Non-weddingy wedding dresses

[Alez]

Hi everyone

Trying to stay excited about my wedding that might not be able to go ahead and looking at ordering a dress online. I'm not 100% sure what kind of dress I want yet - I know I don't want anything that screams wedding dress (no train!), but still want to feel special. I want to stick to white/ivory, or perhaps a nice gold or silver, and I tend to like dresses with long sleeves or thin straps. I'm umming and ahhing between just getting a really lovely summer dress, or something a bit more fancy. I've already ordered some dresses from sezane and ghost, which are pretty good examples of the 2 ends of the spectrum!

www.ghost.co.uk/becky-dress-ivory-du59ca-m12
www.ghost.co.uk/bella-dress-ivory1-dx55ca-m12
www.ghost.co.uk/aubree-dress-cloud-df02ca-b50
www.sezane.com/en/product/collection-printemps-all/fanette-dress?cou_Id=2324

Please could you give me some suggestions for dresses / brands to look at? I've seen the dresses at kitri and whistles already. It's an august wedding in a town hall, and then a really nice pub. No strict budget but would ideally spend less than £1k. Thanks!

Have a look at Chottronette. They are made to measure. Genuine site, not a Chinese knock off company.
www.chotronette.com/

Was going to suggest Ghost, but you've beat me to it. This one from Matches is lovely, and they have 20% off at the moment too -

www.matchesfashion.com/products/Rat-%26-Boa-Cowl-neck-leopard-devoré-velvet-maxi-dress-1347290

Or, this brand at Net a Porter has some nice ones too -

www.net-a-porter.com/en-gb/shop/product/halston/ruched-stretch-jersey-gown/1188891

The Bella dress is lovely!

The Becky dress may end up looking like a posh dressing gown.. the other two are just a bit underwhelming.. (imho)

I wore a dress from a maker called Nataya. American, some availability in the UK but I ordered from America. Floaty and wafty so the exact sizing wasn't an issue and with sleeves. I loved mine! There are some specifically wedding dresses but I went for a dark red dress. I added a few little silver beads and thread just for a tiny bit of sparkle. One day I will lose enough weight to wear it again.

Those Chottronette dresses are beautiful @CornishPorsche but I think the style is a bit too princessy for me!

Love that rat & boa one @Jellybott, will have a look at their other stuff. I've seen the halston one before - I like it, but I feel like there's something not quite right in lots of their designs. The ruching in the back looks a bit odd to me.

Haha, thanks @KnobwithaK any suggestions?

@Corneysjazzband how was it ordering from the US? I've looked at a few US brands that don't have UK shops but I'm worried about customs. Dark red with sparkle sounds gorgeous.

@Alez sorry not sure how to tag. I had no problems with customs for the dress though I did for the shoes: they were worth it though as they were lovely and I couldn't find anything even close in England. I had to pay an extra charge on delivery with no advance warning.
It was a few years ago but this is pretty much what I wore
natayadresses.com/en/nataya-dresses/283-nataya-40163-downton-abbey-tea-party-gown-ruby.html
I had a glamorous coat in case it was cold (November wedding), a gorgeous umbrella and found a milliner to make me a colour matched hat. Love a good hat. I have never regretted my choices: it wasn't a weddingy dress, but it was absolutely me and I felt fabulous. Whole outfit was less than £500 and everything could be worn again if I lost weight....
My husband loved it too.

I wore this dress from Phase Eight

I liked the Aubree dress. Think it really pretty

The Aubree one's really lovely and also different (not too keen on the others - the Bella one would be nice with a little bolero but the straps are too 'vest top', and the Becky one's a bit 'satin dressing gown').

Oh, and I don't like the Fanette one at all but I dislike the current trend to show so much back.

The first two ghost ones look too much like lingerie. The third one is gorgeous. The Sezanne one is pretty but looks like a summer holiday dress; not special enough for a wedding in my opinion.

Have you looked at Monsoon? They have some lovely understated wedding dresses.

If you're feeling brave and don't want to look too 'bridal', a jumpsuit could be dressed up nicely - very Amal Clooney!

www.tedbaker.com/uk/Womens/Clothing/Jumpsuits-Playsuits/OLIVVYA-Halter-neck-wide-leg-jumpsuit-White/p/155942-WHITE

Thanks for comments on the dresses I've chosen, but I'm just looking for ideas for other options, not criticism of my choices. I know that I like the dresses I've ordered, and I may well end up wearing one of them...even if some of the guests don't think I look special enough or think I'm wearing lingerie - I guess that's an extra special wedding dress .

I like that jumpsuit @Jellybot but I think I'd be self conscious about my arms in that style. Though I have to admit I've never actually tried something with that neckline on so maybe it won't be how I imagine!

Sessun do very French chic casual wedding dresses. I love them