Learn what to look for in a quality wedding gown—from lining to proper seams. What makes a quality garment? We have all the answers here. Remember, if you are only paying $300 for a dress instead of $1,000, the quality will be different—from fabric to seaming to beading. You get what you pay for.
The following article is an example of the content we have in our online wedding planning membership site HappyWeddings.ca under the heading of Wedding Gown. To learn more and get useful wedding planning tools for FREE click here!
For the price of a wedding dress, you would assume that you are purchasing a high quality item—not in the world of wedding dresses!
So what does a quality garment look like? First and foremost, the wedding dress should be comfortable to wear. No tightness, lumpiness, or scratchy lace. The hem on the dress should be a herringbone stitch to ensure the hem lies flat, and is securely fastened.
Traditionally, the fabric should be silk or heavy satin. There are great polyester blends that mimic silk, satin and other fabrics that are perfect for a wedding dress. The key thing is that the dress fabric shouldn’t be thin, or feel like it would tear easily. It should be of sufficient weight to feel solid, and to drape properly.
The inside of the wedding dress should be fully lined, and all seams should be finished properly. The last thing you need is an unfinished seam with threads hanging, or lining that bunches because it isn’t secured properly. The outside of the wedding dress should not have any threads hanging out of the seam, and you should not be able to see the stitching of the seam from the outside of the dress.
Some wedding dresses have the crinolines built into them, and sometimes they are separate. Of course, having a built in crinoline is a better quality gown, but it will also cost more. As always, there are trade-offs.
Then there are the appliqués, beading, and so forth. How securely are they attached? Are they glued on, or are they sewn on? Obviously, sewn on is better quality than glued on.
Check the stitching of fasteners like zippers, buttons, lacing and so forth. Are they securely attached to the dress, or are they loose? Is the zipper a good quality zipper? Does it move easily? If you are paying a lot of money for a dress, you should be sure of the quality you are paying for.
When looking for a wedding gown, you want to get a good quality gown because you don’t need dress problems on your wedding day. There are many good quality gowns for reasonable prices—you just need to take the time to look for them.
The resource document for this module covers the wedding gown formality rules. If you are having a formal wedding, for example, you will wear a long gown for your wedding. If you are having an informal, daytime wedding, a long gown is not appropriate, but instead you would have a t-length dress, cocktail dress, or couture suit. We cover trains, veils, gloves and so forth, based on the formality and time of day of your wedding. Check it out!