Petite Brides

Doodlebug

Hello, everyone! I got engaged in October, our wedding is in May! I was wondering if there were any petite brides out there who has some advice for dresses? I'm VERY petite at 4'11 and 85 lbs. Thanks so much and congratulations to everyone of you ladies!:-)

itzMS

My suggestion would be to start with your shoes. Crazy as it sounds, if you like to wear really high heels, you might not need as many alterations as you think.

David's Bridal has a huge selection of gowns targeted to petite brides. So that would probably be the easiest place to start.

http://www.davidsbridal.com/Browse_Bridal-Gowns-Shop-By-Size-Petite

Maggie0829

I was not a petite bride but I have heard many suggest to purchase a gown through a designer that does hollow to hem measurements.  This way the gown will be scaled down to your height so that it removes any need for a hem which sometimes can be difficult depending on what the bottowm portion of the dress looks like.

I also think that the PP has a good suggestion about deciding on heel height before buying a dress.  This should also help with getting a correct hollow to hem measurement.

mkelble1224

I'm only 5' and I just went to a bunch of local bridal boutiques to find my dress.  I brought shoes along that are about the height I envision wearing on for the wedding, which helped give me a better idea of how different dresses would look.  Honestly a lot of samples are going to be really big but the consultants will clip you in the dress so you can get an idea of how the dress will look when it fits.  Some designers will make dresses fit hollow to hem for an extra $100-$150, which will keep the dress in proportion to your body (probably worth it if you want a fit and flare style).  In the end, I bought more of a ball gown style dress and the boutique offered to hem it for free.

HobokensFury

I'm 4'11 as well. I would avoid any dresses with beading at the bottom because it's probably going to have to get cut off.  I actually ordered a regular length dress and had it hemmed because a short length dress was $300 more and would still need to be hemmed so I would have to pay twice.  I agree with finding your shoes first though.  Mine were 4 inches.

Jager1219

Be careful of mermaid/trumpet cut dresses.  I'm 5'2" and have a short torso.  Many designers for this style of dress won't adjust for your height, they just add extra to the bottom.  So if the dress was supposed to flare at the knee, when trying some on, they hit me mid-calf.  Just something to think about when looking at dresses and a question to ask the associate/designer to make sure it falls correctly.

loca4pook

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_petite-brides-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:15Discussion:8fcdc2de-de77-4614-a1ac-27b1f6ac7b59Post:cb1deaab-88f8-4008-abac-1f5c11d5a6eb">Re: Petite Brides</a>:
[QUOTE]I'm 4'11 as well. I would avoid any dresses with beading at the bottom because it's probably going to have to get cut off.  I actually ordered a regular length dress and had it hemmed because a short length dress was $300 more and would still need to be hemmed so I would have to pay twice.  I agree with finding your shoes first though.  Mine were 4 inches.
Posted by HobokenBride2012[/QUOTE]

This isn't true if they can do "hem to hollow" which is W"HY it is so important to make sure the dress can be altered that way. "hem to hollow" basically means the dress is made with the proper measurments in mind so that you don't just alter at the bottom which would ruin the design at bottom.

BEWARE: Some dresses can't just necessarily be take in at the waist either because any type of "design" a dress might have on the bottom half would get pulled up and might look awkward----First wedding shop I went to failed to mention this to me, but luckily I found a shop who knew better

Hem to hollow DOES cost extra, so be prepared

HobokensFury

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_petite-brides-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:8fcdc2de-de77-4614-a1ac-27b1f6ac7b59Post:90f4ba50-8ef4-4422-af0e-9fe75a1bcac0">Re: Petite Brides</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Petite Brides : This isn't true if they can do "hem to hollow" which is W"HY it is so important to make sure the dress can be altered that way. "hem to hollow" basically means the dress is made with the proper measurments in mind so that you don't just alter at the bottom which would ruin the design at bottom. BEWARE: Some dresses can't just necessarily be take in at the waist either because any type of "design" a dress might have on the bottom half would get pulled up and might look awkward----First wedding shop I went to failed to mention this to me, but luckily I found a shop who knew better Hem to hollow DOES cost extra, so be prepared
Posted by loca4pook[/QUOTE]

Not all companies do hem to hollow. AA does not.  Also even petite dresses are made for 5'3 so if you're not wearing tall shoes it will still need to be hemmed.

loca4pook

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_petite-brides-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:15Discussion:8fcdc2de-de77-4614-a1ac-27b1f6ac7b59Post:561e7315-3281-43f0-962e-ed0e73afbff4">Re: Petite Brides</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Petite Brides : Not all companies do hem to hollow. AA does not.  Also even petite dresses are made for 5'3 so if you're not wearing tall shoes it will still need to be hemmed.
Posted by HobokenBride2012[/QUOTE]

Good Point.,, That is why I said it was important to ask about hem to hollow. My sister fell in love with many dresses only to find out that it could not be altered.

I picked out my dress and a shop told me "sure, we will alter from waist"...due to circumstances, I ended up getting that dress at a different shop and THEY were the ones who informed me taking from the waist would ruin the design.

p.s. Casablanca dresses to hem to hollow..and will even change necklines, if you need to, as well