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Yup - I am exactly your size and have a youngish face, too. I feared that I would look like a child bride in most dresses (and someimtes I did!) I ended up picking a dress that made me feel my age (29) and confident and sexy. You will have plenty of options to choose from, do not worry!
All the sample sizes will be huge on you, but you have to ignore that. When you get the dress in your size, it will be fabulous and fit to your body. I ordered a small size and still need alterations, but it's not that bad.
As long as you do not spending some money on alterations, sky is the limit!
I am your exact size too! It's fun b/c you never have to worry about wearing too hight of heels, but frustrating at the same time b/c EVERYTHING needs to be hemmed!
As for dress shopping, I think you'll be fine. Most places that have dresses with detail at the bottom will alter the dress from the waist to not lose that detail. Most of the time, the dress length never suits the average bride. They make them long for a reason...so that super tall brides don't have to have fabric added and so that short brides are fine too!
Good luck finding "the dress"!!!
I am 5' although I am not 105lb (try 130lbs - UGH) you will find something!
I ended up getting my dress in a petite lenght so that helped.
and yeah although I myself have a young face - I get mistaken for being younger than my 13 yr old brother (who by the way looks rediculously young himself) I didn't feel like a child in the dresses. I was confident enough in them that I just don't think that occored to me!
good luck!
I totally feel you. I'm actually even a bit smaller than you. In the end, I bought a custom design, but I was also able to find a few dresses that I liked in regular bridal salons...just not "the one".
A lot of designers will let you order a "petite" size which has a shorter bodice. they charge extra, but I thin if there's a lot of detailing it's probably worth it. If you're like me, then over the years you've developed a deep appreciation for good tailoring and what can and can't be altered. I think those rules still apply. Consultants will tell you *everything* can be altered. But trust your judgment also. Taking in an intricate ruched bustline is a nightmare. It can be done (just had it done for another outfit) but recognize it's a long process.
As for fit, a lot of dresses just drowned me. Not just b/c the sample size was big, but b/c of the design. Again, use the judgment you've already gained about what looks good on you. some styles really did make me look 12 even though they'd look amazing and sophisticated on a woman who was 5' 6". Trust your instincts and don't let people talk you into something you're unsure of. A lot of people don't understand petite fit, or the fear of looking like you're in high school.
All of that said, though, you will be able to find a dress you love:)
I'm exactly FIVE FEET. It totally sucks. I felt like everything was huge on me. There were a few dresses I tried on that I loved, but they were just huge or long on me.
That being said, I think Maggie Sottero does make short length or petite sizes.
I'm ready to find my dream dress for crying out loud! It is pretty frustrating.
Casablanca cuts dresses to individual height for no extra charge.
I'm really small too-one of the reasons I picked my dress was because it was really simple -as much as I would love to wear a big huge poofey dress with lots of beading, I knew I could never pull it off so I didn't even bother. I've been getting stuff hemmed and taken in my whole life so it just comes with the territory of shopping. Small people get no love these days as far as womens clothing goes, so I understand why you are worried...with that said, I know you will find something you love. I did, and I have the worst time finding anything that fits.
Thanks for your help, hive! I feel a lot better about it. I guess I'm just nervous because this is my first time dress shopping, and I know people are going to tell me something can be done to a dress simply because they want to make a sale. You girls have been great!
Oh don't fret, there are plenty of options out there for petite brides! I'm 5 tall, 105lbs, and small on top (sigh*) but people my size have been having a lot of luck with dresses lately.
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I'm even smaller than you! 4'10" 95 llbs and a street size 0 to 2 (depending on the designer) Don't worry you will find something fab!
When I was dress shopping I went to 12 stores and easily tried over 100 dresses. I ended up with my dream dress. With some designers, you can pay a little bit extra to order your dress in a hallow-to-hem measure so that you don't have to hem up the dress later. My dress is a Paloma Blanca and I was able to do that.
You probably won't be able to find any dresses that fit perfectly while you are trying on (I wasn't) but you will be clipped into dresses and stand on the box to get an idea of what the dress will look like on you after you get everything in the right size and altered.
I stayed away from trying on ballgowns and otherwise poofy dresses as all that white fabric was way too overwhelming for me. I ended up with an A-Line dress that I'm having a layer of crinoline removed (to de-poof it a little bit) and taken in a the hip to make the dress a bit sleeker.
Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Don't, worry...I have a friend under 5 foot and they just kept altering the dress until it fit her like a glove! I am 5' 2" and got a Maggie Sottero dress in petite (should not cost you any more than regular). The length will still need to be altered 1-2 inches, but it definitely helped! The fit is going to be perfect because the back is a corset lace up.
Hi there! I feel your pain, I am about your size too. I tried on tons of dresses! A few things I kept in mind was the hallow to hem option which a lot of people recommended. The other was that they can work wonders with these dresses and most dresses can have the detail removed and reattached. I did find the one! It does have an intricate design at the bottom of the gown which has to be taken off and reattached. I ended up choosing a modified mermaid gown which does not drown me out or make me look to small. Hope that helps and just keep shopping till you find the one its out there!!
Just a little word of warning:
I was a bridesmaid in a wedding where they did the hallow to hem thing for her ... but they forgot to add in HEELS!! The poor girl literally had 1 inch to work with for heels, and she usually wears at least 3'' so that she is closer in height to her (now!) husband ... so just make sure if you usually wear heels and are comfortable in them and plan to wear them on your wedding day that you get the hallow to hem with added length for your heels.
