Confusion about picking

[dboatsupreme]

Hello! My name is Dream and I'm getting married on August 8 of this year. I still haven't found "the dress" yet, and it scares me that I still haven't found it. (Since they all tell me it takes about 3.5 months to get here and 2 months to alter.) These are the two I'm considering, but there are pros and cons to each. Has anyone purchased same dress before? And if so, how did you like either of them? Any helpful tips? Thank you so much in advance!!

Dress #1: Mori Lee 2302.
http://www.morilee.com/DressDetail.aspx?C=1&D=2302&P=1

Pros:
-empire waist makes for a flattering look. I really, really liked the style when I first saw it on the model as well as on myself
-the dress gives the illusion of fuller bust (Ha!)

Cons:
-Mom hasn't seen this in person
-The sample I tried on was 61'', and it was really long on me. (I'm 5'4'' and will be wearing flats.) Mori Lee offers 55'' and 58'' from hollow to hem. I didn't wear a slip in the sample fitting, which will take the dress up a bit. Since I'm planning on ordering from RK Bridal, I am kind of taking a risk if I ordered a 55'' and it ends up being too short.
-Alteration might be harder because of the organza overlay on the skirt
-the lighting in the salon wasn't very nice...
-Given the lighting problem, no slip, no veil, I didn't get the "full feel" for this dress in the salon.

Overall: I feel that this dress is beautiful but technical things (like ordering the right length online) might get in the way.



Dress #2: Alfred Angelo 1148.
http://www.alfredangelo.com/Collections/ProductDisplay.aspx?productID=b55ac898-18fa-467f-8f36-1a945e143d20&categoryID=32e5a88c-cbf1-498f-afcf-dbfca138c5d3&pg=10

Pros:
-The dress looks really elegant on. I wasn't a huge fan of the style before I tried it on... it was a surprise!
-Mom has seen this one.
-I will be ordering directly from the designer, and I wore a slip, a veil, etc etc. The alterations won't be very difficult and I will be ordering the right size.
-The lighting was great in the salon
-I did get the "full feel" of what it would be like to wear this dress on my wedding day in the salon.

Cons:
-I didn't really like the way it looked from far away... which is important when I consider the groom's first look at me.
-I think it may give an illusion of broad shoulders.
-Doesn't really help much with the small bustedness.
-Not a huge fan of the hug the shoulder style.
-This is kind of crazy: My photographer took pictures of an another bride's wedding, who had the same ceremony site, reception site as me. If I get this dress, I will be wearing the same dress as her!!! Isn't that ridiculous or what?

Overall: I feel that this dress is prettier on than in pictures. (Photos and far away looks are important to me.) This gown is elegant and there will be no technical problems as far as I see.



I know, this is a lot of information and I might be thinking too much about it. Thank you for taking the time to read and to reply!!


I attached the picture of the Mori Lee gown:

 

[dboatsupreme]

And this is the picture of the Alfred Angelo gown:

 

[Sparkalicious]

Hi Dream! Welcome to PS and congrats on your engagement!

I say go with whichever one makes YOU feel most beautiful. From what you have written, it apears to me that you favor the Mori Lee. If that the case, go for that one. That being said, I think that both of them look lovely.

Since you asked .. Based on my first impression, my preference was for the Alfred Angelo because it is just so gorgeous on you. Based on what you shared, however, I thought that *maybe* you might prefer the Alfred Angelo if you can have it altered to remove the straps. I think it will be perfection on you if you keep that sweetheart neckline and just make the dress strapless. Just a thought.

Good luck making your decision!!

 

[VRBeauty]

I love that Mori Lee style on you! It''s very flattering, I love the detailing, and it seems to be appropriately youthful for you. I like the Alfred Angelo in concept but it doesn''t seem to flatter your figure, and it seems just a bit matronly on you. Mind you, I have no idea how old you are, and you might be looking for a dress with a bit more "gravitas." My only concern with the Mori Lee is the length of the skirt -- you''d have to be sure you ordered it so that the excess length is taken out at the waistline rather than at the bottom hem, so the beaded decor is in the right place proportionally. But... I know the experts here provide you with the right terminology to make that happen!

