Finally picked a dress but need morale support!

[firebirdgold]

Well I finally tried on a dress, looked in the mirror, and thought: this is the One! It looks totally freaking gorgeous on me! One eensy-weensy nagging issue. It''s not exactly a stylistic match to a groom in shorts on a hawaiian beach.

How much do you think being out of sync matters?

I''m so pleased at how pretty I am in the dress and I love how special and bridal I feel in it. I feel like a fairytale princess! So I really want this to work and would like to banish the little worry that I''ll be standing next to him on the sand during our ceremony thinking that I look a bit silly.

(I did try on dresses that seemed more appropriate to the locale, but I just didn''t look as good. Although that might have been because all of them were smaller, so it was harder to tell)

Oh, the dress is an Alfred Angelo. I can''t find an exact copy of it on their website since the one I want is totally without beading or any embellishment beyond the color accents. It makes it look considerably less formal, but it''s still a satin dress. I''m thinking of getting it with ''lettuce'' color accents that will look great with the orchids.

The place wouldn''t let me take pics so I''m putting up pics from the designers site of the twin dress with all the embellishments.

Also if you click this link and then click the picture of dress #1797, it''ll feature the dress on that page and you can change the color of the accents. The one I want is the 7th in from the right. The back-up color is Golden which is 13 in from the right.

 

[robbie3982]

Indie, I love the dress and I don''t think you''ll look mismatched. If it really bothers you, though, could you get him to wear long khakis or something?

 

[aprilcait]

The dress is beautiful and, what''s even more imortant, is that you feel beautiful in it. I agree with Robbie. If you could talk your FI into wear khaki pants, you''ve got it made. Congrats!

 

[PaulaW]

I say go for it!! It is so hard to find a dress you love and one you feel fabulous in and if you know this is the dress for you, get it!!! I had a beach wedding and a formal dress with a chapel length train and it worked out beautifully. My hubby did wear a tux but only because he wanted to, I would have totally been fine if he chose khakis and a hawaiian shirt. In fact, I found white on white hawaiian prints that I loved, but he nixed the idea. Here''s a shot for you:

 

[ljmorgan]

I will say over and over again... wear what makes you feel beautiful! I think a big fairytale dress on the beach is so romantic, anyway!

 

[KimberlyH]

I say wear what makes you happy and don''t worry about being to formal, not formal enough, etc. If you''re really flipped out about it get him to wear some khaki pants but I don''t think it''s worth it, things are fine as is. People who know the two of you, your wedding guests, will get it and you''ll feel beautiful which is key!

 

[mercoledi]

I like it, and I think your accent color gives it a unique twist. My only concern would be it''s weight, ie, how warm is it? I can imagine that a wedding dress would be comfy on a beach in the mid-atlantic in April/May, but maybe a little too warm to wear in Florida. If you''ll be comfortable in it on your beach at your time of year, go for it!

 

[ky6]

I think with the accent color you have chosen and by not adding the embellishments/beading, you will be fine with him in long khakis. I do think it would still be a bit much if he had on shorts though (imho). But if he won''t give up the shorts, then I think it is far more important for you to wear the dress that makes you feel beautiful and giddy. Ultimately, you should both be comfortable and wear whatever makes you feel like a million bucks on your big day. I do agree with the above post that heat might be a concern and the weight of the dress is something you should consider. There was a girl on the knot who was going to have a short outdoor ceremony and thought the dress she chose was an appropriate weight. But once she wore it outside in the heat for her bridal portraits and kept fainting (!) she realized she needed to quickly choose another dress or change to an indoor location. Remember that you try the dresses on in a climate controlled setting

 

[firebirdgold]

It was on the heavy side. That''s a good point.

I wonder if real silk not polyester would be more comfortable?

But I don''t think I can find that dress in real silk. Maybe I could have it made by a dressmaker before march? It''s going to be high 70''s, low 80''s on a beach at 5 pm, probably with a bit of a breeze, so it shouldn''t be too bad. right?

If you were wondering why I need morale support it''s because of my mother. Let''s just say the conversation on the phone this morning was unpleasant, occasionally loud, and very long. Your responses really boosted my confidence and I was able to stand my ground on the dress and survive the conversation.

