasonably priced. Now the hard part is finding a shop nearby that carries them…I might just have to take a day trip to Cincinnati. I’ve heard they have a wide selection there in 2 very large bridal stores. Mbcdefg, in response to your question about the ivory…it’s not part of my color scheme or anything, but I have just found that the bright white does not flatter my skin tone much. It makes me looked a bit washed out. However, I have tried on a few dresses that are diamond white that looked okay. To be honest, I can’t tell the difference between diamond white and ivory! Haha. So I think that either one of those shades would really work for me, as long as it’s not a really bright white. Thanks again! I will definitely keep looking!

junelley

Oh! Another designer you might want to look at is Casa Blanca.  They do custom fitting, which helps a lot with the dress proportion.