Weddingbee Blog
When I got engaged last October, the first thing I was itchin’ to do was try on dresses. (I’m sure I’m not alone in that sentiment!) I knew exactly what I was looking for:
a) V-neck. Being slightly top-heavy, I’m not comfortable in strapless. I’ve only worn a strapless dress once in my life, and that was as a bridesmaid when I had no choice.
b) Lace!! I love the whole romantic-vintage-y look.
c) Trumpet flare. I adore the look of this silhouette.
d) Ivory. Because it’s a little softer than true white.
e) Empire waist. No specific reason, I just like it!
But didn’t know if 1) my dream dress existed, 2) if it would be within my budget, and 3) would it even look good on me?? (We all know that when it looks good in your head, sometimes it doesn’t always translate perfectly onto your body.)
Anyways, lo-and-behold, I found THE dress at only the second store I visited. It has elements a through d, which is pretty darn close! I actually found it at a sample shop, so I walked out the door with the dress in hand for a mere $860, and I was ecstatic. Even though it was technically a sample, it was in perfect condition, and the store owner told me that it had only been on a mannequin before. My only disappointment was not getting to try on more dresses cuz it was so much fun, haha! 
The Problem
But now… I’m starting to panic. When I bought the dress in November, it was REALLY tight. It was a sample size 8, and although it zipped (just barely), it gave me a horrendous case of back fat… you know, where it squeezes your skin so tight that it creates uhmm, extra “rolls” where there weren’t any to begin with. Moving/eating/drinking would be very difficult. However, this dress was too amazing to pass up, and I bought it anyways (hey, real Alencon lace dresses are generally much more expensive! I couldn’t let this go…)
The plan was to lose weight. No problem, considering I had 10 months left at that point! Except now we are under the five month mark and the scale hasn’t budged. It’s crept up two lbs, and down two lbs, but essentially I am still the same shape as I was in November (despite working out 4x a week). Unfortunately the whole muscle-weighs-more-than-fat/maybe-you-have-lost-inches theory doesn’t apply to me cuz all my clothes fit exactly the same. ARGHHH. 
I have about two more months before I start my fittings, so something needs to happen, ASAP!
The Mystery
My dress is completely tagless, besides the tag from the store stating “size 8″ in handwritten letters. There is nothing on the inside, not even a tag telling the material it’s made from! I have no idea who/what I’m wearing, but regardless, I love it. So If you have a guess, PLEASE SHARE! Without further adieu, I present to you… my dress!
(My mother insisted on an ivory sash, so I’m gonna go with that instead.)
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The Truth About My Dress
Super gorgeous. Looks like Monique L’hulier (sp?).
For me, a month South Beach Diet melted 10 pounds in 6 weeks and I was never hungry.
Jim Hjelm maybe?
It is gorgeous. You could always have a panel of lace added to the back to disquise the “back fat” you speak of.
Five months is a long time yet! I have one month and two days, and would still like to shape up my thighs and tummy! I would suggest investing in seeing a trainer, being honest about your goals and abilities and see where that gets you in two months. They should be able to target your efforts better.
Beautiful! What a beautiful dress. You look great! It’s the same type of dress I’m looking for. Monique Lhuillier does a lot with the sash, but a lot of designers are copying that trend too.
p.s. regarding loosing the weight, have you tried stopping eating 3-4 hours before bed? That always works for me. Or try Atkins for quick results (although it’s not something I would want to do forever).
Miss Emerald did you get your dress at Wedding Belles in Barrington? I only ask because I seriously went through the SAME THING! I found my dream dress there, but there is absolutely no indication as to who the designer is, just the size handwritten on a tag inside the dress. For months I scoured the knot and various wedding dress websites trying to find my dress. It still bums me out a little that I don’t know who the designer is, but I love my dress and it was a total bargain, so I guess I can’t complain too much.
As far as dropping a few pounds goes, I second South Beach. My cousin dropped 10 pounds in 2 1/2 weeks by following the strictest part of it. I know how you feel about the scale not budging though. I have been working out more than ever and haven’t lost anymore than about 5 pounds. 
Could also be Alvina Valenta (or possibly Jim Hjelm) - I was reading your description of what you wanted and you basically described the dress I tried on (except its strapless) and fell in love with, but at $4000 can’t afford! So nice find!
It looks like a Jim Hjelm
I think it’s Jim Hjelm…my wedding dress is based of the neck line of the same dress. But it could still be a Monique. The price you paid will be a better indicator if its Monique or Jim. Over 5K- then its a Monique. BTW- I love the criteria for your dress, mine are the same except that the back should be out- but I looove lacy.
