<p>Quaker here. A clean blouse will do just fine.</p>
<p>When I bought my gown in 1986, I believe it cost about $150. I think we paid another $50 for alterations. The bridesmaids dresses were about $100 each and the flower girl dress was $25-50 and washable lace and satin. My gown was from a small boutique. The others were from JC penny’s and Liberty House (who sadly was bought out by Macy’s). There were many which were pricier and MUCH hotter. Since the church was NOT air conditioned and the wedding was late May, was glad not to have gotten a heavy hot gown.</p>
<p>My D mail ordered her gown online from Ann Taylor after shopping in some bridal boutiques to get an idea of what she wanted/looked good n her. She waited to order until there was an online sale and got her lovely but relatively simple (no train, no fluff) gown for $600. </p>
<p>I got my own in a bridal building in the garment district of NYC for $200, but that was in 1975.</p>
<p>Out tastes run towards the simple, which helps.</p>
<p>I am sorry but this is college confidential not wedding confidenial…so stop posting about random stuff</p>
<p>Mine was ~280.00 and exactly what I was looking for - just lucky! I didn’t want to spend a lot of $ on a wedding and didn’t - pulled it all off for a very reasonable amount and a great time was had by all. That was the first time around - second, JP no $ spent on a wedding - I have a college education to pay for!!!</p>
<p>BChanakya–I hope you were just joshing, but if you were serious–this is the Parents Caf</p>
<p>BChanakya, I will attribute your response to a language barrier. This is the Parent Cafe, it offers parents the opportunity to share threads about topics generally NOT related to college. Students are more than welcome to share or ask questions and most parents are willing to give excellent advise, wisdom and empathy. Rude remarks are not welcome.</p>
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<p>That’s where I got mine. 1985, $300. :)</p>
<p>I love those Ann Taylor dresses.</p>
<p>I’ve watched SYTTD, where $2k is considered a bargain basement price. I find most of their dresses ugly as sin. In particular, the Pnina Tornai gowns, which are up in the 5 figures, are atrocious. For example, the slut-bride look:</p>
<p>[10</a> Most Daring Wedding Dresses - MSN Living](<a href=“http://living.msn.com/style-beauty/wedding-style/10-most-daring-wedding-dresses#3]10”>http://living.msn.com/style-beauty/wedding-style/10-most-daring-wedding-dresses#3)</p>
<p>If I were going to spend a few thousand on a wedding dress, I’d get one of these:</p>
<p>[Bridal</a> 2013 Collection - Jenny Packham](<a href=“http://www.jennypackham.com/pages/bridal-2013-collection]Bridal”>http://www.jennypackham.com/pages/bridal-2013-collection)</p>
<p>Has anyone watched the show on TLC about Vows Bridal shop in Boston? They seem to have a great selection of dresses at very discounted prices.</p>
<p>The Ann Taylor dresses are gorgeous…</p>
<p>I wonder when the majority of the brides stop wearing the bare shouldered dresses. 20 years after the fad dies out, these are going to look so dated. I can’t believe how just about every bride, even those who do not look good in that style had to get that look.</p>
<p>CPR, you kind of beat me to it. I was just going to post this:</p>
<p>Oh, YAY! The hideous strapless gowns seem to FINALLY be going out of style!</p>
<p>I love strapless dresses and look great in them, but I really like the look of more modest lacy gowns just because I think they are so elegant and beautiful. A handful of years ago these were next to impossible to find, now they are on trend… I think Kate Middleton had something to do with that. I am finding a lot of gorgeous dresses that I just love that are cut very similar to her dress but with endless variations. Can’t wait to go out and buy my dress while these are still so readily available.</p>
<p>It takes a very special body type to really, truly, sincerely look good in the strapless gowns.<br>
And whenever I see one for a winter wedding:::::::shudder:::::::aren’t they freezing???
It’s like the recent sleeveless dress fad started by M.O. All winter long, I watched all these ladies on TV thinking aren’t you cold??? LOL.</p>
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My D, who lives in Boston, went there her first day gown shopping with a bridesmaid as part of her preliminary process, and actually impetuously bought a gown there. Then she had next morning buyer’s remorse (The dress was really not what she had been aiming for, and D had let herself be swayed by her attendant’s enthusiasm as well as overmotivated by a great discount) and the manager at Vows was wonderful about taking the gown back and giving her a refund. One item on my “overdue to do” list is to write to Vows and express appreciation for how they handled it. They are a quality shop offering good service at reasonable prices IMO.</p>
<p>My D will be wedding dress shopping soon and I surely do wish Vows was a bit closer to Atlanta! ":)</p>
<p>I am hoping that she will not want to go the strapless dress route, but both my daughter-in-laws did and they looked truly beautiful in their dresses! So I hope when we start the eagerly-anticipated process of dress-shopping, that I can truly follow my D’s lead in selecting her dress. I watch SYTTD and I Found the Gown for tips on how NOT to be as the MOB when dress shopping! :)</p>
<p>The other thing is, I do sew. In fact, I have made a wedding dress for someone before. And my daughter and I designed together, and I made, all her prom/homecoming dresses when she was in HS. I kind of always thought I’d make her wedding gown as well. HOWEVER, I really don’t feel comfortable with my skill level and would not want to make her feel like she HAS to wear what I made even if it was not great. The compromise we have talked about, though, is that I may make her veil using lace from my own dress (if it looks good with whatever dress she chooses). </p>
<p>I am really, really looking forward to this process with her! Yay for wedding discussions!</p>
<p>I like the JCrew dresses. My dress in 1981 was a Jessica Mcklintock for Gunne Sax and was on sale for $80.
There are also rental places for gowns which seems much more practical.</p>
<p>Leaving aside strapless, why is virtually every wedding dress sleeveless? IMHO, at least 50 of women out there would benefit from a sleeve.</p>
<p>Churchmusicmom, DIL asked me to make her veil last night, too. Saw the one online that she liked; shouldn’t be hard to do. I have made a few before. The catch is that she is not sure how she’s wearing her hair yet, so this may be a last-minute project to some extent, though if I bead the veiling first, I can gather & attach it once she’s here.</p>
<p>I have made four wedding gowns, but I don’t do strapless. I am not confident in my ability to get the structural engineering right! ;D</p>
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<p>Agree completely! I did make one strapless dress for D for one prom, and it turned out ok. But OK will NOT be good enough in this case! </p>
<p>I think making the veil will be fun and just creative and sentimental enough to scratch that particular itch. 
It’s so sweet that your DIL asked you to do that!</p>