Lately, there has been whole slew of defunct factories that
Wedding Dress Superstitions
Before you launch into this article, please remember that superstitions are just for fun. Thirteen is the unluckiest number in some parts of the globe, the luckiest in others, and of no importance of all in still others. Weddings can add a lot to worry about to your life you dont need to top that off with a fear of meeting a lizard on the way to the ceremony.
My friend Annes policy on superstitions is one of the best Ive heard: If she thinks something will bring her some extra good luck, she adopts it. And if she thinks it will bring her bad luck, she ignores it as though its the silliest thing shes ever heard of. After all, if youre going to choose to believe in luck, why not stack the deck in your favor?
Making the homecoming dress stores dress
The one unlucky superstition Im in full favor of is the one that says its bad luck for a bride to make her own dress. Why not let someone else do sexy wedding dresses it while you stay tasked on looking lovely? Some traditions elaborate on the idea by saying that the number of stitches you make in your own wedding dress will be the same as the number of tears you shed during your marriage, so it seems like a clever superstitious bride might be able to rig things in her favor by contributing a manageable four or five stitches to the process.
While youre supervising the dressmaking process, the luckiest fabric is supposed to be silk. English tradition says that you shouldnt wear a patterned wedding gown, and should especially avoid patterns showing birds, but some Asian traditions recommend wedding dresses with cranes on them to ensure a faithful husband.
If you decide to forego having a wedding dress made entirely, think hard about whom you borrow one from a borrowed wedding dress is supposed to bring good luck to the bride who borrows it, but bad luck to the wife who lends it out.
Wearing your dress
Youve probably heard that the groom isnt supposed to see you in your dress before the wedding, but did you know that you arent supposed to see you in it either? You can get around that little trick of luck by fitting your dress in sections, or by leaving a little bit of the hem undone. Some brides even wait and have a bridesmaid put in the last few stitches right before the trip down the aisle.
Planning on having kids? Pay attention during the reception: The first child who tugs on your skirt will be the same sex as your first child.
Things on or in your dress (other than you)
If you want a sweet marriage, you should hide a lump of sugar in your glove or sleeve. (Whats that? You want a rich marriage? Talk to your shoes. Or better yet, put coins in them.) For a lucky marriage, sew a few hairs into your dress, and for lots of children, sew cowry shells onto or into your dress.
If you happen to find a spider in your wedding dress, do a little happy dance once youre done yelling Ick! It means very good luck and a happy home life.
Above all, dont forget that as a bride, you yourself are a lucky charm to everyone around you. Save the pins from your wedding dress (and bouquet, if there are any) to give to your friends theyre supposed to bring your pals luck in everything from love to gambling! You might also consider sewing love knots to your dress. These are little figure eights of ribbon that you can give out as good luck charms later.
Congratulations on your engagement!
And good luck!
Wedding Dresses and Prom Dresses The Pitfalls of Going Cheap
Today's brides and prom girls are faced with ever rising costs in all areas of their lives, but especially so when it comes to preparing for special occasions, like weddings and prom! So it's important to create a budget and to plan and shop wisely. Getting the best value for the money is on every shoppers agenda and today, more than ever, women are given the option of purchasing a custom prom or wedding dress at a fraction of the cost, just by heading overseas!
Many companies overseas are willing to make a custom-made dress for women in the U.S. who want a certain style, but are unable to afford a high quality designer wedding or prom dress. If you decide to purchase your dress from an overseas factory, you need to be aware of the many important issues that will come up regarding the quality, size and color of your dress. You will also be faced with all sorts of shipping issues which are out of your control and out of the control of the vendor.
Lately, there has been whole slew of defunct factories that have re-purposed themselves to address the needs of American women seeking affordable formal wear. Often, these factories have no other experience in fashion except how to run the machines and how to convince the public to buy from them. They own none of the beautiful gowns you see in the pictures and they have made no money selling their gowns to knowing customers.
