Another dress help thread

[SuLi]

Hi everyone!

There seems to be an abundance of dress posts, so I''m adding another one to the fray! Everyone here seems to give really sound advice and I could really use it!

So, I am getting married next October. It''s going to be a destination wedding (we''re still debating between Hawaii or Santorini), with my FI, his sister, my brother, and myself only. We''re both pretty shy, so our parents encouraged the "eloping"...hehehe.

I''ve never been one to imagine myself with a fancy wedding or a frou-frou dress. And, I posted a few weeks ago about being really overwhelmed by dress shopping, partly because I don''t have any family or girlfriends in the area (I''m in DC, everyone else is in NJ or NYC). The dresses that I''ve been looking at have been more modest, simple, and easy going. I''m trying to keep in mind that I am going to be flying somewhere, so I would want a dress that can be transported easily.

Here are some of the dresses that I am considering...the only one that I haven''t tried on is the J.Crew one. I would love to know what people think about them, or whether they can recommend other options. Ideally, I would love to spend around $1000, and definitely no more than $2000 (but it would really have to be a DREAM dress). I''m not a photo-whiz and don''t feel comfortable with my pictures on the net, so I''ve found vendor pictures of the dresses.
The first few are Nicole Miller dresses. I''ve been to Nicole Miller several times and have narrowed my choices down:

Dress #1 - http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2934177?Category=&Search=True&SearchType=keywordsearch&keyword=nicole+miller+in+All+Categories&origin=searchresults

The thing that bugs me the most about this dress is the back, particularly how the straps look. The dress definitely screams destination, and it''s extremely comfy.

Dress #2 - please see this eBay link - http://cgi.ebay.com/NICOLE-MILLER-BO...QQcmdZViewItem

This retails for around $1100 at Nicole Miller, and it''s really pretty, but I think it might be a little to slinky for my comfort. It definitely shows every curve! I did try this on in front of my mom and future MIL (separate appointments, only because my mom wasn''t available and not because they don''t get along

), but my mom didn''t love it while my future MIL did...but only because it reminded her of her own dress! If I get this dress, I would have them "reduce" the bow in the back.

The next dress is by Watters:

Dress #3: http://www.watters.com/product.php?coll=brides&showid=590

This dress retails for around $1670 at Priscilla''s of Boston. It was one of the first dresses that I tried on and fell in love with. But, I''m kind of having doubts about the tea length. I''m moving towards wearing something long because I''ve never worn anything long (being short) and would love to surprise my FI. I hate the way it''s photographed on the site.

I''ve also tried on this Ann Taylor dress at their Madison Avenue store two weeks ago:

Dress #4 -
http://www.anntaylor.com/catalog/dep...categoryId=193
(shows with the sash)
http://www.anntaylor.com/catalog/edi...me=BridalGowns (it''s the Elizabeth and the details of the back are shown)

The dress was really nice, but surprisingly heavy and I got really heated trying it on. If we decide to go to HI, I can only imagine what a sweaty bride I''ll be, and no one wants that

.

And, the last dress is from J.Crew:

Dress #5 - http://www.jcrew.com/catalog/product.jhtml?id=prod86454281

Someone over at LIW actually posted about this dress. It''s very reasonably priced at $325. The only concern I have is that you can''t try it on since it''s an online/catalog exclusive, and I''m really unsure of my size based on their size chart for this particular dress. I''ve really fallen in love with this dress recently. It just seems so breezy and easy.
So, what do you guys think? What are your favorites out of the bunch? Any suggestions? To give you guys an idea of what I look like, I am Asian (Chinese), around 5''3" and 112 pounds. I have a 32B bust. Thank you so much for your opinions!

 

[misysu2]

Hi SuLi!

It sounds like you''ve thought about these dresses and you already have your answers, although you may not have realized it. There are thousands of dresses out there, so you should never settle for something you don''t like, whether it''s back straps, heaviness, or anything else.

The back straps-- could they be altered to something you like better? Also, the JCrew dress you love- since it''s inexpensive and you love it so, you may want to order it to try it on-- i assume they have a reasonable return policy on it? Go for it!

I''ve debated and debated, but the gals on Pricescope have FINALLY convinced me to never get a dress you can''t try on, unless you''ve tried on so many similar styles, you''re SURE it will look and feel great. However, many dresses that LOOK similar are actually put together in many different ways and can feel very different on. So be careful!

I''d say you''ve got a good start, but keep looking and ORDER THAT JCREW! Don''t settle!

 

[Maisie]

I love the JCrew dress. Its beautiful!!

 

[Stephanie]

With the J Crew dress, make sure that you can take them back to a store. This way you don''t have to pay shipping charges if it doesn''t fit. If you are looking at Ann Taylor or JCrew also look at White House Black Market. But there are four or five dresses that I love on the bridal site. You can order them online, or some stores carry the bridal dresses. Call around and ask. Also, I would go up a size (I have tried them on and they are just like any other bridal dress - tight and never the same fit.. )

http://www.whitehouseblackmarket.com/store/shelf.asp?navCatID=3&navItemID=4

 

[E B]

Am I the only one that can''t see a couple of the links? I can''t see either of the Ann Taylor gowns or the eBay gown.

But of the dresses I can see, the JCrew is the winner, by far. So elegant.