plastic beads and crystals
Wedding Dress Trains
After you've decided on the style of wedding dress you want, with the perfect neckline and sleeve, the last piece to add is the train. One of the main determining factors in the length of your train is the formality of your wedding. The shorter trains are perfect for informal or semi-formal weddings. The longer, more elaborate trains are best suited for the formal and ultra-formal affairs.
The most informal train is the Brush Train, sometimes called the Sweep Train. It is just slightly longer in the back of the dress than in the front and just brushes the floor behind your dress. This train is perfect for that lovely beach wedding or homecoming dresses sale the semi-formal ceremony and won't add a lot of volume to the back of your dress.
Slightly longer than the Brush Train is the Court Train. It travels about 3 feet from the waistline and adds a little more volume than the Brush Train to the back of the gown. It's also great for most ceremonies, formal and informal. It's not, however, recommended for your garden or beach weddings.
The Chapel Train has become a most popular train, due to the elegance it adds to the dress, while still allowing it to be appropriate for the semi-formal affair. This train extends approximately 4 feet from the waist and is very often used by Vera Wang on her designer creations with lovely embroidery appliques and beading. The more elaborate the embellishment of the train, the more formal the gown becomes.
A very formal addition to your wedding gown would be the Cathedral Train. The Cathedral Train trails 7 to 7 1/2 feet behind her waist and makes an incredible statement when the bride makes her entrance. Often, top bridal designers, such as Vera Wang, will design dresses with removable Cathedral Trains. That way, after the pictures and receiving line, the bride can have her train removed and enjoy the reception.
The Royal Train is absolutely breathtaking when seen trailing 9 to 10 feet behind a gorgeous designer wedding gown. You will be in the church while your train is still coming up the steps. Only the most formal of ceremonies is appropriate for the Royal Train, also known as the Monarch Train. The picture of Princess Di walking toward the alter is a perfect example of the regal Royal Train. Now picture it on your Vera Wang original with silk organza bodice and light ivory silk satin with an interlayer of lace leading to the train. But keep in mind, With this much added material, you'll need additional attendants to assist you.
The last train is unique and different from the others in the way it attaches to the dress. Not at the waist, but at the top of the dress; at the shoulders or the back, depending upon the way the top of the dress is cut. It can be any different length, from the same length as the dress to extending well beyond the back hemline. This is the one type of train, if made with a sheer fabric, that would be lovely on a Vera Wang sheath dress for a beach or garden wedding.
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 buy wedding dresses online 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 homecoming dress under 100 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 not overbooked!
Other common design wedding dresses stores 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.
