Mrs. Bubblegum, Exeter, NH
Age and Occupation: 24, Actuarial Analyst
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Ressearch & Development
Engagement Date: February 9, 2007
Wedding Date: May 2008
Blogging Since: November 2, 2007
Venue: Dunegrass Golf Club
About Me: I can be summed up by the four things I love most: kitties, cheese, math, and Mr. Bubblegum. I am knee-deep in DIY projects to keep wedding costs low but quality high for the special day when I get to marry my bestest friend.
It Could Happen To You
April 25th, 2008 @ 8:59 am by Mrs. Bubblegum
…It’s terrible. I am officially a TDB (Two Dress Bride).
Basically, the more I tried on my dress, the more I started to feel uncomfortable about it. I guess there’s this general sense that brides are supposed to look pretty, and the more I thought about it, the more I thought I just didn’t look pretty in my dress. I think I have partially overcome this, but in the meantime, I did something a little wacky…
I had always thought this dress from Target was just a ridiculously cute, simple dress for like, practically free. And as my dress insecurity was mounting, I finally made a decision - for $89.99, I just had to get the Target dress. Just to SEE.
For a week, I tracked the heck out of that package. Today, it took all I had not to leave early, as the tracker read “Delivered.”
And y’know what? Pretty anti-climactic. The dress is just too dang big, and I can’t tell what it would look like for real. Also, I’m too lazy to do up all the little buttons when I know it’s just gonna be too big. So now is the big question - do I put a bunch of money into getting the Target dress altered to the correct specifications, or do I buck up and wear my original dress?
The Target dress (folded and bunched so it looks a little less like a giant rectangular box):
My original dress:
Oh yeah, anddddd btw, the wedding is, like, in a month. 
80 Responses to “It Could Happen To You”
I think the two dresses are SO different in style that it really depends on what look you feel more comfortable, and more “you” in. I think the simple lines of the target dress are lovely, and very classic. And I can imagine that it would make your waist look teeny tiny when it was properly altered. If it was me, I’d probably go with that, because I’m not a fan of lots of “poof” on myself, but it’s really your own decision! Either way, I think you look lovely in both dresses!
Wow - I LOVE your original dress. You look beautiful in it!
I bought that Target dress too, and it was way too big for me. I forgot to return it during the time period, so now it’s mine. I’m planning to have it taken in and shortened, and use it for a rehearsal dinner dress.
I’d say stick with your old dress. You look beautiful in it, and your wedding’s coming up too soon to stress about another dress.
I LOVE the first one! You look stunning in your first dress! It is gorgeous!
If you want to wear both - Perhaps wear one for the ceremony and one for dancing? Or dye the target one and wear it to your rehearsal dinner?
I like the shape your original gown gives you. To me, the Target gown is really simple. But it really matters what you feel comfortable in.
I love the first dress too. Ironically, as soon as I saw the link to the Target dress my first thought, was “but their clothes fit oddly so often…” then saw the size issue you had! Definitely stick with the real gown– I would return the Target dress.
It doesn’t look like the Target dress would ever fit you perfectly, and it’s really plain. This is your day to shine, so wear something fabulous.
The original dress is gorgeous! It’s really flattering and looks just delicious! If you like a simpler look, maybe pull your hair back into a sleek hairstyle like in the first picture. You’re beautiful!
One for the ceremony and another for the reception. A great seamstress can make the Target Dress fit perfectly - just ask any dry cleaner in your area for an alteration recommendation.
you look fantastic in both, but your original gown is my favorite
I think after you spend a ton of money to get the Target dress altered, you’re going to realize that it is too plain for you.
I say stick with the first dress…it is really pretty on you and you picked it for a reason in the beginning!!
i LOVE your first dress. you really look gorgeous in it. it fits you perfectly. and like kaci said, there was a reason you picked it in the first place. i think you’re just starting to question it b/c the wedding is getting so close. stick with the first one.
Stay with the original. The Target dress isn’t nearly as flattering– besides, with cheaper fabric, it probably won’t hang well after alterations. Plus, is the strapless top really structured enough to stay up on its own all night? Usually cheaper dresses have less boning, which means more hitching up the top as the night wears on…
You look beautiful in your original dress!! I agree with Blackbird - a sleek updo would be perfect with this.
you look BEAUTIFUL in your original dress!
I agree with everyone - the first dress looks wonderful on you. And again, a sleek updo would be perfect!