Low Quality
The actual photos of the real gowns are owned by the real designers of the dress, who overlook the production of each and every gown at each and every aspect of the production cycle.This is called Quality Control and at many overseas factories, you will have none of that. For instance, the picture will only be the suggested look of the dress. The vendor will use a photo of a dress to copy it in your preferred color and size. But keep in mind, the dresses are only replicas of the picture, they do not own the actual dress you are seeing in the picture. The copy will be made so it looks like the same dress even though the material, quality or details won't be the same, for the price you are willing to pay.
Most likely you will not even get a dress that looks like the picture, so beware. One dressmaker from Hong Kong told me, "even though the dress will be almost similar in shape, we cannot be 100% sure, that this dress is exactly as the picture or that the quality will match the original one". She went on to state: "if the quality was the same as the real dress, believe me, the price would also be much higher."
Nevertheless, even if you were happy with a dress that looked almost like the picture, you might be surprised if the details of your dress were of a less expensive version. For example, one customer expressed regret that her wedding dress looked cheap because her foreign dressmaker used sequins instead of beading. Sequins on a wedding dress! From far away, you couldn't tell the difference, but she was too embarrassed to wear it to her own wedding, so she had to purchase another dress that was of the quality she felt she deserved. To make matters worse, since it looked like the photo, she was not given one dime of her purchase price back, even though she shipped the dress back at her own expense!
Poor Fit
Your custom made dress will be made-to-order, using your own measurements. If you receive your dress and it needs to be tailored, you be prepared for the additional cost and time to make it fit your body perfectly!
Nowadays, good tailors charge $45.00 - $55.00 per hour. Extra turnaround time could be up to a week, or more, if the tailor is vera wang evening dresses not overbooked!
Other common design problems include:
cheap fabric that wrinkles or shows permanent water spotting from steam irons
poor workmanship
plastic beads and crystals
large pearls in place of seed pearls
garish thread color
poor or non-existent foundation / boning features
poor finishing
unprofessional hemming
see-through lining
While it's true that many of the authentic design companies use manufacturers in Asia and beyond, not all factories are created equal, we know. The really good ones are contracted by the major design houses around the world and are constantly monitored for quality.
Strange Color
If you are buying online, you will obviously be viewing the color choices for your dress on a computer screen. Since computer screens have chromatic aberration, especially between CRT screens and LCD screens, you cannot be guaranteed that the color of the dress will be exactly the same with the photographs you saw. Don't take a chance on being shocked at the outcome. Always ask for fabric samples (swatches) to be sent to you by mail before you order! Any reputable distributor is more than happy to send you samples of various colors and the various fabrics they incorporate into their gowns.
Uncertain Shipping Time
Shipping time can also pose a problem, especially if you are up against a deadline and did not allow enough time for the dress to be transported across the ocean. You might not get your dress for up to 30 days after you place your order. Because you bought the item from opposite side of the earth, it needs time to ship and the duration on its way to you is out of your control. Once the item leaves the hands of the dressmaker, it is out of their control as well. So if the shipper has to add a few days here and there to their travel time based on unforseen circumstances, you may be without a dress for your next special occasion. The shipping times for overseas packages have a lot more leeway than what we are used to in the U.S. Keep in mind that you won't get your money back, if the vendor sent your dress on time, but the shipper held its arrival up for some reason.
While we are on the topic of shipping, you need to be aware that you, the buyer is responsible for all import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping charges. Your dress will sit in a crate at the dock until these expenses are paid and the box is released to the overland transportation company. This could take up to 2 additional weeks if Customs waits for your check to clear, before it ships.
Oh, and in the event you are so dissatisfied with your dress, you do want to send it back for a refund, be prepared to pay the return shipping as well.
Are you willing to gamble that your next special occasion dress will be just what you want in all ways: fit, color, quality? If you don't want to take a chance, then be sure to purchase from an authorized dealer of authentic formal wear. Be patient and mindful, and watch for semi-annual sales of last season's dresses and you will be rewarded with the best, not the second best.
