short brides

Idk...Davids?

But being your heights, you may just have to deal with the expense of added alterations.

Following I'm barely 4'11

Im barely 5 ft. I went to local bridal shops and found which styles looked best on me.

Im 5'2. I know for sure Davids Bridal has dresses for petite women. You can even go on there website right now to see. Also remember to add in how tall you will be after you put on your shoes because if the shoes are tall enough, you could fit a average height dress.

Got my dress at David's. I'm 4'11". No issues. I'm also very hard to fit because I'm very busty.

I'm 4'11" and I did just fine...no special stores needed.

I'm 5'2. Went to a regular dress shop and had the dress altered to fit me.

I'm 5'0 and I had no issues. My bridal shop did my alterations perfectly.

A lot of designers are making dresses that fit shorter brides. A tip: try looking for dresses that have detail that doesn't go to the hem. If you fall in love with a dress with detail on the hem, check with the onsite seamstress about it or ask the consultant how it will look altered.

I should clarify, that I live in a location without a bridal shop. So if I don't find one online I will need to fly to a shop ( I live on an island), so looking for websites so that I don't need to do that, and if that is not possible then certain brands so I can find out which wedding shops to focus on. (I am sure if I called a boutique they would all say they carry sizes for short brides, but if I am going to fly to try on I want to go somewhere that I can actually see how the length fits and actually carries the small sizes). I do know David Bridal has options, but looking for other ideas.

I am getting married on the beach, and not planning on wearing shoes for the actual ceremony so that won't help with the length issue.

I am not so much concerned about the length (that is always alterable), I am more looking for ideas for the body length. I don't buy regular size dresses for work, (I always buy petites) as the waist is in the wrong spot. Moving the entire bottom half of a dress up to fit the shorter body length may be difficult as my dream dress would be a body conscious romantic lacy dress, which also makes it harder to alter in terms of body length.

There is a women who can do serious alterations in town. For those of you who had a regular size dress altered, would you be willing to tell me the brand/designer of your dress and what kind of dress it was? Maybe that is an option...

Nicole, off the top of your head do you know the names of any of the designers that are making dresses for shorter brides?

@Megan, I'm not sure exactly where you are located, but I got my dress at The Wedding Bell in Tacoma, Washington. I'm 5'3 and they definitely worked with me to find a dress that would work!

I'm 5'1" and ordered from David's Bridal in a petite. With my heels on it is the perfect length so I won't need alterations. My heels are 3".

Davids Bridal lets you order online. They say their petite dresses are for anyone 5'4" and under.

I'm 5'2" and just went to a local boutique. They took custom measurements and are making the dress specific to my height

Some designers allow for custom sizing. Casablanca Bridal does this. Not only did I get to do a hollow-to-hem (custom length), but since my bust, waist, and hips corresponded to wildly different size gowns, they made a gown specific to my measurements. They are known for being customization friendly, so I was also able to say I wanted the point where my mermaid skirt flared out to be a little higher up, closer to my hips, since I'm short. You'd still have to go through a bridal shop, though.

When you go wedding dress shopping, talk to the consultant about your concerns and ask if they carry any designers that make petite sizing. Either way, I'm sure you will still have to do alterations!

I am 4'11... I went to Davids Bridal & I just decided to go with 4 in a half 5 inch heels. Its expensive to alter !

I'm not sure how much it helps, but some designers do separate sizing for top and bottom, which might give you more wiggle room. My dress is Modern Trousseau and they do it no charge. I'm short waisted (and not much going on up top) so that will help me get the waist where it should be while allowing some room for the booty. I don't believe you can get it online, but they do a lot of romantic lacy dresses so it might be worth a look if you get into a shop.

I'm 4'11. Get petite dresses. Mine is a petite and I will barely need to do any hemming on it! I recommend David's as they always have sales, just ask for petite sizes.