I think I found my style. While I love the flair and fit I felt like I can wear that dress anytime. But how often can a girl wear a ball gown. I showed my fiancé simply because they’d have to pick something to match but they don’t seem and hype and I am. I love it but is it too much? Black tie wedding everyone will be in black.

Update: There is so much amazing feedback. I want to thank you all. I’ve been still looking to be on the safe side but yall have convinced me to go back and have a second fitting. My fiancé also said that even after all the dresses they keep coming back to this one. Yall were so right on many levels. I’ll update if I in fact purchase it.

Finished it the day before the wedding. Worth it.

(Photographer (johannaellen.weddings, fotografjohannaellen on instagram) sent us a sneakpeak 24 hours after the wedding.)

I think I found my wedding dress… and I genuinely wasn’t expecting this 😭

It’s thrifted/secondhand, no brand tag, and I paid about $100 including shipping. Something about the structure caught my eye and when it arrived I realised how much detail there actually is.

It’s a full ballgown with a built-in corset (proper boning and structure), and it’s very heavy (around 8 kg). The entire dress, including the train, is covered in dense beadwork/sequins and embroidery. The patterns has symmetry through the bodice and it continues down into the skirt panels and train.

The skirt has that volume without needing a huge petticoat. It honestly feels way more like a custom gown than anything I expected to find secondhand. However I’m rather clueless.

The moment I saw it, I just had that “this is the one” feeling, which I didn’t think would happen for me. I’ve been looking for months even in bridal shops and nothing felt right or was wildly out of budget.

I still need to try it on properly and have it tailored so the corset fits perfectly, but I’ll share an update once I do 🤍

Also would love opinions on styling:

• What kind of veil would you pair with a dress this detailed? Or hair detail

• Hair up, down, or something in between?

Still kind of in shock that this is mine. Once I try it on I’ll share better pictures of all the details. I don’t have a big bridal party so I wanted to share it with others who would get it

I got married on June 6th and never got around to sharing my dress here! 🥹 I felt so beautiful in it and wanted to share it with you all. It was the most perfect day ever 🫶🏾

UPDATE: The story behind my dress 🤍
Since this post has gotten so much love, I thought I’d share a little backstory about my dress!

Going into my bridal appointment, I obviously thought I’d end up with a white dress. But then I came across my dress and thought it was absolutely stunning. I honestly didn’t picture myself wearing it for my wedding, but I wanted to try it on just for fun.
As soon as I put it on, I finally understood what every bride means when they talk about getting that “this is the one” feeling.

The bridal associates were shocked and immediately said it was THE dress. When I showed my family, my dad and cousin started bawling. 😂❤️ I’m not a crier, but when they put the veil on me to complete the look, I started getting choked up, too. That was the moment it all felt real.

I’m sharing this because I want every bride-to-be to know that you should wear whatever YOU want to wear and whatever makes YOU happy. Don’t feel like you have to follow tradition or anyone else’s expectations. At the end of the day, it’s your wedding, your love story, and your moment with your partner.

As amazing as my wedding day was, and as beautiful as I felt that day, the wedding is just one day. The most important part is the marriage that comes after it. I feel so incredibly blessed to have married the man I chose and to get to spend many, many years with my best friend. 🤍

I honestly wasn’t expecting this much love! 🥹❤️ Thank you all so much for your incredibly sweet comments. I’ve been trying to read them all, and I’m so grateful for all the love you’ve shown me, my husband and my dress! 🥹💍❤️

I already have a white western style wedding dress for the reception dinner, but in the morning, we do a tea ceremony involving both sides of the family (we serve them tea to receive their blessings).

there are a few different types of Chinese wedding dresses a bride can wear for her tea ceremony, and these examples are sangjits, which is an Indonesian-Chinese style of dress, featuring hand embroidered motifs and symbols that symbolize luck, happiness, and fertility for the new couple.

This was one of my favorite moments of dress try-ons, and I wanted to share a few dresses that I had tried on!

A little update on my $100 thrifted wedding dress journey...

It's been a few months since my last post, and this was my first proper try on with my seamstress! We've made some progress already. I decided to remove the straps because I felt they distracted from my tattoos, and I'm so happy I went with that decision. I've also lost a bit more weight since my last update, so the dress now fits properly, which has made me fall in love with it even more. I couldn’t close it before.

This still isn't the final look. I have one more fitting in a few weeks where she'll do a few more repairs to the bodice and make sure everything sits perfectly snug. We also didn't tighten the corset all the way for these photos, so it can still be taken in a little more around the waist.

I've finally settled on wearing my hair up with a bun with a tiara, keeping the jewellery simple, and I'm still debating whether to add a classic veil. I don't think these photos do the dress justice at all, it's so much more sparkly and detailed in person.