If you are up for it, try Weight Watchers. I started in February and dropped weight very quickly. I actually am having to maintain weight now and not lose anymore so that I don’t have to have my dress taken in again. After the wedding I will go back to the plan to lose the rest of the weight I originally planned to.
Can you ask the store where you got it? I mean, you bought the dress, so they should not mind telling you who the manufacturer is. Bring your receipt with you if they need proof. Also, you look great in the dress! I don’t see the back fat.
Weight watchers is the way to go. I lost 20 pounds and went from a 12 to an 8 in little time!
You look fabulous…and it is almost exactly the same dress as mine- which made me almost fall out of my chair because mine is a Judd Waddell that cost $4k. You got the exact same dress for incredibly less, kudos to you. Time to pick my jaw up off the floor ands top being jealous over the difference in price. Ditto about the South Beach diet- also, if you currently drink ber or wine, try cutting those out between now and your fitting. That always works for me.
I bought the dress at Here Comes the Bride in Addison, IL. When I asked the shop owner, she actually said that she had NO information on the dress, and it came that way. I think other stores send her their samples. And from what I’ve heard, a lot of times stores actually rip out the designer info from the sample dresses so that brides can’t go try it on and then order online… at least that’s what happened at the first boutique I checked out!
$869?! what a steal. good find. the dress is beautiful. you look lovely! it does look like a watters & watters dress…could that be it?
It’s a gorgeous dress. Very similar to what I was initially looking for (like a lot of brides, I got something different.)
As far as losing weight is concerned–the best way to do it is to combine exercise and calorie restriction. Are you doing at least 45 minutes of cardio at least 4X a week? Strength training is great, and will eventually help you lose weight, but not quickly. You need cardio, and you need to eat less. I lost a lot of weight (125 lbs, no, not kidding) by eating fruits, veggies, lean protein, whole grains, a lot of fat-free dairy, and a reasonable amount of fat so I didn’t crave it or get too hungry. You don’t need a “diet” diet, although it could help if you need to lose weight fast. My basic diet was Instant Breakfast and fruit for breakfast, a giant salad with grilled chicken or hardboiled egg and a small amount of full-fat dressing for lunch (bought every day at one of the many “toss bars” in Manhattan), and usually lots of cereal and skim milk for dinner. Fruit or non-fat yogurt for snacks. That’s how I lost it! (With running, too.) Luckily, I don’t mind eating the same thing all the time. 
Good luck!
You look beautiful in that dress!
It looks similar to my dress - check out the site
http://www.casablancabridal.com/Products/Detail.asp?ModelNo=1816&Cat=Best+Seller&SubCat=
Think your dress maybe Waters Bridal
Ooo. Pretty.
Love the dress, it’s gorgeous! I was going to suggest calorie counting also. I have resisted calorie counting for years because I thought it seemed kind of overly obsessed with dieting and I was determined not to be that way. But nothing else was working for me.
So back in January, I joined Sparkpeople.com (great site for weight loss and support, by the way - all the stuff I would expect from Weight Watchers website, but free) and started calorie counting. I was very careful, measuring out butter in tbsp spoons before spreading it on toast and everything. I was ASTOUNDED at how much I was underestimating my calories. I cut back immediately, and as soon as I figured out how to spread out my allowed calories throughout the day so that I didn’t get hungry between meals, I started dropping weight, FINALLY. I’ve lost 9 pounds in 3 months and that’s being kind of lax on the diet side because I have a lot of time to lose weight. If you were strict about it, I bet you could lose a lot more quickly than me.
Love the dress!
Southbeach really worked for me, and you get huge results in 10 days–if you are dedicated, try that.
Looks like a Monique Lullhier, but it could be a copy of one; either way–it’s fab!
Really really gorgeous dress! What about converting the back into a lace-up with a fabric panel behind? That way, if you take all these ladies’ fine suggestions and lose the weight then you can wear the dress as-is. But if your shape doesn’t change (you look gorgeous as you are by the way!!), you have the lace-ups to give you a little more breathing room. Literally.
I LOVE YOUR DRESS!!
oooh, so pretty. especially the lace. it’s so nice to see a non-strapless dress. i was beginning to think they didn’t make those anymore. lol
Get a personal trainer. They will make you do things that you’d never do on your own.
Spanx will help too.
I am in love with your dress!!!
and I would say - you could do the Devil Wears Prada diet and not eat anything until you felt like you were about to pass out - then eat a piece of cheese 
or just do cardio and NO weights until the wedding
Just yesterday I was thinking about how pretty your dress is. I’ve been eating less, skipped dessert, and do my 8 minute abs almost every night and I’ve lost 10 lbs in 3-4 weeks. Eating less is key.
