Rustic-Victorian Wedding in need of a wedding dress decision

Sydney91

I am having trouble picking between 2 dresses. I love them both and my budget loves them both too. My fiance decided on having Victorian and Rustic (farm) undertones in the wedding and I would like my dress to partially reflect these (no lace though). We cannot afford the extravagance of a full Victorian theme and I despise the idea of ruffles and non-clean lines (I've read up on Victorian attire and am not aiming for royal dress - my family was a common Scottish family so we're looking at nonelaborate undertones that a wealthy commoner would have). The dress would have navy colourings and will be ivory (I'm pale and nearly glow in the dark). My fiance has requested I wear a strapless dress. I'm very small (5'-1" with a tiny frame) so the more traditional ballroom gowns will wear me and will not fit with the Rustic theme. My fiance and I are having the ceremony on his grandparents farm and I am far from a fancy girl.

The first dress: Alfred Angelo 1797 - has navy embroidery and sweep train

The second dress: Alfred Angelo 1612 - no navy embroidery and semi-cathedral train

jennylove810

I'm afraid neither of these 2 dresses really says "Victorian" to me.  Strapless =/= Victorian.

In my mind, Victorian = lace (sorry), sleeves, possibly with a keyhole back.

RamonaFlowers

Ditto Jenny:

Victorian = lace. And sleeves.
Victorian =/= strapless.

The general style of those dresses are nice ... but if you want a dress that actually fits your theme, you're not even remotely in the ballpark. Sorry!

MrsLiggett7

Nukke at the Retro and Vintage forum has some AWESOME advice on stuff like this.

MrsLiggett7

Also, as a vintage bride, just because you're going Victorian doesn't mean you HAVE to have straps. Yes, Victorian era clothing was usually high necked or sleeved, but that doesn't mean your dress has to be. Your dress can have a Victorian FEEL without a Victorian LOOK. Unfortunately neither of these dresses hit that mark. It seems that you like Alfred Angelo so I'm browsing his collection to give you some suggestions.

MrsLiggett7

The pickups in THIS dress are lovely

It seems you're a fan of having the navy color IN your dress. This can be done with THIS dress. The dress is satin but does have some lace on it. Unfortunately if you're going for Victorian you might have to budge on the lace issue.

THIS one is my personal favorite.

And last but not least, you can't go wrong with a dress inspired by a Disney princess, like Belle's DRESS.

Sydney91

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_victorian-wedding-need-of-wedding-dress-decision?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:5483cfa1-666a-404b-b77a-bc659f4bffd0Post:598cee09-4eae-4dcc-88a4-e7f87493aaa1">Re: Victorian Wedding in need of a wedding dress decision</a>:
[QUOTE]The pickups in THIS dress are lovely It seems you're a fan of having the navy color IN your dress. This can be done with THIS dress. The dress is satin but does have some lace on it. Unfortunately if you're going for Victorian you might have to budge on the lace issue. THIS one is my personal favorite. And last but not least, you can't go wrong with a dress inspired by a Disney princess, like Belle's DRESS .
Posted by MrsLiggett7[/QUOTE]
Thank you for all of your help. I really wish I could afford the Belle dress.

CFM102012

I agree with PP's, neither dress says anything Victorian.  I've also seen them everywhere.  You said your FI has requested strapless but what do you want?  My FI could request strapless all he wanted and it wouldn't matter.  I don't like how strapless looks on me.  I'm adding capsleaves to my dress.  On your wedding day he'll be so wrapped up in how beautiful you are it won't matter if you have straps/sleaves.  In the end it all comes down to what you like, want, feel beautiful in and can afford.

ETA: I just noticed you're over a year away from your wedding.  Check with your AA shop to see how long they speculate carrying the Belle dress if you really like it.  If you save up maybe you'll be able to afford it in 6-8 months.

jennylove810

I'm a little concerned by all the "my FI" in your OP.

"My FI wants a Victorian-themed wedding."
"My FI requested strapless."

What do YOU want?

Sydney91

The day belongs to both of us and our relationship is the focus of the day. I loved my strapless grad dress and know what sillhouette accents my petit frame. I'm not completely sold on the Victorian undertones, but with the combination of rustic undertones makes it work. We are planning the entire thing together. When we were picking colours, I chose navy, gray, and yellow. My fiance didn't want yellow and wanted pink instead. We added pink along with the other colours. He keeps trying to get me to take over, but I insist that it is our day, not just my day. I've managed to get him excited about planning (he read my bridezilla binder lol)

Thank you for your concern though!