Your wedding is the one day you shine and I think you shine in your first dress. Very pretty. I think the idea of the target dress to be used as your rehearsal dinner dress is a great idea. Good luck.
Your original dress is great! It will probably photograph nicely. Way better than the Target dress.
It seems as if you have just tried your original dress on too many times, so you are starting to second guess it. My advice is to just not try it on again until your wedding.
I say, just throw the Target dress back in the box and get your $89 back.
scrap the target number. it was cute on the model but does nothing for you…imagine how many monster clips were being used to make that silhoutte on her…..
your original dress makes you look beautiful!
can’t believe you dont have to have ANY alterations….
I agree with everyone—-Keep the original! It’s beautiful!
I too agree with everyone else, the original dress is gorgeous and looks terrific on you! I say stick with your first instincts. I think you’ll come back around to being in love with it.
Stick with your original, it looks gorgeous on you. You don’t need the stress and added expense of trying to make the Target dress work.
I definitely agree with everyone else - the original one is stunning on you. Send the target one back - I don’t even think it would be a great reception dress - the other one just makes you look incredible I can’t see why you’d want to take it off! You will be a beautiful bride!
I’m not usually a fan of poof and pickups, but I think they make you look like a princess (in a good way!) Your original dress definitely feels more special.
I also bought a second dress, but ended up going with my original.
First, I think you look very pretty in your original dress! However, I do understand having second thoughts about it. As a fellow TDB, I say just go with your gut. For me it ended up being the new dress with alterations, and shelling out the extra cost for the dress + alterations was totally worth it. I know I’ll feel beautiful and still like myself on wedding day. If I had to cast a vote for which dress I like better on you, I’d have to say the original. But no matter which dress the people here vote for, remember, it’s your vote that really counts.
save the moolah–send it back! your first dress is so very beautiful and much more bride-like. i agree with the others regarding the simple, sleek hair. you can streamline accessories (a cuff or simple-line earrings) to stay modern. you look absolutely lovely in your dress.
i enjoy target and the fact i can get trendy stuff there and not break the bank, but always wondered about those bridal dresses… they may be right for some people (if they order 2 sizes smaller), but generally Isaac Mizrahi anything is sized up quite a bit. the fabric really looks different than higher-end fabric.
original dress. it’s more unique and you look GREAT in it.
I’m not sure why you don’t feel pretty in the first–it is outstanding on you! Is it that you prefer a more fitted, show-the-body-off, modern look? If that’s the case then you should go with the second. But if really it is just about looking pretty I think it is no contest–the first one wins! Oh, and if you are looking to show the bod off maybe a strapless knee length sheath for your rehearsal would be good.
i love ur original dress!
I like your original dress over the Target dress.
Of course you should wear what makes you feel comfortable and beautiful, but I agree with the many other comments: you look amazing in your original dress. So pretty!
The original dress gives you a beautiful shape. But as a two-dress bride myself, I say go with what makes you feel fab and don’t worry about what other people tell you! It’s really about how you feel in the dress.
the original dress looks beautiful on you, don’t think twice.
Original all the way. You look like a beautiful bride in it!
I love your original dress - and you look great in it! It looks like it fits beautifully. I think your time and money would be better spent on additional alterations to your original dress, if you can figure out what you actually don’t like about it. It’s hard to tell from your description. Are you sure that you’re not really just unhappy with something else, and you’re kind of taking it out on the dress?
I don’t think the Target dress does anything for you, I’m afraid. Too straight up and down.
What is it you don’t like about your original dress? Both dresses have the same neckline for example, so maybe it’s that you don’t like?
I know you’re ridiculously close, but if you’re that concerned, could you try some sample/consignment stores? Just to try completely different styles.
I agree with the others though - go with your gut!
I think you look great in your first dress.
The target dress is so plain and if the altering doesnt’ work well and you endup spending $300 total on the dress you are going to be unhappy. What is it you are not happy with the first dress? Are there too many pickups? If there are, why not see if you seamstress can let a few down to soften the dress a bit.
Perhaps the seamstress can alter the first dress a bit to suit you.
I will go against the grain of the thread and say go with your gut feeling. If you feel so strongly against your original choice then don’t wear it - and especially since you still have reservations at this stage. I have to say that the target dress, while still needing alterations, gives you an elongating, elegant look that is much more flattering in my opinion. A good seamstress can turn the target dress into an Armani-looking gown - a few nips at the lovely waist you have, maybe add a pale sash with a brooch for some sparkle, a great veil and you’ll look like a million.
