Unusual wedding dress thoughts.

[MakingTheGrade]

Thanks!

Oh, I thought I''d attach a picture of my possible reception dress. I had originally had it made for our rehearsal dinner, but I might use it for the reception instead if I don''t think my dress is tough enough to withstand the mini-college reunion that my wedding is going to be, lol.

Reception dress:

 

[tlh]

The dress is beautiful!

I know first hand that it is important that the dress fits... mine should have been brought in even more... and I didnt want it tight.. so I let her not bring it in the extra inch... when I was dancing all night I had to keep hiking it up... it was really awkward for me...

Best wishes... you look great in it!

 

[FrekeChild]

I love your reception dress!!! It''s gorgeous!!! And you have a great figure!!!

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Date: 3/3/2009 5:31:22 PM
Author: FrekeChild
I love your reception dress!!! It''s gorgeous!!! And you have a great figure!!!

Thanks! I''d love to wear my wedding gown all night, but again, if it''s too fragile or if I have to keep tugging it up, then I''ll probably just change into this dress.

And sadly, I''m still "fat" when I go back to China. I kid you not, but I had to buy pants in size XL while I was in a mall in Beijing, which was a bit of a downer because I had been working on getting in shape all summer, had lost 20 lbs, and was shopping to celebrate...and walked away with sz XL pants. Kind of spoiled the fun a bit, lol. It''s funny, my relatives keep saying "my, you look so strong!"..which I take to be a compliment...I think.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Date: 3/3/2009 5:04:43 PM
Author: tlh
The dress is beautiful!


I know first hand that it is important that the dress fits... mine should have been brought in even more... and I didnt want it tight.. so I let her not bring it in the extra inch... when I was dancing all night I had to keep hiking it up... it was really awkward for me...


Best wishes... you look great in it!

Thanks for the insight!

 

[bootsiekin]

Wow, I still think its odd to see people mentioning things so close to home!

jstarfireb, I used to live on Henry Ave in Roxborough! (I''m in the Valley Forge area now.)

Anyway, I was married in my hometown and had my alterations done there, but one of my BMs had her alterations done in the Fort Washington area and had a really good experience and didn''t pay very much. If you still need a seamstress, I can get the name of the place for you.

 

[jstarfireb]

Small world, bootsiekin! One of my best friends lives around there too. I''m partial to Center City.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Date: 3/5/2009 1:58:53 AM
Author: bootsiekin
Wow, I still think its odd to see people mentioning things so close to home!


jstarfireb, I used to live on Henry Ave in Roxborough! (I''m in the Valley Forge area now.)


Anyway, I was married in my hometown and had my alterations done there, but one of my BMs had her alterations done in the Fort Washington area and had a really good experience and didn''t pay very much. If you still need a seamstress, I can get the name of the place for you.

Thanks, I''ll keep that in mind! I haven''t had a chance to call Kathy yet, I was planning to try and set up an appt tomorrow. I also need to look up how far Roxborough is from university city (Penn campus).

You gals are so helpful! I''ve been in Philly for 8 months or so...and still haven''t really seen most of the city :/ I mostly blame winter and med school, hopefully I can explore more in the Spring because it seems like a really cool place. I''m going to Longhorn gardens next week to maybe pick up some flower ideas

 

[bootsiekin]

Date: 3/5/2009 2:28:29 AM
Author: MakingTheGrade

Date: 3/5/2009 1:58:53 AM

Author: bootsiekin

Wow, I still think its odd to see people mentioning things so close to home!



jstarfireb, I used to live on Henry Ave in Roxborough! (I''m in the Valley Forge area now.)



Anyway, I was married in my hometown and had my alterations done there, but one of my BMs had her alterations done in the Fort Washington area and had a really good experience and didn''t pay very much. If you still need a seamstress, I can get the name of the place for you.

Thanks, I''ll keep that in mind! I haven''t had a chance to call Kathy yet, I was planning to try and set up an appt tomorrow. I also need to look up how far Roxborough is from university city (Penn campus).


You gals are so helpful! I''ve been in Philly for 8 months or so...and still haven''t really seen most of the city :/ I mostly blame winter and med school, hopefully I can explore more in the Spring because it seems like a really cool place. I''m going to Longhorn gardens next week to maybe pick up some flower ideas

Do you mean Longwood gardens? DH''s brother works there!

UPenn isn''t too far from Roxborough, when I lived there I actually dated a graduate student at UPenn. You would hop on 76 West and get off at Green Lane/Belmont Ave exit. I would say about 20-25 min without traffic.

