1860's ball gown

Is there a reenactment group in your area that might have resources?

Modern recreations of historical clothing are expensive because the all labor involved, not to mention the cost of materials. An 1860s ballgown would probably take someone dozens and dozens of hours to sew. Simplicity sells patterns, so you could look at one to see what goes into it. But since you don't know anyone who sews, you don't sew yourself, and you aren't willing to pay the prices you have seen, I don't really know what your other options would be.

As for what size hoops, that would totally depend on the dimensions of the dress. But there are definitely websites (many that cater to Civil War reenactors) that sell all of the underthings you would need.

View Quoted Comment I didn't think of that!!!! There might be!!!! Thanks!!!!

Hi Lana!

Welcome to Wedding Wire and congrats on your engagement! Super exciting! Wanting a dress from the 1860's sound incredible. Being that it's from that time, I personally feel like anything you find will be somewhat expensive but you can also look into getting it custom made to replicate the era and see if that helps with pricing at all. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't but it never hurts to try. What's your budget??

Maggie is right, the prices you’re seeing reflect the amount of fabric (and quality of materials, because that’s important) and time required to create these gowns. You could potentially see if a local seamstress could make one for you custom, but it probably wouldn’t be any cheaper than what you’re setting on Etsy. We have a local costume rental shop that has high quality replica gowns, that could be an option, but you can’t alter it to fit you perfectly. I think it’s a really cute idea, but an authentic, quality replica 1860’s ball gown is going to be pretty pricey. Is there another area in your budget that you are willing to move money from for a dress splurge?

View Quoted Comment Some of the prices aren't too horrible LOL and I've thought of maybe letting go of custom and buying a higher quality costume instead. I wish I knew how to sew because it'd be a total labor of love!! I can seriously appreciate the time and talent that goes into what they do to make those dresses so beautiful!! I can barely sew on a button LOL I can start with under-things first and go from there

View Quoted Comment I'm trying to keep it not too much over $400. We're paying for our wedding ourselves so if I have to sacrifice a nicer dress I will

View Quoted Comment Renting a costume or buying one isn't a bad idea!! I've seen some that looked nice (I hope it's not like buying off of wish LOL) that are around $200 which isn't bad!!

View Quoted Comment

Understandable. I saw a previous recommendation about re-enactment wardrobe. I hope that works out for you!

View Quoted Comment I rented a Victorian gown from our local costume shop when I was in high school and it was really high quality, but it definitely depends on the place. Ideally, you can see the dresses in person before deciding. If you’re ordering online, definitely pay attention to the return policy! Good luck!

Have you tried amazon? They usually have everything

I would check out costume stores!

View Quoted Comment I'm looking now since you mentioned it!!!! Thanks!!!! Maybe I'll get lucky LOL

View Quoted Comment No problem, I hope you find something!

View Quoted Comment I'm going to look into that as an option too!!! Thanks!!

View Quoted Comment I'm looking at those too now LOL

https://www.ccsutlery.com/store/ladies-civil-war-clothing.html

https://www.etsy.com/market/1860_ball_gown

You could try this site: https://www.victorianchoice.com/shop/pc/Victorian-Civil-War-White-Brocade-Dress-Vintage-Wedding-Gown-p233.htm

View Quoted Comment Thank you for the links!!! Checking them out now!!

View Quoted Comment Thank you!!!!