Comments on: The Lightness Is the Rightness (For Some)

By: Never teh Bride

Never teh Bride — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:09:31 +0000

Yet another reason to pick a color, and let your ‘maids choose the style.

YES!

I can’t say I disagree with the assertion that bridal salons will push unnecessary alterations. I think all brides-to-be and bridesmaids-to-be should do themselves a favor and have their measurements taken by a pro before going dress shopping so they have a firm idea of what size(s) they’ll need to look at.

By: Melissa B.

Melissa B. — Wed, 20 May 2009 03:12:43 +0000

The last time I was a bridesmaid, the Jim Hjelm we wore was a) surprisingly figure-friendly for all 6 of us, and b) none of us had it altered. And as far as I know, none of my bridesmaids are having alterations either. I share Toni’s suspicion that bridal salons often try to net more money for alterations by encouraging bridesmaids to order a larger size.

But I also agree that if you’ve got multiple gals in the same dress, unless they’re identical quadruplets or something, the dress isn’t going to fit quite right on someone. If my last dress had been way too big in the boobs (a common problem for me) I absolutely would have had it taken in rather than look sloppy (not to mention risk flashing someone!) in my friend’s wedding.

By: Toni

Toni — Wed, 20 May 2009 02:39:21 +0000

And I’m in love with that first dress in wisteria.

By: Toni

Toni — Wed, 20 May 2009 02:37:47 +0000

(I suppose I’ll neglect to mention that neither of the two bridesmaid dresses I wore, nor my wedding gown, needed alterations, including hemming. Just forget I said anything.)

In all seriousness, I realize how lucky I am. I do understand the importance of a great tailor, but my point was, it just seems like there’s a much higher proportion of people altering BM dresses over formal dresses in general. The alterations price list at David’s made my jaw drop. Maybe it’s because it’s harder to find one BM dress style that will easily flatter all body types, but I still think the stores push it as a way to make more profit. Yet another reason to pick a color, and let your ‘maids choose the style.

By: Never teh Bride

Never teh Bride — Tue, 19 May 2009 20:14:53 +0000

I guess it all depends on how clothes fit, Toni. I, for example, am all mismatched — my boobs belong on a larger person, my hips would fit better on a taller person… at least according to clothing manufacturers! Then again, I know this about myself, and that it goes double when I’m shopping for formal dresses. Shopping for a dress that will fit off the rack (from a dept. store or anywhere else) takes ages. If I had a bride-to-be telling me to wear such-and-such a dress, it’s extremely unlikely it would fit properly on the first try, at least to my liking.

Are there actually people out there who can rock formal clothing without a nip and a tuck here and there? If so, I envy them!

By: Toni

Toni — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:25:56 +0000

I’ve never understood why people who have never taken anything to the tailor, ever, will pay excessive amounts of money to have a bridesmaid dress altered to death, when they will likely never wear it again.

I mean, I realize it’s because the bridal places aggressively act like alterations are the “norm” but it just seems silly to me. (I’ve been helping a friend wedding dress shop recently, and am always astounded at the prices they charge for alterations.) David’s Bridal kept trying to convince my friend that she needed to go up a size “just in case” and I’m convinced that it’s because they want to charge her more to just alter it back down.