Attire & Accessories Forum

Is this crazy?

RlovesRRlovesR member
5 Love Its Name Dropper First Answer First Comment
edited December 2015 in Attire & Accessories Forum
My FI and I are packing up to move to our new condo (yay - home ownership!) and I found some photos from a few years ago, including some from a big party we went to for his dad's 65th birthday.  It was a pretty big event with a rented ballroom and band and catered dinner, so I did what I usually do for big events and got a dress from Rent the Runway.  I usually like everything I get from them, but this dress was really something else.  I showed the pics to my FI and said that I wished I could just get married in that.

He said, "So why don't you?"

And honestly, no wedding dress I've tried on comes anywhere close to how gorgeous I felt in this dress.  I'm actually having a really hard time with wedding dresses, but this dress was love at first sight.  The color did incredible things to my complexion, the cut somehow played up all my best features and even though it was form-fitting, it was so comfortable that I was able to dance for hours.  I checked Rent the Runway, and they still have it.  Not only that, but they're renting it for only 120 dollars for 8 days!  $120 dollars for a $3500 dress!

I don't really care that some of the guests have already seen it.  It was years ago and I can always accessorize it differently.  I don't think I care that it's not white either, to be honest.  My one concern is, will I regret not owning my wedding dress?  I'm not a particularly sentimental person, but I definitely can't afford to buy this if I decide I can't part with it.  Or will I just be glad not to have to continuously store a dress for the rest of my life?

This is the dress in question:
https://www.renttherunway.com/shop/designers/carolina_herrera/catherine_gown

Any thoughts?

Re: Is this crazy?

  • That dress is stunning.

    Honestly if you love it and are okay that others have seen it before then who cares. I think its most important that you feel great and comfortable and yeah, very unlikely you'd wear a wedding dress again so it just gets stored or sold anyway.

    I guess my only concern would be fit - if your body had changed at all in the time between your last rental and now it could impact how you feel in it. Could you afford to rent it for a day or two now just to double check fit before you tie yourself in? If there were any problems it would be so stressful to find a replacement a few days before your wedding day!
                 
  • That dress is absolutely gorgeous!

    I don't know...for me, I'd want to wear something unique to my wedding....but I haven't exactly worn tons of gorgeous gowns either. Have you considered trying on other gowns with the same shape and see how you feel?

    I think regarding renting a dress that that's a great idea. I did end up keeping mine...but now it's in this MASSIVE box in my guest bedroom closet. It's too big to fit under a bed and I'm nervous about putting it in the attic because of the humidity. So believe me, there are PLENTY of great reasons behind not keeping your dress or renting one. With that said, I've known several people who wore grandmother's/great aunt's veils and accessories to their own wedding so there is some value behind keeping something at least.



  • . I guess my only concern would be fit - if your body had changed at all in the time between your last rental and now it could impact how you feel in it. Could you afford to rent it for a day or two now just to double check fit before you tie yourself in? If there were any problems it would be so stressful to find a replacement a few days before your wedding day!
    Excellent point!  I remember thinking how amazing it was that the corset hit at the exact right points to be both supportive and comfortable.  That's not an easy coincidence to maintain.  Maybe I should rent it now in both the 8 and the 10 (they do a second size for free anyway) and I can see which one fits best these days.  

    You know, if I do a four day rental now, I can take it accessories shopping!  That way I will still have a special reminder of the wedding, and a necklace or earrings are a lot easier to store AND re-wear than a dress!  

    I'm starting to feel really good about this!
  • I would design my whole reception color/style around that dress.  It's gorgeous. 
  • I think it's a great idea. You should get married in something you love that makes you feel beautiful, and it sounds like that what's the dress is for you. I agree that you should rent it again, to make sure it still fits how you need it to. 
  • Its your wedding day so why not! Its a beautiful dress and it makes you feel good. I think everyone is right about finding some accessories to pull everything together and then your all set :smiley: 
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • edited December 2015
    RlovesR said:



    .

    I guess my only concern would be fit - if your body had changed at all in the time between your last rental and now it could impact how you feel in it. Could you afford to rent it for a day or two now just to double check fit before you tie yourself in? If there were any problems it would be so stressful to find a replacement a few days before your wedding day!