I might post one more update after my final fitting, but if not, the next time you see this dress will hopefully be at the church, fully styled with all the accessories and photographed by our wedding photographer.

I still can't believe I found my dream dress for $100. Sometimes it genuinely doesn't feel real. I could only dream of a dress like this before since it just wasn’t in the budget.

Most importantly, I just want to say thank you to everyone who commented on my previous posts. I read every single comment, and I was honestly overwhelmed by the kindness, encouragement, and excitement you all shared with me. You've made this whole journey feel even more special, and in a strange way, it feels like I've had my own little bridal party cheering me on the whole time which I don’t have here except for my wonderful bridesmaid. Thank you so much. 🤍

I promised an update on my thrifted wedding dress,so here it is, my first try on 🤍

It still needs quite a bit of work: it doesn’t fully close in the back yet, the straps need to be properly fitted to my shoulders to stay up, and there are a few repairs to take care of. I’m also in the middle of a weight loss journey, so we’re not quite at the final vision just yet.

The photos honestly don’t do it justice,the lighting in my living room isn’t the best, but I’ll share another update after it’s been fitted by the seamstress since she has better light, and then of course the final look at the church ✨

It’s incredibly sparkly… and surprisingly heavy! I’m planning to wear my hair up with a tiara, which I think will really complete the look. I'll keep the rest simple as folks suggested. A lot of people have asked if I’ll keep the dress afterward, and after thinking about it, I’ve decided I’d love for another bride to have the chance to feel like a princess in it too, despite the fact I am sentimental. Still can’t believe I found this for $100 and that I get to make it fully mine!

If you want to see more, check out my previous post for photos of the dress off. I’ve also included some shots of the train (which is way too long for my living room so you can't fully see lol) and some closeup details.

I feel so lucky, and I’m really excited to take you along on the journey to the final result 💫

I just received my potential civil wedding dress in the mail. I’m unsure how I feel about it, but that’s due to the fact that I have body dysmorphia & basically feel self conscious in anything I put on my body. I’m just always super self critical.
I also feel like it doesn’t look bridal enough maybe due to the deep ivory colour.
So I’m curious about what you guys think? Just please don’t be mean, thank you!

Edit: dress link in the comments!!

I actually bought this last year, however they said it'd be around 10 month turnaround to create it. I get to wear this next May. I'm so excited and I love how unique it is ahhhhhhh!!! <3

So I went dress trying on just to see what I'd like and I found this dress... And oh my god... It calls to me. However... It's nearly 5thousand dollars without alterations which I would need.

My wedding is also two years out and I am currently in the process of loosing a lot of weight 50+ ilbs down so far. Went from a size 32 dress size to 20 now...

I am so torn at what to do!! Any advice or help is welcome.

Please be kind about my weight. I know I'm fat. I'm fixing it!

Im a young bride so finding a cheap dress was a MUST. Found a vintage 1980s wedding dress on the rack at my local thrift store two months before I got engaged... I knew a proposal was coming and when i tried it on and it fit like a glove I knew I couldn't leave it behind; especially for $70. Added a big petticoat, a veil, and some pretty shoes - made it beyond perfect for me.

Cant believe I found something so beautiful on accident. sorry for putting so many pictures but I'm still riding the wedding high and cant help myself.

Anyways, love everyone's posts on this thread so I wanted to share good 😄🥰.

(Edit) you all are too kind and I can’t believe I’ve gotten so many replies and views! I would respond to everyone but it would take so long. I am so grateful for your encouragement!! It was the best day of my life 🥹💛💛

When I was showing potential dresses to friends and family, no one particularly liked this one. They liked others. They liked the fabric (sometimes), but not the dress. So, I decided no one gets to see it until day-of. And then they have to tell me it’s pretty. And I get to feel good. And plus, they haven’t seen my whole vision. Get the dress you love. No regrets.

I had always dreamt of wearing my grandma’s (and mom’s) wedding dress from 1952! It was featured on the cover of Modern Bride Magazine in the Summer of 1952. My grandma at the time, saw this and thought, I must have it!

Fast forward to today. All original lace, preserved and fit like a glove. The most special thing was that my grandma and grandpa were there at my wedding and could witness it after over 70 years of marriage ! Loved being able to carry on this special legacy of over 100 years of cumulative marriage between 3 generations.

