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I am in a pickle here because I can't decide on what I want to do. I found my dream dress
Justin Alexander 9552 - It costs 1900.00 which I talked about spending 2000.00 the most on a dress- but really I don't want to spend that much since I am the one paying for it.
Of course the bridal store did not have this dress so I couldn't try it on. They want to charge me 180 dollars to borrow it from Justin Alexander.
But while I was at the Bridal shop I tried on Justin Alexander 8483- the one with the flowers on top and big poof bottom...It was okay looking I really like the top of the dress just not in love with the bottom. It was 995.00 for this one.
I am torn because do I have them order the one I love to try on or do I settle for this other one. Also if I buy the cheaper dress that means I will have more money for my shoes/wedding ring...whatever else.
8483_jar_fa_scf_0027.jpg (106.1 KB, 336 downloads) 2 years old justin-alexander-couture-9552.jpg (51.8 KB, 251 downloads) 2 years old 
Hm... the money would be nice to save.
But you did originally think 2K on your dress. Plus it's a once in a lifetime dress! Maybe you can sell it after the wedding so that you don't feel bad about the cost? Also have you looked for a used one? I love the second one... and you could wear a lacy little wrap to give it the same feel as the top one...
Personally I don't think I would order a dress that I haven't tried on yet. That's risky!
Do you have any pictures of you in the second dress?
IMO, those are two REALLY different dresses. I like the second one better just because I'm not in love with all the coverage of the first dress.
You have a good amount of time...could you browse around a little more?
Can you find another place to try on the first dress? I drove 3 1/2 hours to find a place where I could try on my dress. It worked in my favor because I ended up buying it there, in Oregon, where there was no sales tax!
If you don't LOVE it then don't buy it (the "okay" dress, which I think is beautiful btw). I wouldn't buy a dress that you haven't even tried on though, I'm just too nervous to do that (esp. with a 2k price tag).
You still have time to do more dress shopping, I'd see what else is out there.
I would check with them to see if the 180 could be applied to the cost of whatever gown you choose.
i love 8483, and for half the cost!! What if you spend the $180 to "borrow" the dress to try it on and then hate it? It puts you over budget if you buy it, or adds $180 unnecessarily to the cost of buying the less expensive dress. On the other hand, if you try the "dream dress" on and love it, then it may all be worth it. As artsprout.love said, it is a once in a lifetime dress, so you should end up with what you love.
I definitely would not order it without trying it on first though.
If you're not in love with the dress don't buy it! Like Mrs. DG said - it'd be great if you could find another shop to try the dress you love on!
I agree with @noritake22- See if the $180 is applied to the dress you choose. Spending $180 just to try something on is ridiculous! I like both of the dresses but again they are VERY different styles.
Did you see KLP 2010's pics in Dress 1? She had a thread about how it was her dream dress but she was disappointed when she tried it on, you may want to check it out. Personally I think it was beautiful, but I like the second dress you posted it as well.
I'd definitely recommend trying on the first one on so it doesn't keep nagging at you. If you love it much more, then it's worth the money. I wouldn't say that if it was $5,000 but this was within your planned budget anyway. If you don't get what you really want, you'll probably end up with dress regrets later. There's a reason there are 10x more posts on the dress thread than shoes, accessories, favors etc, it is a once in a lifetime thing and much more important than those little things IMO.
If you spend the $180 to borrow and you buy the other dress, can the money be applied to that ? Worth asking.
haha! Yay for 9552! I still love it, it just wasn't right for me... I wound up with Pronovias' megan.
I drove 3.5 hrs to try it on too... and they quoted me $2800, so you'd be getting a steal on it! I only got them talked down to $2450 or something. I should add that I also wanted a $2000 "look" budget but I would have made it work for the $2400....
http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/after-2-years-of-waiting-i-tried-it-on-many-pics
I didn't know I could take pictures in the dress!! I know some places like Kleinfeld don't allow that, so I just figured I couldn't. I drove an hour to this bridal shop because they were the only ones in the area that carried the Justin Alexander dresses. I just had my daughter in August so I hafta take her with me to all the places so it's hard to travel too far. But the closest place that has the first dress is like 5 hours! I thought about re-selling the dress afterwards...I kind of wanted to keep it for my daughter- but who knows what will be in style like 20+ years from now lol.
