dresses

Stacylynn702 · September 2009

I have already tried on dresses but my wedding isn't for another 13 months. I don't want to buy it yet because I fear that my mind will change. But I was thinking of buying it by the holidays. Is that too soon? How far in advance did you girls buy your dresses?Also, does anyone have any advice for inexpensive bridesmaids dresses? How much is too much? I feel so guilty asking my friends and family to be in our wedding and then asking them to shell out so much money!

delicatefew · September 2009

I think a year out is a fine amount of time to start dress shopping. I bought mine about a year out. You just have to tell yourself that once you find something you like, you stop looking. We got a great deal on bridesmaid dresses from Ann Taylor. They have a Celebrations line and our dresses went on sale, then they ran a $50 off $100 purchase coupon, so the dresses were super inexpensive and great quality. Good luck!

LaRositaMonita · September 2009

the Celebrations Ann Taylor dresses are great! I wore one in my brother's wedding last year and it was a good deal (got it on sale) and very comfortable/wearable. J Crew's dresses are also great, and you can often find sales on them, too. Although we got my girls' dresses around the time when a new line came out, as a teacher I was able to get everyone a 15% discount (which you can get on ANY J Crew clothes ANY time as an educator). Just a tip to help in case you know anyone. There are a number of bridal store lines that are also relatively inexpensive. If you let the bridal salon know your budget and colors they will help guide you. A far as buying a dress...I think that getting it 6-12 months out is the norm. You usually need at least 6 months to allow for shipping and alterations, so around the holidays will be a perfect time to start looking.

Stacylynn702 · September 2009

LaRosita...I didn't know you could get an educator's discount at JCrew. I am a preschool teacher for a non-profit early learning center. Does that count or do you have to work in a school district? What kind of identification do they require...name tag, paycheck...?? That's a great tip, thanks!

LaRositaMonita · September 2009

Generally they like you to place the orders in-store so you can show them your school/teacher ID. They did let me order the bridesmaids' dresses over the phone, though, to get the discount for two of my girls (the other three got their own discounts because they're graduate students and/or teachers themselves!). All they wanted over the phone with a valid educational e-mail address so that they could verify I was employed by a school. They seemed rather flexible about it, so I would imagine you could absolutely swing it if you had a teacher ID, e-mail address, and/or a recent pay stub. Those are usually the things I need to get teacher discounts anywhere! I keep them handy

jewels2730 · September 2009

I ended up at David's Bridal because funds were tight for a lot of my girls and they were $135. I promised myself I wouldn't even set foot in there because I had a terrible experience there before. Anyway, after looking at various bridal shops, the minimum on most dresses is about $175+. Call around to see if bridal shops are running any sales. L!zelles (the knot censors the name of this place) in Havertown had an amazing sale running when we went but the dress we liked was still about $150 (very reasonable though!). I think it depends on what you think your girls can afford to spend. J Crew is nice, but they only offer up to a size 16 when I last checked and one of my girls needed larger. Just something to keep in mind.

Ms.BriarRose · September 2009

I bought my dress 16 months before my wedding. Since it took almost 7 months to come in, I was kind of glad I did. So I would say you are in the perfect place to go dress shopping and buy a dress :)We are going to go with Alfred Angelo, which seems to be relatively inexpensive in terms of bridesmaid dresses. The place I ordered my dress from (Brides and Grooms in Newark, DE- HIGHLY recommend!) does an awesome deal where if the bride gets her dress from there, the BM dresses are 15% off their already low prices. And their prices are much lower- my dress, also an Alfred Angelo, was $130 less at Brides and Grooms than at the actual Alfred Angelo store in Lancaster. If you can take a trip down to DE, I would highly recommend Brides and Grooms (plus, you will be saving sales tax!).I also agree with Jewels- part of the reason we are going with Alfred Angelo is they have larger sizes, and they don't charge extra for the larger sizes (I have heard that some places do this).HTH, and good luck on your dress search!

Ms.BriarRose · September 2009

Oh, I forgot to mention... if you end up at Brides and Grooms, they price match. If you go with AA, and find them cheaper online or in another store, they will match the cheapest price you find- which will end up being cheaper anyway, because you wouldn't have to pay shipping or tax if going through them.Just thought I would add that! I don't know if any other shops (in PA, for example) price match, but it may be worth it to ask!

[Deleted User] · October 2009

I agree with JCrew, Ann Taylor, or departments stores if the sizes work for you. I too have a girl who does not fit into Ann Taylor or J Crew. I think it's a shame they don't make dresses in larger sizes. You can also look on ebay for dresses from those two stores as well. If you want a BM dress check out Pearl's Place and RK Bridal. They offer online sales of major desingers at a discount.

Stacylynn702 · October 2009

Thanks Ladies!!

bkallen · October 2009

I asked the bridesmaids I knew might have trouble shelling out the cash, what their price limit would be. I don't know if that's tacky or not, but I didn't want to force them to spend more than they could.

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