Vera Wang BM dresses as a wedding dress?

[CrownJewel]

I looked on the Vera Wang website at all her BM dresses. There are a few towards the end that I thought would be BEAUTIFUL as informal wedding dresses! AND THEY''RE UNDER $300!!!!!!!! Only a few come in white or ivory.

I thought I read somewhere that Vera Wang BM dresses had a tendency to fall apart, rip, or tear. Um, I don''t want that to happen on my wedding day. Has anyone had experience with Vera Wang BM dresses? And what do you think of sewing a band of swarovski crystal or some other type of beading either on the waistline, or the neckline, or the straps? They don''t show the backs of the dresses in white.

FRONT 1:


BACK 1:



FRONT 2:


BACK 2:



FRONT 3:


BACK 3:

 

[gingerBcookie]

oooooh....loving the back of number 2!!! just a note, i remeber reading somewhere that vera wang tacks on extra $$$ on white bm dresses unless you buy multiple...just another way the wedding industry rips brides off. not sure though but something you should check out!

 

[dtnyc]

Date: 12/6/2006 9:23:44 PM
Author:CrownJewel

I thought I read somewhere that Vera Wang BM dresses had a tendency to fall apart, rip, or tear. Um, I don''t want that to happen on my wedding day. Has anyone had experience with Vera Wang BM dresses? And what do you think of sewing a band of swarovski crystal or some other type of beading either on the waistline, or the neckline, or the straps? They don''t show the backs of the dresses in white.

CrownJewel- I wore a Vera Wang BM dress in a friends wedding. I would check the fabric content before you purchase- I think most of her Maids dresses are polyester. You can get an all silk dress that is more casual in style from J. Crew or White House- I was not impressed by the quality of the dress for the price. It wasn''t poorly made, but it wasn''t that well made either.

Here is what I thought of the dress-
I wore a V. Wang Maids dress for a friends wedding that was listed at 290, but we bought through another retailer for 226. 100% polyester- full length, end of June, dreadfully hot. It looked nice in pictures, but I couldn''t wait to get it off and I know my fellow maids felt the same way.

 

[mercoledi]

Ooh, pretty dress.

Ditto what Ginger said- most VW won''t order a BM dress in white or ivory unless you''re getting at least three. They do turn up on Bluefly and ebay though, and you can buy them at VW sample sales. There are a few other boutiques (around here anyway) that carry VW, and they''re more likely to sell their samples. Vera''s a bit draconian about her stuff, at one place I shopped I could take pictures of everything but the Vera gowns. If you don''t want white-white-white, there are a few in soft colors here at the Glenn and Co. sale.

Good luck!

 

[dtnyc]

Date: 12/7/2006 11:29:03 AM
Author: mercoledi
Ooh, pretty dress.

Ditto what Ginger said- most VW won''t order a BM dress in white or ivory unless you''re getting at least three.

What if someone was only having one attendant? I know plenty of people who just have a maid or matron of honor. Also if you ordered through a place like Pearl''s Place this wouldn''t be an issue.

 

[E B]

I love (

) that second one. They''re all gorgeous, though.

When I was thinking about BM dresses, I asked about VW. I know at least one or two on the knot had been successful in ordering a white VW BM dress at regular price, but I think it''s all about shopping around.

Have you seen the Alvina Valenta BM dress line? Tons of wedding dress possibilities.

 

[codex57]

Date: 12/6/2006 9:23:44 PM
Author:CrownJewel
I thought I read somewhere that Vera Wang BM dresses had a tendency to fall apart, rip, or tear.

I dunno, I find that a little hard to believe. Her bridal dresses are VERY well made. I dunno if I''m a rarity, but my wife dragged me along to several bridal stores. Even I noticed the huge difference in quality btw a dress at David''s Bridal and the VW dress she ended up getting.

I''m more inclined to believe that any rips or tears are along the areas that were altered (so no fault of VW) or the dresses were just abused by BMs running around doing stuff for the bride that shouldn''t be done in a dress.

 

[kcoursolle]

I can''t say anything personally about the quality of WG BM dresses, but in general I think buying a bm dress as a wedding gown is a great idea! It''s cost effective and many of the dresses look very bridal to me. If they charge extra for white, ivory might be an option if you like it.

It needs to be altered, but here is a thread with a BM dress by Laundry that I am going to wear as my wedding gown. It looks pretty casual all alone, but once you get all of the jewelry and other accessories on, it looks very bridal.
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/for-all-the-fellow-bargain-hunters-pics-inside.49525/=

 

[dtnyc]

Date: 12/7/2006 2:24:22 PM
Author: codex57

Date: 12/6/2006 9:23:44 PM
Author:CrownJewel
I thought I read somewhere that Vera Wang BM dresses had a tendency to fall apart, rip, or tear.

I dunno, I find that a little hard to believe. Her bridal dresses are VERY well made. I dunno if I''m a rarity, but my wife dragged me along to several bridal stores. Even I noticed the huge difference in quality btw a dress at David''s Bridal and the VW dress she ended up getting.

I''m more inclined to believe that any rips or tears are along the areas that were altered (so no fault of VW) or the dresses were just abused by BMs running around doing stuff for the bride that shouldn''t be done in a dress.

There is a BIG difference between her bridal dresses and her Maids dresses. I wore one of her maids dresses and as I said before I was surprised for the price that it was 100% polyester, it wasn''t made from a high quality fabric.

I have a friend who works for VW and she confirmed that they are made in different places and are considered completely different lines.