 

[pocahontas]

Hi Dream, I feel like should have just "dittoed" everything Sparks said ''cause I agree with her 100%. First, welcome and congrats on your engagement! Second, I definitely prefer the Alfred Angelo - I think it''s super flattering and I agree with Sparks that turning it into a strapless, sweetheart neckline would make an already beautiful gown even more so!

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 3/10/2009 12:24:42 AM
Author: VRBeauty
I love that Mori Lee style on you! It's very flattering, I love the detailing, and it seems to be appropriately youthful for you. I like the Alfred Angelo in concept but it doesn't seem to flatter your figure, and it seems just a bit matronly on you. Mind you, I have no idea how old you are, and you might be looking for a dress with a bit more 'gravitas.' My only concern with the Mori Lee is the length of the skirt -- you'd have to be sure you ordered it so that the excess length is taken out at the waistline rather than at the bottom hem, so the beaded decor is in the right place proportionally. But... I know the experts here provide you with the right terminology to make that happen!

Ditto! I think the Mori Lee does a lot more for your figure than the Alfred Angelo after seeing the pics of you in the dresses. Plus it looks more floaty and feminine which I think is always a huge plus. What does your mom think?

 

[Deelight]

Date: 3/10/2009 3:17:04 AM
Author: FrekeChild

Date: 3/10/2009 12:24:42 AM

Author: VRBeauty

I love that Mori Lee style on you! It''s very flattering, I love the detailing, and it seems to be appropriately youthful for you. I like the Alfred Angelo in concept but it doesn''t seem to flatter your figure, and it seems just a bit matronly on you. Mind you, I have no idea how old you are, and you might be looking for a dress with a bit more ''gravitas.'' My only concern with the Mori Lee is the length of the skirt -- you''d have to be sure you ordered it so that the excess length is taken out at the waistline rather than at the bottom hem, so the beaded decor is in the right place proportionally. But... I know the experts here provide you with the right terminology to make that happen!

Ditto! I think the Mori Lee does a lot more for your figure than the Alfred Angelo after seeing the pics of you in the dresses. Plus it looks more floaty and feminine which I think is always a huge plus. What does your mom think?

Double ditto, with the mori lee I feel like you wear the dress with the AA I feel like it wears you and you get a little lost.

 

[FrekeChild]

Very well put Dee!!!! I agree!!!

 

[Clairitek]

At first glance I prefer the Alfred Angelo but they are both really pretty gowns. I love the way the fabric on the Alfred Angelo gown flows. But I do also like the way the bust is fitted on the Mori Lee. Tough choice!

Date: 3/10/2009 12:24:42 AM
Author: VRBeauty
I love that Mori Lee style on you! It''s very flattering, I love the detailing, and it seems to be appropriately youthful for you. I like the Alfred Angelo in concept but it doesn''t seem to flatter your figure, and it seems just a bit matronly on you. Mind you, I have no idea how old you are, and you might be looking for a dress with a bit more ''gravitas.'' My only concern with the Mori Lee is the length of the skirt -- you''d have to be sure you ordered it so that the excess length is taken out at the waistline rather than at the bottom hem, so the beaded decor is in the right place proportionally. But... I know the experts here provide you with the right terminology to make that happen!

This was my thought too about the Mori Lee gown but then I looked at the website for an enlarged photo of the gown. I''m not sure that taking it up at the waistline instead of the hem can be done. There is a lot of beading up there.

 

[dboatsupreme]

Thank you, everybody, for all your input. I think each opinion helped, but it is such a tough choice. (I am 22, by the way.

Date: 3/10/2009 9:17:01 AM
Author: Clairitek
At first glance I prefer the Alfred Angelo but they are both really pretty gowns. I love the way the fabric on the Alfred Angelo gown flows. But I do also like the way the bust is fitted on the Mori Lee. Tough choice!

I completely agree with this. In the picture Mori Lee gown looks a little wrinkly (possibly due to the poor preservation at the shop. They didn''t really care. lol). I hope it doesn''t get easily wrinkled if I get it (the material is satin overlayed with organza).

Do you think organza overlay would look weird bustled?

Thank you again!!! You all are amazing.

 

[dboatsupreme]

Also, how much length does it usually take up if I wear a slip? Maybe an inch?

