Bridal Nails Design
November 6th, 2007
Where do short people go for dresses?
Not engaged yet, but this a question I wonder about.
My best friends and I sometimes like to have girls days out where we do marathon shopping trips, getting nails done, etc. Sometimes this includes a trip to a bridal shop or jewelry store to look and dream. I figure this will put us ahead of the game when we DO get engaged. 
Here’s the question:
I’m only 5’1″, and every time I try on a wedding dress, I feel ridiculously overwhelmed. I know that they can be altered, but do they just take away from the length? or can they tone down layers to be not quite so voluminous on tiny people? Everything always feels so big and bulky on me. It’s hard because I love a train and favor a ball gown style, but everything is huge! I look at wedding gowns and find a design I love, and then end up being drowned in lace or satin or tulle or what have you.
When you go to seriously start looking at wedding dresses, talk to the consultant at the bridal shop and ask if they carry any designers who make their dresses in Petite. If they do, you can try on those, but it’s really going to limit the number of styles available to you.
Look for dresses that can be hemmed or shortened, either from the waist or at the bottom. If you find a dress that has a ton of detailing at the bottom, but it’s a sheath style dress, there is no way to make this dress shorter without ruining the design or style of the dress.
If the dress has a lot of detailing at the hem, but has a seam at the waist, the seamstress can literally remove the skirt from the bodice, cut off as much as she needs to make it short enough for you, and then sew it back on. I had this done for my dress (I’m also 5’1″, and I bought my dress off the rack).
Since you like the ball gown style, most dresses in this style are constructed like that. The problem is that it’s more expensive to alter, so expect to pay another $300-$500 to have the alterations done.
If you can, try to find a dress that has a plain hem, or even a completely plain skirt. That way the seamstress can just take however many inches you need removed off the bottom.
bridal nails design