Wedding Dress?

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Where are the best places around to shop for a wedding dress? (The relevant tag seems mostly concerned with alterations.)

Um, particularly if one is not of the type who has thought about such things all their life (or, y'know, ever) and thus had no idea how far in advance people expect you to plan and so the event is a little over a month away leaving no time for the apparently usual 2-3 month wait. (Speaking entirely theoretically, of course, because no reasonable person would be in such a situation, right?)

Even better would be great places to rent a dress, because it seems absurd to buy one when I'll only need it the once. (Why is it so much easier to rent a tuxedo, an item whose owner could reasonably wear it time and again?)

Comments

[contradictacat.livejournal.com]

Personally David's Bridal is pretty good for handling wedding stuff, though I don't know how their wait would be for alterations if they're needed- the only time I've used them was for bridesmaid stuff for a friend's wedding. They also have the advantage of having a bunch of stuff online so you can look through what you like to be prepared before you go in.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Interesting, thusfar I read some horrid reviews of them but I guess there's no harm in a visit. The real question for shops, it seems, is whether they have ready-to-alter&buy dresses, because the standard does seem to be that you try things on and then they make your dress for you.

[mercurysparkle.livejournal.com]

You can totally buy a dress off the rack there :-) You definitely get a few Bridezillas who shop there and think they should be treated like extreme mega movie stars and are dismayed when they're not. However if you go in with an open mind, the idea that this should be fun and be willing to try on a bunch of styles, it's a nice experience. It's better to go mid day rather than a Saturday when they're swamped.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

I am *so* not a bridezilla. I keep getting asked about things like the theme and our colors, and I'm just, "Uh, the theme is that it's a wedding."

Which isn't to say that we don't want it wonderful (and I have a lot of experience throwing pretty fabulous parties), but there's no reason to go overboard.

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

Best theme ever.

[metalynith.livejournal.com]

wait...those aren't ukes.... they are balailaikas!

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

*g* I think you are the third person to pick up on that in...how many years have I had this icon? Quite a lot of years. :) I'm evil that way.

[contradictacat.livejournal.com]

Again, my experience has only been with bridesmaid dresses where unless they have the size and color they want, you'll have to wait while they order it, but the impression I got is that you can walk in and buy it if you want. You might want to call to make sure, but I think that's how it works- the friend whose wedding I was in ended up just walking in and buying her dress after finding it. She had to have it altered, which took a while, but if it fits, I think you could just walk out with it same day.

Yeah, David's Bridal is kind of mass-market wedding stuff, but damn if they don't have their shit together to get stuff done.

[aquaflame16.livejournal.com]

if you go to David's: they will make you fill out a profile, make sure you check the tiny box at the bottom (or have them do it if they insist on filling it out for you) that says NOT to sell/share your info.
They may try to argue with you, but be firm, "I do not want my information shared with anyone". There IS a way for them to indicate this and it will cut down on the spam fallout immensely.

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

This doesn't help you if you want a traditional dress, but Rachel actually got her dress on Etsy and it was $60 and she plans on wearing it again occasionally :) (there are lots of pics posted on my facebook)

It's also strange because tuxes, while expensive, tend to be cheaper than wedding dresses. I'm pretty psyched I own one now.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

I'm always concerned about buying clothes online (esp given the small window for returns and such), but I'm definitely looking.

[schpahky.livejournal.com]

Filene's Basement (not the one in Copley but some of the more outlying ones) will have cheaper options. Or, given the time crunch - you can order a basic dress from somewhere like J. Crew (http://www.jcrew.com/wedding/Wedding_Bride/gowns/PRDOVR~63050/63050.jsp) and probably get alterations turned around locally in a week.

I had a good experience getting a bridesmaid dress at Camilla's Bridal in Arlington, but a) expensive, and b) alterations do take a while or you will pay for rush.

[talonvaki.livejournal.com]

This may sound bizarre...but I found my wedding dress at the Garment District in Cambridge. Brand new, tags still on, 100% silk, and only $35. Granted, this was a super lucky deal, but it's a place to check out.

[clara-girl.livejournal.com]

i would second this. they used to have a rack of ~$35 wedding gowns. do they still? we used to raid them for various shows and video shoots :)

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

This is definitely good to know. I can imagine the possibility of finding some really cool, and even if it needs serious alternation, would still be pretty reasonably priced.

[clara-girl.livejournal.com]

ps: do you know miss tess and/or julie? i bet they would help over there :)

[in-water-writ.livejournal.com]

I love Garment District, and I would entirely agree, except that their stock is going to be fairly Halloween oriented until after Halloween. I def saw a wedding dress in the costume section, but well, it was in the costume section. Hadn't been lovingly treated, it looked like.

Also, they don't buy clothing during the month of October, so they might not have any neat incoming stuff for a bit.

