Beautiful Wedding Dresses That Only Look Expensive
Wedding Dresses
I love wedding dresses! And I love helping brides choose their bridal gowns!
A good way to plan a wedding is to start with the bridal gown. The wedding dress sets the tone for the whole wedding.
Take a look at these beautiful wedding dresses, that are similar to the one above, from Amazon.
(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
Katelyn MacMillan
Once the bride chooses her gown, then you have a good idea what the rest of the wedding will look like.
Is the wedding dress simple and elegant?
Mohd Kurd
Satin with Long Sleeves & High Neck
Crepe Chiffon with a Boat Neck
Is it fairytale?
Khrystyna shevtsiv
View similar wedding dresses here:
Lace, Long Sleeve, Scoop Neck, Pearl Buttons
White?
Neal Cruz
Chiffon with Elbow-Length Sleeves & a Sweetheart Neckline
Chiffon & Lace with a Pleated Skirt
Tulle & Lace, with Long Sleeves
Ivory?
Pavel Danilyuk
Satin with Lace Overlay, a High Neck, & Long Sleeves
Layered Lace with a V-Neck & Elbow-Length Sleeves
Or pink?
Ron Lach
Sparkly Pink Tulle, A-Line with Puffed Sleeves
Classic?
Anna Kazova
Chiffon & Lace, with a Pleated Skirt
Or fun?
Jk Films
Sparkly Blue Tulle, with Puffed Sleeves
Tea length?
Khrystyna Shevtsiv
View these similar wedding dresses:
Layered Chiffon with Lace & a Scoop Neck:
Chiffon with Flutter Sleeves, Tea-Length
Or flowing train?
Min An
Tulle with Lace Appliqué, Petal Sleeves, & V-Neck
Tulle with Lace, Petal Sleeves, Scoop Neck, & Satin Ribbon
Some brides know exactly what they want. Some brides don’t know, but they’ll know it when they see it.
Dan LeFebvre
When looking for a bridal gown, there are a few things to consider:
- Fabric
- Style
- Length & Train
- Alterations
- Trying on Wedding Dresses
So, let’s talk about these.
- Fabric
maadhuri g
Satins, chiffons, tulles, and organzas drape really well.
Susan Wilkinson
Tulle with Lace Appliqué, Sweetheart Neckline, A-Line
Chiffons, tulles, and organzas are great for layering.
Filipp Romanovski
Tulle & Lace, Mermaid Cut, with a V-Neck
Taffetas, satins, and silks work well for elaborate wedding dresses that need more structure.
solod_sha
Satin & Lace, with a Pin-Tuck Skirt
Charmeuse Satin with a Lace Overlay, Mermaid Cut
Velvets, jacquards, brocades, georgettes, and taffetas have textures that work well for simpler styles.
Skylar Kang
Velvet with Gathered Skirt & Puffed Sleeves
Velvet with Square Neck, Skirt with Pin Tucks, Mermaid
Velvet with Ruffled V-Neck & Empire Waist
Lace can make a simple wedding dress delicate and graceful.
Elizabeth Villalta
Satin with Lace Overlay, High Neck, & Long Sleeves
Layered Lace, Scoop Neck, & Elbow-Length Sleeves
2. Styles
Sheng Ye
So many styles!
Fit & Flare/Mermaid/Trumpet
Juliano Goncalves
View similar styles:
Lace Overlay with a Scoop Neck & Cap Sleeves
Lace Overlay with a V-Neck & Long sleeves
Lace Appliqué with a V-Neck & Elbow-Length Sleeves
Satin with a Lace Bodice & Flutter Sleeves
Sheath/Column
Matej Simko
View similar wedding dresses:
Chiffon with Ruffled Skirt & Lace Bodice, Elbow-Length Sleeves
Chiffon with Lace Bodice, V-Neck, & Cap Sleeves
Satin With Tulle & Lace Applique Overlay, V-Neck
A-line
Johnathon Borba
Satin with Layered Lace Overlay, Scoop Neck, & Elbow-Length Sleeves
Tulle with Lace Appliqué Overlay, Scoop Neck, & Cap Sleeves
Ballgown/Fairytale/Cottagecore
Efiyo Pictures
View similar styles:
Lace Appliqué with Scoop Neck & Long Sleeves with Pearl Buttons
Tulle with Lace Appliqué Overlay, Waistband, Petal Sleeves, & V-Neck
Floral/Lace/Kinetic
Soroush Karimi
View similar dresses:
Tulle with Lace Appliqué Overlay, Scoop Neck, Petal Sleeves, & Satin Ribbon
Satin with Lace Overlay, High Neck, & Long Sleeves
Satin with Layered Lace Overlay, Elbow-Length Sleeves, & V-Neck
Ruched
khezez
Tulle with Lace Appliqué, Scoop Neck, & Petal Sleeves
Chiffon with Long Sleeves & Waistband
Ruffled/Layered/Handkerchief
Jonas Wilson
View similar wedding dresses:
Lace Appliqué with Scoop Neck & Long Sleeves with Pearl Buttons
Lace Applique, Petal Sleeves, V-Neck, & Waistband
Tulle with Layered Lace Overlay, Elbow-Length Sleeves, & V-Neck
Tulle with Layered Lace Overlay, Scoop Neck, & Elbow-Length Sleeves
The wedding dress companies that sell on Amazon will do alterations on request. They are great to work with. They will line dresses, change the corset back to a zipper, make other changes that you want, and tailor the dress to fit your needs.
