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I am on a longer-than-expected hunt for bridesmaid dresses for my girls. I have 6 girls who vary in height (4'11 - 5'11), shapes and sizes and I certainly want each girl to look and feel great in whatever dress(es) I choose. I was recently recommended to a convertible dress seller on Esty, who carries a shade of purple that would look beautiful with our colors (finding shades of purple to work with our colors has been a nightmare in itself, but that warrants a whole different post :). From the beginning of my wedding planning, I was excited about the idea of each of my girls sporting the same floor length dress with a different top – so these dresses could work wonderfully with that vision.
My question is, has any brides/bridesmaid used convertible dresses for a wedding? If so, what is your general feedback and do you have a recommended store or seller that you could share? Also, my only concern with these dresses is that I have seen (although only a few) photos where one or more of the girls was not wearing the appropriate undergarments and I am wondering if anyone has been back or suggestions on that as well.
I appreciate your thoughts, comments and feedback. Thank you!
I'm using BL Couture from Etsy!! Great competative prices and we recieved the dresses two weeks ago (great quality!). She also sends free swatches!
I definitely recommend katesy from radicalthreadco shop on etsy. We haven't gotten all of our dresses yet, but working with her has been a dream!
I wanted a charcoal color, and she sent me a bunch of free swatches in the beginning. I was between two colors/fabrics and she guided me toward which one would be a better fit. She also has the option to send you a free sample dress so you can see what it looks like and how it feels before you buy (You do have to send the sample and the swatches back once you are done looking at them, but that did not bother me one bit) I ended up choosing a fabric she only had a limited amount of fabric on (and so didn't have a sample), and decided, on my own I would order one in that fabric, pay for it, and see if I like it (I was already planning on buying an extra for myself for the hineymoon!) She rushed that order, and got it to me within a week, so I could see it asap! The dress was great quality and all of my girls LOVED it!
She's been working with me ever since, and answers all of my questions with a couple hours usually, and has pretty much helped with anything I asked! I would recommend her 100%
I have some thoughts from wearing convertible dresses... get some fashion tape, etc to help hold the dresses in place, especially if undergarments are a concern. There are great youtube tutorials on how to wear the dresses (i needed these, at least). Make sure the fabric isn't too clingy - there is one I actually got from target on clearance that is super cute, but is sitting in a drawer until I lose another 10 lbs or so because it doesn't hide much. You might not have that problem from etsy, though, that dress was pretty cheap.
Thank you very much for the comments and recommendations! This is so helpful!
@Baker2Be - thank you for the referral. I emailed Kate about her dresses. Can't wait to hear back.
I used Coralie Beatrix on Etsy. She was a dream to work with and my girls looked AMAZING. Her quality is fantastic, and the long gowns are about $100.
I got TONS on compliments on my BM dress pick. The girls loved that they could choose how to wear the dress, and they all picked really flattering styles.
Good luck!
Convertible dresses SUCK for girls with big chests!! I am at 34D and the convertible dresses were so innappropriate looking on me! You can kind of get away with it if you're prepared to wear a low back corset with it, otherwise you will be pulling on your bra all night.
Keep in mind that if you have to wear a bra with the dress, you limit the number of ways you can wear the straps.
Take your girls to American Apparel and have them try on their brand of convertible dress before you go buying off the internet.
It takes a specific body type to pull these dresses off comfortably!
Good luck!
I've been thinking of putting my bridesmaids in convertible dresses but I'm worried what it will look like. They range from 4'11 to 5'10, a size 0 to a size 12. I think I may wind up just picking a designer, fabric, color & length and letting the girls pick their own dresses.
Rosiet: I just spoke with a woman on ESTY who custom makes the size and length of the dress for each girl. I, too, have the issue of 6 girls who range from 4'11 - 5'11 and are many different shapes. This might be a great option for you too!
This info is from Baker2Be (above in the thread:) kate richards from TheRadicalThreadCo
Good luck!
I chose convertible dresses too and was going to order through Etsy - the PP is right that Katesy was really great to work with. Ultimately though, I couldn't get her prices where I wanted them and just had my girls order the Dessy Twist Wrap dress through ToastBridal.com.
Girls with larger chests can typically get a matching tube top to go with it - that provides more coverage and the ability to wear a bra with any style.
I also recommend watching the tutorials. I got a sample convertible dress for myself and it was REALLY hard to figure out the styles on my own, and much easier when I had a friend helping me. So make sure you/your BMs plan for a decent length of time to get dressed on the actual day.
we went to twobirds a while back and LOVED their dresses but at $270 a pop I'm trying to find a less expensive alternative for my girls. i've been in touch with Kate as well but I'm a little uneasy about the material choices and not being able to see a dress in the fabric i'm interested in makes me really nervous (she does send out loaner dresses but these are usually in her not-as-nice fabrics).
have all you guys that have used her before been happy with the end product?
i've reached out to Coralie and BL couture as well.
@kate02121: My bridesmaids are wearing the Dessy Twist dress also! I will have to look into ordering the tube tops for them.
@Nicoso: I actually have a big chest, and everyone I've seen has come with an option of a tube top, and I love it.
@simpsoncarr: You're welcome! She is fantastic, if you want you can tell her Samantha (saingma) sent you to her, I have a different name on etsy. I hope it all works out for you!