That said, it can't hurt to look, especially if you're considering something non-traditional.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Hah. Too bad my groupon is already gone. :)

[cheeseydreams.livejournal.com]

Good to know! I am getting married in Jan and I've been kind of freaking over where to find a dress that isn't going to cost an arm and a leg.

[veek.livejournal.com]

Not sure whether the time constraint might make this too difficult, but have you seen Conscious Elegance (http://consciouselegance.com/)?

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty certain the time constraints would make it impossible, but also, I'd prefer not to have a wedding dress made for me, due to the aforementioned one-use issue. But indeed, I do know of her because she's a friend and she's awesome. :)

[mercurysparkle.livejournal.com]

I second David's Bridal if you want to go the traditional route. They did our entire wedding party. Turn-around time was definitely under 3 weeks if we didn't have to order the dress.

You can also check Vows - Bride Power on Galen St, in Watertown.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

This is definitely good to know. I guess they don't do rentals, though? I still find the idea of buying a wedding dress kind of insane.

[mercurysparkle.livejournal.com]

You can also check out the David's Bridals $199 sales - especially if your heart is not set on one particular style. Most dresses need a bit of alteration - either in the bust to make it more comfortable for you or in the length. I have no idea regrettably, where you'd rent a dress :(

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I will definitely check them out. Luckily, I do have the schedule flexibility to be able to do on a weekday, so maybe later this week.

[koshmom.livejournal.com]

If you're not all stuck on the white gown thing, you can wear whatever you want. But I tried David's Bridal just to see styles, etc. I went up to the Danvers area store. There were plenty of brides' gowns there you could buy off the rack, and many just fit me.

Be sure to go with a new, very supportive bra and if you already have the shoes, bring them too. It's hard to find white shoes this time of year.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

I figured I'd get a bra after choosing a dress, due to potential strap issues and all. But indeed, a good point!

(And wrt my other comment to you elsewhere, sure, Danver is fine, too. Natick just seemed closer. :)

[grapefruiteater.livejournal.com]

I think Danvers is closer, or at least it's quicker to get to. Speaking of Danvers, I had a good experience with a seamstress there—Christina's Pins & Needles; she's above the Lorraine Roy bridal store on Maple Street. It's about five minutes from 128. I've heard good things about Lorraine Roy but don't know if they have anything off the rack.

[anotherjen.livejournal.com]

I just went to one rental site, and their rentals -start- at $100. I agree that it makes more sense to buy a dress.

If you don't feel like you have to wear An Official Wedding Gown, then you'll have tons of less expensive and more immediately available options. Think "formal gown" or "fancy dress" rather than "wedding gown." I love thrift shops, of course, but if I were you I'd stick to higher end consignment stores for a better chance of finding something non-hideous, especially since you're time-crunched. If you want to wear white or a variation thereof, you can also get a dress that can be dyed afterwards so you can wear it again. Or if you want a traditional dress, you can always use it in a zombie bride costume.

[zenala.livejournal.com]

I was very pleased with Bride 'n Belle on Main St in Medford. The window displays often look cheesy, but they have a really nice selection inside, and the women running the shop are very friendly and don't try to push anything. There's also a tuxedo shop next door. Not sure about renting dresses, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you asked.

[douxquemiel.livejournal.com]

Ditto! I loved Bride 'n' Belle! The front half the store is a blinding mass of sequins and crazy dresses (prom? I have no idea what for), but the back half is all wedding gowns. I actually got my wedding gown there because the women were wonderful (local, sweet ladies), no-nonsense, and it was a great price. I don't know what your options are in terms of timing, but you can ask about rental, and if you're in a certain size range, you can ask about buying the sample you try on. They are very nice ladies and it really can't hurt to ask.

Frankly, it's a tricky situation-- both looking for inexpensive (HAH), and within a few weeks? Ouch. If I were in your shoes, I'd go to J.Crew immediately; they had my runner-up dresses, were easy to deal with, and were beautiful, classy, simple. David's Bridal sold or gave away my information and I have since been inundated with phone calls and emails. Their dresses were not that great, with prices higher than Bride 'N' Belle, and I got squished into a longline bra (AUGH) and petticoat.

In other words, wedding dress shopping is a royal PITA. Good luck!

[grapefruiteater.livejournal.com]

Thirding the Bride & Belle recommendation. I went in to try on a bridesmaid's dress that I was going to buy elsewhere (the maid of honor was ordering them all at once to get a discount), and they did measurements for me and were courteous and polite about the entire transaction.

[contradictacat.livejournal.com]

Another idea is that if you want versatility and getting more than one wear out of a dress, is that you can go for a style that isn't as froofy and is more suitable to wear out as a fancy dress and then once the wedding's over, you can dye it a nice color and turn it into a wearing-out dress.

