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17 year old wedding guest

135 replies

JustADressPlease · 24/08/2025 16:46

Please help me. I'm going to try and cram enough details in, so please excuse the length of the post. We are due to attend a fairly small, fairly casual (in a church but then in a nice country pub afterwards), family wedding in a couple of weeks and I desperately need help. And I say that without any hyperbole! My daughter is 17, mildly ND, has issues with labels and things she feels are constricting. She is 5'10" and a size 6-8, but prefers an 8. She has really, really loooonnng legs (thank goodness she took after her dad and didn't get my stumpy legs with podgy knees and ridiculously long back because that would make this even harder) but doesn't particularly like to flaunt them! She has a model physique and could wear a bin bag and look amazing but is happiest in a pair of leggings and a fleecy jumper. She isn't overly girly, very untrendy, doesn't like jumpsuits as they, ahem, cut her in two, is willing to wear a dress (that's kind of a "must", don't ask!), and doesn't like yellow, overly bright patterns or flowers.

I took her and friend over to the nearest big city a couple of weeks ago and she found nothing. She said she would wear a dress she already has. I've kept asking her to try it on and to show me and she kept forgetting or saying she'd do it later and then that it would be fine, but still hadn't shown me. One of her ND side effects is avoidance of things that make her uncomfortable. I forced her to go and put it on and show me this morning. It's too small, which I suspected it would be. Sigh... I have been looking for something online for the past week or so because I foresaw this coming. I have probably spent about 15 hours, maybe more, trolling loads of sites (Nobody's Child, H&M, Next, Sosander, Roman, Phase Eight, River Island and probably more that I have forgotten) and opening about a million tabs which I sat her down and made her look at this morning. Just to give me some ideas. This is the ONLY one, from Nobody's Child, which was almost acceptable and of course, now it's flipping out of stock. I have emailed and hopefully it might come back in stock, although since it's summery it's unlikely: Acceptable Dress I have looked at every option within my budget (upto £150, I'm that desperate, but prefereably, much, much less as she's likely to only wear it this once!)

So please, please, help me and suggest other stores or even better actual dresses that might be acceptable. I would be unbelievably grateful.

Thanks, one tired,desperate internetted out mum...

Pink Sleeveless Tiered Charlie Midi Dress

Pink Sleeveless Tiered Charlie Midi Dress

https://www.nobodyschild.com/products/pink-sleeveless-tiered-charlie-midi-dress-d255476pnk?cjdata=MXxZfDB8WXwxNzU4NjM3MTI0NDk2&cjevent=3e0e651580f511f083f302200a18b8fc&utm_source=CJ&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=Easyfundraising+Ltd

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Tomrrowandtomorrowandtommorrow · 25/08/2025 18:57

She sounds like my 17yr Old ND daughter. We got her this for a wedding in size 6 this summer and she looked gorgeous! https://www.urbanoutfitters.com/en-gb/shop/kiss-the-sky-uo-exclusive-floral-print-midi-dress?category=dresses&color=020&type=REGULAR&quantity=1
UO are the way to go

Tomrrowandtomorrowandtommorrow · 25/08/2025 18:58

And her 15yr old sister write this and it looked gorgeous. https://www.urbanoutfitters.com/en-gb/shop/kimchi-blue-kyra-bandeau-maxi-dress?category=dresses&color=000&type=REGULAR&quantity=1

Scentedjasmin · 25/08/2025 19:50

Would either of these work?

17 year old wedding guest
17 year old wedding guest
beetr00 · 25/08/2025 20:03

@JustADressPlease

Could this be worth a punt? Spaghetti straps though

MumOfManyAliases · 25/08/2025 20:51

Sorry just noticed you said she’s not a fan of flowers so my suggestion probably isn’t any good.

JustADressPlease · 25/08/2025 21:19

Drum roll please...🎉

We have a winner! And it's not one I would have ever thought she would go for, so I presume her friend has had a bit of input!