An 8 fricking person wedding with a wedding coordinator at a beautiful all-inclusive resort in Hawaii, and I''ll still be lucky to get through it without killing my mother out of sheer stress.

Fi keeps threatening to gag her.

Thank you all so much for your continued support and advice!

 

[aquarius_ser]

definitely wear the dress and I would talk him into slacks/khakis...

my wedding is on the beach as well so I''m having my FH wear a khaki suit so I can wear a semi-formal dress....

 

[AndyRosse]

Definitely wear whatever you want, just keep in mind the temperature

 

[akw94]

Indie, It''s a beautiful dress! I think you should wear it and if possible, have him wear pants. But regardless, wear what YOU want!

 

[firebirdgold]

What do you guys think of that dress but all in one color, ivory or white ? There''s a time issue and they found the dress in my size in ivory and one in white.

 

[mercoledi]

Indie-Maybe this is a dumb question, but could you have a corset back put into the dress you already have? If I recall correctly, you need like 3-4 inches added only in the top, which sounds doable. Maybe some of the people who sew would know better...

I like the new dress, but I'm concerned that anything uber-wedding-y is going to be a lot of dress to tromp around on the beach in. Maybe check out coco myles if you don't mind satin. They do custom dresses and their beading/embroidery pattern is similar to the one on your dress (and they're cheap).

Just my 2 cents. Enjoy dress shopping, no matter what your mom says!


ETA: About the white/ivory, that to me makes it more formal; I thought the color was a nice touch, closer to your something-with-a-flower idea. Is the time constraint forcing you to look at samples? How much time do you have?

 

[firebirdgold]

I'm getting married on March 10th which isn't leaving a whole lot of time to get something on order or custom made.

I have discovered that David's bridal has a dress that's very similar in look. At least I think so, I can't find a picture of it from the front. The color choices at david's (according to the website) don't seem as nice or as subtle.
link


Don't forget that the picture of the alfred angelo is not of the exact dress, the exact dress does not have any beading or embroidery at all. Just the color trim.


My fmil says that if I get the dress in ivory, and still wish for the color then it shouldn't be terribly hard for a seamstress to replace the bands of trim with another fabric. What do you think?


ETA: I'm going to have my long wavy hair mostly down with maybe just the front pulled back perhaps into a mini french-braid and some little flowers in my hair. And I'll be wearing a white lei and little silver dolphin earrings for jewelry.


The dress I already have just isn't going to work. According to the measurements at the bridal shop I'm alittle bigger than I thought I was. So not only is the dress waay too small, the fabric is very light and feels kind of delicate. I don't think it'd stand up to having a corset back put in or internal boning put in. You'd need the boning otherwise it'd just pucker.

Another problem with the dress I currently have is that it's striped. I thought vertical stripes would make me look thinner..... until I tried a dress with similar width stripes on the other day. I looked waaay curvier, it accentuated the curves far too much. I suspect the other dress might too. Plus the stripes could make it glaringly obvious it was... enlarged after the fact.

 

[jesterjigger]

Is this the dress? I tried this on at Alfred Angelo to get a feel for the sizing since the dress I was buying is similar though more embellished. I liked the dress, I think it''ll work for your beach wedding.

 

[jesterjigger]

Ooops, other picture here....

 

[firebirdgold]

That''s it EXACTLY !!

The lettuce color is supposed to that tone but more of a greenish hue. Sort of what I''d call a celadon. no. that''s too green... kind of a light, misty sea green. well it''s a pretty color, and a good color for my skin and hair.

Looking at your pictures has decided me. I''m going to rush order it in the color I want and in the larger size they recommended. Thank you so much!

Now cross your fingers that my fi will decide to wear pants! I''m not going to push it, but hopefully he''ll decide on pants on his own. There''s actually a Tommy Bahama store here with the shirt in the right color, so we''re going to go there and try stuff on.

 

[FacetFire]

Oh, yay! I''m so glad to hear that things are working out! You are going to be such a beautiful bride! That dress will look great for a beach wedding...and I think he should go long khakis anyway...you''re getting married after all!