I only had my dress hemmed, so the fact that the belt loop was broken when I got it was not my fault or the fault of my seamstress. Also I noticed that the dresses were cut very close- in the sense that on the insides of the seams there was little to no extra fabric- which can lead to seams splitting etc- basically they try to use the minimum amount of fabric possible for each dress, a cost cutting measure.
Also I can''t say I was asking my bridemaids to run around and do stuff for me other than stand and pose for pictures on my wedding day.

 

[Molly1024]

If you''re on a budget, most of Watters'' bridesmaid dresses would make beautiful wedding gowns! Check out this bio: MrsMarin

 

[CrownJewel]

ginger and dtnyc, I kind of figured it was too good to be true. The fabric is described as "satin" which could mean anything, even polyester satin. Well if I come across any VW BM dresses, I''ll check them out but with caution now!! dtnyc, I saw the Jcrew dresses and they look pretty (and inexpensive!)

merc, I had no idea Bluefly had those dresses. But I have a feeling they won''t have it in white. And I probably won''t make my BMs wear polyester, esp if we decide to do a summer wedding. I''ll keep my eye out for them. Thanks for the link to the Glenn and Co. I thought briefly about doing pink or gold...but now I think I''m going to stick to white or ivory. How does Pearl''s Place work?

EBree ooooooh! I looked at the Alvina Valenta BM line. No mention of the fabric content on those either. I''ll make sure to watch for them. Thanks!

codex I actually thought about bringing my fiance along too. He''s already told me he hates the "Jane Austen" empire waist dresses (which I LOVE LOVE LOVE). I value his opinion, but I think he''d be so bored.

kcoursolle Your dress and accessories look great!!! I want to see the finished ensemble. I was wondering if I buy a sample size 10 or so, will it be impossible/stupid/insanely expensive to get it altered down to a size 0 or 2? I''m 5''0" (with no heels) and 103 pounds.

hi molly! The link doesn''t work

But I will search for Watters'' BM dresses. Thanks!

 

[FacetFire]

I agree with Molly...if I were going to do a BM dress as a wedding gown, I'd look at Watters: I LOVE their BM's dress!

http://www.watters.com/catalog_list.php?coll=watters

 

[dtnyc]

CJ- HEre is a link to pearl''s place
We ordered dresses for my friend''s wedding through them and had to call to get the quote as they won''t e-mail quotes for certain dresses. She picked out the BM dresses in a bridal salon, but then we ordered through Pearl''s place, it was 226 per dress instead of 290.
Other options are netbride and RK bridal- you can find both of them by googling.
Netbride has a good web interface I think- and will e-mail you price quotes on a decent number of dresses.

good luck and HTH!

 

[Molly1024]

Sorry about the broken link- this one should work:

http://www.theknot.com/co_profileview.htm?profilename=MrsMarin

 

[mercoledi]

Don''t forget our own MsFlutter wore a Watters BM dress and looked every bit the bride! Check out Lazaro too, they do fewer things in white but their BM dresses (IMHO) are even nicer than Watters for about the same price point.

I ordered my dress from Pearl''s and basically you can email them to get a quote (however many times you want) and then when you''re ready to buy, you call and give them the style, size, color, etc. Then you wait forever anxiously and your dress shows up perfect! FYI- when I was looking they didn''t carry most high end lines like Lazaro, Reem, Vera, etc. but it doesn''t hurt to email and they usually reply the same day.

Lazaro BM in white and ivory
I lovvvee this one
Ruffles in Ivory Charmeuse
Some girls like to make an exit!

 

[CrownJewel]

wowza, that lady on the knot (mrsmarin) made me want to have a destination wedding. Her photos and her dress were just breathtaking.

merc, I clicked on the last Lazaro link you gave me, and it was the one I liked the best. I LOVE super low backs and back detailing. If I could get the front altered into a deep v-neckline, and the black ribbon made in white or ivory, I would totally buy it. It''s gorgeous! Thanks for the ideas!

 

[mercoledi]

You found my weakness, I love a low dramatic back too.

So maybe this one? though personally I hate the flower.
Or this one? It comes in ivory, but I can''t find a pic. of the front.
This one is from spring 2007 so it isn''t out quite yet, but it is pretty!

And now a shameless plug: This gown was what I wore, only in ivory, and if you like it, we''re about the same size and I''m selling it here.

 

[CrownJewel]

OOOOOOOOh merc! That''s fantastic. You ARE my size! It looks like we have the same body type too (except I think my chest is MUCH smaller!) I''m going to go search for more of your dress pics. How long have you had that listing up on the POWD site (how much time do I have?) Your dress is beautiful.

 

[mercoledi]

Thanks, I have more pics up on a flicker site too, but I''d rather not publish it for the world. If you''re interested, email me at the contact on the POWD site and I''ll send you the link. I only got married last month, and there hasn''t been a ton of interest in the dress, so feel free to look around and try other things on. I can always let you know if I get a serious buyer. I doubt I will until after the holidays at least. There are more runway pics here. Those and the stock pics are the ''topaz'' but my dress is ivory.

There are only two wierd things about the dress, which is why it''s listed at half of what I paid. The hem can''t be let down, and that''s me in 3" heels. I think it''s a bit short, and probably would wear 2.5''s if I had it to do all over again, but DH is 6''2"! There''s also an underwire bra whip-stitched into the dress (serious alterations drama), but if you don''t need that I can easily take it out. That''ll make it a smidge longer too.


Look around, try on some dresses (even high-end non bridal dresses) to see what works on your figure, and if you''re interested, you know where to find me!