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Do guests care for the bride to change into another dress?

posted 7 months ago in Dress
  • poll: Do guests care to see the bride change into another dress?
    Yes - I like and enjoy seeing a dress change. : (8 votes)
    9 %
    No - It doesn't make a difference to me what dress you are wearing. : (77 votes)
    91 %
  •  
    1.
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    Newbee
    anonymous29    May 12, 2012  

    I know reception dress is optional and totally up to the bride, but as wedding guests, do you care to see the bride into another dress sometime during the reception... regardless of style?  Does it add a nice touch of surprise or does no one really care enough to make a difference except to the bride/groom (just like some of the other wedding details)?  If not, then why not?!

    I'm torn and can't decide whether I want to change into a lighter dress during the reception. I love my wedding dress, which is a full A-line tulle dress with beading, so it's on the heavier side...I love love love it and want to wear it all night, but also thinking I should change into a light fit and flare lace gown (my second love), which will be easier to dance in.

    I should add that I'm Asian (Chinese), and within our culture it's common to see the bride change up to 3-4 times in one night... I have a mix of both Eastern and Western guests. I asked my mom and she really doesn't care, either way works for her, she just wants me to be happy.

    I'm current considering this dress from DB:

    Do guests care for the bride to change into another dress? :  wedding Galina S8551b

     
    2.
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    Bumble bee
    MissCallieJean       NY

    I find it unusual to see the bride change, especially since wedding dresses aren't cheap! If you like your dress, you want to wear it all night, then that is what you do! I can't imagine anyone being surprised you didn't change.

     
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    Buzzing bee
    Ree723    July 9, 2011   Australia

    Honestly, unless the dresses are massively different, I don't think most guests are going to notice.  Personally, when I see a dress change, I can't help but think it's a bit ostentatious.  Why spend a boatload of money on a dress you're only going to wear for the ceremony and pictures, then change out of it for your reception?  It just doesn't make sense to me.  With my dress, I wanted to wear it as long as possible and couldn't fathom the thought of wearing it for a couple of hours and then changing into a less expensive dress for the reception.  

    And in answer to your specific question - NO, I most definitely do not think guests expect to see the bride change into a different dress for the reception.

     
    4.
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    Bumble bee
    AB Bride    June 25, 2011   Canada

    I really wouldn't want to see the bride change!  If she chooses to wear a second dress, she should definately have a private place to change!  Wink

     
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    Bumble bee
    mrsbruff2b    June 20, 2012   Canada (wedding in Cancun)

    Hi there, I am also Chinese but I grew up in Canada.  FI is caucasian and we grew up together~ That said, I also know about the custom of 3 dresses for our culture.  However, I tossed around the idea of a ceremony dress and a reception dress and I am (right now) feeling like I will only choose one. =)

     
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    Buzzing bee
    galloway111    June 16, 2012   WI

    @AB Bride: LOL! I had the same first thought when I saw the title.

     
    7.
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    anonymous29    May 12, 2012  

    @AB Bride: LOL...!! OK, NOT literally see the bride change... Tongue out  ...I changed the  title to avoid confusion...hahaha.

     
    8.
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    Bumble bee
    AB Bride    June 25, 2011   Canada

    @anonymous29:  I couldn't resist Smile  More seriously, I think a 2nd dress could be cute.  I wouldn't expect it, but it is becoming a little more common as the 2nd dress is easier to dance and party in.  I think beyond 2 dresses is excessive, because I expect the bride to want to spend time with her guests, but it wouldn't really bother me as long as she's still making the rounds. 

    @galloway111:  I'm glad I'm not that only one!

     
    9.
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    anonymous29    May 12, 2012  

    @mrsbruff2b: If I change, I will only do it half way through the reception... so I get to wear my wedding gown longer... I just can't bare to ONLY wear it for the ceremony! Wink

     

    @AB Bride: I agree that a reception dress is getting more common.... that's why I'm so torned!!  Doesn't help to see recent celebrities in mutliple dresses either (Kate, Kim Kardashian...) Plus a second dress will give me the excuse of wearing my second love (always loved lace but tulle is my first love).

     
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    NDBee    March 10, 2012  

    I wouldn't expect it all. I would probably be a bit confused if it were another full length bridal style gown.

    A nod to the past with a sleek knee-length or cocktail 'going away' dress at the end of the night, that I can get behind :-) Those can be so gorgeous, and then you've got a beautiful dress that isn't necessarily bridal that you can wear again and again that reminds you of your reception.

     
    11.
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    Bumble bee
    Melini    April 2, 2011   Northern CA

    By "care to" do you mean like or dislike?

     
    12.
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    Buzzing bee
    littlemissmango    July 7, 2012   Oahu, HI

    I don't really understand the question -- do the guests "care?" Like, would they enjoy seeing a dress change? Or would they be bothered by it? There's different ways you can care about something, I guess. I didn't know how to vote.

    I used to think I would want to get a reception dress, but that was back when I thought I was going to have a big ballgown and a more upscale wedding. We're having a somewhat laid-back beach wedding, so my dress isn't going to be all that unmanageable to begin with. I am still debating whether or not I might want a little white dress for our exit, though!

