I think I found THE dress but...

[bleeblue]

Hi everyone! I''m not getting married until February 2012 but I thought that it couldn''t hurt to start dress shopping early so that there are more chances of finding something I really love.

The first time I went dress shopping I took my mother. She was great and super critical (in a good way) but it became apparent that we had different tastes in bridal gowns. So last weekend I went dress shopping again but this time by myself. And .... i think i found THE dress!

It''s the la sposa Laurel style and it''s just so elegant on and the only dress that has made me hold my breath for a second. The only trouble is that the practical side of me is having second thoughts because:

1. I''m worried that I won''t be able sit in the dress because of the mermaid style which is fitted from the waist to mid-thigh. Could anyone who has a memaidl/trumpet style dress please enlighten me on whether this has been an issue? I could always not have it very fitted but this may ruin the style of the dress.

2. the dress seems to be made from a synthetic organza material. I''m not so sure I can justify spending $2000 on something made from synthetic materials (I don''t know but in my mind I can''t shake synthetic = cheap). However, having said that ALL the dresses I have seen seem to be made from synthetics... I''d like to how other BIW feel about all the synthetics that are around. Has anyone had expereince with la sposa organza? Is it even possible to find a fitted silk dress for under $2000?

And finally here is the dress

 

[PumpkinPie]

I don`t have anything helpful to contribute, but wanted to say that`s a really pretty dress!

 

[MagsyMay]

I don''t know what to say on those questions either, but I LOVE THAT DRESSSSSS!!

Like love it so much I want it instead of mine, gah!

 

[Deelight]

The dress is beautiful


In response to your question yes you can likely find a silk dress for under or around 2k you just will have to do some searching.

Since your wedding is a while away I would keep looking if your not a 100% happy

 

[shertz1981]

Pretty.

Question 1 -- I think there''s some give in mermaid dresses? They fit it so you can sit in it.

 

[marlie]

beautiful dress! i think it''s a myth that you can''t sit in mermaid dresses. i tried on a ton and was able to sit in all of them.

one word of advice (from someone who just bought her second wedding dress)...take your time and look around. since you have a while until your wedding you can really do your research and be 100% sure you are getting your perfect dress. I jumped the gun on mine and ended up regretting my choice. Not fun. Don''t settle on one if you have even a glimmer of doubt. I''m sure you''ll find something PERFECT!

 

[oddoneout]

Beautiful dress. Very unique style.

 

[RaiKai]

You can easily sit in mermaid dresses. I had a trumpet style dress which fit snugly all through the bodice down to the knees and could move around very, very easily and comfortably in it. I was sitting for a large part of our ceremony, but also moved around a lot, and it was totally fine! I was comfortable enough that I did not even notice I was wearing it, to be honest, and it was that fact that really made me feel that it was the right dress for me when I originally tried it on (I felt very natural in it). Mine was in silk taffeta.

As for material; I am sure you CAN find something in silk if that is what you desire, but it may also be that you really liked the material you tried and how it looked and fit and if that is the case, I would not get hung up on getting natural silk. Lots of wedding dresses use synthetics due to the shape and look they provide and even silks are generally blended with synthetics as a 100% silk dress will be incredibly expensive depending on amount used and have its own downsides. All fabric materials are "man made" at some point even if they rely on silkworms (which are farmed) so I would not get too hung up there.

Seriously, the dress is not going to hold a financial value so it does not matter what it is made of...you are lucky if you can get 20-30% of what you paid for it if you sell it, and most people don't sell them anyway so whatever value you attach to it, is for your own "mind" anyway!

However, you also have PLENTY OF TIME. I would definitely not get hung up on picking a dress two years out from the wedding, as a lot can change (i.e. personal style, budget, etc) in that time. I didn't get mine until 10 weeks before the wedding, but obviously that meant I had to get a sample dress as there was no time to order, but just to say, don't get yourself in a panic about having to find THE dress by such and such a date or anything.

 

[ts44]

I''d understand having a "mind-clean" issue with a synthetic dress. You can find silk dresses for under $2,000, mine was one of them, from Alvina Valenta. It is a very simple style though, a strapless mermaid with no frou or frill, and a short train, which may not appeal to you. If you can put it out of mind, then the suggestions to not worry about it are solid. If you can''t, have you considered pre-owned dresses? You can get some good prices looking around those sites.

 

[LilyKat]

I have a mermaid style dress, so I understand what you're saying. Mine is absolutely fine to sit in - they're designed that way, they know brides have to sit!

It is hard to bend over in - but I can't envision a scenario when I'll have to bend over on my wedding day, so...

I would echo Marlie in that you really, really should not buy a dress this far out. I don't care how good value or one-of-a-kind it is. Your tastes WILL change (and so will styles in general). Your shape and hair and style and look may be different in two years, your venue and themes may be different to what you imagine now. Buying a dress now will almost guarantee the two-dress phenomenon (which is expensive!) I bought my dress early on (though less than a year out), and while I still love it, I wish I had waited and shopped around a bit more. I feel I did myself out of a lot of the fun of picking and choosing (which, let's face it, is one of the best parts of buying something!) Try dresses on by all means, but in your position I would put a strict hold on buying anything until you're at least a year away.

But have fun looking

 

[bleeblue]

Date: 3/29/2010 10:52:23 AM
Author: RaiKai

As for material; I am sure you CAN find something in silk if that is what you desire, but it may also be that you really liked the material you tried and how it looked and fit and if that is the case, I would not get hung up on getting natural silk. Lots of wedding dresses use synthetics due to the shape and look they provide and even silks are generally blended with synthetics as a 100% silk dress will be incredibly expensive depending on amount used and have its own downsides. All fabric materials are ''man made'' at some point even if they rely on silkworms (which are farmed) so I would not get too hung up there.

Seriously, the dress is not going to hold a financial value so it does not matter what it is made of...you are lucky if you can get 20-30% of what you paid for it if you sell it, and most people don''t sell them anyway so whatever value you attach to it, is for your own ''mind'' anyway!

I think RaiKai has hit the nail on the head with her comment here. I love the look of the material in terms of the way it sat and I don''t think the same can be achived with silk organza. I will just have to get over the "mind clean aspect".

RaiKai, Deelight, marlie and LilyKat - thanks for the warning of being a "two dress bride". I was just to excited when I tried on this dress. As I''ve got time I''m going to keep on trying different dresses to make sure that this is the one. As it is a La Sposa dress I''ve got at least until the end of this year [I think] to order it in if I don''t find anything better in the meantime. This one was just so WOW!

I really appreciate everyone''s comments!