tea length wedding dresses

2katiej2

Hello!  This is my first post on the Knot and I am so happy to be marrying my soul mate

My question is about wedding dresses.  I am very petite (5'0, less than 100 pounds) and I am having trouble finding a dress.  I am not surprised, as I have trouble finding other types of clothes that fit me as well.  I look rather silly in floor length gowns and I want to try some tea length dresses but I am not sure if a tea length dress will be formal enough for our wedding.  We are planning on having a church ceremony and an evening reception with about 200 people, so kind of a traditional wedding.  Would a tea length dress be formal enough for a wedding like this?

Thanks in advance for your input. 

opalsky007

Welcome to the board!

I don't think there's anything at all wrong with wearing a short dress in the evening, although a longer gown can be more elegant. Keep in mind that there may be options out there that you haven't thought of yet--more designers are starting to make dresses in petites, and several do "hem-to-hollow" measuring, meaning that they cut the gown specifically to your proportions. If a short dress is what really speaks to you, then go for it! Just don't want you to feel like you have to "give up on" a long gown because of your height.

Midgetth

. I'm also 5'0 110 pounds but I am getting a full length gown. I got my gown in petit size & there isn't much there to be taken off. My dress is rouched & it actually makes me look a little taller . Just an idea for you to try some different things but if you decided to go with a tea length I think that will be fine.

katanne9

I am similar size to you. I was planning on also getting a tea-length gown. I think you will be fine for a formal wedding as long as the dress is formal in other ways (ex. a formal fabric). The hardest thing was finding a short dress that FELT formal.

I actually ended up going with a sheath dress, which didn't feel quite so overwhemling on my smaller frame.

Good luck!

2katiej2

Thank you for the input!  I think it will be a challenge finding a tea length dress that is formal enough, but I may go for it if I find one. 

rrkenney

Just a heads up that some designers don't go short enough with the hem to hollow, and I'm 5'2.

I went for a Justin Alexander "ballet" length dress (ankle length, tea length can be rather unflattering because it ends at the widest part of your calf). A lot of places I went to did have shorter options but many of them weren't formal enough. This one is really stunning in person, the photos do not do it justice.

http://www.justinalexanderbridal.com/en_ca/justin-alexander/8465.html

2katiej2

Wow, what a gorgeous dress.  I would never think to try something like on because the skirt is so poofy and I'm so tiny, but maybe I will give it a shot. 

rrkenney

I am actually having them take some of the poof out when I go in for alterations, it's an easy fix and with just a little less poof the dress is perfect!