Berkeley Parents Network: Where to Buy Dresses for Wedding

Berkeley Parents Network

Where to Buy Dresses for Wedding

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > What/Where to Buy > Where to Buy Dresses for Wedding

Non-traditional wedding dress

May 2008

Looking for a dress to get married in...not white, not poufy, not shiny. My perfect dress would not rustle. It would preferably be a simple but well-cut off-the-rack dress that will be found in a store with good selection and kind, helpful sales people. If that store also had a nice selection of mother of the bride dresses, more's the better! Our budget is almost nil, so vintage or second-stores would work. Another interest I have is for organic, hemp, or fair trade dresses...but I don't even know where to start. I would welcome any and all suggestions...I'm getting a bit desperate! Thanks!

I think the wedding line in JCrew is really nice. But I don't think they're organic... but they might be. Check out Jcrew.com. anon

Matching bridesmaid dresses for wide variety of size/styles?

April 2004

Hi, I've checked the archives but would like more up-to-date information, hopefully convenient to the Oakland/Berkeley area.

Has anyone purchased bridesmaids' dresses or had them made recently? I am going to be a bridesmaid soon and the bride has just put us in charge of finding our own dresses. We'd like to find matching dresses under $200 each that will be appropriate for 7 women who range in age from 21 to 35, have a fairly drastic variety of body types, and whose personal styles range from hip-hop cool to librarian-ish geeky.

Writing this, it is becoming clear that whatever we come up with will be hilarious. Still, I welcome any advice, so thank you in advance. At Least The Bride Will Look Great

I just got my daughter a flower girl dress on eBay for $30. I noticed that many purveyors of wedding attire, including bridesmaid dresses, sell there. It *can* be difficult to get in quantity there, but it's not impossible. When I got my daughter's dress, they had a ''Buy it now'' option (meaning I didn't have to bid) and they had several sizes and colors of the same dress up for sale. Karen

An idea worth considering is picking a fabric you all like, and then sewing or having a dress made from a variety of patterns, so that each bridesmaid can have a style suitable for her body type and personal taste. A friend of mine did this, and the bridesmaids (she had 5) looked great, and even had a dress they might wear again (gasp!). I think she retained veto power over the patterns and fabric ultimately selected, just in case someone went berserk, but I don't think she had to exercise it. Wendy

I got married last August and although I don't like the big corporate stores, I used David's Bridal for my bridemaids. I had five bridesmaids in four different US cities. They could all find a local David's bridal to get a dress. (There is one here in Pinole.) I picked one style line (Shades of You) and a color. There were eleven styles in that line and so they could each pick the style that they liked the best on themselves, but they would all be in the same fabric and color, and all the dresses went together.

Here's a link to their ''Color Expressions'' style line: http://www1.davidsbridal.com/bridesmaids_dresses_express.jsp and they each cost about $110. They fit sizes 2 to 26, and they will alter the dresses for you. Hope this helps! Andi

This is just a little out of your way but we had great luck with David's Bridal in Pinole. We were all different ages, shapes and sizes, too, and the bride picked the color dress she wanted us to wear (plum). From there, we got to pick our own dress style (halter top, short sleeves, no sleeves, even 2-piece, etc.). I think we paid around $145 for each dress. So we were all able to look similar yet we wore what flattered us (as much as a bridesmaide dress can flatter!). Good luck! anon

I just bought a bridesmaid's dress last week from The Wedding Party on College near Alcatraz. I clerk was very helpful. Appointments are required. They've got a website with several of their dresses but they don't list prices. The Siri dress I bought was about $200 plus a rush charge. Siri also had a website. The shop is also used to working with clients who are out of town. I must say that I like my dress a lot and hope to wear it to upcoming showers and other weddings . . will see. Good luck! Coleen

If you are willing to have them made, why don't you ditch the idea of matching dresses and go for dresses made out of the same material, but in cuts to flatter each person. Or, if you aren't going to have them made, then pick a color and all find a ready-made dress to fit/flatter each of you. The bride sounds very cool if she is putting you guys in charge of finding your own dresses.

Bridesmaids dresses are the one do-over that I would have back for my wedding. I really didn't care what they wore, but my bridesmaids made me go out an pick something out for them. they looked great (they all had similar figures), but they definitely weren't wear again type dresses. And, in retrospect, I would have loved them to each have found something in similar styles/colors, and something that they each chose for herself. Each groomsman wore the tux already hanging in his own closet. They were all different, but it looked very cool in the pictures. jan

The size differential is normal for weddings. There are a number of things you guys can do. One is you can pick a color and let everyone choose their own dress style that works best for them but all in the same color or fabric. There are several bridesmaids companies that make dresses which have separate tops and bottoms which you can mix and match- so same color and fabric but one top is off the shoulder, one is long sleeve sheer, one bottom is a line another mermaid. Most bridal shops have dresses well within the 200 range and many give an extra discount if you also get the tuxes there- for instance Sterling bridal in Pleasanton 925-463-9432 gives a 15% discount if the tuxes are rented through them. Another idea is to go to the Design Center they have a couple of bridal shops in there and the dresses are often about $70 bucks less. There are lots of internet things but I always need to try things on so those never really work for me. If you want to go with the same exact dress I'd suggest the two most divergent sizes go together and try the dresses on till you find one that best suits both body types- everyone in between will fit nicely. Personally I wanted to keep the costs down for my bridesmaids so I picked a nice summer dress at Mervyn's for $40 and $20 shoes and left it at that. My idea being that maybe folks could wear it again if it was just a nice party dress insted of these fancy, fancy things. Good luck and just have fun and try not to get to bogged down in the details. Juliette