I fourth (or fifth) the South Beach Diet suggestion. I lost 10 lbs in the first two weeks (and I wasn’t that overweight to begin with).
Phase 1 can be a bit hard to get through, but it is only two weeks and I really think you’ll see results. (and it isn’t that hard).
I’m pretty sure it’s a Demetrios Platinum, style DP110. I know because you and I have the exact same requirements for our dress! I ended up with Jim Hjelm 8663, but I was very close to getting the Demetrios one.
Here’s a link to the site, look for DP110: http://www.demetriosbride.com/us/index.php?page=collection_platinum_05
JAXGIRL, WOW, I think you may have found it!!! It loos identical, although it didnt come with a sash! Thanks so much… anyone know how a Demetrios Platinum runs?? I just want to know how good of a deal I got, haha.
Thanks for all your sweet words, ladies! I really need to practice eating less, I know that’s my weak spot =/
nutrisystem works well too!! if you have the mental mindset to stick with it, you lose weight fast. i started it up again and lost 5 pounds in one week already. all you have to do is eat what they give you. how great is that!?!? it’s low cal, high protein, and good carbs.
you look amazing your dress! Absolutely beautiful!
The dress is gorgeous - too bad about the tag though. Sadly, a lot of bridal stores rip out the tags so that brides can’t comparison shop (imagine if you went to a department store and all the dresses had the tags ripped out…you’d probably never shop there again but something about Bridal gowns makes it different). Sometimes stores also do this so they can sell a gown at whatever price they want even if it doesn’t really cost that much. Since there is no tag you can’t tell if the dress you are buying is for example real silk or synthetic so you don’t know if what you are being charged is a bargain for real silk or a rip off for fake. Luckily it looks like you got a good deal no matter what…can’t beat that price for a gorgeous gown.
As an aside tag ripping is also illegal —by law all clothing must have tags with the manufacturer’s or store’s name, the fiber content, and the country of origin. The fine for violation is 5,000 but that’s never enforced. I’d go back to the bridal shop and ask…the owners will know…they keep extensive records of the tags they have ripped.
You did get a good deal! I think the dress retails for around $2500.
Not that you need weight loss advice (as long as the dress is comfortable enough for the big day, I personally think you look GREAT!), but I just started doing the Weight Watchers Points system. I didn’t sign up; a friend has been doing it with huge success, so I Googled and found a list of Points values for generic foods, as well as the formula they use to calculate the Points in any serving.
The basic premise is that you get 20 points per day, plus 13 “flex points” to use however you want each week. If you work out for 45+ minutes on any given day, you get an extra 3 points (but just for that day). Points do not carry over.
Like Laura S., I was SHOCKED by how many calories I was taking in every day! It was a little scary, honestly. My goal was to lose between 7 and 10 pounds, and in less than 2 weeks I’m down 6 pounds already! I feel MUCH healthier and I’m starting to be able to fit back into some of my pairs of pants that have been shoved into the back of the closet for some time.
I highly recommend this system. It’s easy to track and live with. The real test will be to see if I can keep the weight off until August 4th!
I would also suggest yoga. Yoga is good for toning and making yourself lean.
I say this while I eat pizza and haven’t been to the gym in ages.
But I have had friends that did yoga and they got longer and leaner because of it. And supposidly it’s good stress relief!
Are you cutting down on calories you’re taking in? You won’t see any weightloss if you’re eating habits haven’t changed. Also, cardio is key. Weights help with toning but if you want to drop the pounds, you gotta do cardio for at least 30min/day combined with a healthy diet.
I think the dress looks stunning on you. A lot of times they can alter a dress up 1-2 sizes, can they alter in such a way that makes you feel more comfortable with the fit?
[...] vanity (partly so, of course), but it was mostly due to necessity. I was the genius that bought a sample dress two sizes too small, but I loved it SO much I couldn’t let a little issue like FIT get in the [...]
Hello, Mrs. Emerald…quick question - did you have this dress (it is gorgeous!) and would you consider selling it?
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Mrs. Emerald, Chicago Age and Occupation: 26, Wedding Planner Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Paralegal Engagement Date: October 8, 2006 Wedding Date: September 2007 Blogging Since: November 29, 2006 Venue: Hyatt Lodge, Oak Brook IL About Me: I have been dreaming about my wedding forever, and flipping through bridal magazines since high school, so I am in my element! I am calling our theme "Vintage Inspired French/Asian Fusion." Mr. Emerald is very involved in the planning process, but of course he generally defers to me cuz I have a strong opinion of how I want everything to be :-).
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