She's speechless ...

[marmeejan]

Hello, all.
I'm the mom and daughter is still stuttering. The proposal came earlier than expected,and now we seem to have about six months to pull this off. Perhaps worse, we are all POOR, please note the capital letters, but want this to be the day she is a princess.
We are searching for an A-line strapless gown with full skirt, size 6-8 for as little money as possible. We have zeroed in on a couple of Jessica mcClintock styles and have found shops within driving distance that carry that line. Also got a bid from an online discounter through DBS. Can anyone out there advise how to approach this and which shops are difficult within a two-hour drive of Portland ME. Specifically we are looking at Modern Bridal and Formal in Manchester, NH, Patricia Buck in Augusta, ME and JMC Boutique in Boston. Anyone got anything to share?
Thanks

[Community Chest]

Try EBAY! You might find something you absolutely love!

Bridesave.com carries Jessica McClintocks -- they're cheaper than what Jessica's stores sell them for -- they also ship very fast, often in under a month.

AND bridesave.com takes returns! :D You might have to pay a restocking charge, but it's a lot better than eating the cost of the gown if you are not happy with the style at all. :D

You might also try:

Upscale department stores -- prom gowns will double as a wedding gown (lots of aline styles with full skirts)
Consignment shops
Borrowing a gown from a friend or relative

[kimbee]

Diamond Bride makes upscale dresses. It recently closed its US manufacturing facilities. The company is having all of its retailers return their store sample. Then the company is shipping the dresses to be professionally restored, and then the dresses are being sold on ebay for $250!!!!! (You can also call the company and order a dress directly.) I fell in love with a $2,000 dress from Diamond Bride back in February, and last month I ordered one of these dresses from the company for $250 (plus $20 shipping)! The dress is supposed to come in in May. The company's feedback from the dresses it has been selling on ebay is all positive. I would highly recommend checking out the company's web site (all of their dresses are still on the site). I am pretty sure there are dresses available similar to what you described. They only drawback is that they are almost all size 10-12. I doubt it would be difficult to alter a dress down one or two sizes, and keep in mind that wedding dress sizes usually run bigger than street clothes sizes. Good Luck!!!!!

[cjenni]

LOL...I'm a mom in the same boat as you. The reply about borrowing a dress is good. I borrowed mine when I got married, but only because my sister had borrowed it from a friend when she got married and I liked the dress. My sister and I both wore the same dress and it looks completely different on each of us. I also borrowed the veil from another girl and it matched the dress exactly. You might ask around and come up with a dress. Also I have not ordered from, but have checked out bridesave.com and the dress my daughter tried on and liked in the store was $828 and bridesave.com has it for $537.

[mellysail]

Wow, congratulations. I would offer a couple of suggestions:
1. JC Penny online. I bought a dress for $99.00 there. Didn't like the fit, but on someone else it may work very well. THey had three or four dresses. Plus, when I didn't like the dress, I brought it back to a JC Penny store and they credited me, no questions asked.

2. J Crew. Check their sale- I think there are still a couple of dresses for under $500.00. I bought my "dream dress" for $100.00. The only problem was that I didn't check the size chart- woops- too small. So I had to buy another one but, I'll get my money back on ebay or craigslist, which brings me too...

3. E-bay/ Craigslist. You need patience to try these sources, but they are so worth it. Craigslist you can probably try on the dress, E-Bay not, but its still worth it.

4. David's Bridal- the 800 pound gorilla of the bridal world and the good the bad and the ugly all in one store! I bought my dress there. As a non-sample size, I liked being able to try on a dress in my size and see what it actually looks like. Don't be afraid to walk away from a certain David's Bridal to go to another one in the area- they're as common as Starbucks, and the service varies from store to store. I went to the one in Nashua NH and in Natick MA. Nashua had ruder sales people but a bigger selection. Natick was much nicer, but the dress I liked was in Nashua. The sales girl in Natick suggested I make an appointment on a Tuesday or Thursday afternoon- those are their slow days. It may make sense to take a day off to scour for a dress.

Hope this helps. To me, all of the dress stuff is pretty secondary. Dresses vary, but there are about 5 major styles of dresses with just variations on details. Your daughter will find something pretty, and I'm sure if she's willing to let go of some of the details, for under $250.00. GOOD LUCK!!!

[ColleenM]

www.bridalonlinestore.com - I found this site posted by another bride - Melanie and she raved about how inexpensive the prices are and how high quality the gowns are! She ordered a designer - look-alike gown from here and recieved it within a week! She said that even her seamstress was very impressed by the high quality of the fabric and the fact that the beading and trim work was all sewn on, not glued. She said they have excellent customer service - very friendly and very helpful and I think I remember she also said they have a great return policy. Sounds good to me! I'm headed to a local couture store Friday to try on gowns and I'm going to find my top 3 favorites and then I'm going to search this site for their look alike companions! Good Luck to You and Congratulations!!!

[karstmama]

depending on what details your daughter wants, consider a dress meant to be a bridesmaid's dress in white or cream or candlelight, etc. yeah, i got the idea from bridal bargains.

i got an a-line cream dress with empire waist and sheer overskirt, and added ribbon embroidery flowers around the neckline and a silk sash for under $200 total.

decide what says 'wedding' to you, put your focus there, and don't get mired in stuff that's unimportant to you!