    Excellent point!  I remember thinking how amazing it was that the corset hit at the exact right points to be both supportive and comfortable.  That's not an easy coincidence to maintain.  Maybe I should rent it now in both the 8 and the 10 (they do a second size for free anyway) and I can see which one fits best these days.  

    You know, if I do a four day rental now, I can take it accessories shopping!  That way I will still have a special reminder of the wedding, and a necklace or earrings are a lot easier to store AND re-wear than a dress!  

    I'm starting to feel really good about this!

    ---------------------
    Sounds like a great plan, let us know if it all works out for you!
                 
  • That dress is gorgeous! And it sounds like you really love that dress and how it makes your feel.

  • You can wear whatever you want to get married in, so if that is the dress you love, then wear it. 
    What did you think would happen if you walked up to a group of internet strangers and told them to get shoehorned by their lady doc?~StageManager14
    image
  • That dress is gorgeous! If you love it then go for it! :)
  • Thanks for the advice everyone!  I've ordered it for a short rental now, and if it fits and feels like it used to, then my dress dilemma is solved!

    A bonus is that if I rent this dress for the wedding, we can take what's left in the wedding dress budget and upgrade to the top-shelf bar package!  And I know this might sound tacky, but booze trumps dress is my world 99% of the time!
  • RlovesR said:

    Thanks for the advice everyone!  I've ordered it for a short rental now, and if it fits and feels like it used to, then my dress dilemma is solved!

    A bonus is that if I rent this dress for the wedding, we can take what's left in the wedding dress budget and upgrade to the top-shelf bar package!  And I know this might sound tacky, but booze trumps dress is my world 99% of the time!

    Amazing, I'm so pleased you love it!

    I agree booze over dress every day of the week!
                 
  • On her wedding day, a woman should wear whatever makes her feel most beautiful. It sounds like this dress does that for you, so go for it!
    image
  • Silly as it sounds - check out ebay! or there was another site out there that the ladies here often recommend that is reputable for used formalwear...  You never know - you may be able to find it at a reasonable price to own.  Or, check with the site to see what they'd charge for you to purchase it, you never know unless you ask!
  • I have to say that the dress is stunning and the color could even be seen as a bridal color (I was expecting red or green or blue). Nevertheless if you still want a wedding dress try to look for one which is similar to that one in the things that you liked!
  • Beautiful.... Seriously gorgeous.  I think this is a great idea! I'm suddenly feeling inspired... Rent the Runway should do bridal!
  • I think this is awesome and that gown is amazing.  RTR has fabulous customer service and will do everything to make sure you have the dress you want for when you need it, but things do happen (some renters are more careless than others when taking care of the gowns) - so I would even reach out to their customer service via phone or email a bit ahead of time and let them know you are renting this for your wedding, so it needs to be perfect.  I've had a couple of dresses from there look a little worn (fallen hem) or smell a little funky.  They may not be able to triple check it or do anything special, but it's worth a try!!


  • I am not familiar with how things work at RTR but my biggest concern were if they discontinued the dress before your wedding.  If you call RTR as @frenchiekin suggests I would also try to confirm with them that the dress will be available at the time you need to order it for your wedding. 
    Wedding Countdown Ticker

     

     

  • Just an update - I found it in my size on a used dresses website!!!  Thank you @MesmrEwe for the suggestion.  I've contacted the vendor and we've agreed on $400 - which still leaves us enough out of my original dress budget to upgrade our bar.  And I won't have to worry about its condition or any sentimental longing for it after the wedding!

    Okay - provided that it's in the shape it's meant to be in when it arrives, I've got a wedding dress!
  • RlovesR said:
    Just an update - I found it in my size on a used dresses website!!!  Thank you @MesmrEwe for the suggestion.  I've contacted the vendor and we've agreed on $400 - which still leaves us enough out of my original dress budget to upgrade our bar.  And I won't have to worry about its condition or any sentimental longing for it after the wedding!

    Okay - provided that it's in the shape it's meant to be in when it arrives, I've got a wedding dress!

    AWESOME!!!!!!!  That's great to hear!!!
  • That's gorgeous! I doubt you'll regret not owning a wedding dress. I still have mine in my closet, and wouldn't regret not having it. I originally planned to put it on on every anniversary because H likes that. But I totally forgot last year, and I'm trying to remember this year but we'll see.
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