Rae,
I'm a little surprised to be the first to comment but the infinity dress simply looks too big on you--too much fabric/volume and too little structure. On the plus side, I think this can be easily remedied. I personally like the styling in 10 the best because it shows off your beautiful collar bones but I think it would be much more elegant and streamlined if you took a lot of the fabric off the sides of the skirt--not too the point of mermaid, but just for a more straight cut. This is all personal aesthetics, of course, but I think that ANY wedding dress you choose should fit as if it was made for you and I think that because this dress was made to be styled in so many different ways, it necessarily doesn't have that custom fit look to it with any one of the styles.

I'm curious to see where you are after you've done a bit more looking but if the infinity is a winner, and I do think it's a beautiful dress with loads of potential, then my vote would be to have a skilled tailor fit it to your frame in whatever style you ultimately choose. Also, when you do try on other dresses, be sure to try on some ivory tones (or even pale green, pale blush, etc)--you may find you like them on your skin much better than the stark white.

That sounds good Rae...I've definitely done this before on a smaller scale -- purchased clothing that wasn't "quite right," but had so much potential. If you never felt in love with it, I think checking out other dresses is a good plan. I'm sorry that you had a bad experience the first time, but I think that most (smart) sales assistants are pleasant and helpful, so hopefully you will have a better experience this time. I also liked other suggestions about checking out white non-wedding dresses which will be less expensive and work for your casual venue. Good luck and keep us posted! Don't worry, you will find something that you feel beautiful in

Auburn, you bring up a very good point. None of my work skirts have much volume to them, and they are all fairly structured and tailored, too. Hmmm... I will be sure to look at things that are more sleek.

I think you looked best in #1 -it's sleek, especially with that thin black belt. Not fond of the rest, they looked sloppy to me. the cris-cross sash in the back-not into that either-it's not very elegant and looks unfinished. BTW your back looks fine, not sure why you are obssessing over that. You're a very pretty young woman.

I'm so glad to hear that it's the dress you're not in love with because at first it was
sounding like the problems were with how you felt about parts of your body - pounds,
pooch, backside. Your own self is first-rate and does deserve a dress that shows it
all off that way.

If it's the dress you don't love, (vs. your body), then I DO think you should look again. Maybe this just isn't "you" in an important sense. You can at least take a look at a few options.

What Auburn said. Keep us posted!

Ah, Vildy and Suz, it didn't occur to me that it sounded like I was unhappy with my body! That definitely is not the case - I'm generally very pleased with that these days, thanks in part to taking WIW photos, believe it or not. WIWs have spoiled me, I guess; now I want to look that nice all the time...

I agree, it would be worth trying on some less voluminous dresses. I don't remember your wedding date--do you still have some time?

Ditto Alicat's comment--how soon is your wedding?

If you have the time, I vote for trying to find something that is *you* and within your budget. I think you might have better luck with regular dresses from mainstream stores, vs. a bridal shop. For example, for $150, you can probably find a beautiful long summer dress on sale in a nice fabric (e.g., silk) vs. a very inexpensive-looking bridal dress, if that makes sense.

For example, here's one in silk at the Rack online by Donna Ricco, for $80, available in lots of sizes.

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/do.....tback=1824

ETA: I feel like I should share my own wedding dress story, because perhaps it's influencing my comments here :). I got married in '95, way before there were any online options. I felt pressured to accept what I ended up wearing, and I HATED it. It was ill-fitting and I looked and felt terrible in it. As a result, I hate the wedding pics and they are in a box somewhere in the basement, never ever to be displayed or seen. I have looked back on that time and just WISHED that I'd had the Internet, or J. Crew, or any of the other many, many options now available outside of the traditional wedding dress sellers.

Hmm Rae it sounds like you are leaning away from using your infinity dress. For what it's worth, I actually love that it's so much more unstructured than what you usually wear; paired with being out in the field with a small group of your closest, minimal accessories and your beautiful long hair, I think it'll be appropriately romantic and wild looking. *dreamy*

Now. That said, I think to make this dress work for you, you'll need to find a way to add a little more structure to the TOP half of the dress. Look into getting a bra/cups sewn in, and see if you can add some stiffness to the bodice. Out of the styling options here, 6 gives you the most balanced waist (I know you said you're feeling short waisted in this dress).

If you can keep it in your head that you've got a pretty option waiting at home, I think you can have a lot more fun looking at other dresses with a lot less stress. When is the big day again? It's this month or next, right?

(Ohhhh how I wish I lived closer to you, I want to go dress shopping with you )

Wish you were in NYC. I can be the wingman with the 'tude.

Reading your last response, I think it is worth for you to try to find a ready to wear option, due to the short deadline.

Why don't you give us some ideas about price range and the style(s) that you feel more drawn to. I know the gals here ( including myself), would be happy to find some choices for you!

You have an amazing body, so I think you will have a very easy time finding a good fit. It is your special day, don't give up on feeling 100% beautiful. I don't want you to settle.

Jonesy, thank you for sharing your story - that is exactly my fear. I've hidden prom pictures, graduation pictures, birthday pictures... I want to look at our wedding pictures!! I love the dress you posted, though one reviewer said it is super long for her with heels and can't be hemmed?

Zapotee and Aida, I wish I could have shopped with you, too - weirdly enough, the girl I did go dress shopping with is no longer coming to the wedding... ha!

In answer to the question about what I'm looking for... I will definitely have to try more shapes. The first time around, I had this crazed idea to have white on white stripes, and at some point I saved this pic of a Carolina Herrera thinking I could have one made in Vietnam if my friend went back there to visit her family. That clearly didn't pan out, but I still kept the pic. And of course there's the one I posted the other day - really drawn to the offbeat/modern/almost-edginess of that one.

Oh, and the date is 8/25... so not that much time, but workable. For budget, I'd probably go up to $200, but any more, and I don't think I'd end up married in the end, lol.

Rae, FWIW, I think #10 is stunning on you.

You have a little time to look, and you should be completely happy with what you wear, so I'll be rooting for you to find the right dress.

Have you considered making the infinite dress, you know, finite? If you picked the style you wanted, you could tailor it into one perfect garment. I love the white on white stripes, and I think the breeziness and flow of the dress is a wonderful match for an intimate outdoor wedding.

Girl X, I think that's a great idea. Something to consider. I really liked look #10. I see that it's a bit too long (don't want to trip), and I figured that was because of the art of the quick change, but a little sewing could fix all that.

I like the first dress above, with the *U beading* but I also find it a bit stiff for an outdoor ceremony. I'm not sure I'd want to hike anywhere in that.