Good luck!
STICK WITH YOUR ORIGINAL DRESS!! That dress is objectively gorgeous, AND you look amazing in it!! As a bride who had tons of hangups about her own dress, even as everyone who saw me in it told me how amazing it looks, I can symapthize when you say you just don’t feel pretty with the original dress. But TRUST me (and all the previous posters) — YOU DO LOOK PRETTY! Also, I think a sleek updo would work, but I actually really like the half-up/half-down/slightly curly look you have in the pictures — so romantic!
I also agree with the previous posters who are against the Target dress. It’s just so plain, and even altered I don’t think it is going to be as flattering as the original dress.
Obviously do what your heart tells you. However, it is my opinion that you look STUNNING in the original dress! It has so much more personality than the Target dress. If simple is what you are going for, go for the Target dress, but you look so elegant in the first one!
You look WAY better in the original dress (and very pretty, I might add).
all throughout fittings, i never felt pretty in my dress until my wedding day. i liked it, i just didn’t *love* it. on my wedding day, with the makeup and the hair and the accessories, i finally, really felt beautiful…and loved my dress.
i would stick with your original dress. it is beautiful.
Stick with the original dress. The Target one is just too darn plain for such a special occasion. But if you still have your heart set on the Target one, maybe you can keep it for the reception by having the seamstress alter it and add some more bling to make it more dressy. Wear a different color sash on the Target one so that it stands out more.
Wear the first dress! It is gorgeous and LOOKS like a wedding dress. I think you are over-thinking this decision. Once you get all dolled up on your wedding day, then you will feel pretty.
I can’t believe I’m endorsing a pickup skirt over clean lines, but I like your original dress SO much better on you. The fabric of the Target dress just looks cheap, in my opinion, and I don’t think it will photograph well. I don’t know what they did to the dress to make it look like that on the model online, but I don’t see that dress ever working out like that on you–it’s just waaay too big.
If you really don’t like your original dress, can you find something off the rack at David’s maybe? Or can you get yourself back into the “I love my dress” that made you buy it? If you stick with your original, stop looking at other dresses!
I think you’ll be a beautiful bride no matter what.
Between the two, definitely the original one! The Target one has 0 personality. This is gonna be the most important dress you will ever wear, do not even consider the Target dress anymore.
Definitely the ORIGINAL dress. Hands down!
you most certainly DO look pretty in the original dress.
i like the original dress too. and, with all the time and money you’ll most likely spend to make the target dress more to your liking, it’ll be a lot more than the original price for a plain looking gown that’ll you’ll probably then want to dress up.
you can always keep it handy for a reception dress should you tire of wearing the first one.
i think ultimately it really depends on the style you are most comfortable in and feel the most fantastic in… that said- just by the pics I say go with the original dress. it looks great on you. truthfully the target dress kind of looks like a lot of bridesmaid dresses and while i am a fan of simple it is missing something.
Your original dress really is gorgeous and you look totally beautiful in it. I say go with it! There’s a reason you bought it in the first place and you would probably regret not wearing it.
I love the original dress on you! You look stunning in it.
The second dress is okay, but it just doesn’t have the same… oomph as the first one.
What is it that’s making you not like the original dress and not pretty in it? Because I think it looks perfect on you and you look SO good in it!
I like the original dress, it’s….”prettier”.
I agree with Jay. If there is something you just don’t like about the original, I am not sure the Target dress is the solution. Go to a sample sale or David’s Bridal and see if you can find something else if you really don’t like the original. OR reread your post on how you selected your wedding dress and remember why you selected the dress you bought. It really looks so beautiful on you and seems to suit you! I wasn’t a pickup fan myself when shopping but you make it look so fabulous!!
I say stick with the original, it looks beautiful on you
Another vote for the original dress!
But you could do a costume change, and wouldn’t THAT be fabulous?
I was a two dress bride too so I can totally understand. It’s your wedding day so you should feel beautiful — I say go with whichever you feel the best in regardless of what others say. If that means taking the plunge to alter and/or add details to the Target one, don’t hesitate and do it. On the other hand, know that you DO look pretty in the original dress as well!
I think you look GORG in your original dress - SO GORG! When I first saw the pictures I thought wow that look perfect on her.