(I am thinking about ordering 55'''' since I am 5''4'''' and will be wearing flats.)

 

[havernell]

I go back and forth about which one I like the best on you. Personally, I like the style of the Alfred Angelo dress (as I myself prefer more plain, sophisticated gowns) but I can see what others mean about the Mori Lee maybe fitting your frame better...

I know you may not want to hear this, but would it be possible for you to do a bit more gown shopping? Since you seem to have (rather significant) reservations about each gown (and since it sounds like people's opinions here on Pricescope are pretty split) perhaps you shouldn't get either of them. Are there other bridal salons in your area that you haven't tried yet that you could visit over the next few days? I just think you should try to find a gown for which you can't make as long a "con" list as you did for these two gowns! You shouldn't feel like you have to "settle" for just anything.

I know you feel like you're in a time crunch, and therefore *have* to buy a gown soon, but your estimate of needing two months for alterations seems a bit long to me. If you take the dress to an independent seamstress (not one connected to a bridal salon) I think you could get alterations done a lot quicker than 2 months. So, bottom line, I think you have a little more time to shop around some more if you want to.

Best of luck with finding the right dress for you!

 

[panda08]

Hi Dream, welcome! I''m an August bride too

I think the 1st one looks great on you, am not crazy about the sleeves on the 2nd one, though I think the rest of the gown is lovely. I''m a huge fan of ruching, I think it looks flattering on most everyone. Ditto to the suggestion to make the 2nd one strapless if you''re leaning towards it.

I don''t think you''ll need two months for alterations. Just find a local reputable place and it won''t take that long. Plus, it''ll probably be more affordable. Somehow, I get the impression that getting alterations at a bridal salon is like getting your car''s oil changed at the car''s dealership, you know?

Good luck!

 

[ice-queen]

I prefer the Alfred Angelo...I think it looks great on you, it''s sophisticated and elegant, and somehow seems more "current" and up to date. The look of the Mori Lee is a pretty, sweet, innocent type look, but has kind of been "done"...I feel like there are a million variations of that dress in every bridal shop. But they both look great and either one will be fab!

 

[musey]

Here's my take (which has zero importance when compared to your personal feeling, just my $0.02

):

You wear the Mori Lee...

... and the Alfred Angelo wears you.

Your frame gets a bit lost in the folds of the Alfred Angelo. You are a beautiful girl, and you don't need all the tucks and ruching. You really shine in the Mori Lee.

All that said (and I almost hate to say this since you are nervous about lead time), do you think that you perhaps have not found the right dress yet? Sometimes it's good to even revisit the first dresses you tried on after you've gone through a bunch more. Not that you have to have an "A-HA!" moment in order to choose a wonderful dress, but it's possible you may feel conflicted because you don't really love either. I hope that I'm way off though, to save you more dress shopping!


ETA: Haha, Dee, I guess we're on the same wavelength with this one!! Shoulda read before I posted, huh?

 

[Deelight]

Date: 3/11/2009 12:07:54 PM
Author: musey
Here''s my take (which has zero importance when compared to your personal feeling, just my $0.02

):


You wear the Mori Lee...


... and the Alfred Angelo wears you.


Your frame gets a bit lost in the folds of the Alfred Angelo. You are a beautiful girl, and you don''t need all the tucks and ruching. You really shine in the Mori Lee.


All that said (and I almost hate to say this since you are nervous about lead time), do you think that you perhaps have not found the right dress yet? Sometimes it''s good to even revisit the first dresses you tried on after you''ve gone through a bunch more. Not that you have to have an ''A-HA!'' moment in order to choose a wonderful dress, but it''s possible you may feel conflicted because you don''t really love either. I hope that I''m way off though, to save you more dress shopping!



ETA: Haha, Dee, I guess we''re on the same wavelength with this one!! Shoulda read before I posted, huh?

HAHAHAHA, great minds Musey

 

[Clairitek]

To answer your earlier question about the bustle on the Mori Lee- I don''t think it will look weird bustled, personally. I would probably do a French (under) bustle on it instead of a traditional (over) one. I think this will keep the look of the beading as in tact as possible. Though, some gowns are designed for the bustle to be one way or another so without seeing the back of the Mori Lee I can''t even guess if thats the case with that gown.

