Showing posts with label wedding dresses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wedding dresses. Show all posts
Sunday, June 10, 2012
The Dress - How to Buy
There is nothing wrong with buying your wedding dress from a traditional bridal boutique - they do what they do well, and they will handle alterations and pressing for you, and give you peace of mind. But there are other options! I know wedding magazines sometimes won't have you believe it, but it's true.
Buying secondhand is one choice, and has huge cost savings. Check out TradeMe and see what you can find! The downsides are that you may not be able to find what you want, and you don't have the same buyer protection so I'd recommend (unless it's very cheap) that you make sure you can check out the dress in person and try it on.
Another option is buying online - often you can purchase the designer dresses the boutiques sell from websites - the prices will often be several hundred dollars lower. My dress is coming from Jo Ling Bridal, who are a sort of hybrid - though they do have a shop I think they do the majority of their business online. I saved around $500 off the boutique price.
Have it made in China. Sites like Light in the Box and DHGate have very inexpensive options and can have the impact without the price tag (LitB is generally a bit pricier but has better quality controls). DHGate is a marketplace site, so aggregates lots of traders and mileage may vary so check their feedback, and note that most of the time the photos are taken from designer sites and the DHGate traders copy, rather than photos being of the product. The quality will probably be a bit lower than a "proper" boutique dress, but in most cases not noticeably. Note that this probably works better for satin and taffeta dresses than lace, due to fabric quality.
How about buying a non-wedding dress off the rack? If you're not into the whole fluffy meringue look this might work for you. I have to say, New Zealand makes this a bit trickier because we're not that good at dressing up in general so there's less available, but if you find something that you like it's bound to be a lot cheaper (plus you can probably pull off wearing it again, which isn't really an option for the traditional dresses).
And then, for the completely custom look you could have it made for you - there are definitely reasonable local services which do this, just ask around for recommendations - or, if you're really brave, make it yourself. Just allow yourself loads of time if you take the latter option!
Have I missed anything? What's your pick from these options? Is anyone brave enough to have made their own?
Friday, June 1, 2012
The Dress - How to Shop
Okay, the title is a little precocious. I don't actually need to tell you how to shop. But I thought a few tips might help anyone befuddled by the options, process and cost.
Figure out what you want
The first step is to work out what you want in a very broad sense. Do you want a traditional, sparkly/lacy/pouffy cloud of awesome? Do you just want something a bit dressier than you'd normally get away with but not the standard bride look? Somewhere in between? Something else entirely? I believe many women default to the first option automatically without considering other options. There's nothing wrong with that but I'm a fan of conscious spending and it is likely to be the most expensive way to go, so might as well work out that it's actually what you want before you go splashing coin around.
For brainstorming, try searching "wedding dress" on Pinterest or a Google image search.
You also want to think about the dress in context of the wedding - if you are having quite a casual wedding the dress might want to be less extravagent, and vice-versa. Hundreds of layers of tulle probably aren't that comfortable on the beach in Raro!
Start Early
For one thing, for many women this is one of the most fun elements of planning a wedding, so make the most of it. And for another, having a cooling-off period before you need to make a decision is pretty smart.
Also, if you buy a dress from a boutique there's generally a 6-month lead time - so if you want time to look around, time to consider, and not to be rushed having fittings starting well in advance is smart.
Have a look around
I recommend starting with the internet, for general styles and looks. Then hit some real stores so you can try things on (regardless of category, trying the style for your shape is a good idea). I recommend taking one or two trusted people to comment - it's very easy to get caught up in the sales pitch when you're on your own. Traditionally this would be something a bridesmaid would do - in lieu of bridesmaids I took Mr Cake to my first shop (warning: some more traditional wedding vendors disapprove of this approach, so you may need to ignore their foolishness), but anyone whose opinion you trust should do the trick.
Optional extra for experts: after the excursion to an actual store I reckon you should hit the internet again, now that you're more clued up about what suits you. You'll probably find you're now naturally drawn to the shapes which looked good on you, which makes looking easier.
Think about your options (with your head!)
One of the bridal stores I visited actually told me they expected tears when I found "The One." There are two problems with that:
1. I don't believe there is one perfect dress for me - sure, some will suit me more than others, some will be more affordable and some will be better quality, and some will suit the wedding we're planning. Hopefully the one I choose will optimise these things for my wants - but I don't think any single dress is perfect or in any way life-changing (except to the extent that it will be the dress our grandchildren consider to be quaint and outdated when they look at photos of our wedding - which doesn't really count).
2. Seriously, why would I cry?
Once you've tried on some dresses you like, think about each one you like, how much it cost, what it has that you like and what it's missing that you wanted. And work out, for yourself (this will be easier for some people than others, and different for everyone) if the purchase makes sense.
There are different ways to buy your dress, once you've determined what it is you want, but this is getting a bit long so I'll write a follow up post about those options in a few days.
What has your experience been? Have you found it easy or difficult searching for something you like?
Figure out what you want
The first step is to work out what you want in a very broad sense. Do you want a traditional, sparkly/lacy/pouffy cloud of awesome? Do you just want something a bit dressier than you'd normally get away with but not the standard bride look? Somewhere in between? Something else entirely? I believe many women default to the first option automatically without considering other options. There's nothing wrong with that but I'm a fan of conscious spending and it is likely to be the most expensive way to go, so might as well work out that it's actually what you want before you go splashing coin around.
For brainstorming, try searching "wedding dress" on Pinterest or a Google image search.
You also want to think about the dress in context of the wedding - if you are having quite a casual wedding the dress might want to be less extravagent, and vice-versa. Hundreds of layers of tulle probably aren't that comfortable on the beach in Raro!
Start Early
For one thing, for many women this is one of the most fun elements of planning a wedding, so make the most of it. And for another, having a cooling-off period before you need to make a decision is pretty smart.
Also, if you buy a dress from a boutique there's generally a 6-month lead time - so if you want time to look around, time to consider, and not to be rushed having fittings starting well in advance is smart.
Have a look around
I recommend starting with the internet, for general styles and looks. Then hit some real stores so you can try things on (regardless of category, trying the style for your shape is a good idea). I recommend taking one or two trusted people to comment - it's very easy to get caught up in the sales pitch when you're on your own. Traditionally this would be something a bridesmaid would do - in lieu of bridesmaids I took Mr Cake to my first shop (warning: some more traditional wedding vendors disapprove of this approach, so you may need to ignore their foolishness), but anyone whose opinion you trust should do the trick.
Optional extra for experts: after the excursion to an actual store I reckon you should hit the internet again, now that you're more clued up about what suits you. You'll probably find you're now naturally drawn to the shapes which looked good on you, which makes looking easier.
Think about your options (with your head!)
One of the bridal stores I visited actually told me they expected tears when I found "The One." There are two problems with that:
1. I don't believe there is one perfect dress for me - sure, some will suit me more than others, some will be more affordable and some will be better quality, and some will suit the wedding we're planning. Hopefully the one I choose will optimise these things for my wants - but I don't think any single dress is perfect or in any way life-changing (except to the extent that it will be the dress our grandchildren consider to be quaint and outdated when they look at photos of our wedding - which doesn't really count).
2. Seriously, why would I cry?
Once you've tried on some dresses you like, think about each one you like, how much it cost, what it has that you like and what it's missing that you wanted. And work out, for yourself (this will be easier for some people than others, and different for everyone) if the purchase makes sense.
There are different ways to buy your dress, once you've determined what it is you want, but this is getting a bit long so I'll write a follow up post about those options in a few days.
What has your experience been? Have you found it easy or difficult searching for something you like?
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