First - do what makes you feel better. That said, you look lovely in the original dress! The Target one will take some work to get it in shape, which may add more stress to an already stressful time.
Pin it up so it fits (somewhat) and sit in it for a while - see if it wrinkles terribly or not. Also, have someone photograph you in natural light to check on how it photographs (assuming you’re doing any pics outside).
If you have it in your budget, meet with a seamstress and ask what they think the finished product will be like and what will be involved in the alterations process (how many appointments, how much money, and when the dress will be finished). If it isn’t too crazy, go for it - you can have a backup dress or you may just fall again for your original. Let us know what you decide!
The original looks great on you. If you have extra time and money, go ahead and alter the second one, and have a dress change. If you don’t have that luxury, skip it altogether
I love the original too, but ultimately of course you have to go with your gut! Do you have time to exchange the Target one for a smaller size?
“Didn’t look pretty”? Are you kidding me? You look (and will look) gorgeous! But, of course, go with your gut
Oh God, the exact same thing happened to me yesterday. Well, I finally admitted the first one I bought just wasn’t flattering on me, as cute as it is.
I like both of your dresses, but I would go with the Target dress, if you can get it altered. They do both look pretty on you, though.
Both dresses are cute…..but I’d get the Target dress altered. Even holding it as you are it looks awesome!
Honestly, do what you feel.
I don’t understand why you don’t feel pretty in your first dress — it honestly looks gorgeous on you.
If you feel more yourself in the target dress then go with it, but as an objective outsider opinion I really think the original dress is the way to go.
good luck!
Original! Hands down. The target one could be nice - but rather blah and uninspired. You can fit or dye it later and wear it all you want. True, the original you’ll only wear one day - BUT your wedding day is the ONE DAY you get to get away with poof and pick ups and embellishments!
and, i agree with the rest of the hive, you may be Miss Bubblegum, but you need to be Miss Bananas for thinking you dont look amazing in your original dress!!! (ok - yes that was terribly cheesy - but you get the point.) =)
If you went with the Target dress, does that mean you could sell the original and use that money in a way that would make you really, really happy? If so, I say do that. Otherwise, if it’s completely and solely based on style, go with the original. They’re both nice in different ways, but the original is more memorable.
They both look great (or, in the case of the first one, could after alterations). My advice, as a 2 dress bride myself, is to go with whatever makes you feel most comfortable and “you” when you’re wearing it. I chose the cheaper of my 2 dresses (polyester instead of silk, etc.) but loved it because it wasn’t constricting in any way so I never had to think about it, and it just felt like “me”.
I’m sure either one will be beautiful — good luck!
Your original dress is beautiful! Also, when will you ever have another occasion to wear something like it?
Awwww GARSH, you guys make me feel so good. Thanks so much! Apparently I care a lot about what people think, because reading these made me feel a LOT better. I think I’m gonna be sneaky and not tell my decision until the wedding.
i love your first dress (it’s kinda similar to mine so i have to love it). its super flattering & simple and fun at the same time. i also LOVE love love the idea of shortening the target dress or doing something funky to it as a second dress if you cant return it. i’d be a 2 dress bride in a second (for a simple, short dress) if i wasnt so intent on wearing my big poufy dress the whole dang day, no matter what my bms/etc think. its the one day to be a bride, so flaunt it in whatever makes you feel gorgeous!
I think you look GORGEOUS in your first dress. Of course I would go with whatever makes me feel better, but I really think (just my opinion) that you look more “bridal” in your first dress. It works with your great figure and is really flattering (just my opinion!).
BUT if you’ll feel more confident, beautiful and sexy in the Target dress than I say go with it!
piperbenjamin makes a good point… would you sell your original dress?
You look so beautiful in your original dress!! Totally! (and I’m not usually a fan of the more elaborate dresses!)
Your orignial dress is beautiful
Is it possible to exchange the Target one for a smaller size that wouldn’t require as many alterations? I know they have a nice exchange policy for things bought online. I agree with the first poster, though, that they are very different dresses, so pick the one you feel best in!
Your original dress is STUNNING! on you!! I vote for that one!
original, please!!!
I’m going to go with the original dress as well. It makes such a statement (a good one!)
Your first dress really is stunning. So classic and beautiful. The new dress seems pretty blah. I hope you can begin to see again how gorgeous you look in the first dress!