 

[VRBeauty]

Now that we''ve had a chance to see the actual dress without embelishments... I don''t think it''s too formal for a beach wedding at all! It''s beautiful! And since it''s the dress of your dreams to boot, go for it! Does the color you''ve chosen pick up the colors in your FI''s shirt? Your fiance should get a pair of nice Italian-made slacks, in a linen-like silk in a light hue to compliment his beautiful bride in her wedding attire (that''s his job, right?). SInce that''s not likely to happen, a pair of light-colored chinos should do the trick.

 

[tiffanytwisted]

I think that dress is gorgeous. And most importantly it sounds like YOU really like it and you feel beautiful wearing it. I think I would ask your fiance to maybe consider khaki pants versus shorts though. Honestly I have seen pics of beach weddings with the bride in dresses ranging from simple sheaths to big wedding gowns and I say it is your day and wear what you want. I know someone who got married on the beach in a dress with a skirt that was all tulle and she loved it, she wore what she wanted and wouldn''t have had it any other way. Good luck!

 

[Mara]

put him in pants (ideally at least a suit, even a khaki one) and it will be fine. greg didn''t care what he had to wear so that was easy...i just ordered the stuff for him and he went and picked it up. it was important to me that we looked matching...i didn''t really care about being ''island appropriate'' necessarily as i did want to look at our pictures years later and feel like we looked visually ''together''. though we did end up looking island appropriate so it was fine. i say wear what you want to feel great and get him into pants. hehee.

 

[diamondfan]

It is your day and you should have no regrets. I think it is stunning, and any color that pulls your flowers, like the green, is great. Can he wear maybe an ivory linen trouser and ivory linen flowing shirt? I think that could look great. Will your dress be in perfect sync with him? Most likely no, but again, what makes YOU happy? Matching him and having regret when you look at your photos that you found but didn''t wear what you wanted to, or feeling like a bride on your wedding day? I think that is what counts most!

 

[diamondfan]

what color orchids are you using? I even like the deep tone like the lines in the orchid...but, the green is amazing.

as I said, if dh to be will sort of realign from shorts (which I would not love no matter what dress I wore!), and you can get him into something casual but elegant...you are set. I even love an open shirt with a linen blazer on top, with the light weight trousers it gives it a tropical but still classic flair...something I could envision TOTALLY for a beach wedding that takes in the surroundings and combines grace with simplicity.

 

[Tybee]

DO IT!
I agree with the others, put him in pants.
You get to wear a wedding dress ONCE in your life! ONCE (hopefully, lol!) Buy the dress that makes your heart sing.
Put him in pants, I telll you!
I also got married in a beach setting, wore a formal gown, I LOVE that dress of mine, still to this day I visit it in it''s bag (I have yet to have it preserved, lol!)
Your dress is very pretty. Be a bride!

Tybee

 

[Mannequin]

I love the dress, Indie. You should DEFINITELY order it, this is your special day so you should look as amazing as you feel. I agree with the other posters so far about having Mr. Indie wear long pants, too. It will be a better visual compliment to the gown you want.

 

[robbie3982]

Yay congrats on ordering the dress! As far as being too hot goes, consider getting a hoop skirt instead of a regular crinoline. They come in various fullnesses and most are adjustable so you could make it more or less full if you change your mind. It''ll keep the dress off of your legs and keep you cooler.

 

[ky6]

Yeah for you!!! Sounds like everything is back on track and you are that happy/giddy you should feel when you think about you in your dress on your wedding day. You will be beautiful! The size (number) doesn''t matter. I have never seen a bride, no matter what size she was, who did not look stunning in a wedding dress that was the right fit. You are going to look fantastic in that dress and will be able to relax and enjoy those last couple of months of pre-wedding excitement. No bride should have to dread putting on her dress. And I am so happy you have found one that will make you feel excited and beautiful on your big day.

 

[FireGoddess]

Talk him into pants. You both can be dressed up, even on the beach...you''re getting married! I think as long as his level of dress attire matches yours, you''re set.

 

[bee*]

Its a beautiful dress...definitely go for it!If you can get him into trousers all well and good and if not, who cares,its your wedding and you deserve to have a beautiful dress!