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Weddings: 2nd Dress?


I've noticed more and more people are opting for a second dress for their wedding reception.  I'd love to hear your thoughts on this (as I'm planning my own wedding)?

27 comments:

  1. I have a mixed opinion on this...I loved so many dresses for my wedding that I could have easily picked two! However, it is the one day you get to splurge and wear the most AMAZING dress ever. If you opt for two amazing dresses, I'm slightly obsessed with this one http://www.shopbop.com/ci/3/wedding/bridal-and-wedding-2011-no-prelude.html#page2

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  2. I did it and people absolutely loved it! I received so many compliments and was able to move much more freely while dancing, etc.

    I haven't put my professional pics up yet, but you can get an idea of what the switch looked like here:
    http://www.allthisgraceandcharm.com/2011/04/married.html

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  3. I'm getting married too next Spring. I am planning to get a cheongsam made for my chinese tea ceremony following my traditional ceremony, but will probably change back into my wedding dress for the reception. After all, I figure I might as well get my money's worth.

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  4. i wouldnt want two dresses! I felt the prettiest i have ever felt in my life in my wedding dress, why would I want to change out of it? plus there are enough things to spend money on when ur getting married, a second dress... no thank you!

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  5. I loved my gown too much to change into another one for the reception, but I did make a switcharoo for our last dance and the "after-party" (the youngins all took over the bar of the hotel where we were spending our wedding night). My parents were married in the 70s and my mom's dress was this simple, hippie cap-sleeved gown... I cut off the length and turned it into a mini-dress! It was so fun to wear and so special to feature her gown!

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  6. I'm asian, so I wore the white beaded silk taffeta & organza dress for the ceremony & the first chunk of my reception(I wanted our first dance to be in it.) I then changed into my red & gold asian wedding dress. You can find pics of both here. I posted pics for Laura's Baubles fit for a Princess party for her Royal Wedding Series. Speaking of the royal wedding, Kate changed dresses later in the day, too. So if it's okay for royalty, there's nothing wrong with the rest of us getting to wear 2 dresses, too.

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  7. I was watching Bridezillas (classy, I know) and the girl had SIX dresses. She was only in one of them for 20 minutes. I wore the same dress all night, but I also think a party dress could be super festive!

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  8. I WISH I'd had a second shorter dress... for late night dancing and the afterparty. We ended up having to leave the afterparty because it was a small space and people were stepping on my bustled train.

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  9. i think if you find two dresses you love, why not? but i think planning on anything for a wedding never works exactly how you expect-so just go with the flow and if you find two awesome dresses go for it! i loved being in my one dress all day-but i was married in the temple then went the the reception following, so not a lot of people would have seen my first dress if that makes sense.

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  10. A close friend designed her dress and the long skirt came off to reveal a shorter skirt with harlequin trim. I loved the surprise~ I think a wedding dress should be worn for that one occasion but a 2nd dress for the reception is kinda fun.
    pve

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  11. I would never have wanted to change into another dress at my wedding- I mean you only get one day to wear a long white dress of your dreams and to be a bride so why not own it and wear it as long as you can. I wanted to sleep in my dress I loved wearing it so much!!

    So....did you set a date????

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  12. Could you have your dress altered to "detach" at the waist to reveal a shorter gown? Some gowns are great for this (those that have a seam already on the waist), and you can kill two birds with one stone. If not, the practicality is really what you need to think about. I got my wedding dress for a steal, so I was ok with having a separate reception dress (even though I ended up deciding against it), since I didn't feel like I had to get my "money's worth." Comfort wise, you'd definitely appreciate having a shorter party dress for the reception, I can tell you that. Plus, it's something you could possibly dye and wear again like Sherry over at Young House Love .See her post about it here:

    http://www.younghouselove.com/2008/10/i-wanted-to-dye/

    Either way, your wedding is your wedding, do what you want because it's what you want. End of story =) Hope this helps!

