Boy, have wedding dresses changed (random ramblings of an old married lady)!

[jaysonsmom]

I''m so jealous of all the beautiful dresses that you girls are wearing these days.....I got married less than 5 years ago, and strapless dresses were just beginning to get popular. The minute I got engaged in Spring 1998 I went dress shopping and bought my off-shoulder poofy LONG princess silk gown shortly after. I regreted my choice as the wedding (sept. 2000) got closer and closer becuase all the sleeker, off-shoulder dresses were becoming the rage. I even tried to get my alterations lady to change my dress into a strapless one, and take some of the poofiness away from the skirt, but she said that the cost of the alterations would have cost more than the dress itself, so I wore the darn thing......

I''m going to have to renew my vows at 7 years or something because I really want to wear a sleek strapless gown. Do you guys think I should take off tha weddding band and go try on dresses at a Bridal store to satisfy my craving?

 

[Tybee]

OH Jasonsmom,
Your dress is so elegant and timeless! You look beautiful!

BUT, I say satisfy your urge and go for it! Try them on, who gets hurt? I can''t tell you how much fun I''ve had dress shopping!

 

[jaysonsmom]

Next time my best g-friends and I have a girls night out, I''m going to drag them to a bridal shop to watch me try dresses on they can pretend to be my bridesmaids all over again.....

and we could all take turns being the bride!----haha (we''re all over 30 and all have kids)

 

[MelissaSue]

jaysons mom - your dress is BEAUTIFUL! I think you look fantastic in it and I agree that it is a timeless look. Many dresses like that are still around.

My sister got married in Aug 1996, and she had an off the shoulder dress too. They were very popular then, just as strapless is now.. but that doesn''t mean that they are outdated now!

i think that trying on wedding dresses could be dangerous.. You might accidentally buy one!

 

[ame]

Styles so recycle. I keep giggling at all the bigass bottoms on dresses again after 10 years of sleek Carolyn Bessette Kennedy gowns...

 

[flopkins]

haha... your post cracked me up... I think we all want our dresses to be ''timeless'' etc... but I don''t think it happens often! I mean, right now, it''s hard to find an off the shoulder dress if you want one! or any dress w/any kind of sleeves at all! It''s practically strapless or nothing! Not that I mind, but the bridal industry is so trend oriented - you almost can''t help but get something trendy!

But anyhow, I think you should go and try on dresses. I''m sure you''ll have a blast and you just might find something for a fancy ball! I know SF has the Black & White Ball every year... if you''re anywhere around the Bay Area!

I know I wanted to be a ''2 dress bride'' and wear one for the ceremony and one for the reception... bc one was the lovely silk, and the other was a lovely lace! I wanted both! Too bad FI vetoed that idea...

btw, I think you look fantastic in your gown!!!

 

[jaysonsmom]

Thank you girls, you all make me feel so good.....

I told my hubby about renewing our vows at 7 years or 10 years....and he said: I hope you still fit into your dress by then. Basically he''s saying there''s no way that I''m getting another dress. I ''think'' I still fit into the dress because I actually weigh about the same after 2 kids, but the weight is distributed differently. Where I used to have a bustline, I now have deflated balloons, and where the abs used to be is a nice soft pooch (ah, the joys of motherhood)...

IF we do something like that, I''ll probably use the same dress, but give it a complete overhaul. Make it strapless, get rid of the train and make it an A-line dress.

CALLING ALL OTHER POST-MARITAL LADIES TO POST THEIR DRESSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[BrightSpot]

jaysonsmom, I think your wedding dress is beautiful & you looked gorgeous in it! You could always overhaul it for the renewal ceremony, but I think it''s beautiful as-is as well! (good for you for still being able to fit into it!)

LOL--what a fun idea to go (post-wedding) wedding dress shopping!

 

[rms]

jaysonsmom,
first of all...you look fabulous!! Secondly, are you sure your hubby is saying no way could you get to buy another dress? I mean heck, there are a lot of gorgeous dresses that you can get for a fabulous deal out there (HouMedGal''s dress comes to mind...gorgeous). A new dress may cost the same as overhauling your old dress. Granted though, there is something very sweet about using your original dress.

 

[AGBF]

jaysonsmom,

I love your gown. I cannot get used to strapless gowns. I am not usually a prude, but I think it is my fashion sense more than my sense of what one does in church (or wherever a wedding is held) that is offended by strapless gowns. I do not like the way a strapless wedding gown looks on a bride. My idea of a bride is a young woman in white who is clothed formally.

I am awed by the beautiful brides who have dressed in strapless gowns and posted their pictures here (waving to JCJD). I just hope that the trend passes quickly, before my daughter chooses a gown!

Deb

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 8/4/2005 2:13:55 PM
Author: AGBF

I cannot get used to strapless gowns. I am not usually a prude, but I think it is my fashion sense more than my sense of what one does in church (or wherever a wedding is held) that is offended by strapless gowns. I do not like the way a strapless wedding gown looks on a bride.

I feel the same way. It''s not that I want to see more formality, it''s more the way I think they LOOK! Every time I see a strapless gown, the bride literally looks trussed into it like a Thanksgiving turkey.

