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Knee-lenth or tea-length wedding dresses?

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FacetFire

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Does anyone know any manufacturers that make tea-lenth or below-the-knee gowns? FI and I are planning on having our guests do something fun after the reception that will require more freedom of movement and a shorter gown. (My dress is very restrictive, so it just won''t work...I''m not even sure it''ll be that easy to dance in). So, I need to find something to change into. BUT, I still want to feel VERY bridal and really LOVE the dress. Am I going to have to look at bridesmaid dresses? I just don''t prefer the quality of bridesmaids dresses, so I''m hoping to find some designers who make shorter, but still very high quality dresses. Any suggestions? Thanks!
 

larussel03

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Jim Hjelm makes really cute tea length dresses--I think we''re going to use them for my BM''s dresses!
 

mercoledi

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Watters has a few, including a beaded one that I loved online but hated in person, and Deco''s poor marshmallo dress! I think Jenny Yoo does too. Siri doesn''t market anything short as a wedding dress per se, but their gowns are really nice and most of their "special occasion" gowns come in some form of white. Also Tadashi )not a wedding designer, just a designer designer) will make most of their dresses in white for some small fee. Good luck! Enjoy!

Watters Brides
Jenny Yoo
Siri Inc,
 

KristyDarling

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FacetFire -- you have GOT to check out Thread Design! Here's the link. They are designer bridesmaid gowns -- extremely high quality -- and have a lot of knee and tea-length dresses. Very classy, very elegant. Their collections are organized by material in the left-hand column so be sure to check ALL of them out!

ETA: I believe most of their dresses also come in ivory.
 

Jaders731

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Hi FacetFire...

Forever bridals has three tea lentgh dresses under their Intrigue Informals line..

I also believe that Alfred Angelo has several under their Destiny collection... if you like lace... style number 1774NT is gorgeous.. and playful!

Davids bridal has a few... Style number T8802 is really cute.. and you can add a spash of color on the sash!!! fun.

I''m not sure about big designers.. but I figured I''d look at the above ones first, since it sounds like you already have a gown!

Hope that helps!
 

flutterby

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i found this laundry by shelli segal (sp?) dress at loehmans for $50! I wore it for post wedding pics, but felt pretty bridal!

msflutteadres.jpg
 

FacetFire

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Wow, you guys are GREAT! These are wonderful suggestions! I can''t wait to go look at some of these! Yeah, I guess my big concern with bridesmaids dresses is the lack of structure that you find in a bridal gown. I guess I could always have a less expensive bridal gown take up as an alternative. Thanks for the help (and I''m always open to more suggestions if anyone thinks of anything)!

MsFlutter, I saw those pics of you...you look great! That''s exactly what I''m looking for, except with a little more structure. I want it to still be unique and striking though, like yours!
 

dtnyc

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Date: 12/19/2006 4:16:55 PM
Author:FacetFire
Does anyone know any manufacturers that make tea-lenth or below-the-knee gowns? FI and I are planning on having our guests do something fun after the reception that will require more freedom of movement and a shorter gown. (My dress is very restrictive, so it just won''t work...I''m not even sure it''ll be that easy to dance in). So, I need to find something to change into. BUT, I still want to feel VERY bridal and really LOVE the dress. Am I going to have to look at bridesmaid dresses? I just don''t prefer the quality of bridesmaids dresses, so I''m hoping to find some designers who make shorter, but still very high quality dresses. Any suggestions? Thanks!

oooh what fun- you get to change! I changed before our last dance (New York, NY) into a knee-length Tracy Reese dress.

You should look at the Vera Wang Lavender label- it''s not bridesmaid''s but her ready-to-wear collection. I think she might have some nice white or ivory dresses coming out for the Spring.

I always find nice dresses at Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus- they have decent selection online usually.

I also I bought a really cute short ivory french lace dress from J. Crew as a back-up, since I didn''t find the Tracy Reese dress until days before the wedding. I ordered a ribbon sash to tie around it empire waist level from www.romaticflower.com.
I think that the lace dress w/ sash is v. bridal.
 

