Bridesmaid dress result!
My sister and I have been emailing back and forth about dresses we find online. Interestingly, we both separately stumbled upon the same designers and same website so I guess that was a good foot to start on. Except we never really could agree on a dress, so finally my sister told me I'd just have to go see them in a store if I could because she wants me to pick a dress I'll like that I think looks good on me. The only thing she asked was that I take her wedding dress into consideration: it's silk satin, cream-colored, with gold embroidery and silver beading.
Fortunately, I found a bridal store that carried both designers not fifteen minutes away. I tried on five dresses.
The first dress was also the first dress my sister emailed me about. I'd said it looked too flimsy, like something that would blow away in the wind. My sister liked the beading because of her wedding dress. I was right. It's the chiffon fabric. Makes the dress stand up straight on its own and the beading looked uninspired in comparison to the floral beading design of the Alfred Sung dress (see below). The second dress was one I'd picked out, but my sister didn't sound keen on. She was right. It's no wonder they show the dress from a side profile, because head on it looks like a straight column. With a big bow in the front and down the middle. Gah. Looked silly. The third dress I had liked online and liked when I saw it in the store. It looked really nice on the hanger. Unfortunately, it suffered the same chiffon fate of the first dress and looked so stiff on me. Compared to the similar-looking Alfred Sung dress (see below), there was no question which was the better dress.
Although both dresses are shown strapless, sphagetti straps will be put in. I'd prefer having some sort of a strap and apparently the other bridesmaids sighed with relief when they heard that.
"Strapless tea length silky satin dress with renaissance trim at neckline and hem. Trim available in ivory, white or black." Funnily enough, as we were looking at swatch colors for this dress, I recalled that I'd tried this dress on when we were all home for Christmas. My mom, sister, and I liked this dress on me and also the yellow color, which is actually a very soft yellow and not as bright as it is shown here. (A more accurate coloring of the dress is shown here.)
What I like about this dress is the soft fabric. It's silk satin, which would compliment my sister's dress, and is soooo flowy. Pretty! Also, because it is so light I think it would be perfect for an August wedding that takes place late morning/early afternoon. Another positive, which is also its negative, is its classic simplicity. (See below for explanation of why it is also a negative.)
"Tea Length Strapless Duchess Satin bridesmaid dress with natural waistline and bias Duchess Satin tie at waist. Matching crystal beading and embroidery on bodice."
Again, this dress looks much better in real life than online. But, not a fan of the color shown here (all colors online are inaccurate). There's a whole spread of colors available for this dress, so I'm not sure what we'd pick. My mom and sister really like the beading on this dress, especially in light of the beading on my sister's dress. I do like the beading, but I love the fabric of the yellow dress so much, and it's not as if the beading matches my sister's dress. I'm really just not so much a fan of the satin fabric of this dress; it's much heavier and hangs weightily. On the other hand, its stiffness might better hide my fat. :P
Next step is for my mom and sister to see these dresses in real life (of course they've alredy seen the yellow one, but to refresh their memory). And I want my mom to see me in the dresses as well. Neither my friend nor I could reach a final decision - both dresses were pretty with their pluses and minuses.
Fortunately, I found a bridal store that carried both designers not fifteen minutes away. I tried on five dresses.
The first dress was also the first dress my sister emailed me about. I'd said it looked too flimsy, like something that would blow away in the wind. My sister liked the beading because of her wedding dress. I was right. It's the chiffon fabric. Makes the dress stand up straight on its own and the beading looked uninspired in comparison to the floral beading design of the Alfred Sung dress (see below). The second dress was one I'd picked out, but my sister didn't sound keen on. She was right. It's no wonder they show the dress from a side profile, because head on it looks like a straight column. With a big bow in the front and down the middle. Gah. Looked silly. The third dress I had liked online and liked when I saw it in the store. It looked really nice on the hanger. Unfortunately, it suffered the same chiffon fate of the first dress and looked so stiff on me. Compared to the similar-looking Alfred Sung dress (see below), there was no question which was the better dress.
Although both dresses are shown strapless, sphagetti straps will be put in. I'd prefer having some sort of a strap and apparently the other bridesmaids sighed with relief when they heard that.
"Strapless tea length silky satin dress with renaissance trim at neckline and hem. Trim available in ivory, white or black." Funnily enough, as we were looking at swatch colors for this dress, I recalled that I'd tried this dress on when we were all home for Christmas. My mom, sister, and I liked this dress on me and also the yellow color, which is actually a very soft yellow and not as bright as it is shown here. (A more accurate coloring of the dress is shown here.)
What I like about this dress is the soft fabric. It's silk satin, which would compliment my sister's dress, and is soooo flowy. Pretty! Also, because it is so light I think it would be perfect for an August wedding that takes place late morning/early afternoon. Another positive, which is also its negative, is its classic simplicity. (See below for explanation of why it is also a negative.)
"Tea Length Strapless Duchess Satin bridesmaid dress with natural waistline and bias Duchess Satin tie at waist. Matching crystal beading and embroidery on bodice."
Again, this dress looks much better in real life than online. But, not a fan of the color shown here (all colors online are inaccurate). There's a whole spread of colors available for this dress, so I'm not sure what we'd pick. My mom and sister really like the beading on this dress, especially in light of the beading on my sister's dress. I do like the beading, but I love the fabric of the yellow dress so much, and it's not as if the beading matches my sister's dress. I'm really just not so much a fan of the satin fabric of this dress; it's much heavier and hangs weightily. On the other hand, its stiffness might better hide my fat. :P
Next step is for my mom and sister to see these dresses in real life (of course they've alredy seen the yellow one, but to refresh their memory). And I want my mom to see me in the dresses as well. Neither my friend nor I could reach a final decision - both dresses were pretty with their pluses and minuses.