Alternatives and alterations
If the pressure of placing an order for a gown in a bridal salon is not to your taste or budget, you could also seek out a gown in a large bridal establishment. You can find a number of them in New York. Such a store differs from a salon in both size and range of products offered. You would not see only gowns for the bride, but also for bridesmaids, flower girls, and even tuxedos for men, not to mention a whole lot of wedding paraphernalia that is not necessarily relevant to you, from limousine services to customized favors. The gowns in these stores are usually not as high priced as those in salons, though there would be some overlap from their high end to a salon low end.
Alterations at the store
Here's a piece of advice that a reader named Diane sent to my query on wedding tips: s “Often, on the last pickup, they have the gown all nicely wrapped up, even stuffed to keep its shape,” indicating the dress should stay under wraps until the wedding. But you really don’t want to just take someone else’s word for it that everything is set perfectly only to discover otherwise at the wedding hall. Mistakes do happen. So you should inform them from the start that you will not take a gown home until you have tried it on after all alterations are done. Diane recalls that her daughter’s gown was a little tight in the waist; the seamstress assured her it would be fixed and it was all wrapped and ready when they picked it up. Only when it was unwrapped and put on at the hall did they discover that it was let out far too much and did not fit properly at all. Take the time for one more try one before walking out with the dress.
Buying and altering
Odds are that you will not find a gown ready to wear with the modest sleeves and neckline required for those who want their dress to be tznius , but if you find one with a skirt you love at a reasonable price, it may pay to buy it and have the top altered. If all you need are sleeves (see Finding-a-gown-style-that-is-right-for-you they can be added quite easily, though altering a neckline can make the dress look obviously filled in. Instead of trying to build up a strapless style, just have a whole new top made. The seamstress can either incorporate the beading and lace, use a similar trim, or even make a plain top to complement a highly detailed skirt. That way the seamstress is not forced to work around the existing shape of the strapless dress, which is constructed differently than the top of a dress with a high neckline and sleeves. The same holds true for bridal gowns in department stores. A friend of mine got her gown from Macy’s. She said that though it needed alterations to render the top part tznius, it still cost her less complete than a rental at a place that carries the modest styles for frum women would have. (See Beware of deceptive deals)
Bagging a bargain
It is possible to find relative bridal bargains at sample sales or special offerings from designers. You can get a gown that originally cost $1500 for less than $700 by buying one that a bride wishes to sell once she realizes she is not going to use it again. Many “worn once” gowns for brides, mothers, and sisters are offered for sale in classified ads and on community email lists, as well as in consignment shops and on e-bay.
See more options to consider in What-to-expect-when-shopping-for-a-bridal-gown-part-7
For an index of wedding planning articles see http://kallahmagazine.com/WeddingAdvice.html
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