While they can be very flattering on a particular type of figure, I just don''t think they are very flattering for most people.

 

[jellybean]

I'll have to scan some wedding pics to show my dress. I got married in the summer of 1999 and my dress was a copy of the Bagley & Mishka (sp?) dress that Rebecca Romijin wore when she married John Stamos. I can't seem to find a pic of it online. It had an empire waist, a sweep (short) train, 3/4 length lace sleeves and kind of a square neckline. I know it sounds horrible but it really wasn't that bad.

I had the dress custom made and unfortunately didn't like it once it was done.

Because the seamstress caught pneuomnia, I didn't get the dress until a week before the wedding. I cried when I got home! I went everywhere looking for something to buy off the rack, but I couldn't find anything that anyone was willing to fix in a week. So I wore this dress that I totally hated, although I did get a lot of compliments on it.

The dress that I *really* wanted (and still wish I had it!) was an off the shoulder one by Jim Hjelm. It was slightly off the shoulder (more like the thin straps sat at the edges of your shoulders, had a fitted bodice and the skirt was chiffon with some lace along the bottom and no train. I couldn't find it anywhere within 100 miles of me, and the only way I could get it was to order it directly from them sight unseen unable to return it if I didn;t like it. Since I was leary of doing that, I passed, now I'm kicking myself!

I'm not crazy about all the strapless styles today. I've been to 5 weddings the last 4 years and every single bride wore a strapless dress. To me, from a distance and in most photos they all look the same. Don't get me wrong - I'm not longing for the poofy sleeves and queen anne necklines of yesterday, but it would be to see something different for a change.

 

[abradabra]

I must preface this by saying that I am committing a horrible faux pas (at least in this thread) on my wedding day... I will be wearing a strapless dress.

So, obviously, that''s where my preference lies. I think it''s funny (I''ve heard her say it several times) that Deb doesn''t think strapless dresses look bridal. I don''t think anything looks more bridal than a strapless gown. Nothing I tried on made me feel like a bride or looked as good as the strapless dresses. (I also have a practical reason--it''s summer and anything sleeved could be super hot (except sheaths, which I couldn''t pull off)!) To each his own, I guess.

J-mom, you should consider frequenting those used bridal dress shops... You could try on all sorts of fabulous dresses and if you fell in love with one, it wouldn''t break the bank...

 

[blueroses]

jellybean, I absolutely ADORED her dress!! It''s funny b/c for my sister''s wedding, we actually copied her veil style and tiara (Belgian lace), as well as a dance/serenade thing they did at their wedding. Luckily my sister''s marriage has turned out better than Rebecca and John''s!!

This was ''99, dress bought in ''98, but it was VERY similar to Jayson''s mom: LONG cathedral length train, short sleeves, princess ball gown seams, some simple embroidery.....it was very princessy, very HER, but very NOT now. Funny b/c this was dress option #1, and option #2 was the opposite: a sleek sleevless silk bias-cut cowl-back sheath w/ mini sweep train from Les Habitudes in L.A. Obviously, we went the Cinderella route, but those were kind of the options then--as Ame said, either Carolyn Bessette, or Julia Roberts in the Runaway Bride.

Hmmm...my scanner seems to be out of whack, so I guess no pictures for now

 

[blueroses]

Ok thank goodness, I just had the transportation lock locked (darn you, Epson!!)

So here''s my lovely seester in her stunning princess dress..

 

[blueroses]

And from the front.

 

[blueroses]

Ok, now I''m on a roll here.

Here''s my cute little mom and dad. I''m not blurring their faces b/c hey, it was 1968 and they look different enough now.

My mom''s dress was actually an Alfred Angelo (so funny that that has been around since then) that she got off the rack for like $100. You can see the lines of it pretty well here, and I''ll post another where you can get a better idea of the lace collar. (I think it''s called a bertha collar.) It has buttons down the back of it on the lace which is pretty. I am thinking VERY seriously about wearing it when the time comes, though I would want to sew the lace down onto the dress so it''d be more form fitting vs. loose around the arms, AND I''d try to have the detachable train sewn into the dress to make the train attached, if that makes sense....there''s also some pretty lace on the back of the train. I wouldn''t wear the mantilla--the middle of it has disintegrated--but I''d use the lace from its edges on the hem of the skirt. What do you guys think? But I still VERY much want to go and try stuff on once I"m engaged, and maybe I''ll go in the Lovey-direction, where my mom''s dress is the inspiration and I find something else new....but it DOES fit me, and I am curious if my modifications would work. (Plus if I could wear it w/ my sister''s belgian lace, that''d be something old and borrowed!!)

 

[blueroses]

Good heavens, I hope my mom won''t mind this. Here''s some other angles of the dress.

But my favorite part? That my mom managed to have a pretty darn cute and timeless-enough (all things considered) dress AT THE SAME TIME as she had, um, the worst. bridesmaid. dresses. EVER!!!

I mean, I know it was the late 60s. The era of avocado appliances. But those poor gals!! My mom was trying to get the effect of a daisy. So the yellow bridesmaids were the petals, the puke-green matron and pale lime-green maid of honor were the stem and leaves, and she, the bride, was the center.