KristyDarling

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Hmmm, so you''re after a slightly more structured look........I think that will be SO elegant and beautiful. It makes me think of all the brides in the ''50''s who wore tea-length wedding gowns in satin. Gorgeous! Here are some ideas from Thread Design:

''Whitney'' in duchess satin. $270:
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''Nicole'' in duchess satin. $270. Keep in mind it would be in IVORY.
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''Amber'' in chiffon duchess. $350. Satin up top, chiffon skirt.
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''Phoebe'' in chiffon duchess, WITH the waist bow!!! $390.
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''Tina'' in embroidery organza with duchess satin. $280.
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''Lola'' in layered organza. Palest color is "antique" which is kind of like an ecru. $345.
55-po-stella.jpg
 

mercoledi

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Any high-end evening gown will have some structure and support built into it, so I wouldn''t worry too much about that. And luck for you the spring collections will be comming out soon so more white will be available. I second the idea of going to Neimans or something and just trying on everything in white silk so see what you like.

0430437321926_ASTL_300x400.jpg

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labbielove

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I''m not sure how much they cost, but I just noticed that Maggie Sottero''s new collection is out on her site,
and now has a ''destinations'' category- some very pretty knee length bridal gowns- here is one:
http://www.maggiesottero.com/dress.aspx?line=d&pageSize=8&page=1&style=JD2002
 

Jaders731

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HOLY COW...

Did you ladies see some of those New Maggies...
30.gif


My eyes almost popped out of my head.. and some of the short ones would be BEAUTIFUL...

BTW...Facet, I''m dying to know what you are planning that requires a short dress? Care to share???
 

Aurelia

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FI and I are planning on having our guests do something fun after the reception that will require more freedom of movement and a shorter gown.

This had me very curious too... what would this possibly be, other than dancing?? I want to know!! And yes, the new Maggies are GORGEOUS! Yikes!

Aurelia
 

AChiOAlumna

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Also, Alfred Angelo has their "Destinations" line. I''ve ordered this one and it should be in my hands by March!! It''s simple and elegant...and not heavy at all!

58ebc5de-3fe5-4f2e-9772-a55f696c0963.enlargedNormal.jpg
58ebc5de-3fe5-4f2e-9772-a55f696c0963.enlargedBackDetail.jpg
 

upgrading mama

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some good samples here, and I love that last one!
 

tdiddy

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nearly every JCrew bridal dress comes in both a shorter and a longer version and their dresses are ranked in several bridal books as a lot of bang for the $ b/c they use premium fabrics but don''t charge premium prices. you might want to check those out - they are all online. a friend of mine wore one of them (style: Avery) in a long version as her regular wedding dress and it was beautiful and very well made in a fantastic silk fabric for $325!!! a lot of their bridesmaids dresses come in ivory or a similar color as well.

http://www.jcrew.com/ms/weddingshop/w_splash.jhtml?_requestid=151322
 

FacetFire

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Well, don''t laugh at us. We''re pretty untraditional about the reception part of the wedding. We''re having a smaller group (maybe 40), and we need to have the wedding on a Sunday night due to the outrageous food/bev minimums around here. As a result, we were worried about people not driking, not staying out late, and not really getting into the dancing. We have no problem with the not staying out late part, but we want people to have fun even though they won''t probably drink as much. And, we don''t want to do a daytime wedding. So, we''re thinking about serving dinner in the same site as the ceremony, then ending the "reception" early and asking people to join us over at this really chic bowling alley/ bar for dessert and drinks. Hence, I don''t think I can bowl in my wedding dress. But, I''m really excited about the idea because this bowling alley is actually very swanky and serves great drinks and will rent out private rooms. Plus, I get to feel even more like a star when I pull a costume change. Haha. Honestly, though, if any of you think this is a bad idea, let me know...we haven''t worked out all the logistics yet, but we would provide transportation in between.

