Wedding Blog

I got a lot of comments on my short wedding dress in my post, Informal “Formals” so I thought I’d address this in more detail. I didn’t set out to buy a short wedding dress. After looking at many different dresses at many salons (see my “dress shopping” post), Anju, the wonderful woman helping me at Mark Ingram’s Bridal Atelier said, “I have an idea, I’ll be right back.”

When I first started looking for my wedding dress I was drawn to lace and all things romantic! I also knew (or thought I did anyway), that I didn’t want a strapless gown. Basically I was trying to avoid the standard A-line long strapless wedding dress I’d seen in every magazine! Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lovely silhouette, but I just wanted something that was more “me,” you know?

So, Anju brought me two dresses. The first was a short Monique Lhuillier similar to this one (except on my five foot nothing frame it was more mid calf):

It was lace — which I liked, and the short was a bit of whimsy. OK, I thought, this is a nice thought. And it had pockets which I just adored! But it wasn’t quite perfect. I didn’t feel beautiful in it.

The second was a two piece short raw silk gown. I didn’t know what to make of it. She told me it was a “Romona” and I smiled as if I knew what that meant.

It turns out it was a Romona Keveza from her Legends Collection (I discovered this when I scoured the internet to find the dress). When I brought my mother to New York to see the dress she said “You look adorable!” That was her first reaction. Then she said I looked like a Degas Ballerina.

Image from Pre1900prints.com

And when I showed it to a dear friend from college she gasped and said “Oh my god! You’re Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face!”

Now, here I am at my last fitting:

Here are things I love about my dress:

1) It’s comfortable. I had room to eat, could sit comfortably and really enjoyed wearing it.

2) Wearing it again. Because it’s two pieces I can (and will) wear it again. I’m already thinking about being invited to some fabulous black and white New Year’s party (I’m open to your invitations ;)). I have a black velvet and raw silk top that would look awesome with the skirt!

3) Any shoes I wanted. Because the length was a non issue, I was able to buy any shoes I wanted and didn’t worry about the height of back up shoes for the reception. Also, major bonus, people could see my fantastic Cynthia Rowley Shoes.

4) No Bustle. Because there was no bustle to worry about I could sit easily, dance easily and just enjoy the party.

5) It’s different and totally me. Because I’m so petite one of the issues I had with dress shopping was, even though I tried on many beautiful gowns, they just seemed to be wearing me.

Some Tips:

If a short dress is what you’re after, don’t go straight to wedding gown salons. If I hadn’t fallen in love with this dress first I would have looked off the rack. Take a look at white party dresses at department stores. Even if you spent $300-$800 on a fabulous designer cocktail or party dress, that is still much less than your typical wedding gown.

During the planning process I got a lot of “Love the short dress, wish I had the courage,” or “I could never do it, but it looks great on you.” So I say to you — don’t be motivated by convention. If you want to wear a short dress to your wedding — I say go for it! Just because tradition says it’s not “bridal” or you don’t think it’s formal enough for a wedding doesn’t mean you can’t look fabulous! If you feel beautiful that is all your husband and guests are going to see.

So now I’m dying to know — are there any other bees or readers out there who were or plan to be short dress brides? If so, was it for a first or second wedding? I know that it used to be the case that women would choose a shorter dress for a second marriage. I’d LOVE to see photos of you in your dress! I felt like a huge minority in the process (not that I minded at all) but it would be lovely to share with some other short dress brides!