I''m not all too familiar with the city - I''ve always lived on the outskirts. (I moved to the area to go to grad school at Bryn Mawr College, close to Villanova and Haverford) Actually, I took the "Ride the Ducks" tour with my Aunt who was visiting from Seattle one summer!

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Hey guys

Any chance you good recommend a good philly jeweler as well? Hehe. I have a stone that I want to set as a pendant for a gift to my future MIL since she loves the color purple. I''m thinking of just a simple white gold setting, nothing too fancy (she''s not comfortable with expensive gifts).

Here''s the link to that:
Amethyst

THANKS!!!

 

[jstarfireb]

The amethyst is beautiful! There are a ton on jeweler's row of course, but I don't have personal experience with any of them. My friend got her engagement ring at Barsky Diamonds and recommends them highly, but I don't know if they set stones or do custom work. It may be worth a try!

You're a Penn med student? I'm a medical resident at HUP! If you have a car, do what bootsiekin said! If not, the 32 bus goes there from Center City. It's about a 45-minute ride, but it's what us car-deprived folks are stuck with!

 

[rubybeth]

No advice, but I think it''s a gorgeous dress!!

 

[purrfectpear]

I love your dress!!!

I love the reception dress too

I assume you''re wearing a bra under the wedding dress? If so and you don''t find a seamstress, you could always go to a fabric store and pick up a couple of dots of velcro. Sew to your bra, and tack the other part to the inside of your bodice. That should keep it from going below your bra.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Date: 3/6/2009 6:59:36 PM
Author: jstarfireb
The amethyst is beautiful! There are a ton on jeweler's row of course, but I don't have personal experience with any of them...


You're a Penn med student? I'm a medical resident at HUP! If you have a car, do what bootsiekin said! If not, the 32 bus goes there from Center City. It's about a 45-minute ride, but it's what us car-deprived folks are stuck with!

Thanks! Yeah, a stone doesn't have to be expensive to be pretty! I got it from Gemline, they have some really good deals when they put their gems on auctions. I've gotten some really neat things from them for less than 20$.
And yes, I'm a M1 at Penn, we just had an exam today for 5 hours..ugh, but it's over now so yay! I've never been to Jeweler's row but maybe I'll check it out this weekend since the weather's supposed to be nice. Where can I catch the 32 bus?

Are you getting married in Philly? Heh, wedding planning related things is my favorite way to procrastinate from school work

And Purrfect, the ring in you avatar is so pretty!

 

[purrfectpear]

Why thank you! I just found your post in SMTR. I''m lusting after your Mokume Gane rings. I''ve never seen a real one, just pictures, but I would love to have one

 

[packrat]

Your wedding dress is fabulous!! It''s so unique and beautiful!!

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Date: 3/6/2009 9:25:59 PM
Author: purrfectpear
Why thank you! I just found your post in SMTR. I'm lusting after your Mokume Gane rings. I've never seen a real one, just pictures, but I would love to have one

A thin women's band is probably pretty affordable, mine was an additional 200$ if I bought it with his as a set.

 

[jstarfireb]

I wish I could have gotten married in Philly, but unfortunately, it will be in my hometown (the middle of nowhere). I''m really a city chick and want to move away from my rural hometown, but everything in Philly was way outside my meager budget. My dream venue is the Penn Museum''s Lower Egypt Gallery...maybe someday there will be a vow renewal in the cards for me.

As for the 32 bus, you''d have to go into Center City to catch it. It goes up Broad Street and on JFK for a bit before it heads up the Parkway and takes off on Henry Ave. The map and schedule are on the SEPTA website. Good luck!

 

[mayachel]

Wow

Your dress is STUNNING. I agree that it will not look out of place with your western attired guests. The drape and flow and colors! Wow. It is really beautiful. Silk is unlikely to run, and is very strong. If you are comfortable in it, I think it is unlikely you will "bust" out of it.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Date: 3/7/2009 6:38:06 PM
Author: mayachel
Wow

Your dress is STUNNING. I agree that it will not look out of place with your western attired guests. The drape and flow and colors! Wow. It is really beautiful. Silk is unlikely to run, and is very strong. If you are comfortable in it, I think it is unlikely you will ''bust'' out of it.

I certainly hope I don''t "bust" of of it, lol...it''s comfortable, it just moves down when I raise my arms...I"m going to see a seamstress about that soon though hopefully Although transportation is proving to be an issue since I don''t drive and it seems like a bad idea to take a wedding dress onto a bus..

