Wedding Blog

Another topic of discussion during Tuesday’s webinar was how to find a beautiful wedding gown if you aren’t 5′7″. It is an outstanding question.

Fortunately, gown designers have become savvy to the fact brides come in all kinds of sizes, so more of them are catering to specialty sizes like petites and plus, so finding the perfect gown isn’t as difficult as it once was.

Here are some tips and some cautions about finding the perfect, petite wedding gown.

• Search the Internet to find a designer that has a petite line.
• Look to see which salons in your area carry those petite lines and call them to make sure they have some in stock for you to try on.
• DO NOT settle for purchasing a regular-sized gown if you have to have a lot of fabric taken off. It will completely change the look of the gown.
• If you cannot find a salon with a good selection of petite-sized gowns, find a seamstress who can make one for you. Often, this option isn’t as expensive as you might think.
• Give yourself plenty of time to find and order your gown. Sometimes specialty sized gowns take longer to order. You don’t want to be rushed into settling for something you don’t love.
• If you are having a less formal event, consider going to your favorite boutique or department store to pick out a regular dress.

If you have any comments or suggestions regarding this or any other wedding-related topic, please post it here or email me at susan.southerland@pwg.com.

Your partner in perfect planning,

Susan

I love wedding gowns. I always thought it was a shame that we can only wear one once… or twice.

I have been searching the Internet to see what’s new in wedding gowns and I spotted a delightful trend for 2009; tea-length or short wedding gowns. The gowns are light, fresh and youthful, but my personal favorite part of having the shorter gown… Imagine the incredible shoes you can wear with them!

Check out some of these great styles.

Monique Lhuillier

Claire-Pettibone

Jim-Hjelm

Alfred Angelo

In my career I have had to order thousands of bridesmaids dresses and tuxedos. It is typically a relatively painless process, but one portion of the ordering process is usually quite a challenge… getting accurate measurements!

Gone are the days when all the bridesmaids and groomsmen live in the same city. I have had to get measurements from New York to Hong Kong, Florida to Paris and beyond. If distance isn’t an issue, getting the wedding party to take the time to get measured can be. (There are always stragglers.)

Here are my suggestions for alleviating some of the chaos of getting measurements from your wedding party:

• Give the wedding party a final measurement deadline of one month prior to when you want it. You will probably have to send reminders (and sometimes nag), but if you give yourself enough lead time, you won’t be in a panic.
• Request that they go to a professional to get measured. The easiest way to do this is to order your tuxedos or gowns from a chain that has stores in your wedding party’s hometowns. If that isn’t possible, let them know that most tuxedo shops have an unwritten agreement to take measurements, at no charge, and give them to the groomsmen. That is not as common in bridal salons, but if your bridesmaid agrees to get her alterations done at the shop, they may be willing to help her.
• If any of your bridesmaids and groomsmen insist on not going to a professional to get measured, please encourage them to have a friend help them read the measuring tape. You would not believe the crazy measurements we get from bridesmaids and groomsmen who pull the measuring tape away from their bodies to read the tape. (No girl who wears a size 4 dress has a 40 inch waist).
• Make sure to review all the measurements with the professionals at the tuxedo shop or the gown salon. They will know by the height and weight whether or not there are any bogus measurements. Also, for those of you who have girls in the wedding party who are concerned about their size (so all of them), make sure to reassure them that the gown size will be larger than the size they typically wear.







Comments

I have been doing a lot of research on eco-friendly wedding practices and on planning a wedding on a budget. One item came up over and over in both categories… used wedding gowns.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love clothes! I can’t fit all of my frocks in one closet. In all the clothing purchases I have made, I have never purchased anything used. I have never shopped in a consignment shop, thrift store or vintage clothing store; so at first blush, this idea sounded terrible to me. I never liked the idea of wearing someone else’s clothing, let alone something that another bride has worn down the aisle.

It took a cause greater than saving money to make me take notice to the idea of a previously-worn gown. It was the numerous articles I have read on how wearing used clothing helps save the environment because no new natural resources are needed to produce the clothing. With that said, I decided to investigate the pros and cons of purchasing and wearing a used wedding gown.

Used Gown Pros

1. You will save money. Whether you want an expensive designer gown or a more modestly priced dress, used is always cheaper than new. The money you save on the gown will allow you to either spend more money on another aspect of your wedding or you could actually put the left over money in the bank!
2. If you want to create an old-world look for your wedding, nothing that is manufactured today matches the attention to detail and workmanship found in a vintage wedding gown. Furthermore, you can be fairly certain that none of your friends will be wearing the same gown at their wedding.
3. If your used gown belongs to a family member or a close friend, the sentimental value to the gown is priceless. I cannot imagine a more significant way to honor a loved one than to wear her wedding gown

Used Gown Cons

1. Someone else has worn the gown. If you are superstitious or just feel funny about wearing someone else’s clothing, this may not be the best solution for your wedding gown purchase.
2. You will most likely not have an opportunity to try it on. You will have to go on faith that the size is correct and you may miss the “salon experience” that is unique to purchasing your wedding gown.
3. A used gown may have stains and tears that won’t be evident until you own it.

If you decide to purchase a used gown, read on for some helpful tips:

1. 1. Purchase the used gown through a reputable seller. There are many services on the Internet that broker used gowns.
2. 2. Find a good seamstress and dry cleaner to help with repairs prior to purchasing the used wedding gown so you don’t have to scramble when you receive the it.
3. 3. Ask the seller specific questions about the gown. Are there any flaws? What are they?
4. 4. Try to get photos from all angles of the gown. If there is something really wrong, you should be able to see it in the pictures.
5. 5. Pay for the gown with a credit card. If the worst happens and the gown is a disaster when you receive it, you will have some recourse against the seller.

As with all other purchases, follow your instincts. If you don’t have a good rapport with the seller or something feels suspicious, don’t buy the gown. You will find others out there.

Next time: Tips for selling your gown online. Share your beautiful gown with another bride, help the environment and make a little extra cash in the process.

I had a fun experience this morning. I made an appearance (if that’s what you call it on the radio) on the Bulldog and the Rude Awakening Show in Ocean City Maryland. It was so much fun! I have done radio before, but not a morning show. As much as the crew likes to joke around, I think we got some sound wedding planning advice out there.

They asked me about planning a wedding on a budget and how my wedding planning DVD could help. I think that what’s on everyone’s mind these days… they call it the “new frugal.” They also asked about starting a wedding gown rental business. What a great idea! I would love to know if any of you rented your wedding gown, or if you ever considered renting your gown.

We also discussed finding a gown on Ebay. I have had a few clients who have done that. My preference is still the tried and true bridal salon. I just think that it is an experience every bride should have.

I have been told that the show will be up on their website tomorrow afternoon. I will publish a link when I find it.

Happy Monday!