Heavy gown, long train for wedding dress. should i get a reception dress?

You'd have to have it bustled.

It could make sense to have something to change into halfway through the reception just in case you find it useful. Maybe something you would wear again from your wedding pre-wedding events.

Yes that dress is beautiful don’t want to mess it up at the reception

I had a very long train, and I lasted about 20 minutes at our reception 😂
I thought I would last longer. I was definitely extremely glad to have a second dress to change into.

View Quoted Comment

Definitely agree with this! I think it would be very challenging to make it through an entire reception trying to dance in a very heavy, gown.

View Quoted Comment

Alyssa didn't share the actual dress she has planned for her wedding. Maybe you saw Cece's post where she didn't last very long with her ceremony gown. Good she shared that. We had one bride saying no bustle was needed even though she had a long train. So some brides will just make it all work out with no trouble.

View Quoted Comment Oh I absolutely will! However, even with bustling the dress, I worry it may still be too heavy/long. Do you have experience with a long train and keeping the dress on all night?

View Quoted Comment Lol that’s hilarious! I may have to look into a dress then. I’ll definitely keep it on as long as I can!

View Quoted Comment Wow no bustling a long train is definitely a feat! And maybe a large dance floor is needed! Or maybe she just carried the train? Not sure. Either way it’s impressive

View Quoted Comment That’s a good idea! I’ll definitely see if I can do something like that. Thank you!

View Quoted Comment

I seriously thought I would just lug that train around and make it work for at least an hour LOL Nope! I was SO glad I had another dress available! Just make sure you love your second dress (because it's going to be photographed) and that it's comfortable! When we got our wedding pictures back, I was actually really relieved that I had changed because it broke up the monotony of the same dress in photos over & over & over again. I loved my dress, but I don't need 300+ photos in it! LOL It was nice that there was a wardrobe change halfway through the photos!

View Quoted Comment

The bride used the loop on the train for some outside pictures and getting around the venue. She possibly was not much into dancing though.

I had a long train and both the groom and I changed into reception outfits. It was nice because I could also get getting ready shots together

View Quoted Comment

Great pictures Connie. The outdoor and indoor shots look grand. It looks like your train would not have been too heavy to wear all night but it looks like your plan worked out nicely. Many of the cathedral train dresses also have many layers plus sequins or beads.

Alyssa,

Stunning, beautiful dress! I was recently a MOB so coming from this experience. 1. Can you and/or your seamstress clip the dress to mimic a bustle first? (before paying for that expense.) How heavy does it feel on you then? 2. You have the off-the-shoulder. Does this bother you at all dancing with your arms? Maybe turn on one of your favorite dance songs and dance around in it and see how it feels, and then go with your gut. I had an off-the-shoulder dress for my wedding and I am also a dancer and the sleeve didn't bother me at all. I don't remember feeling any "restriction" and just focused entirely on having a good time. 3. To save your feet, highly advise a more comfortable block heel. My daughter wore basic pumps with a wider heel for stability and comfort and to re-wear again. 4. My daughter decided to switch into shiny silver cute sneakers for the reception to facilitate dancing and more comfort and she was happy with her decision. Me, I continued wearing my platform silver Mary Jane (comfort) block-heeled pumps because I prefer to be taller. The toe of your shoe when you are walking is what is most visble, not the entire shoe. There is a photo of my daughter's sneakers when their wedding party and friends lifted them in the air on the dance floor.

Congratulations bride to be!! I would say look at going to a tailor to see if they can make the train detachable you already spent the money on a gorgeous gown, so make the MOST of it before buying another... good luck & Happy WEDDING planning!

One of the common tips that stores and magazines will never mention because their goal is to make as much money as possible, but those who have actually tried on dresses will say is for you to actively move around in the dress when you are trying it on in the store. Bend over, sit down, wiggle, dance, walk and so on. If the movement is constricted in any way at all, look for something lightweight instead that is easier to move in.


Reception dresses are much more common in Asian cultures where the bride is expected to have multiple dress changes, and the festivities last literally all day or multiple days. And there is enough going on to distract from the bride being away from guests for the time that it takes to change, whereas in America, it is considered a faux pas for the bride, groom or both to leave the guests unattended to change clothes, take pictures, eat privately or consciously do anything else away from their guests for any period of time once the cocktail hour/reception has started. “But Covid” is often used to justify it but many guests don’t condone that.
I didn’t wear a reception dress because a wedding dress is a once in a lifetime piece of clothing that is way too expensive to wear for 30 minutes only out of your entire life. That was why it important to make sure when trying on styles that they easy to move in. I have 2 cousins who wore a reception dress at their weddings but only because they married into Asian families where it is expected. If that was not the case, no one in our social circles has ever done that nor felt the need to.

View Quoted Comment Not that I’m questioning your decision, I just wonder how people only have 30 mins? I plan to be getting ready early in the morning around 8am and first look photos etc before the ceremony. My ceremony is an hour by itself plus the photo sessions after the ceremony are 1-2 hrs according to Google. So I’m at least getting a few hours in my dress. This is separate from my original question but I have seen people say they only get 30 mins in their dress so I’m just curious. Respectfully 💘

View Quoted Comment Wow that is a long train! Gorgeous location! Thanks for the input. Glad to see you haven’t regretted your decision 🤍

View Quoted Comment Yeahh my train wasn’t too heavy and definitely could’ve been bustled but I also wanted to incorporate my asian heritage (red dress) so I was definitely going to need another dress to change into haha