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Your dress is gorgeous, but yes, it is very formal. I can't tell if the lace is also beaded- is it, or is it just plain? That definitely changes how fancy the dress feels. Ultimately, I think it's up to you. You are the bride and should wear something that you feel gorgeous in. If you want to wear the dress for your picnic wedding (which, by the way, sounds so fabulous!), do it, and wear it with confidence and a huge smile on your face! If you think you'd be more comfortable in something less formal, I wonder if the dress could be altered? Could the bow be removed, or the layers somehow removed so there's just one tier in the skirt? I think "simple", rather than "less formal" may be the real issue if the rest of the wedding is understated. Also, I think the way you accessorize definitely changes the feel of a dress- You probably wouldn't wear that fancy necklae, and you could pick a less formal hair style.
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You're the bride, I say just go with it. Who CARES if you're SUPER DUPER dressed up?! THat dress is gorgeous and you don't want to waste it after you bought it, right? You could downplay the hair and jewelry and let your dress be the star on you.
It's fancy but at the same time it isn't covered in crystals. It's tulle and lace, very elegant. I think if you want to wear it, you totally should. You should get to be all gussied up anyways, no matter where you're having it. You don't want to look back and say, "aw man i look like a guest in white, i should have worn X dress"
omg, i LOVE Chick-fil-A!! Wear your dress, it will be whimsical being so dressed up at a picnic :)
Your dress is BEAUTIFUL!!!!! I say wear it; just like Janna19 said-you're the bride, it's your wedding, wear it!!
Thanks guys! You've certainly given me more confidence. The ability to do the picnic style would make it much easier to start making more actual plans and get this thing started. :)
I do think I wouldf feel a bit strange, though, because I wouldn't expect the guests to dress up nearly as much as this... but, I think as long as I decorate and theme everything approproately it will be fine, yes?
@ BA: There is no beading. In fact, there is a crystal brooch on the bow which I'm removing (even before taking a more casual route, it seemed too blingy and didn't fit the feel of the dress) and putting a tulle rosette in its place. It's a good idea to alter/shorten it, but I'm not sure I could bring myself to do that.
I think that dress is beautiful, but perhaps a little bit too formal. What kind of ceremony are you having? I think formality could depend on that as well, and I agree with the OP that maybe shortening it or removing a layer could help. Good choice though!
That's a good call on replacing the blingy broach with a tulle rosette, and it will look lovely with the rest of the dress. I totally hear you on not having the heart to alter that dress - it's so beautiful as is! Like the others said, I think if you "make it your own," then you won't feel overdressed. I hope you post more details about your picnic wedding, because it really does sound absolutely fantastic!
If you had a sunset reception (with some sort of fire/torch/candle element), you could pull off a really lovely, more formal feeling reception and still have outdoor BBQ element food. That would be a lovely setting for the dress (which, btw I love). Do you have pics of yourself in it? I have been wanting to see that Maggie in person.
My gut instinct is if its a mid-afternoon picnic type wedding it will be too fancy. That being said it is more appropraite for a candlight reception and ceremony outside or something similar.
In the end though you are the one that has to be ok sporting the dress and if it makes you feel amazing then it shouldn't matter what setting you are wearing it in :)
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What a beautiful dress! Yes it is formal, but if you research enough to pull of the vintage theme throughout your wedding, it will be fine. I've seen many do it yourself weddings in magazines and brides on a budget that turned out very chic. It's the details, the favors, the decorations, the lighting, (candlelight) that make the mood. Just changing the time of the affair to a evening affair would make all the difference, and not cost you a cent more!
Honestly, yes I think it's much too formal for such a casual picnic. Now, if you made the picnic a bit "fancier" I think it could work. Either way, if it's your dream dress, rock it.
@ heather25: Here are some pictures of me wearing the sample in the store. It's a size 8 and has been majorly stretched out from other girls trying it on - hence the wrinkles in the front. I blurred my face so nobody accidentally sees this. :)
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Ok. Today during lunch at work I watched Sandra Lee (the semi homemade queen) and she threw a "romantic picnic".
If you could google her show and find some info on that episode and the food, it would be PERFECT with your idea..adding a touch of elegance to a fun picnc theme.
Oh and she hung a chandelier down from a tree for a bit of "oomph" too!
Geez LOVE HER..I have two of her cookbooks (for desserts) and she rocks!
I still think it's gorgeous! How "casual" is your picnic anyways? You could totally dress it up if you want. String up lots of white lights for inexpensive, etc.
I just don't see how you could not wear it, though, regardless!
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Check out how she did a tablescape with lemonade and a yellow/white colorscheme? of course you can dress up lemonade and pretty much anything.
http://semihomemade.com/tablescapes/springgarden.htm
and here's another romantic outdoor picnic celebration random photo to give you oodles of inspiration!
http://abbyjean.typepad.com/style_me_pretty/images/2008/05/01/real_wedding_by_amanda_kraft.jpg
Oh it's really a beautiful dress.I love it.
If that is your dream dress, I say go for it!! You will probably always regret it if you don't. Do you really want to wear a different dress just because someone MIGHT think you were a little overdressed? NO WAY! You can never get that day back again so I say do what you want and wear the dress you love. Who cares what anyone thinks about it...it's your dress! It's all about you anyway..so you SHOULD stand out on that day..and in that dress, you will! I love it.
who is the designer on that one?
bellenga, that photo totally just made me crave lemonde. It's 10:45 here but I think I'm going to go make some :)
Thanks so much, ladies! The biggest problem I see right now is that all the parks we have been looking at close at dusk... so, no evening reception to make it more formal. I guess we're back to the drawing board for locations. (Really, if anyone knows an inexpensive, pretty location that lets us bring in everything ourselves in or around san diego, let me know!)
@ ballenga: I'm gonna look at those links right now, so excited! :)
@ hollie720: It's a maggie sottero - style name "keeley".
@ heather25: thanks! :)
The dress is perfect for the vintage theme. It might be a little too dress for a picnic, but who cares? If the bride can't be dolled up to the nines then who can? If it really bothers you then I would consider a reception dress--something you can change into halfway through the reception so you get a least a couple of hours out of your dress!
Ohhhh...Maggie's are my favorite!! I tend to love them when I try them on. I love the corset backs..they make me look so much thinner!
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I think you should definitely go for it if you love it. I think the dress is completely GORGEOUS!!!
i think it's impossible to be overdressed for your own wedding! the dress looks so gorgeous on you. go for it.
I think hey, it's your wedding day, you deserve to look beautiful on your wedding day, go for it missie!
If you format the picnic more like a european garden tea party (which could totally work with your vintage theme) then the formality is more than appropriate and I think it would be such fun!
The one thing you might want to be concerned about is grass stains on that lovely skirt!
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I bought my dress before we had anything decided about the logistics of our wedding. I knew (and still know) that we will be having a vintage map/antique lace theme with lots of cremes and golds (with burgundy and slate blue accents), but we still have no location, budget, etc etc.
We are most recently considering having a casual, outdoor, picnic wedding... and I mean picnic - no caterer but trays of sandwiches (and possibly chick-fil-a nuggets!), lemonade, etc. It would be in a park (or possibly my parent's backyard), and we would even consider using picnic tables already in the park. I would still tie in the vintage theme as much as possible, but I am worried that my dress is way too fancy for such an event.
I love love love my dress... could I pull it off?
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