@kate02121: It was a little on the pricey side, and I chose a fabric that had to be lined, so it was a little more expensive, but even with the lining, plus size and tube tops for every girl they came out to $235. Most of her fabrics are less expensive than that, too. Though my girls love them so much, and already have plans to wear them quite a few times after the wedding, so they were fine with the price.
@baker2be my color is gunmetal - do you happen to know which swatch you ended up picking for your dress?
@FMCollado: I wanted a dress in a fabric she didn't have, but wanted to see it before I ordered it for the girls. I had planned already to buy myself a dress, so I just ordered one in that fabric, and figured if I didn't like it for the wedding it would just be a fun dress for me to wear. (I am not necessarily recommending this, I am just letting you know this so you know I have seen her actual work.)
The dress is BEAUTIFUL! it's a really well-made dress in a beautiful fabric. I spent hours playing with all of the different styles.
@FMCollado: Coralie will send you fabric swatches so you can feel it. The dresses are pretty heavy and not cheaply made.
@FMCollado: Mine is the gunmetal too. I was deciding between the Tricot and the Mish Steel, but ended up with the Tricot. She did tell me that the one I picked was a limited fabric, so it may not be available anymore. If it is on the swatch sheet she sent I can tell you it is absolutely gorgeous in person, and the dress feels so nice to wear! It is a little more expensive, if you read the above mine ended up being about $235 per dress, but that incudes lining the skirt and top, tube tops, and a plus size fee for all the girls.
I got myself a convertible dress from Coralie Beatrix, like pinkandsparkly.
While the dress itself is GORGEOUS (I think the color was called daffodil or lemongrass or something) wearing it is a huge pain in the, uh, chest? I don't even have the biggest of busts, but the material is satiny and thin and you can see EVERYTHING underneath. Nipples, areolas, everything. I've managed to wear it twice, but it takes a lot of layering to get the chest to look right, and seeing how I've worn it at weddings, I constantly had to fix and retie them after busting too many moves. Putting something underneath (adhesive pads) made it even worse because I looked like I had a pair of headlights under my dress.
So, my advice: choose a darker color and a thicker material, and you should be ok.
FMCollado - keep me posted, if you don't mind! Sounds like we are in the same boat and it might be helpful to share information. Not sure if you can send direct message on Weddingbee, but feel free to message me with any details and I will do the same.
Thanks to all. Everyone has been so helpful. So glad I thought to post something!
@Nicoso: I couldn't agree more. I'm also the same size chest, and I wore a convertible dress for one wedding. Most uncomfortable bridesmaid dress ever.
@reginaphalange: you definitely have to be inventive with bras. My BMs all wore pedals or a nu-bra. Even in black, the clingy material will show nipples.
@pinkandsparkly: Yeah, this just happens to be one of those freak materials and color combinations where NOTHING looks good underneath - I tried both the petals and nu-bra and both made it worse. I'm ok with a visible nipple, but the uh, being able to see other things isn't very pretty. I think the best option for my dress is to sew another layer to the straps, or to get a matching tube top layer for underneath.
I even tried my "super bra concoction" that a bra specialist made for my light silk wedding dress - not even that worked!
Ok, I'm just sad that my dress is so pretty and I haven't worn it as much as I'd like.
That is what I was affraid of. I have seen some beautiful photos, but I certainly have seen others (a few) where the tops are clearly not supported or well fitting. Hmmm... maybe the sample is a must if this dress is really a contender.
If you want to just have them try the style before buying a high quality version you can try these from target. I haven't had any personal experience with them though, sorry!
@reginaphalange: eek! Bummer. Light color + clingy material = boobie situation, I guess!
I'm seriously considering convertible dresses for my maids so I'm marking this thread for the feedback and tips!
We did convertible dresses, but we made them ourselves and ours had more bodice structure in them than most. My girls didn't have an issue with their boobs and they are both fairly large chested at 36D and 36C.
I am! I only have one attendant, but I didnt want to fork out money for a dress she will only wear once and a convertible maxi dress will mean she can wear it again. It also means she can be more covered up for the cermony and a bit sexier for the reception. WIN.
I bought the victorias secret multiway maxi dress for $88. Bargain!
zippylef - beautiful photo! You and your bridesmaids look beautiful!
I lan to get mine at http://www.henkaa.com/ in burnt orange. The quality seems good and they have tons of video on how to do it. I like the target one recommended above but it does not seems as dressy but I might buy for myself.
@zippylef the dresses look great. what pattern did you use. Im trying to learn to sew and that just has to go on my project list.
I am so up for trying to make them (they are really simple if you have some basic sewing skills) I am going to make one for myself to wear and let my girls play around with and see if it works for them!
Oh my life I must learn some of these terms for dresses! I thought convertible dresses were something along the lines of "easy to whip off the top". I was thinking if you were getting married in a naturist camp for a second!
@islandbabes Thanks for the recommendation! I just ordered free swatches from their website.
@zippylef: ooo your girls look LOVELY!
I'd love to know if it was very difficult to wear them with the bigger chest, and oh how did you go about making the bodice more structured? Did u put cups in them?
Congrats on a beautiful bridal party! Those are by far my favorite wrap styles ;D
LOVE convertible dresses. I'll have to bookmark this for when it's time to pick dresses for my ladies. None of them have big boobs sooo if that's an issue, they would probably be fine. A little sexy is fine with me ;) haha
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