[koloratur.livejournal.com]

This might be more involved than you're looking for, but how about Craigslist?

http://boston.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=wedding+gown&srchType=A&minAsk=&maxAsk=

[dancingdeer.livejournal.com]

I wonder how well that works for people. I tried listing my dress there several times, and the only responses I've been getting have been craigslist scams.

[mamabunny72.livejournal.com]

My wedding dress was bought second-hand; I bought it at.... I want to say the store name was Vows, but I can't remember (It was 16 years ago!). I remember it was in Newton. I was lucky- it did not need any alteration.

[spitcurl.livejournal.com]

J. Crew, Aria, Etsy (but returns can be an issue on Etsy).

J. Crew & Aria both have real silk & cotton dresses, some as low as $89 (Aria), and you can try them on in-store. You could get alterations turned around fast, if they are simple enough. Huge variety of trad & non-trad styles, but all very simple.

http://www.ariadress.com/

http://www.jcrew.com/wedding.jsp

Also check the classifieds of bridal online mags, like offbeatbrides.com or weddingbee.com, you may be able to find deals there (that are local perhaps).

going off the map

[wolftone.livejournal.com]

If you're not married (as it were) to the concept of the white wedding dress, Kim's Fashion Design (http://www.kimsfashion.com/) (warning - audio on annoying flash site) is a great place to get a custom-made asian-style dress. A high-quality silk cheongsam will run you about $600, and is totally wearable for future elegant occasions.

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/wolftone/5070468228/)

(They're great with men's fashion too.)

[dcltdw]

If this is for you, then congrats! :)

I think my sweetie went to Chryssie's Bridal in Canton, MA, but I might be wildly misremembering.

and thus had no idea how far in advance people expect you to plan and so the event is a little over a month away leaving no time for the apparently usual 2-3 month wait. (Speaking entirely theoretically, of course, because no reasonable person would be in such a situation, right?)

Oh, a month away is entirely reasonable. It just depends if you want to have a thousand-member-marching-band-preceding-you-through-the-streets-of-Paris kind of wedding, or something else. :)

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

It is for me, and thanks for being the first comment here to offer good wishes. :)

[avecvu.livejournal.com]

http://www.renttherunway.com?

I don't know whether there is anything wedding or even wedding-y, but you might find something suitable to rent.

[satyrgrl.livejournal.com]

I got my dress at David's Bridal (in Missouri, but a chain is a chain). I maid an appointment, and certainly got enough service to fulfill my need to be the center of attention. I got an amazing dress for a pretty good price. My one true bridezilla moment happened to be directed at them, and they handled it with grace. I didn't like how the dye on my bridesmaid's shoes turned out, so they re-dyed them. Twice. Then, when I still wasn't happy, they gave me a different style which took the color better.

They're not fancy, but I'd go there again.

[turil.livejournal.com]

I've always been amused by the Voldemort's place on Somerville Ave, near Market Basket. It's not actually called Voldemort's, but it's close enough that I like to joke that it is...

After some wandering down Somerville Ave on Google street view just now, I discovered it's actually called Valdemar Studios. But it kind of looks like it's just a photo studio that does bridal photos now that I Google it. They have dresses in the window, which is why I thought they had dresses. So it's probably not useful to you. I still like the name though...

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! If you are looking for something a little offbeat but elegant and have the budget for a bit of a splurge, Maggie Flood in Sudbury might be worth checking out.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

Hey, you're getting married?! HOORAY! :)
(I am making up for my lack of helpful input by sharing my unmitigated enthusiasm.)

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

*grin* Thanks :)

I think there has been sufficient helpful input at this point!

Alfred Angelo

[eveninparadise.livejournal.com]

I had much better luck with Alfred Angelo dresses than with David's Bridal. (And yes, I also bought my wedding dress the same month as my wedding.) Alfred Angelo dresses come off the rack in a range of sizes (0-30w) and have a slightly nicer feel for a similar price.

In my case, I knew which dress I liked and called local shops until I found it in my size. The shop I ended up with was Marry and Tux in Nashua, NH (http://marryandtuxbridal.com/), less than an hour's drive and no sales tax. Make an appointment, and you can try on a bunch of new, off-the-rack dresses from different designers. I purchased mine and took it home the same day. They also recommended a local tailor in Medford (Adam and Eva Tailor Shop), which turned my alterations around quickly.

Even though you can buy the dress in a day, you should go soon, since alterations can take a few weeks, depending on how elaborate your dress is. Good luck, and congratulations on your upcoming wedding! :)

Re: Alfred Angelo

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much.

The current process is that a dress is being made, which is quite exciting (and magically cheaper than any of the other options because the awesome dressmaker doesn't yet have an established business so needs to build a portfolio) and the silks we've chosen made me flutter. :)