MrsLiggett7

FYI, fit-and-flare, mermaid, or trumpet accent petite frames better than a-line or ballgown.

Sydney91

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_victorian-wedding-need-of-wedding-dress-decision?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:5483cfa1-666a-404b-b77a-bc659f4bffd0Post:2addf010-8be4-4cee-99b7-9c424e6b8319">Re: Rustic-Victorian Wedding in need of a wedding dress decision</a>:
[QUOTE]FYI, fit-and-flare, mermaid, or trumpet accent petite frames better than a-line or ballgown.
Posted by MrsLiggett7[/QUOTE]
Weird. Every site I have been to pushes a-line, sheath, and princess silhouettes for petite frames, but not fit & flare, mermaid, or trumpet. The three just mentioned all look exactly the same and definitely aren't Victorian. I apparently don't have a clue what that is based on the comments about my dress choices, but I do know that these 3 just plain do NOT work.

cqbride

Neither says victorian or rustic.

Magdala9

You could add a Victorian touch to a strapless dress with a victorian style shawl?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/88265049/victorian-steampunk-inspired-champagne?ref=sr_gallery_16&ga_search_submit=&ga_search_query=Victorian+shawl&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade

Here is one from an etsy (as an idea, but sellers make them in all colors/styles)

This is a way to add a little high necked detail but maintain a strapless dress.  

RamonaFlowers

Why do you keep changing your OP? When I answered this question last night, you just said it was full blown "Victorian themed" and you didn't want lace.
 
Now it's "Rustic/Victorian undertones" because you "can't afford" a full Victorian theme with these stipulations about having the wedding on a farm, and your FI wanting a strapless dress, and lace being too fancy for your family's Scottish station in life as commoners.

It's very rude to keep changing your post, people keep trying to give you advice and you keep changing the original question, instead of just posting further questions as the advice progresses.

And regardless of the changes, neither dress from your OP still fits any part of your "theme", except perhaps your budget. It's okay to have a dress that isn't part of the "theme" if you really like them ... but if you want a dress that actually "matches" the rest of the look, just let these 2 gowns go ... or pick a completely different theme already.

shortee426

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_victorian-wedding-need-of-wedding-dress-decision?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:5483cfa1-666a-404b-b77a-bc659f4bffd0Post:957a2112-50f1-4f63-aacb-95ce13e298e3">Re: Rustic-Victorian Wedding in need of a wedding dress decision</a>:
[QUOTE]I think that it's hard to make pronouncements about what silhouettes work best on which body types because there is so much variation in body shape.  One petite frame will be proportioned differently than another petite frame, so a smallish ballgown could work on one and not on the other.  If you know whch silhouettes work best on you, you should follow your instincts.
Posted by LucyHC[/QUOTE]

<div>Listen to this advice. I'm 4'10" and ended up in a very full a-line (some people might call it a ball gown, but I don't think the skirt was quite big enough). At first I stayed away from that silohuette thinking I had to stick with fit n' flare, etc. But in the end that was the dress that looked best on me.</div>

Serendipty11

Pick a dress you love, you can afford and looks great on you-period. I have no idea what Victorian undertones/Rustic even really means, but... yeah. It all sounds like you are making this more complicated than it has to be.

Sydney91

Thank you to everyone for your help in this matter.

HugsAndKisses135

http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_Satin-Ball-Gown-with-Pleated-Bodice-and-Pick-Ups-WG3076_Bridal-Gowns-Shop-By-Silhouette-Ball-Gown

For some reason they don't have a model picture of the front, but there are a couple of real brides if you go down to the comments section. I also googled it and found the front. I think the straps could easily be removed.


Also, are you ladies all sure you aren't thinking of Edwardian and not Victorian when you say no lace=/=victorian? Brocade and taffeta were pretty popular materials for Victorian gowns, and lace was used only as trim and even that was rare. Edwardian dresses are super lacy.

mkgins

Agree with Serendipity. Go for a dress you love. You have plenty of time to shop around, get a feel for what works for you and your body type and how you feel. You can use the Victorian Rustic theme to help you pick flowers, how you decorate, what the "feel" of the event will be. But if it gets in the way of you picking your dress, just go for how you want to look.

LawyerBride2012

Go with a dress you love use your unique theme in other ways. It will be beautiful