Dress Stress

ilovetobin

Hi everyone.  I'm totally stressed out about looking for a dress.  I have gone shopping twice (David's Bridal) and tried on probably 10-15 dresses.  I have been going to David's because they can order extra length because I'm tall otherwise the dress would be too short.  There are a lot that I like but I don't know if I have "loved" any of them.  I don't think I've felt that spark.  I have always had this vision in my head of what I want the dress to look like but I don't know if I'm finding what I'm looking for.  My wedding is at the end of September so I still have time to look but I'm worried I won't find that "wow" dress.  Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should do?  Other places I can go?  Different ways I should approach dress shopping?  Any help or suggestions would be great. 

japow1984

Have you tried a bridal shop that sells Maggie Sottero? I know from when I was ordering my dress that they will order in extra length. I ordered my dress from a Dior Bridal in Dearborn and enjoyed the experience. You should check out www.maggiesottero.com I the dresses.

Melgor78

Can't help you with dress places but as for the extra length most dress designers can get you extra length.  Usually you can get a hollow to hem and price depends on designer.  It can take anywhere from 2-6 weeks extra for length.  Being over 6'1" I know the feeling.

emarston1

Not every bride has that "this is it!" feeling.  I know I didn't.  I had it narrowed down to 2 choices and picked the one that was most "me."  I certainly didn't get a "wow" feeling but it was more of a quiet whisper in my head saying this is your dress.  It made me feel confident and beautiful and I LOVE my dress now.

I also didn't really like dress shopping all that much.  I don't deal well when I have unlimited options so it was very overwhelming for me.  Once I had my dress, I felt a lot better about it.

My advice would be go to a smaller place than Davids where the selection isn't overwhelming.  Try different styles to find out what you feel most confident in.  Don't pigeon hole yourself into one type of dress because that's what you think you want.  Many women will tell you that they ended up with a dress that is NOTHING like they thought they would.

Julz629

15 dresses is nothing!  Keep trying them on...  I went to 5 different bridal salons and tried on at least 60 dresses.  I found "the dress" at shop #3, but kept looking just to make sure.

I had that "wow, this is it" moment, but not everyone does.  But either way, you will find a dress you love and look beautiful.

Also, try some places besides David's Bridal.  There are a lot of salons out there and you'll probably find a bigger variety and sales associates who are more helpful.

rcj2rcd

I hated the dresses I was picking out, so, I had my consultant pick out a dress she thought I would look good in (they are professionals...) and that's the one I bought. It took me a few times trying it on to decide that it was "the one". I didn't have that immediate "wow" reaction.

As for the length, all of the salons I went with could accomodate petite to tall. I agree with PP,  you might find some luck at a smaller bridal salon. I bought my dress from Alessandra's in Warren, but I also liked The Wedding Shoppe in Berkley. They both have a cozier feel and I never felt rushed. Plus, both places have great alterations on-site.

Good luck

amyn1919

I recommend trying out Demetrios in Troy, They have a large selection and they can order the dresses in extra length!

lisa89760

I'm also 5'11 - 6'0 and I ended up not having to order extra length! I got my dress from B'Ella in Northville and I worked with Larry who is doing some alterations and letting some of the hem out. (I'm also wearing flats...heels would've thrown that idea out the window!)  I would also suggest a smaller bridal salon and I think almost every dress comes in extra length...and alterations can do wonders. 

karasanel2018

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_michigan-detroit_dress-stress?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:88Discussion:15f4e734-1008-44db-9ccf-a9151685005aPost:c821da71-6fa6-4a0f-ab58-f9f8146e0347">Re: Dress Stress</a>:
[QUOTE]Not every bride has that "this is it!" feeling.  I know I didn't.  I had it narrowed down to 2 choices and picked the one that was most "me."  I certainly didn't get a "wow" feeling but it was more of a quiet whisper in my head saying this is your dress.  It made me feel confident and beautiful and I LOVE my dress now. [/QUOTE]

I definitely agree! I mean, I tried on about 10 dresses at The Wedding Shoppe in Berkley and ended up getting my dress after trying on about 10 more at David's Bridal. I felt pretty in a lot of them, but none of them screamed "I'm the one!" I narrowed it down to 2, like emartson1, and they were similar... so I just chose the one that looked the most like something I would wear. I just picked up my dress and when I tried it on, I <strong>LOVED </strong>it. I am sincerely happy with my choice!

If this is any help at all: ask yourself "do I look like a bride? can I see myself walking down the aisle wearing this? does it feel like my high school prom?" That's what helped in my situation... <img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-smile.gif" border="0" alt="Smile" title="Smile" /> 

Good luck!!

Meg1036

I also didn't have a moment with "the one."  I kept trying on dresses and consistently liked oned style, and eventually just had to choose.  Sometimes, I regret not getting my "second choice", but I know that when my dress comes in, I will love it.

And I know Casblanca gowns with do hollow to hem measurements - I had mine done that way because I am short!

leannlacie

i just wanted you to know that you arent the only one, i feel the same way about finding the 'wow" dress. i went to atlas bridal in toledo oh and found one that i thought i liked but after thinking about it it wasnt the one and i didnt like a lot of the dresses i tried on. i then went to davids bridal and found one that i love but i still cant help wonder if it is the one. i guess i was expecting to have this glow and amazing feeling. and now the one that i want is only on sale until the 17th of this month so i have to cram in looking at other dresses in order to see if this is the one and still get the sale!

lcsnowflake

wow I'm so glad to hear other stories.  I felt the same way- it wasn't a "WOW" but there was just something about the dress.  I couldnt get myself to put the deposit down the day of, but I did stop looking.  I am now in love with the dress!  Also- I tried on at least 50 dresses.  My sister printed a list of dress stores from the area and we were at the second to last store on the list when we found the dress!  Its definetly not like the tv shows- I can't believe that some of those girls find the right dress after trying on 3 dresses.   

mybestfriendsfuturemrs

I too did not have that "WOW!" feeling. I went with 3 of my BM's and my mom to David's Bridal, I don't know how many dresses I tried on. I don't really like being the center of attention and can't make decisions when a lot of options are there for me to decide on.  Each of my BM's liked something different about each of the dresses that I tried on. I didn't purchase any of the dresses that I tried on that night, instead I went with something that I thought I liked and was more "me".

ilovetobin

Thanks to everyone for all the advice and stories.  I talked to my mom yesterday and told her how stressed/upset I was feeling about dress shopping so far.  She agreed that she wasn't thrilled with any of the dresses we had found either so she was taking me to a local bridal store after work; we went last night.  All I can say now is "WOW".  I found so many beautiful dresses I couldn't decide which one I liked the best.  I finally felt like a bride.  I walked away from the store with a huge grin on my face and couldn't stop talking about how excited I was.  Now I just need to figure which dress I like the best. 

Milsey32

I will ALWAYS suggest Demetrio's in Troy (unless they mess something up later on) because I have had absolutely wonderful service by them. I'm 5' 3" so I don't have that problem, but I'm pretty sure designers can always add length... Anyway, I didn't even bother going to David's Bridal because they're too well-known and whatnot, and I was afraid of doing the same thing - going through a gazillion dresses, especially because I had NO IDEA what I was looking for. At Demetrio's Jeanine asked me some questions and pulled 4 or 5 days out for me and the last one was THE ONE and it was incredible.

Best of luck! xo