I'm on the small side too, 5'2 and 110lbs. The main thing I noticed when I was trying on dresses is that voluminous skirts made me look really short! I felt like a kid playing dress up in those poofy dresses! Slim silhouettes like sheaths and narrow a-lines worked best for me.
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I'm the same size too, and always have to get things tailored. Great advice from everyone above, I'll have to keep it in mind when I go shopping.
Not trying to hijack the thread, but for those of you who've already bought dresses and gotten alterations, do you think it's worth going the custom-made route instead? I feel like prices would be fairly comparable and there would be a fair number of fittings involved either way.
Bees, taking into account that all brides (even petite ones) look different in different styles, were there any silhouette/styles in particular that you found overwhelmed your small frame? For example, I'm loving the Anojolique 1010 dress some other bees have picked out, but my sister immediately nixed it for me because it would "eat me alive" because of my frame.
Honestly until you go to try on the dresses you won't know what style suits your figure. I looked at dresses online/magazines and then in the store they looked nothing like the pictures on the models. I thought I'd end up with a halter top but instead got a lace-up back corset strapless. Oh and they look ugly hanging on the hangar so don't turn your nose up to something because it looks ugly on the rack.
Yay!!! Thanks for posting this! It is great to hear from other petite brides! I am also very petite and had the exact same fears when thinking about dress shopping. I tried on every style of dress for fun, but I found (as a lot of you were saying) that the big poofy gowns or ones with a lot of pick-ups made me look much shorter.
I ended up with an Oleg Cassini dress (ordered in petite), but it will still need to be hemmed and cups put in as well. Another thing that was helpful was that I had my friends take pictures of me in each of the styles. I went back and some of them that I "thought" looked great really made me look like a cupcake haha!! Let us know how you do!
I tried on at least 50 dresses before I found the dress I will be wearing to the wedding. Like you, I'm also petite (about a size 2) and short 5'0. My dress is elegant and I love it. It has beading from top to the bottom with a train. I had it custom made to fit so that when I got it, it fit like a glove. Casablanca does a great job because all their dresses are made in China so most of the dresses that are made are designed for petite brides. Look at the link below under hhcheung2000 to see a picture of me in my dress. I have a tiara on with long curly hair. You'll see two pics of me.
http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/who-else-is-wearing-a-casablanca-dress
Wow, this thread has been a lot of help.
I'm also scared of looking for a dress! I'm 5" and 90ish lbs. I hate searching for clothes in general because nothing really fits and if it does, I look like I'm a freshman in high school.
From the beginning I've wanted a custom dress so I wouldn't have to deal with everything being too big. But I am worried because I'm not sure what will look good on my body. I was looking at ordering a dress from here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5978864
Does anyone know anything about them? Also, since I have a small bust (32A), I'm worried about something strapless not staying up well.
Did you petite ladies ever opt for a shorter dress? I know that long dresses can make a short girl look even shorter, did any of you ever run into this problem?
I got the Maggie Sabelle and had the same concerns but they guaranteed that it would be fine. I am 5'4 and 93 lbs so I ended up going with the size 0 petite. I got mine at RkBridal and as soon as the tailor saw me, he said I'd need a petite size which was 3 inches shorter. The Sabelle has LOTs of details on the bottom so I really hope they are right about it.
Don't worry about stuff having to be removed to alter the dress. A good dress shop should order the dress to your general specifications so that the alterations that will need to be made won't be dramatic. Just look for shapes and styles you like. The actual dress will be made for you and will fit you just fine!
I'm a shorty too. When I went shopping for a dress, ALL of the samples i tried on were size 8 and above. they were huge on me, and even with the clamps, it was hard to picture how the dress would look in my size. they had to bunch up the fabric and fold it in to show the correct proportions. i was this close to buying a melissa sweet nicolette, until i realized that the dress looked like it cut me in half. it looks terrific on a tall girl, but made me look really stumpy. so i would suggest looking for a dress that doesn't have a definined cut/line in the middle; otherwise, you might look shorter than you are.
don't worry at all, i'm your height and size...didn't have a problem trying on dresses, i didn't go for any poof either
I found that many designers actually make petite gowns, so that was a great plus! They can work wonders with alterations, so I wouldn't worry too much about losing detail or anything like that. I did notice that dresses with volume really drowned me, so I ended up getting something pretty form fitting. I didn't want the dress to wear me! It is frustrating that the samples are so big, I had the hardest time with that. You'll be fine, just remember what tends to look the best on your body. Have fun and good luck!
I am exactly your size! But I have a full C chest, a 25" waist and 36" hips so I've got the height and weight of a pre-teen but the body of a full grown woman! Because of my height and shape, I found that trumpet style gowns looked best on me. Don't even talk to me about ballgowns! Also, my shoulders are so small that anything with straps looked weird. This is the dress I ended up with:
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Hi bees! I'm going wedding dress shopping in 2-3 weeks and I'm freaking out. Already. I'm pretty petite -- 5'1'' and about 105 lbs. Obviously, my dress is going to have to be hemmed up at the least. I'm just scared that I'll be limited in my dress choices. I'm scared to buy something with detail around the edges (in case it can't be taken off, hemmed, then put back on) and I'm to get something with detailing/beadwork around the bottom, because I'm afraid I'll have to chop half of it off to have it hemmed. HELP! Are there any other bees out there who've had similar fears or experiences? How did this factor in to your dress decision-making?