Getting married!

Renee P

I am getting married! I am trying to find a dress I like. I tend to like vintage looking dresses. I don't even know where to start.

I live in the Chicago area. If any of you have any ideas of good places to go, I'm all ears.

9 years ago

Dressing

14 replies

Latest reply was from April

El Cee

Veteran

Congratulations Renee. How exciting! I am not from the Chicago area, so I do not know what brick and mortar stores are near you. I do know that Etsy is a good source for authentic vintage wear. Anthropologie also has its own line of vintage-like wedding apparel: http://www.bhldn.com

9 years ago

rabbit

Veteran

Congratulations! I shopped vintage for my wedding dress, but the sizing was so tiny and light colors tended to have faded/yellowed so I ended up wearing a newer vintage-look cotton embroidered lace dress over a longer vintage Edwardian underskirt. It ended up looking very similar to this: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/418271884119271728/

Good luck!

9 years ago

Anonymous

Congratulations! I am sure you will look "drop dead gorgeous" in whatever you find.

9 years ago

Anonymous

Congrats! I don't live anywhere near Chicago, either, so I can't recommend any stores. What about Etsy? You might find something there.

9 years ago

Barbara Diane

Veteran

Congratulations!
This may sound crazy, but sometimes Goodwill and the Salvation Army have older wedding dresses. If you don't like the

the style, they often have fabulous fabric that can` be remade into just what you want by an expert seamstress. Also, an expert can sometimes adjust a dress to make it work. I wore my mother's dress, and to make it larger the seamstress was able to remove some of the lace, put in extra silk under it (from another dress from a similar time period that she had material leftover from after making smaller), and then put the lace back on.
Enjoy.

9 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

Congrats! What fun is dress shopping! Maybe there is a bridal magazine local to your area... There are several for where I am out in California. Chicago must also have some great vintage stores, as it's a big city.

9 years ago

Alassë

Veteran

Congratulations!

9 years ago

viva

Veteran

Congratulations! I don't know of any places offhand but will text a friend for ideas.

9 years ago

Barbara Diane

Veteran

Congratulations!
Here's an unusual suggestion. I've seen gowns with beautiful details at the Salvation Army. An expert seamstress can transform them if they aren't exactly what you want. And my seamstress was an expert in wedding gown adjustments. She lifted off the lace from my mother's gown, added in matching silk from a similar gown (which she had when leftover after taking in another gown) and then reattached the lace. No one could tell from looking at it that this had been done.

9 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

CONGRATS.

Start by looking at David's Bridal, Anthropologie, Nordstrom and J.Crew. That should give you a solid and varied starting point.

9 years ago

deb

Veteran

Congratulations!

9 years ago

TraceyLiz65

(website)

Veteran

Congratulations!

9 years ago

Windchime

Veteran

Congratulations! Enjoy the process of selecting your special dress.

9 years ago

April

Veteran

RG -- Not sure what sort of wedding you're planning, but if it's not a great big traditional affair, I would encourage you to look very broadly and not merely at "bridal" lines. (Back story: I have had two tiny weddings, both at home, and both in clothing not necessarily intended for brides.)

Look everywhere. Don't be deterred by the fact that it may not have "bride" on the label or in the department or shop name,

9 years ago

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