Several years ago, I was the bride who left it up to my four bridesmaids to figure out what they wanted to wear. I thought they could each decide on a dress that flattered them and fit their personal sense of style. They all had somewhat different body types and heights ranged from 5'3'' to 5'9''. The only thing I really dictated was the spectrum of colors -- no pastels -- and then they took it from there. Interestingly, two of them went shopping together and found the same dress that looked good on them -- and then they emailed the other two who also agreed to match. Simple gold A-line dresses with burgundy scarves -- they looked fabulous, and I was really delighted that my girls came through without putting any pressure on me about the search or decisionmaking. The dresses were from Jessica McClintock -- there's a store in Union Square -- and they could be bought off-the-rack or ordered (no extra charge) with a week's turnaround. The dress was something like $125 and many of the other styles there were under $200, with an array of colors. I think they have a website, too. If the women want to wear different styles but the same color, that can be done as well, since many of the seasonal palettes are the same across the different dress designs.

Two years later, I was one of five bridesmaids who were told to find our own. Although I went to Macy's SF Union Square and thought they had a great selection of reasonable, off-the-rack dresses, I ended up at Jessica McClintock again (as did one of the other bridesmaids) for a great deal on a sale dress off-the- rack. I did have to spend money to get it altered, but that goes with the territory for me. The five of us (from all over the States) just kept in touch via email and kept our dresses similar in length (decide on cocktail, tea or full-length), general style (fitted or full) and color palette (deep colors like burgundy and emerald blue and navy vs. pastels vs. primary) -- and it worked out great! Good luck -- Noreen

Non-pastel flower girl dress for summer wedding

March 2004

it seems all 'flower girl' and fancy dresses come in pastels. we are looking for rich, saturated, all RED 'flower girl' dresses (size 4, 6 and 7) for a hot humid summer wedding. hopefully fluffy and incredibly darling, plus cool, comfortable fabrics. and of course, not wanting to spend an arm and a leg. ( I am sure you can get whatever you want at those expensive Bridal Stores). has anyone seen any out there ? thanks for any tips ! andrea

Have you tried eBay? I just checked and they had lots of red dresses for little girls in the Wedding Apparel/Flower Girl Dresses category. I just got married recently and I bought TONS of stuff off of eBay, because it was simply the best and cheapest way to get things for the wedding. There's really nothing risky about it, because eBay has insurance to guarantee your purchase. Sellers receive feedback from their buyers, so you can check to see if some one is reliable or not. Because people sell from EVERYWHERE, you get so much more variety, and reasonable prices, sometimes even extremely good deals. At least take the time to check it out, it will be worth your while, I promise! eBay convert

try looking around fruitvale Bart where there are lots of shops catering to Latino families. You will probably find something there that meets most of your reqs, though I'm doubtful about the cool, comfortable fabric part! deborah

The other day I was at Marshall's, on San Pablo, in El Cerrito, and they have tons of frilly dresses, and I am sure I saw some darker colors, including red. It is worth a try. kate

We found a deep red flower girl dress at Sweet Potatoes near 4th Street in Berkeley last year about this time. It was on sale - I think it was originally a Christmas dress. It has a little jacket which can be taken off, and has a sleeveless darker red bodice with a more plum colored taffeta skirt, but it is not particularly summery. Unfortunately we only have one size six. If you don't need them all the same, you might be able to borrow it from my daughter. In any case you might check there - you never know. Susan

Simple, elegant gown?

March 2002

One of my best friends is getting married in the fall. (Yay!) I want to help her shop for her dress, but I'm new to the area (as well as out of practice on this type of thing) and don't know good places to go. Can anyone recommend some shops in the East Bay that have a good selection of simpler, elegant gowns (no poufy stuff, she said) with decent prices and friendly staff. Thanks. Justine

Lacis, a lace store on Shattuck Ave. near Ashby in Berkeley, sells vintage wedding dresses from a variety of eras, starting with the early 1900's. Marina

There's a dress store on College in the Rockridge area of Oakland, just north of Hudson St. on the west side of College, I think it's called Art to Wear - they have beautiful dresses and wedding gowns. ramisima

Well, I'm a big believer in reusing dresses, if possible. There is a very nice consignment place in Walnut Creek, Cherished Gowns on Main. Why pay full price? It would certainly be worth taking a look. Wendy

I bought a beautiful dress at Soiree 5407 College Ave. in Oakland. The upstairs of the store has a great selection of elegant dresses that do not seem like typical poofy dresses. The woman who helped me spent, literally, hours helping me find something that fit my body type (and it wasn't too expensive). Another store that had some great dresses and accesories is called Shadows in San Anselmo. Best of luck!

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