Dress regret and second thoughts

Love the off-the-shoulder lace sleeves!! It’s a gorgeous dress. I know the lighting is usually different in the Store than when you get home. When I tried my dress on in the store, I was nervous (I don’t like the spotlight) and loved it, took it home and loved it but it did seem different In areas I hadn’t noticed before.

I think it's really important to stop comparing your new dress to your old one. The new dress is absolutely beautiful and I love the off the shoulder sleeves!

I love the new dress. However if it dont make you feel like a bride then maybe consider other options or fixing whatever you may want to do with this beautiful dress.

First of all, I want to say both dresses look beautiful on you! However, if you would like the contrast of the second dress, your seamstress can absolutely change the color of the underlay on your new dress. I had originally contemplated buying a dress with the same issue, and spoke to the seamstress at the Bridal Store who assured me it was a rather easy fix

It's beautiful and looks so good on you!!

The new dress is fine. No one is going to scrutinize the details of the dress (or any other wedding detail) in the same way. They’ll see you and the overall beauty of you in the dress.

I think it’s gorgeous, I love the off-the-shoulder sleeves, but at the same time you gotta love it!
I purchased a dress that I too got a good deal on, but every time I tried it on and thought about I knew I had settled on it being pretty and a good deal. I didn’t think it was flattering on me, while I loved certain details and elements. I’ve since tried one other dress, but again not quite it.

I’m now having a dress customized through Cocomelody that I think is perfect!
I say trust your heart and your gut on this 💯

Hello! Both dresses are beautiful!
I’m with you on not having an emotional reaction to my dress - I thought I would cry but I definitely didn’t.
I went through a similar experience with dress regret after I bought mine! After I bought my dress, I wondered if it was the right choice and started comparing it again to my “almost dress” - the first dress I tried on and absolutely LOVED the look of - but it wasn’t totally comfortable.

I talked my bridesmaids ears off and finally came to realize that I made the right decision with my purchased dress. I really do love it ❤️I was just stuck on comparing the look of dresses - worried that our guests wouldn’t think it was as pretty as I thought it was - so silly of me!
At the end of the day - you should love your dress! If there are just small things that are bugging you, talk to your seamstress and see what can be done to change it! Hopefully they can be fixed and you’ll love you dress again! If not - I say don’t settle and wear a dress that you truly love ❤️

View Quoted Comment Agree with all of this. And your dress is stunning on you. ♥️

Wow both are so gorgeous. do you feel it's dress regret or dress comparison as some PPs here have mentioned? because it sounds like although there are little parts of your gown you aren't fond of, you are generally still liking your current dress but that when you think of your old dress, you seem to like that one more and compare it to it.

View Quoted Comment That’s a good point. I do think I start comparing to the old one. I’m always drawn to contrasting lace (be it my old dress or seeing a photo on Instagram or something). So I think if I got that I would probably be way happier. I don’t hate my current dress, I guess I really just have trouble seeing what it could look like completely altered and on my big day.

View Quoted Comment Thank you! I think watching shows like say yes to the dress make us believe that we have to have this emotional reaction for something to be right, and that’s just not completely accurate. And yes! I’m so worried that I won’t like it in Photos. Honestly I think my biggest fear is that I won’t feel beautiful on my wedding day and maybe I’m just projecting all of that onto my wedding dress.

View Quoted Comment That is such a relief! Did you have to pay to find the replacement fabric underneath? I’m curious as to where I would get that or how much it would cost.

View Quoted Comment This is very true. The bridal store lighting for my current dress was not great like my previous dress. I’m in a small apartment so the lighting isn’t great here either, although I have been tempted to walk out on my front porch with it with a mirror 😂

View Quoted Comment I didn’t actually end up getting that dress. I found another one that I absolutely fell in love with and got it instead. However, they gave me the option of either purchasing whatever fabric I wanted to go under it myself (they would just tell me how much I needed to order), or they could order fabric from the designer directly. I would definitely speak with your seamstress. They typically know the best places to get fabrics, and can often times get them for cheaper.

View Quoted Comment I felt so very similar!
I definitely did not cry when I put on either dress (my mom cried for both though lol) and I kept thinking THAT is how I would know it was “the one.” But really it just came down to how comfortable I felt in it!
The “almost dress” was ABSOLUTELY gorgeous and I loved it BUT it was extremely heavy and the top part was a little itchy. My purchased dress had everything I initially loved about the almost dress (a little lace, the same silhouette and POCKETS 😍) but it was nowhere near as heavy and it didn’t have the itchy neckline. So I chose that one and actually got it for less than the other dress would have cost. But I definitely had dress regret because I was worried that people who saw pictures of both dresses (a handful of friends and family members) would think I chose the wrong one - or that the almost dress was “more elegant and bridal” A friend reminded me that whatever dress a bride chooses to wear IS bridal! And as far as the elegant aspect, one of our best friends reminded me that we are wearing converse at our wedding, with LEGO centerpieces, and superhero boutonnières and cuff links - nothing about our wedding would be defined as “elegant” LOL
But yes - the most important thing is that you feel beautiful in your dress! If you think you can still feel that way with minor changes made to your dress, then definitely explore those options! I know it’s easier said than done, but try to remember that beauty isn’t the dress - it’s YOU and your happiness on your BIG day 😊

View Quoted Comment Thank you for tour thoughts! It’s so strange how we get set on what other people think! I’m glad you finally felt like you made the tight choice!

View Quoted Comment You’re welcome! I’m sorry for the super long and detailed post! Lol
I’m an English major and a teacher so I often get too wordy when trying to get my point across 😆
I hope it helped!

Hello! I was in the exact same situation you are in myself about a month ago. I tried on a few dresses in the store, decided on one, but never had a strong emotional reaction to it. As soon as I left the store I was met with the panic that I wasn't completely sure I made the right choice, I felt like maybe I was too distracted, maybe I should've shopped around more, maybe I just was just too eager to buy a dress. Mine too has everything I wanted on paper, but I also found myself nit-picking at small details when I got home and trying to figure it out what alterations I could make to like it more. Well I'm here to tell you a month later, I am in love with my dress and that feeling will pass. Would I have maybe found a dress that I truly do love more than mine if I kept looking? Probably. But it may not have been in my budget, and who knows how many stores I would have had to go to to find it. I made the choice when I had the dress ON, based on how it made me feel in the moment while I was wearing it, not from looking at pictures. The commitment of picking such an important article of clothing puts so much pressure on finding "the one", and hearing others' stories of their emotional reactions to their dress made it feel like I needed to have the same experience, when that just simply isn't everyone's story. I know from experience that hearing others say your dress is beautiful doesn't help, as your own opinion is what matters the most. But for what it's worth, I truly do think your new dress is gorgeous and flattering, I hope you start to love it soon and I KNOW you will feel like a princess in it on your wedding day!

View Quoted Comment Thank you SO SO much for this! It’s very encouraging to hear that I’m not alone and you’ve felt the same while in a similar situation. It’s true, I’m bad for wondering if there is always something better out there (I’m doing this about the venue too 🙄). I totally needed to hear that it is about how I felt in it at that time rather than looking back at photos. I need to beat myself over the head with this concept of TRUSTING myself. Thank you so very much!