    ETA: @NDB, I definitely agree!

     
    13.
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    anonymous29    May 12, 2012  

    @Melini: & @littlemissmango:

    Yea, "care" as in like and enjoy seeing a dress change.  No as in "it doesn't make a difference to me what dress you are wearing".

    I would also consider a short dress but it's quite uncommon in our culture for a bride to be wearing a short dress....argh.

     
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    Busy bee
    CrispyRN    May 26, 2012   San Francisco, CA

    @anonymous29: I'm Chinese too so I grew up going to Asian banquets, expecting to see the Western gown, the Chinese dress, and a 3rd dress.  So for me, I look forward the dress changes and seeing each and everyone of them!

     
    15.
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    Melini    April 2, 2011   Northern CA

    I prefer not to see someone change then.  A gal can do whatever she wants, but as soon as there are two dresses there is a better and a worse one, and people will think that she should have stuck w/ whichever one they preferred.  If you only have one, everyone just thinks you're pretty.

    The only (non-asian) 2 dress wedding I've been to involved a switch from a Vera to a ??? more casual number immediately after the ceremony.  I was stunned that the bride was in such a hurry to shuck off a $10K dress after just an hour or so.  It seemed more spoiled than practical.

     
    16.
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    anonymous29    May 12, 2012  

    Wow overwhelming responses for No.  I guess the reception dress is really just for the bride.. Not a lot of people care for it...be it long or short!

     
    17.
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    Happy2bMrs    September 2011  

    I had a ballgown for my ceremony and reception.  I had decided early on in the planning process that I would likely get a bit overwhelmed with wearing the ballgown all night, especially for the dancing portion, so I decided that if I could find a 2nd dress for $100 or less, I would buy it.  I did, and I couldn't have been happier with my decision. 

    The ballgown was amazing and I loved everything about it, but it gets really heavy as the night goes on, and you eventually just feel like you need to wear something lighter, cooler, etc. I wore it for the ceremony and most of my reception (dinner, cake cutting, first dances, father-daughter, bouquet toss, etc.) and then changed for the dancing portion.

    I don't think it's "ostentatious", as another poster said for the bride to change into something because the 2nd dress may be for comfort and may not have cost a lot. 

    My guests were excited to see the 2nd dress and I got a lot of compliments.  All comments were positive.

    Edit: PS - I'm caucasian, and spent less than $1000 on my ballgown.  If I had spent 10k on a Vera Wang...I might have wanted to get my money's worth out of it...lol!

     
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    AmberAustin    November 5, 2011   Boston

    I voted that the guests don't care, but for the MANY episodes of Four Weddings I watch, the brides always loss dress pts for changing. 

     
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    Sugar bee
    atalante    May 19, 2012  

    I realized I've never actually been to a wedding where the bride did a dress change.

    However.

    I probably wouldn't care. Your rationale for getting a different dress (that it's lighter) is sound. And you're not on 4 weddings. So if you'll be more comfortable for your party I say go for it.

    Also, I think I tried on that DB dress, I liked it. Is there beading in there with the lace?

     
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    moderndaisy    June 2010  

    I've always felt that the wedding gown is such a big deal and you only get to wear it once so it would be crazy to change out of it at any point during the wedding. I was joking to DH for months that I would sleep in it that night. I can understand maybe if you couldn't decide between 2 gowns or wanted to wear an inherited gown for sentimental reasons for the ceremony, but otherwise I just think it's a waste to change.

     
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    jo.lee    September 10, 2011   Indianapolis

    I wouldn't care at all as a guest, but I know that even though my dress was heavy, I didn't want to take it off at all on my wedding day. I mean, it was a bit of a relief when I finally did, but if someone would have asked me to change halfway through, I would've been pretty bummed.

     
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    Sugar bee
    mrscheetos    June 10, 2012  

    I wouldn't care for them to change. I actually think its weird/pointless most of the time.

     
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    Blushing bee
    everalwaysrealtrue    July 20, 2012   Oxford, OH / Walton, KY

    I actually like for the Bride not to change - - I like to get to see the ceremony dress, because it's usually beautiful and intricate, and you just can't see those details from several rows back during the ceremony!

     
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    Anxiouspeanut    November 5, 2011   Vancouver, Canada ( Wedding in Vegas )

    In my opinion, my dress wasn't cheap and I am going to wear it all night.

     
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    anonymous29    May 12, 2012  

    @atalante: Yes the dress does have beading (pearls?), but from the DB reviews, brides described it as "light & simple".  I think I will go try it regardless to help me decide whether I want to change into a lighter dress...and I'll try on my wedding dress again to see how well I can move in it.

    As Happy2bMrs did for her wedding, maybe I'll only change for the dancing portion of the night.  If I do change, I also plan on getting a more affordable second dress, probably a preowned one so I don't have to spend more than $250.

    At the time I set up the pool, I actually thought there would be more "Yes" because there are so many Bees on the forum that are planning on a reception dress!

    Decisions decisions.... Yell

     

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