I posted the rest of the picture of the second dress- It's really poofy compared to the first one...I really did like the details of this dress It just wasn't a WOW I've found it my dress for me...everyone else in the room came over to see it on me and was blown away. It's really pretty I am just not sure. Most of the other dresses I was looking at were A-line/Ball gown lace dresses. I am having a very New England fall themed wedding- think pumpkins, leaves...we are doing thanksgiving dinner type menu. I wanted the dress to reflect a classic look. My photographer is going to be taking a lot of bridal shots of me in the woods with the leaves so the second dress goes with the naturey type theme almost. Most of the shops I talked to told me to order my dress by march since it takes a while...I'm just torn. I do have a Kleinfeld appointment the first week of march but I have a feeling most of the dresses are way over what I want to spend. Anyone been there?
8483_jar_fa_sff_0012.jpg (90.3 KB, 125 downloads) 2 years old 
Personally I like 8483 better, but that could be because I orderd 8465 which is almost the same except tea length. Have you looked on the Justin Alexander website to find out when a trunk show would be in your area? I was lucky enough to find a trunk show only 45 min from where I live and I got 20% off and free shipping. Also the first dress would more than likely be at the trunk show and you would not have to pay extra to have it sent to try on. Good luck!! =)
Have you looked around for something similar to your dream dress that comes in at a dreamier price? If not, bring the photo to a bridal salon and say "I want this, just not as expensive as this. Find me something similar."
See also
http://www.projectwedding.com/biography/list/katierose0324/my-dress (the images of her jacket are pre-alterations.)
http://www.projectwedding.com/photo/list/katierose0324?thumbs_page=1
Keinfelds no longer has 9552... I asked :-)
The 9552 has been out since at least 2007, I think it is harder to find now and I'm not sure if it would come to a trunk show... but, if the price can be applied to an order, it may be worth having it come in! Seriously, If I had never tried it on, I would have always had thoughts about it in the back of my head.
The tea length version looked awesome! Good idea with the trunk shows! I'll hafta check that out. I've been looking around for something similar to that dress but nothing. She looks amazing in that dress! It just makes me want it even more lol.. It's such a stunning dress. It just stinks that of course no one would have this dress, I mean seriously If I were a bridal shop I would carry that dress lol. I might try on the second dress again with an open mind and see... I just have my heart set on that 9552. Like i said I just had my daughter in August so I am not feeling the dress shopping thing yet..I found that I looked good in A-lines and Ball gowns because it covers up my baby weight for the most part lol I've got some love hands that won't die.
Also here is the other JA dress I liked too but they don't have it of course!
8452_full_front_large.jpg (79.4 KB, 67 downloads) 2 years old
My personal 2 cents is that I think the second is stunning and actually favor it over the first one
I ordered my Justin Alexander a couple weeks ago and the lady at the bridal shop told me that it would be in late April or early May. You have a little time since your wedding isn't until October. Don't get me wrong the first dress is awesome...I think all Justin Alexander dresses are beautiful and so well made. Take your time...but check with a local shop to confirm how long it would take to get a dress in. Hopefully you will find a trunk show that is at least somewhat close to you!
My mom is nuts for some reason she thinks that I can get the dress made from china for like 400 dollars...I just had to laugh at her. She likes to search the internet to find the best prices on stuff..I tried to explain to her that JA dresses are Impossible to buy online and if she does find it, most likely it's fake lol. I know I have time to look. Did everyone else get the WOW factor with their dresses?
That website is weird...hmmmm. If it sounds to good to be true it probably is. My mom does the same kinda "stuff"! Ha! =) You may be able to find it used??? I would check around.
I did get the wow factor! It was the first and only dress I tried on!
Ok, So I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the first one.
But you should be happy with what dress you pick.