 

[jstarfireb]

If I may continue the threadjack...I am also without a car and asked my MOH who lives nearby to give me a ride over. Could you ask a friend? If you can''t, there''s always Philly Car Share (like Zipcar but nonprofit, exclusive to Philly, and a whole lot cheaper...I joined but have actually never used it, and I haven''t had to pay a cent).

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Haha, when I say I don''t drive...I mean I can''t drive...
Seriously, I haven''t been behind the wheel of a car since I was 17

So I don''t think I should even try to navigate philly!

It''s ok, I think Kathy''s open on saturdays for limited hours, and my fiance DOES drive, so yay!

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Made an appt with Kathy for April 4th (it was the first saturday she had open, must be busy with proms and weddings!). I can''t wait!

 

[dboatsupreme]

Wow! Your wedding dress is absolutely stunning.

I second others on taking it to the seamstress to have the bust part taken in. And maybe you can incorporate other Eastern elements into the wedding to complement your dress. Coral colored centerpieces immediately comes to mind -- something like this, perhaps?

http://www.whitelacewedding.com/imgname--why_have_a_theme---50226711--chinese_wedding_centerpiece.jpg

Are either of you or your fiance Chinese? Maybe that would make a difference as to if you want to have something like that as your centerpiece or not.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Just a little update:
Had my first dress fitting with Kathy today She was lovely! We decided to sew in bra cups because it looked better, and the dress needed to be hemmed in the front because I found it was too long since I was tripping on it, lol.

Unfortunately, the only solution to the top being loose was to add thin halter straps. I think if I can, I'll hide the straps in the bra cups for the ceremony part, and then put the halter up when I'm greeting guests after the ceremony (and when it's most likely that I'll have slippage problems), and then I can hide the straps again for photos where I can readjust the dress as needed. I still don't think I'll wear the dress to the reception, but if I do, I can wear the halter for that too. So all in all I think it's a pretty good and flexible solution
The dress fit my perfectly in all other ways, so I just needed the hem, cups, and straps and a press because all that silk has gotten mighty wrinkly! I'm picking up the dress in June/July, there's no rush. Yay!

Now I just need to get in shape to fit back into the reception dress..lol

Thanks guys!

 

[jstarfireb]

Yay! I''m glad it''s all working out. Isn''t Kathy the sweetest?

Have you discussed how to bustle it, or will that be at the next fitting?

BTW, my alterations are still underway - I''ll be going in for a final fitting in about 2 weeks. The halter strap that I added looks great, and I''ll be doing a simple French bustle - the catch is that my dress has an apron back, so the overlay needs to be pinned up separately from the main skirt.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

No bustling for me The train is very small, and there would be no way to bustle my "jacket" which has a long train. I'm most likely going to change for the reception anyways so it's no biggie

And yes, Kathy is a sweetheart The rest of the dress fit perfect, so I don't think I"ll need anymore fittings unless my weight changes drastically.
Do you have pics of your dress anywhere around here?

And this is totally off topic, but I found the cutest wooden dolls on etsy and am going to paint my own cake toppers So excited!

 

[swimmer]

Making the Grade, your dress is lovely, very Tang dynasty indeed. best wishes!

 

[jstarfireb]

I was excited when I found my cake topper too! Since I'm a total dork, I wanted to have Mario and Princess Toadstool (she's always been Toadstool to me, not Peach!), and I found some figurines on Ebay that will look cute. They were only about $7.50 each.

My dress pics are scattered around here, but here is the thread where I asked for opinions on straps. And here's the pic I have of the straps that are in the process of being added. I have my final fitting in about 2 weeks, so the straps and bustle will both be done by then, and I'll pick it up in the beginning of May (wedding is on May 10).

(ETA: Isn't it sad how tiny my booblets are? And this is WITH a super-thick padded push-up bra!)

 

[icekid]

Date: 3/6/2009 6:59:36 PM
Author: jstarfireb
The amethyst is beautiful! There are a ton on jeweler''s row of course, but I don''t have personal experience with any of them. My friend got her engagement ring at Barsky Diamonds and recommends them highly, but I don''t know if they set stones or do custom work. It may be worth a try!

You''re a Penn med student? I''m a medical resident at HUP! If you have a car, do what bootsiekin said! If not, the 32 bus goes there from Center City. It''s about a 45-minute ride, but it''s what us car-deprived folks are stuck with!

aww... I finally made it over here to check out the dress that inspired MTG to buy her pad (I love the dress, by the way!) and I''m greeted with Philly talk. I am so jealous- I wonder nearly daily if I made the wrong residency choice. I miss it so much- I liked my lifestyle there so much better.

MTG- tell me you didn''t hate Baltimore?? please

I am pretty nervous about moving there.