And thanks for the ideas! Those new Maggies make me wish I didn''t have a dress yet! Wow!
 

mercoledi

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How fun! I've been to a bowling reception and had a great time. I remember the bride picking a simple dress so she'd be able to bowl (no train or anything) without a costume change. You probably don't want anything too low cut either, lest you flash your team mates. Our reception was about 45 people and was great because you can actually talk to everyone. Didn't someone find a super-cute short gown at David's? Maybe in Deco's old thread? I'll see if I can find it...

What are you looking for in a dress besides short and stays-up-while-lunging-forward?
 

Jaders731

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Facet!!!

Oh my gosh.. I love that idea.. I think it is adorable.. and fun!!!

Was wondering.. maybe you could fit it into your budget to have bowling shirts made for you bridemaids and groomsman???

It sounds like a blast..

Why would anyone laugh!!!
 

FacetFire

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Date: 12/20/2006 11:37:22 AM
Author: mercoledi
How fun! I''ve been to a bowling reception and had a great time. I remember the bride picking a simple dress so she''d be able to bowl (no train or anything) without a costume change. You probably don''t want anything too low cut either, lest you flash your team mates. Our reception was about 45 people and was great because you can actually talk to everyone. Didn''t someone find a super-cute short gown at David''s? Maybe in Deco''s old thread? I''ll see if I can find it...

What are you looking for in a dress besides short and stays-up-while-lunging-forward?
Well, I still want it to be striking and unique. I don''t just want a knee-length plain white strapless gown. It has to have a distinctive style, if you know what I mean. Also, below the knee is important...I hate my knees!

I was thinking this one from Maggie Sottero with the bottom two tiers removed would be cool...ignore my bad photoshopping effort, but you get the idea...

AD1004 maggie.jpg
 

dtnyc

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Date: 12/20/2006 11:53:17 AM
Author: FacetFire

Date: 12/20/2006 11:37:22 AM
Author: mercoledi
How fun! I''ve been to a bowling reception and had a great time. I remember the bride picking a simple dress so she''d be able to bowl (no train or anything) without a costume change. You probably don''t want anything too low cut either, lest you flash your team mates. Our reception was about 45 people and was great because you can actually talk to everyone. Didn''t someone find a super-cute short gown at David''s? Maybe in Deco''s old thread? I''ll see if I can find it...

What are you looking for in a dress besides short and stays-up-while-lunging-forward?
Well, I still want it to be striking and unique. I don''t just want a knee-length plain white strapless gown. It has to have a distinctive style, if you know what I mean. Also, below the knee is important...I hate my knees!

I was thinking this one from Maggie Sottero with the bottom two tiers removed would be cool...ignore my bad photoshopping effort, but you get the idea...
It looks like that dress has boning in it- do you think you could bowl in something like that?
 

mercoledi

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From Jenny Yoo
Vivian-Chiffon-AntiqueWhite.jpg
Adrian-Dress-Sunburst.jpg


from Lazaro BM, which are nice, well made dresses. All come in white/ivory/offwhite
LZ9863tn.jpg
LZ9463tn.jpg
LZ2353tn.jpg
LZ7343tn.jpg
 

Gypsy

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Vera Wang has a couple that I really like for this idea. Go to her website -- bridesmaids-- the cocktail length.... and its not in the first few pictures... towards the middle/end they get better.

Okay 7,9,10,11,12 are the ones I like.
 

Larissa

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Better late than never...

I had an ivory silk sheath dress (similar to some of the JCrew ones) and I *just* got it back from having it hemmed tea-length. I wore it full-length to both weddings, but decided to cut it and (maybe) dye it so I could wear it again.

I think the last idea you posted is great!! Judging by how well my dress made the cut you could easily find a long dress and cut it to the desired length. More possibilites that way as well
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Bowling sounds awesome. Best of luck finding that awesome wedding bowling dress!
 

diamondfan

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I love the Phoebe and the Tina...they look great.
 
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