3. Length & Train
J Y
Trains come in different lengths:
Sweep: barely brushes the floor
Dmitry Zvolskiy
Satin with Tulle & Lace Appliqué Overlay & V-Neck
Court: about 1 foot
Trung Nguyễn
Tulle with Lace Bodice, V-Neck, & Long Sleeves
Chapel: about 3 feet
Neal Cruz
Chiffon with Lace Bodice, Sweetheart Neckline, Elbow-Length Sleeves, & Pearl Beaded Waistline
Chiffon with Lace Bodice, Pleated Skirt, Elbow-Length Sleeves, & Boat Neck
Cathedral: about 6 feet
Asdrubal Luna
Tulle with Lace Appliqué Overlay, Petal Sleeves, V-Neck, & Waistband
Royal: about 10 feet
serkan atay
Lace Appliqué, Scoop Neck, Long Sleeves with Pearl Buttons
Things to consider:
Where will the ceremony be performed? Where will the reception be held? Indoor? Outdoor? In a forest? On a lawn?
Will there be dancing?
Is there going to be a second reception or open house later on? Do you want to wear a tea length wedding dress, or have a second, simpler dress for the later reception?
CobyKane
These things will determine how much of a train you are going to want.
I was the mother of the bride at a wedding that took place in a temple that was on a busy street. Trucks came off the freeway and went on that road to get up to the canyon. So the walkways and patios on the temple grounds were not very clean.
I was in a dress that was too long for me. I’m 5’ 3”, so I’m used to that. But I wasn’t expecting my dress to get so dirty. As soon as we got to the reception hall, I cut 6” off the bottom of the dress. And that worked.
The mother of the groom is about my same height. We were wearing matching dresses. She tied her dress in a knot.
I still wear my dress, and I still haven’t hemmed it. It looks fine!
Chapel length trains are fairly easy to work with. And they bustle well and look really pretty.
ericaa1215
Have your wedding dress tailored so it can bustle. And make sure you and someone else know how to bustle it. Take a video.
I was in charge of helping a bride bustle her Cathedral length train. On the day of the wedding, I couldn’t remember where all those hooks were hidden under the lace appliqués. The whole reception was held up while I tried to figure it out.
4. Alterations
Amy Littrell
Finding and working with a tailor:
- Wedding dress shops will recommend tailors for your specific needs. Whether it’s hemming, lining the bodice, changing the neckline, or altering the waist. Ask at the wedding dress shop if you can get matching fabric from the manufacturer. This is often possible and helps your tailer, if sleeves are being added.
- Do not do your own alterations, unless you truly know what you are doing. And you know you will have the time.
- Do you know someone who loves to sew? I have found that quilters make great tailors. Quilters love to sew, and they know how to do pretty much everything.
- Wear the underclothing, and shoes with the height you want, to all wedding dress fittings. And bring the slip that you will be wearing.
One bride took a pair of scissors to her wedding dress the night before her wedding. She didn’t like the sleeves. She fixed it the way she wanted it and was happy with it. But what a risk!
Another bride was up all night before her wedding, finishing the alterations on her bridal gown. She finished it in time, and she loved her wedding dress. But she was up all night!
The tailor I use cut some of the netting out of a ballgown wedding dress and made it more A-line. The bride was pleased with the results. And the tailor took that netting and put it in a different wedding dress to make it more ballgown. To the satisfaction of that bride. This tailor is also a wonderful quilter!
5. Trying on Wedding Dresses
Thanh Xuân Nguyễn Ly
This is the fun part!
But before we get to that, do these things first:
- Look online and find wedding dresses that you like. Take note of them. Create a Pinterest board. Then look through what’s there, and find similarities. What styles do you see? Are they mostly ballgown? A-line? What fabrics do you lean towards? What embellishments do you like? Layers? Ruching?
- Go through your closet, and look at your dresses. What styles and fabrics are in there? What do you know looks good on you? Sweetheart neckline? Flared skirt? What are you most comfortable in?
- Take a trip to the fabric store. Look at the different fabrics. Run your fingers through them, and see how they feel. Unbolt some of it, and see how it drapes. Hold it up to your face, and see what it looks like. Take a friend, or a mirror, or both! Find a fabric store worker and ask questions. Buy samples of the fabrics that you like. Fabric stores sell as small as 1/8 of a yard. And some will sell a couple of inches, if you tell them you just want a sample.
Now you are ready to try on wedding dresses!
Even if you are just trying on bridal gowns to get an idea of what you like, there are still some things you should do:
- Wear the underclothing you plan to wear on your wedding day. Including a slip. This helps you to get the correct silhouette. And lets you see if you need to get different underclothing!
- Wear or take shoes that are the height you want for your wedding day. They don’t have to be “the shoes,” but something nice will give you the look you’re going for. Unless you plan to wear your basketball shoes or cowboy boots!
- Style your hair similar to how you want it on your wedding day. And be flexible with this. The dress you choose may look better with a different hair style.
- Try different lengths and styles of veils with the wedding dresses.
- Have someone take pictures. And notes of what you did and did not like, what you would change, etc. It’s a lot to remember!
- Be aware that many bridal shops prefer that you make an appointment.
View these slips here:
I hope this helps you to find the wedding dress of your dreams! And remember, your wedding preparations should be full of happiness and celebrating!
Neal Cruz
Crafting wishes,
Marilee
Take a look at these related posts:
Elegant Wedding Veils to Enhance your Wedding Dress
Romantic Wedding-Day Hairstyles & Accessories
Stunning Tiaras for the Breathtaking Bride
Follow me for more ways to craft beautiful and cost-conscious weddings!
Brandon Morgan
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