Lack of Sleeves in the Wedding Dress World!

aoideeos

I want sleeves on my dress. My family has big arms. Thats just how it is. The thing is that the selection for dresses with sleeves is smaaaaaall. And then to throw plus size on top of that I'm worried about finding the right dress. So far this is what I've found and really liked and im considering getting it. 

Clicky Here

There are a couple things holding me back tho. 

1-its online.

have any of you had experience ordering online and then just had it altered after it got to you? would you ever consider ordering online? There are customer reviews for that dress. and all of them are 4-5 so thats got to be something right?

2-strapless

so uh... ive never worn anything strapless before... mostly because I want to either hide my big arms or because Im so busty. How has the strapless thing worked for you girls D and above? 

3-just opinion.

So the sleeves on this one are different than other dreeses ive seen. What do you guys think? Is the bottom of the sleeve to much? 

Finally Where did you guys find youre dresses? Local store? Chain? Online? If it has sleeves can I see

Thank you guiz

NinaTony

I think it is important to try on a dress  before making a final decision. Also, I came across a review of the website claiming that the dress the reviewer received looked significantly  different from from the dress shown in pictures.  

I would suggest going to a local bridal store.  This is where I had the most luck.  You can try on a variety of dresses in your size.  I would pay attention how a dress fits your BODY, and not your arms.  From there, you can try on bolero jackets to go with your dress.   

If your going to order something on-line, check out Etsy.com.... you can read reviews of other people who have purchased the sellers products.  

I love this look! I think it is a classy look without making it obvious that you are trying to hide your arms.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/101328940/off-shoulder-ivory-dot-lace-bolero?ref=v1_other_1

anglyn

Why not buy a strapless dress and have sleeves added? Thats what I did. 

PJSPJS

I also didn't want a sleeveless or strapless dress. I wanted 3/4 sleeves but couldn't find a dress I liked with 3/4 sleeves.. I don't have big arms, but I just didn't feel comfortable in strapless/sleeveless. As NinaTony said, you can add a lace jacket to almost any gown.  I got Justin Alexander #8522 (http://www.thebridalshop.com/justinalexanderbridal/8522.htm),

which is strapless but comes with a jacket. The owner of the salon I went to said that if i saw any strapless gown that I really liked, I could always add a jacket if it did not come with one.

smilesavy

what about something like this??  I tried this dress on and almost bought it.

http://www.alfredangelo.com/collections/productdisplay.aspx?productID=413f85fc-fa7e-4b91-a655-1ba1d55f8d16&categoryID=32e5a88c-cbf1-498f-afcf-dbfca138c5d3&pg=4&colorId1=

gundy21

As for being busty and wearing a strapless - I am a 42DD/DDD.  I had a strapless dress (a Maggie Sottero) and the bodice construction and the corset back provided such a great foundation that I had NO worries all day / night.  No tugging it up. HIGHLY recommend corset backs!

BrooklynBride20

Check out Bonny Bridal's Unforgettable Collection <click>

They have a few dresses with sleeves. I do not feel comfortable wearing strapless anything and I was afraid I wouldn't find a dress with sleeves that I loved.  Thanks to Bonny Bridal, problem solved. I purchased Style 1814 <click> and I absolutely love it.  In fact, my dress should be coming in this month!

Good luck with your search.

QueerFemme

There are tons of sleeve options. Just keep looking. Also avoid lightinthebox or all of the other chinese knockoff sites. They say they allow returns, but if you spend 20 minutes doing some research, you will find that its almost impossible to actually make the return. Read the faq on the attire and accessories board. Maybe one out of 1,000 brides has a decent experience with their dress and refunds almost never happen. Those aren't very good odds.

kaceymarie

mine is strapless but i'm adding a david's bridal shrug if i can find my size in stores.