 

[MelissaSue]

blueroses- Oh my! Those BM dresses for your moms wedding.. truly BAD. And all the flowers on the top of the head.. lol.. But your mom looked adorable! Is she still that cute?!

Here is my big sisters wedding. August 1996
I think her dress is pretty, and actually pretty NON-poofy for the time.. but the head piece is what kills me. The way it went under her poofy bangs.. lol.. And that was me on the left of her, I was 15.. but yeah.. I look the same as I do now.. I''m not sure that I love how ALL of the dresses were Off the shoulder.. hers, ours, and even the poor little flowergirls.. We also had matching shoes.

 

[BrightSpot]

LOL, blueroses, I love the bridesmaids'' hats! I''ve seen a picture of my mom as a bridesmaid wearing a very similar hat. (though, fortunately for her, a slightly more flattering dress!

)

Your mom is such a cutie! I love the hairstyle she chose--just gorgeous!

I think her dress could be a beautiful option for you. But I''m sure you''ll have a better sense of what you want after you try on a few dozen dresses. A girl''s gotta do what a girl''s gotta do....

 

[MelissaSue]

and this is my mom and dads wedding. July 1976. It was mom''s second wedding, (my sis is the little flowergirl/jr. bridesmaid).. so that may explain a bit of the hippie dress.

 

[MelissaSue]

and another one.. featuring my moms giant hat!

 

[Tybee]

These pictures are so wonderful!
Oh, it''s like jumping in a time-machine! Really, they are just so beautiful for so many different reasons!
Blueroses, your mother is a stunner! What a devilish face she has!
MelissaSue, your mother looks so sweet and young! I remember when those white floppy hats were in!

 

[blueroses]

First of all, I have to say, Jaysonsmom, I am sorry to thread-jack!!! I'm just having too much fun talking dresses

MelissaSue, those pics are AWESOME!!! I kind of dig the hippy dress look--so cute!! The hat is very Bianca Jagger!! But your dad's cream tux!! LOL!! Love it!!

And you are too cute in your sister's wedding....those dresses are SO 1996....the whole scalloped off the shoulder thing. You're right, her skirt wasn't that big for the time, but that under-the-bangs-headpiece is funny

Yep, my mom is still pretty darn cute. She's 61 and has had/will always have better legs and arms than I have--the gal has gams and guns!! Will try to find a pic. She's tiny--that's why adding the lace to the hem would be good b/c I'm a couple of inches taller than she.

Brightspot, you are SOOO right--I HAVE to go try dresses on! As ring-obsessed as I am (I go and try stuff on w/ or w/o my bf) I simply WILL NOT go and try on a wedding dress until I am officially a fiancee!! I tried on my sister's back in the day, have tried on my mom's some years ago, but other than that, nuh-uh--just won't do it.

So here's my other idea: Some of you LIW graduates will recognize my fab couture Helen Morely bridesmaid gown from last year....it is the most beautiful thing I've ever owned. One thought we've had is for that to be a reception dress for me-- red is a traditional bridal color in several east Asian cultures (my mom's field--she's a teacher), so maybe it'd be fun to have another celebration to wear it in?? Or am I nuts? If I end up loving my wedding dress (new or old) maybe I won't want to?


(ETA: Thanks, Tybee!!! I love it too--it's so fun to see the different wedding pics through the years...I love it when brides and grooms display their parents and/or grandparents' photos at their receptions!!)

 

[widget]

Oooooooh, Can I contribute to this thread? I have a couple of old wedding dresses to show off!

Here are MY Mom and Dad....in 1938!!

(I love her slinky satin gown...)

widget

 

[Tybee]

Oh Widget,
I love that gown too! It has a very 1930''s movie star feel to it, doesn''t it? Very elegant!
More pictures!

 

[widget]

....and here, ta da....is ME!!! (1966)

(was I ever this young???

)

widget

 

[blueroses]

Widget, this is what I did when I saw your mommy's dress, literally:

*GASPS*

GORGEOUS!!! Like Wallis Simpson or like Tybee said, some glamorous 30s star!!! WOW!

And YOU, miss thing, are too cute for words!!! (Like Doris Day and Sandra Dee rolled into one!!)
Your dress is lovely--that was my dream-style dress when I was a little girl, something about the lace and long sleeves to me just WAS a bride!! My bf's mother's dress was actually a lot like that ('69).

Fun poufy headpiece!!

I should try to find my grandparents' pic....it was during the war ('41 I think?) so it was very simple and on the steps of her parents' house....she wore a brown velvet suit and hat!!

LOVE THESE!!

 

[MelissaSue]

Widget - how cute are you?!? You looked absolutley beautiful.. And your mothers dress was soooo pretty.. So slinky!

That reminds me.. most of you have prolly seen my grandmas dress.. but I''ll post it again (1939, I believe). I absolutely LOVE IT.. and it is still at my house, but not in wearable condition..

 

[blueroses]

Oooh, MS, I am so happy to see that wonderful picture again!!

It is so special how your dress is so clearly inspired by your grandmother--can''t wait till we can see juxtaposed pics of your big day next to hers!!