@AtomicBlondeRose You picked it, well very nearly almost!! It was certainly your suggestion of this plain blue dress that led her to choosing the blue floral version. Yes, I know, she told me no flowers, so I passed that duff information on to you all, but maybe it's one wonderful step closer to her getting out of her clothing comfort zone and her wanting to look like she was attending a wedding rather than having a night in on the sofa!

I'm sure some of you are almost as excited as I was to find out what the Chosen One was... and without further ado, here it is:
https://www.hollisterco.com/shop/uk/p/onoff-the-shoulder-maxi-dress-60263927-1005?faceout=model&pagefm=navigation-swatch&prodvm=navigation-swatch&seq=01

So once again, thank you all again, so very, very much for taking time out of your days to search for, find and suggest so many options. I have now got a little note of all the sites that I wouldn't have known about, for future reference. I am absolutely certain that they will come in useful!!

OP posts:
HollyGolightly4 · 25/08/2025 21:24

That's lovely! Hope it all goes well 🥰

Beachtastic · 25/08/2025 21:28

Brilliant OP, glad it all came together.

I've found some sites through this thread that I didn't know before, and am at serious risk of buying things I will never fit into.

Hope you all have a lovely day!

strawlight · 25/08/2025 21:32

Great choice, and it has pockets!

Needthesunshine · 25/08/2025 21:56

Glad it’s worked out well. She’s picked a lovely dress.

TracyBeakerSoYeah · 25/08/2025 22:02

Pleased that all the combined hard work has paid off & DD has a lovely dress for the wedding.
This is the viper nest at its best - finding solutions & giving help!

MiddleAgedDread · 25/08/2025 22:14

Amazing! DSD has a slightly different dress in that blue and white floral and it’s lovely. Hers is marketed as off the shoulder but for the event she got it for it very much called for on shoulder and looks fine.

Tryinghardtobefair · 26/08/2025 04:57

I'm glad your DD has found a dress she liked! My pre-teen is ND, and I go to My Brave Pearl when we need a "special" dress. You can buy children's and adults clothes and the clothes are handmade so you can choose the pattern of the fabric which helps with pickiness. You can even request custom fabric if you're happy to wait a bit longer for the dress. Lisa, the lady who owns MBP is absolutely lovely, and is willing to make adjustments to clothes where possible to accomodate sensory needs or awkward sizing. DD has a 26 inch waist and 33inch hips with thick thighs, and MBP managed to adjust the thighs sizing and taper them to fit all of my pre teen.

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 26/08/2025 06:09

John Lewis have a similar Nobody’s Child dress in green, size 6& 8 in stock. here

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 26/08/2025 06:11

Apols, i have seen you’ve found The Chosen One! It’s really nice! Congratulations.

martinisforeveryone · 26/08/2025 11:46

What a relief for you @JustADressPlease and it's a lovely dress. I'd never have chosen it based on the shirred back, which I presumed DD might find irritating or too constricting, despite the elastic moving with you. Going for the floral is pretty out there based on what you said, so it sounds like she's making a real effort for the celebration.

Christine1998 · 26/08/2025 12:08

The dress she has chosen is gorgeous, i hope she will feel good in it, you sound like such a lovely mum. Hope the wedding is fab. Have you got your own outfit sorted?

MangoesAndPeaches · 26/08/2025 17:58

OP, the Nobody’s Child dress is back in stock in size 8! The one she has picked is lovely, but just in case she wants to try both on.

JustADressPlease · 26/08/2025 18:21

Christine1998 · 26/08/2025 12:08

The dress she has chosen is gorgeous, i hope she will feel good in it, you sound like such a lovely mum. Hope the wedding is fab. Have you got your own outfit sorted?

That's very kind of you to say, thank you. I try. Occasionally I get it right, like my decision to ask for help on MN.😂

Edited to add, that yes, I literally just ordered it! Hope it's nice when it comes, I'm a good 2-3 sizes bigger than the model it's on though...😬

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