I agree with the others that have said you might want to take another week or two to order your gown. I would scour the area for additional bridal salons and try on everything you can. I am a firm believer in that you really won''t know how something will look until you pull it off the hanger and try it on. I tried on around 100 dresses. I never had that "THIS IS IT!!!" moment but I knew I had found my gown when I tried it on and couldn''t think of a single thing I would change about it. Sure I could add a sash or something but there wasn''t anything with the gown itself I didn''t like. With most of the other "This will do" gowns I had a list of 1-3 items that I would want to alter on them. I had begun to think that I would end up customizing anything I bought.

So good luck with your search! We''re here to help if you need it.

 

[mintve]

i think they both look great on you, but I think the mori lee looks amazing!

 

[njseeker]

From a guy’s perspective that picks out clothes for his f but knows nothing about wedding dresses….

I looked at both photos without reading your post first and I definitely like the Mori Lee dress better.The Mori Lee just seems to fit you so much better than the Alfred.Your curves look much nicer and my first impression from looking at that picture was that you have a very nice figure.When I looked at the Alfred dress I was slightly put off.I’m not a big fan of the shoulder straps and the dress doesn’t seem to fit you, it seems a bit baggy or something.

I also firmly agree with the previous poster that the only opinion that really matters is your own… whichever you like better is the right one.Also, if I saw the dresses separately without seeing the other one I know that I would think that they are both beautiful.Good luck!

 

[dboatsupreme]

Before I say anything else: I ordered the Mori Lee gown today!

Thank you, all of you, so much for all you had to say. It was very helpful to get opinions other than that of my immediate family (who are kind of apathetic about most things) and my wedding party (who are like YAY!!! about most things . I decided on the ML gown today, and I am truly glad that I did.

Sparkalicious and pocahontas - I agreed with you on that making AA gown strapless would make it suit my taste better, but I don't think I would've liked the sweetheart neckline. (I don't look very good in those.) Thank you for your input though! I really appreciate it.

VRBeauty - Thank you for making me think about my age. Alfred Angelo is elegant but it does seem like a gown with more "gravitas." I don't mind gravitas but I think I want to look youthful as well.

Dee and musey - Your input that "AA wears you" really helped. I think your words served to confirm my reservations about the gown. Thank you!!

havernell, musey and Clairitek - After I read your comments I went back to my "cons" list and read them again. But with the Mori Lee gown, the cons didn't have to do with the style of the dress but rather with the technical things that might get in the way... AA on the other hand, I had reservations about the style itself, which I feel is the most important.

Thank you also for suggesting that I do more shopping. I think that is a very wise thing to do (I almost bought a dress once based on my emotional hype; now I'm REALLY glad that I didn't!!). By the time I had posted this entry, I had screened almost every designer dress I could find online and had been to about 20 different salons across the state. I'm in school and very busy, and I don't have much more time to go shopping in person unfortunately. I almost ordered ML a couple weeks ago but decided to wait until Mom could see it in person. Now she is too busy to drive two hours from here to see it, and that's why I went shopping again in town and found the AA gown. Mom and I both liked AA gown, so that's why I wrote this entry to think about both of them again. So when I narrowed it down to these two, I wasn't basing off my decision based on desperation, don't worry.

 

[swimmer]

Great to hear Dream!
Of course, you would look good in anything, so tiny!
Congrats on ordering your dress, now enjoy your engagement!

 

[Lanie]

Yea!!! Congrats on checking off a big one on your list! You will look fabulous!

 

[Deelight]

HTH and congrats on ordering the dress , you will make a beautiful bride - YAY for getting a big thing off your list done .

 

[bee*]

Congrats on ordering our dress!

 

[amcgookin]

Good choice! I really liked the Mori Lee gown on you... you will be a beautiful bride!!!!

 

[njseeker]

congrats!!!! You look awesome in it!

 

[jstarfireb]

While I personally prefer the Alfred Angelo (I tried it on and loved it on myself, so I'm biased, and I also don't like strapless but I LOVE off-the-shoulder necklines)...both dresses looked fabulous on you, and you got the one you really loved. Congrats!