I never got the WOW factor, the crying or the rainbows and puppies when finding my dress. I actually liked another dress over the one I picked. But being on a severe budget. I just couldn't justify the price. So I picked my 2nd dress. Now you are thinking, oh how sad and poor you. BUT No... the more I kept trying on my dress. (Yes I was the crazy girl watching T.V. in my wedding dress and twirling around w/ my cat.) I fell more and more in love, and realized how much better and more unique my dress was. I have seen my First pick dress on so many brides. It must have been very popular this year. It is one day, one party.. what is most important to me is the love that I have and will keep having from the day and onward. So putting down the "Dream Dress" and buyingthe budget saving dress. Was really a win-win for me.
Now about the dress from China. They are not "real" Alexander's. It is a website, that they make the Dresses there from pictures and might not be exactly like the real dress but very close to it. I personally never known anyone to buy from there. But check out offbeat bride, and they have a whole section on buying reproductions.
But when it comes all down to it. Do what makes you happy, in the long run saving money made me really happy. Having the "Dream" dress might make you the happiest.
I am sure you will look beautiful on your day no matter what. And you'll make the best decision for you. Don't sweat it!
That is still a lot of $ to spend on a dress for the one you don't love. I go with the otnher comments and travel to a place you can try it on! Also try on others, you may find something else you love more! Good luck!
That's awesome that your second dress grew on you! I might go back and try on that second dress and give it a whirl. I wasn't really excited to go dress shopping and the fact I could only think about the 1st dress didn't help. Maybe if I go in with an open mind. I appreciate your honesty. Everyone was "WOW'd" by that second dress when I had it on...so it must have looked good I just maybe wasn't seeing that at the time. My mom was trying to find my dream dress cheaper and she found that website lol I tried to explain to her that there was no way that was a real dress from JA- but you know moms. Well if I go with the second dress I can afford the better wedding band from tiffanys that I wanted. I guess having a better wedding band would be good because atleast I will have it on everyday and see it unlike a dress I wear once. I really appreciate everyones opinions and thoughts!! I will def take a picture in dress number two when I go and post it!!
i actually love the second one BUT if you still need to try on more dresses, try on more dresses. my mom and i went shopping this weekend and while several were very pretty they weren't it. i couldn't imagine myself marrying in it. mom said "if it's the one you'll know it". so perhaps you haven't found the right one?
i love the the first one but i do understand is a lot of money...
the second dress is pretty but the first one is very unique. i think that one is stunning! it's really magnificent and if you'd asked me, i would have guessed that the price was more than $2k (though i would have thought the second was probably a bit more expensive, too!). if you really love the first one, like the others said, i would try to find somewhere else to try it on. it's not worth it to buy a dress you don't love. the second one is definitely very pretty but a bit more standard-looking than the first one, imo.
Interesting I should come across this posting. I am in love with the JA 8483 as well... however, my mom and sister don't think it is 'special' enough... very similar to your feelings of not having the WOW factor.
I think the dress is unique, one of a kind, and hands down- lovely. THere are like 10 stores in the US that have it in stock... you are lucky to have tried it on even!! One thing is for sure, no one will ever of seen your dress before.
Now, I am stuck. I love the dress... almost as much as I want my mom and sister to love my dress.
Go for the dress you love. I stuck to my budget bought a dress I didn't LOVE and ended up buying a new one. You will work out the other details shoes etc. and no I am not wealthy I need to save a buck like the next girl but i always say the Universe will provide. ;-)
Good Luck!
Okay so I decided on the JA 8483!!! I thought about for 2 weeks and it really seemed to grow on me more! So I went back and bought it! All said and done for 1200 everything included! I can't wait for it to come in June so I can try it on and start matching things to it!!!
Thank you everyone for your opinions and thoughts!!
That's an incredible deal for a Justin! Congratulations, if I had seen that other dress I probably would have been swayed by it too. Can't wait to see it on you!
I got the WOW factor from my second dress! Trust me keep looking till you find that wow factor! You will!
yeah i liked the 8483 much better! i do like the first one though too.
you could try and contact a few of these and see if they are white:
http://www.bravobride.com/ItemViewer.php?iid='9552-18687'
you could also try and contact the gal in this post that purchased that gown and see if she would be willing to sell it and if it is in white, after her wedding:
http://classifieds.weddingbee.com/topic/looking-for-my-dream-dress-justin-alexander-9552
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