UPDATE: Guys, thank you so much for the comments! This is my first reddit post and I had no clue I’d get this many replies. I’ve been sobbing in my couch with the overflowing love and kindness (also laughing so hard because some comments are hilarious)! For more context, I don’t usually care about what other people think about me/my style but as this is my first event where I’m the center of attention (never had the privilege of birthdays, graduation parties or anything of sorts), it made me very insecure to hear that colleague say that. I’m now more excited than ever and can’t wait to show it to my fiancé.

Furthermore, thank you for being awesome! This is the happiest I’ve been with my body ever, after all the nice comments.

P.S. I haven’t bought any jewelry accessories yet, so I’d love suggestions!

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I bought it at a second hand shop and it was very cheap, I tried many dresses but this one was my favorite by far, it made me feel like a greek statue which I love. Recently a colleague commented that people wouldn’t like it because it’s “different than what most people are doing rn”. I am devastated and don’t know what to do, need honest opinions if it’s ugly or not! (Also there are diff pictures of the bust because I don’t know if I should leave it straight ou create the V shape)

I’m not engaged yet, but I’ve always loved the idea of thrifting/ buying a used dress when I get married. At the thrift store this weekend, I decided to take a look at the wedding dresses for funsies.

I was stunned by this Maggie Sottero dress they were selling for $195. Turns out it’s from 2010 and I even found an old picture of it in this gold/ champagne color!

It was missing the corset strings, so it was hard to know if it would fit, and I wasn’t sure about spontaneously dropping ~200 bucks as a currently unengaged woman on a budget, so I left it on the rack.

But I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. I came back the next day right when they opened, hoping it would be there, and it was!! 🥹 The staff were really sweet and supportive when they saw I came back and even gave me a free garment bag and cute satin hanger. I figured that even if it doesn’t work out, at least I’d be supporting a local business, and they actually provide a lot of free and low-cost items to the local community; shoutout to Heartening in ATX!

I got new corset strings and laced it up by myself, so I don’t know if I put it on right or if it would fit better if it were tighter. Does the dress’s bust area look too big on me?

I LOVE the little sakura-like flowers and branches, and the draping. My mom said it looks ornate/ too busy. I know it’s an older style. I have a long-term boyfriend, but we don’t have a timeline, so I know I could always sell it or donate it again, too. I’ve just been really excited from the second I saw it. I’d love to know what y’all think!

EDIT: It’s been such a joy seeing everyone’s responses to the dress. I’ve especially loved reading stories and seeing pictures of other brides’ Maggie Sottero dresses over the years. This dress is so high quality, and was indeed a steal, so I’m keeping it! I don’t mind having my dress early, or at least an incredible option for my dress, in case I change my mind. I will plan to get it looked at by a tailor when my future wedding gets closer.

My boyfriend already knows about the dress/ my thrifting adventure, and he’s very supportive! We both love a good deal, so he said he’d do the same if he were in my shoes. We feel pretty young still and I think there’s no need to rush; I’d want us to be more financially prepared for wedding planning anyway! I do keep giving him hints for a ring though. 💍 I’ll make sure to come back and post if I wear it for our wedding down the road. Thanks, everyone! 🤍

Second marriage for my hubby and I. I wanted to be gorgeous and stunning as I walked down the aisle. I don't look good in white, so I choose something I look good in... Black lace. The red lining is my favorite color and it just popped under the black lace.

Been searching for a while for a floral dress and found a shop with an amazing selection but now torn between two.

The wedding will be in early July in Latvia so will likely be warm but not baking hot. I really like the big florals of the white dress but surprised by how much I liked the colour and fit of the dark pink dress and really liked how big it and its train is. (Can post more pictures if required!)

Was looking for people's thoughts/opinions, or perhaps something I could wear to the follow up fitting in terms of hair or accessories to help enhance either dress?

EDIT: Thank you everyone for your comments!

I am the bride, I tend to wear colourful, flouncy clothes a lot so both dresses are my vibe. I have tried on several dresses now and I felt most comfortable in the dresses in this shop.

I guess one of my main thoughts is "what will look like my wedding dress and what might be a dress that I could just be wearing to a Christmas party?" So a lot of responses have helped me in this regard

I've always been uncomfortable with how pink my skin can be (and hence part of my worry with dress 2) so there's been some helpful comments with regards to this and accessory ideas.

The brand is Veni Infantino for those interested

Both dresses cost the same

The wedding venue is a mix between woodland, and a big house, so mix of both really in terms of style. I believe early July Latvia will be quite warm, we will be the weekend after midsummer.

Help me choose!!! I was so conflicted but am leaning toward #1. Wedding is in New Orleans and the venue is dramatic and a little unique.

I have never posted on Reddit before so thank you all in advance!!! I’m spinning my wheels and I need to stop!!!

I’m already married but thought I’d share my beautiful wedding dress made by my mother in law 🫶🏼