aoideeos

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_plus-sized_lack-of-sleeves-in-the-wedding-dress-world?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:973cdc6f-961e-4fb0-a628-bef2bb559697Discussion:8ff04b76-3426-4d9c-8bde-bfba9c28b6a7Post:bc3bbc76-8b04-41f5-b448-6b0f1f7b3608">Re: Lack of Sleeves in the Wedding Dress World!</a>:
[QUOTE]Check out Bonny Bridal's Unforgettable Collection <click /> They have a few dresses with sleeves. I do not feel comfortable wearing strapless anything and I was afraid I wouldn't find a dress with sleeves that I loved.  Thanks to Bonny Bridal, problem solved. I purchased Style 1814 <click> and I absolutely love it.  In fact, my dress should be coming in this month! Good luck with your search.
Posted by BrooklynBride20[/QUOTE]
oooooh i definetly like this site. They have a few that look like they might work. Shame they dont give you a price idea online tho... @.@ Makes me wonder how much they are. If i cant find one with sleeves i think ill look into getting a shrug or wrap. I'll try pricing how much it would be to add sleeves on as well. I didnt really think of that lol.

QueerFemme

in my salon, most Bonny dresses were in the $700-1500.00 range.

BrooklynBride20

My dress was roughly 850, very reasonable. Contact an authorized dealer of Bonny Bridal in your area to get a quote on the dresses you like.

reppunzel

The Attire and Accessories board has a list of known Chinese-knock-off websites and I'm pretty sure Light in the Box is one of them. 
Ditto PP -- I wouldn't buy anything online that you haven't tried on in person.  You might be really suprised at what is and isn't flattering to you (all of you, not just your arms).  I'm really hoping for a dress with sleeves, too, but I've found at least one sleeveless option that looked pretty awesome.

divinemsbee

I also think trying things on in person is the best way to do this. I thought I would look awful in strapless, turns out, I looked okay. I really wanted some longer lace sleeves; in person they made my arms look like very fancy sausages--they actually looked bigger. 

I ended up going with a Casablanca gown. The great thing about them is that you can mix and match the tops, so, for an extra $70, I added a really beautiful off-the-shoulder boat neck to the top of a strapless dress. And it's all done in the same material as your dress and it's done in factory so you don't have to worry about a seamstress for that. My dress, with the top changed is just over $1000. I don't know what your budget is, but I found fantastic dresses, really more than I could have imagined, that looked great for under $1000. 

Here's my dress: http://www.casablancabridal.com/collections/view/30/439

but it will have this top: http://www.casablancabridal.com/collections/view/28/376

QueerFemme

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_plus-sized_lack-of-sleeves-in-the-wedding-dress-world?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:973cdc6f-961e-4fb0-a628-bef2bb559697Discussion:8ff04b76-3426-4d9c-8bde-bfba9c28b6a7Post:37a9dc0d-cea1-4ba4-b246-7a926b3ca5dd">Re: Lack of Sleeves in the Wedding Dress World!</a>:
[QUOTE]The Attire and Accessories board has a list of known Chinese-knock-off websites and I'm pretty sure Light in the Box is one of them.  :( Ditto PP -- I wouldn't buy anything online that you haven't tried on in person.  You might be really suprised at what is and isn't flattering to you (all of you, not just your arms).  I'm really hoping for a dress with sleeves, too, but I've found at least one sleeveless option that looked pretty awesome.
Posted by reppunzel[/QUOTE]

lightinthebox IS a knockoff site and they have horrible horrible reviews.   If you google "lightinthebox complaints", you will immediately see page after page of complaints from people.   Most of the time, your dress isn't shipped until after the paypal claim period, so you have very limited recourse when the dress arrives half done, ill fitting and horrible fabric.

JoanE2012

I definitely recommend going into a store and trying on.  It's amazing....what you think would look good on you might not be the case and what you thought you would look horrible ends up looking quite good! 

Also, I think often girls try and cover up their arms and shoulders with shrugs, sleeves, etc and I often feel it just draws even more attention to them.

smartn2sexy08

Ordering online can be okay if you do it from known reputable sources. I'm ordering online from http://www.igigi.com . But I have ordered fro them before and know how their dresses fit me. They also have a guide on their site that shows how their gowns fit different body types, and they tell you what body shapes their models have. And yes they use real plus size models. But if you are really uncertain, why not go try some in stores first and get an idea of what looks good on your body then look online. As for wearing straplesss I do all the time and I have DDD size chest. Its all about having the right strapless bra, and making sure the dress fits you right with the right kind of elastic at the top as well.