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  13. im so torn on this. one the one hand, two is better than one.but on te other i imagine when i get married it is not going to be an inexpensive gown(im obsessed with moniques) so im pretty sure my dad will kill me if i suggest taking it off that evening

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  14. No, no! It was so much fun to wear my dress (my ONLY dress) that I wanted to wear it on my honeymoon! Seriously, find one dress you love that makes you feel great.

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  15. i got married 3 weeks ago. i always assumed i would change into a reception dress but after i found my dress i was so in love i could not take it off. i would have wore it on the plane the next day if someone would have let me. i would say wear your dress...unless it seriously limits your dance moves.

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  16. My best friend just did this last weekend and I was so glad she did. Her grandmother's 67 yr old gown for the ceremony and a more fun, casual dress to dance and party in at the reception. Go for it!

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  17. I think it's a great idea and totally wish I had worn two different dresses for my wedding. My BFF got married last year and she wore an elegant long flowy gown for the ceremony and for the bride&groom photos; and then she had a shorter sassier number for the reception and for the pictures of her with us (the bridesmaids). I thought it was awesome. Do it.

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  18. I think that buying one ridiculous dress that you can only wear once, and then have to pay to have tailored and stored for the rest of your life is a definition of insanity. Especially if it's so constricting or unwieldy or uncomfortable that you need a second dress to last more than an hour or two on your feet.

    I hate to sound like a rainer-on-of-parades, but there are so many adorable little-white-dresses out there (Kate Spade and Anthro just just released fantastic micro-collections of tea- and knee-length LWDs that are totally bridal-appropriate). My plan is to buy one dress: one that I love, that I can move and dance in, and that I can wear again and again on anniversaries and dates and to shows and parties.

    Then maybe I'll buy a pair of $900 heels or something, but honestly I'd rather spend the money on the life I'm building with my man than on the kickoff party. (He does love me in heels, though...!)

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  19. I loved my wedding dress and wanted to soak in every moment I could in it since I knew I'd never be putting it on again!!

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  20. I like the idea of a 2nd dress for an after party- thinking of it for my wedding (way wayyy in the future lol). I'd prob get just a white cocktail dress, not necessarily one that is a "wedding dress".

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  21. I think having a second dress is so fun, but why in the world would you get another dress? I only wore one on my wedding day. I wanted to feel like a princess as long as I could. My thoughts were that if I were going to spend a lot on a dress, I wanted to wear it as long as possible. Happy Weekend!

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  22. I had two dresses. I wore my mom's dress for the ceremony, but still wanted something of my own. So, I got a party dress too!

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  23. I changed into another dress at the reception not too long before leaving for our honeymoon. I was so much more comfortable and by then I was ready for something easier to move around in. It was ivory and tres chic. I received countless compliments.

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  24. I love the second dress idea! You get a variety more of photos and it's easier to dance in. :) Plus, fun getaway shots!

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  25. i love the idea of the second dress, but when i put on my wedding dress the day of our wedding i loved it even more than i did when i picked it out. I couldn't imagine have to change into something else...i want to wear it again!

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  26. I'm planning my wedding as well and am opting not to do the second dress. I am too in love with my gown. Plus, I feel like you should look like a bride that whole night - it's your only chance!

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  27. I'm a little late to the party here (I was busy getting married myself when you posted!), but I definitely loved having a second dress. At first, it seemed like such an indulgent idea, and why wouldn't I want to wear my wedding dress for the whole day?! However, as I began to have some major health problems leading up to the day, the idea of something a bit more forgiving really appealed to my more practical side. I picked a shorter dress for the reception; both dresses had the same waistline and were both ivory. I got into my gown at 6am, wore it through the prep, ceremony, photos, receiving line, dinner, and first dance. I changed into the second dress (and I cannot tell you how happy I was to remove that corset!!) at about 6pm, and I felt that 12 hours in the dress was worth it. My second dress got a couple of photos before the photographers went home and got to be seen by everyone at the public reception (we had to split receptions because of the dinner). I got so many compliments on my second dress, including from a lot women who wished they had done the same/now planned to do the same. The best part? The second dress only topped out the budget by £120! WELL worth it for me!

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