29 replies to this topic

[MrsStobe813]

Hello ladies,
I was just wondering if anyone here has brought thier wedding dress from Light In The Box? I am considering it as I'm on a small budget (£500-600 max) but I noted that some of thier dresses are not even £200. Whilst it sounds great and it sounds like it'll save me lots of money, it sounds too cheap. My Mum keeps putting them to me as a suggestion but I'm flitting around the edges as it sounds just rediculously cheap to me.

I brought a dress for my 21st birthday from an online wholesale store on Ebay which turned into a horrible ordeal, the dress was a UK size 8 (I'd ordered a UK size 16) and the stitching was a zig-zag formation to the point that when I was in it the red stitching stretched and you could see my skin underneath. My poor gran had to alter the entire dress as the seller wanted me to ship it back to China at a cost of £26 airmail, so I decided to keep it and have it altered instead. Because of this, I have a "once bitten, twice shy" attitude to buying from wholesale stores now. Not only that, but you can't actually try the dress on before you buy it.

The dress I love is the Martina Liana 341 in the 2011 collection. After a long battle I have *FINALLY* found my dream dress! Everytime I look at it I just bubble inside! If Light In The Box have great reviews and something like the one I like, I will, but it depends entirely on these two factors for me to even consider it, and even then I' still opposing not seeing what my wedding dress is like on!

Any thoughts or experiences would be appreciated!

[MrsBrown]

I sit this one



Simply stunning! Have you tried it on???

There was an item on her about Light in the Box in the past, but I cant find it. I think there was some mixed reviews. I have my doubts personally, that dress has a lot of delicate detail and I am sure the material would cost £200!
Had a quick search on ebay but as it is this years collection, no luck sorry

[MrsBrown]

Sorry sleep deprvation.. I meant is it this one (I have SIT on the brain.. not that a certain pup listens ha ha!)

[MrsStobe813]

It most definitely is! I saw it in this months episode of WEDDING and had to have it, but at £1,792..the deal is off :-(

[MrsBrown]

Thats some price tag!! Have you tried it on??? It may be that once you have tried it you dont like it and would go for a different syle, it does happen.

I guess you have to decide is it worth the risk? dream dress but possibility you may not be happy with quality or may worry for weeks that you have used your budget or would you be happy with a different dress which you have seen, know the quality and can try on?

if you are going for it, which ever way might be best to try it on first though! (If only for the pleasure of it too!)

Good luck hun whatever happens x

[MrsStobe813]

Thanks hun, I'd try it on for the pleasure but at that price it's not worth it, especially as I'd only end myself up heartbroken! I've read some good reviews on LITB, but I'm still unsure, it does seem far too cheap!

xx

[MrsBrown]

Well if you cant have the dress, think about what you like about it and when you are looking for a dress try to look for them bits! I.e 1 shoulder, lace etc! I am sure there will be a dress out there for you that you can afford and is still as stunning!!

Also remember this, although the dress is important for your wedding, it is seriously not worth getting in debt for it! At the end of the day it will sit in a box....and it will be your marriage that will last!

oh idea.. have you looked into hiring one???

[MrsStobe813]

I can't be sure which one it is, but I think it's the lace, I was looking at http://www.lightinth...ml?currency=GBP but I can't be sure, a lot of the Light In The Box dresses seem rather plain, I do definitely want something lacy, but not lacy overload! My wedding is in a garden,so I want my dress to be pretty, light and feminine but suit a younger bride, too.

Haven't looked at hiring one! But then I don't like the idea that it's been somebody else's dress, too :-(I'm a pain, I know!

[MrsBoucher2B2012]

You need to try it on first it might not be the right style for your shape size etc.

Thought you weren't doing any wedding stuff until next year.

[MrsStobe813]

Well I have a few one shoulder tops and nice shoulders, but being flat-chested..I need something to hold it up!

I'm on excemptions at the moment as my Gran is terminally ill and on borrowed time, so I'm allowed to do some planning to keep my mind off of things, if nothing else, I'll have some idea of the dress I want!

[SeptemberBride]

My friend bought her bridesmaid dresses from there and they are stunning x

[Becky]

Have you tried on any dresses? I think all brides find that they have a firm idea of what they want, but when it comes to trying things on you end up loving the dress you'd least expect!

I'd say before you buy anything, you need to go round some dress shops and try on a load of different styles. Focus on the shapes and materials, and try and keep your search centered on dresses that are closer to your price range (just in case you find 'the one'!). Once you know what you want, have a look online. There are UK based online shops which often have good deals.

I agree with MrsBrown - I'd be wary of any online wholesalers, particularly those based in China. However it is comforting to know that SeptemberBride's friend had no problems.

[MrsStobe813]

Becky,
Many thanks for your advice, I haven't tried anything on as yet (obviously!) but have quite a set idea of what I want. Somehow, I get the feeling I'm going to end up with something halterneck, just a feeling!

Oddly enough, my Mum suggested BHS to me, I've had a look and they do have some pretty gowns there. I'm now having a look around the chain stores to see if there's something that can't tempt me. Once you remove a label it's just a dress, right?

That was precisely my concern, after my terrible experience I wasn't going to go rushing back! The sequins on the dress for my 21st were loosely stitched on even though the image looked like the ones you see on LITB, it's cetainly made me very wary of buying clothes online now!

[MrsBrown]

Personally I think I may risk it for bridesmaids but not for my dress. If you only have a few hundred pound to spend on your dress and spend £200 ordering abroad and the it doesnt fit or look right then you have even less to put it right.

Agree with Becky, know what your price range is and look for dresses within it but be open minded.I looked on line got idea of what I wanted, plain plain plain was my wish! I tried on the dress I was looking at and hated it. I came home having ordered a sparkly dress with a train!

I love my dress dont get me wrong, but having seen what people have done on here if I were doing it again, I might think again. The lady on here with the dress from oxfam has an amazing dress and Popplemaster found a gorgeous dress on ebay (i think). There is a dress shop just opened near me, it looks like a wedding dress shop but I looked it up on line for a nosy and it is selling second hand ones at a fraction of the price!! It says it only sells good quality ones and has a lady who does alterations to make it fit to the person. If it had of been open when I was hunting I would have gone to have a look at least, so dont rule out wearing a second hand dress. You could find your dream dress at a fraction of the price and no one will have a clue!!

[MrsStobe813]

Hmm, thanks Mrs Brown! I saw one once in a charity shop in Dawlish Warren that was gorgeous, butr I don't think Mum would of liked me coming home with my wedding dress! quite like some of the stuff by Venus and it's a lot more within range for me, though I do want a bit of a train. Several of my happily married friends didn't rate Berketex Brides very highly but Just For You Bridal in Bristol has hundreds of gowns and excellent reviews!