Well I finally decided on the outfit I want, with some changes.
I’m now trying to get it made from a home-based designer, corresponding via email (she has been FAB even at the enquiries stage and I will reveal her details soon)
Thing is I’m not gonna make a decision until I’ve met up with my sisters, sat together, maybe go shopping and have a think.
On top of that I’m on a budget and feeling worried that this is going to compromise the beauty of the design. I’m scared I’ll pay the money and get something totally different and I don’t live in a country where I’d be able to go look for an emergency lehenga.
Basically, I’m a no-fuss kind of person so all this thinking about clothes and stuff is new to me, I never knew getting a bridal lehenga made would occupy so much of my time and thought process. My previous shopping strategy has been: warm, fits, I’ll take it!!
Just wanted to have a moan about wedding related worries, my tummy hurts from all the thinking
wow - reading your post reminded me of MYSELF. I am exactly like you - no-fuss and don't care what the end product is as long as it looks nice on me. But PLEASE think twice about ordering your outfit from somebody in another country without knowing the designer yourself or even knowing a reference of the designer.
A few months ago, I thought I would purchase some of my jehez items from india online since I didn't have the time to go overseas and buy the items myself. The owner of the boutique was extremely responsive, very nice and I thought to myself "oh no worries, everything will come out fine." But rest assured, my clothes were nice but teh quality of stitching was COMPLETE GARBAGE. threads were coming out of everywhere, buties were missing and even one suit had a hole in it!!! The worst part is that these boutique owners will do NOTHING to rectify problems like this. Luckily I didn't order ym wedding jora from overseas because if something like this happened, I wouldn't have a clue what to do after spending so much money.
I STRONGLY urge you to spend an extra $2-300 and get a proper fitting outfit that you really like from your home-town. Trust me, that extra few hundred is rightfully needed to mitigate any risk associated.
toronto bride i feel so bad about the fact that ur outfits turned out that way. actually if u order from india the scene is since there a whole lot of small boutiques there this is a very common problem that ppl face. benzer etc we used to get stuff from there too sometimes its wonderful and sometimes what u see and what u get are very different.
u should try and order from pakiland because everything can be customized according to ur wants and needs haan there can be one problem and that is fitting is out some times i guess. plus even when u order from pakiland u have to ask about anything and everything , the labour here is way much better than india so u dont need to worry about a thing.
To play it safe, maybe it would be better if you went with a designer who has positive reviews, if possible maybe someone that you family/friends have previously had a good experience with. If there is none, then maybe you can check the Bazaar Talk forum, there are alot of reviews of different designers there. Hope it works out for you and that you find a beautiful dress that you love!!
awww, its ok, athens bride! its all part of the process... the good thing is, you are corresponding with the dress designer, she's responding, you have a good relationship... it'll be ok! :)
few things though:
1. pay using your credit card so you can dispute it if something goes wrong (iA everything will be good!)
2. send her color swatches so she can use those to dye the material from... there are wayyy too many shades of colors and her interpretation of your colors might be different from yours. so be safe- check out a fabric store, buy silk in the colors you love/want for the outfit and for the kaam, and mail them out to her. and of course, send her pictures and all that and be sure to tell her what you DON'T want along with what you DO want.
3. lay out the pieces you want, along with the prices, in a simple Word invoice or an email, and make sure she responds to it by agreeing to what you've said. later on, if she fusses about adding costs or delivers something you don't like, you can hold it against her.
4. tell her your wedding date is 5 months before it actually is. this will give you enough padding in case something doesn't turn out right.
SGC...you are SOOOOOOOOOOO right about telling them your wedding date is earlier then it is! Im getting mine 3 months before the big day...I cant risk screw ups and IF (Allah na kare, Nauzubillah, Khudana Khwasta) something screws up, I have enough time to buy an emergency wedding outfit.
wow - reading your post reminded me of MYSELF. I am exactly like you - no-fuss and don't care what the end product is as long as it looks nice on me. But PLEASE think twice about ordering your outfit from somebody in another country without knowing the designer yourself or even knowing a reference of the designer.
A few months ago, I thought I would purchase some of my jehez items from india online since I didn't have the time to go overseas and buy the items myself. The owner of the boutique was extremely responsive, very nice and I thought to myself "oh no worries, everything will come out fine." But rest assured, my clothes were nice but teh quality of stitching was COMPLETE GARBAGE. threads were coming out of everywhere, buties were missing and even one suit had a hole in it!!! The worst part is that these boutique owners will do NOTHING to rectify problems like this. Luckily I didn't order ym wedding jora from overseas because if something like this happened, I wouldn't have a clue what to do after spending so much money.
I STRONGLY urge you to spend an extra $2-300 and get a proper fitting outfit that you really like from your home-town. Trust me, that extra few hundred is rightfully needed to mitigate any risk associated.
You can also mail an old shirt that still fits well to ensure the end product is not too tight or anything. Its also better to get ot made from a country/ city wher you have someone to look out for you. Also, talk to this lady a few times and see how she sounds professionaly. Good Luck!
Thanks for the tips guys. The designer I'm working with is popular on GS and has sent me ample pics of her work. Also, her reviews on here are very good, so it's not that I'm worried about. I have total faith in her, and that's saying something about her since I've only started communicating with her via email about a week ago!!
I think I just feel nervous about miscommunicating something, or going mad for 5 seconds and saying MAKE IT SHOCKING PINK AND LIME GREEN.
I'm going this route because I could technically go to the UK and buy something there. Rest of my family is there, but the fashions on the asian UK scene have changed from what I've seen when I was last there 2 months ago. It's all rhinestones and ghatti phooti kaam. When my sis got married a few years back the fashion was for finer, prettier work. I didn't really see anything that I fell in love with, plus I'm a bit skinny and none of the sizes there fit me. for my nikkah my mum and sister chose a beautiful blue lehenga with red accents, saying they got me the smallest size, and when I saw it hung off my shoulders. Had to alter it myself.
So I'd rather get something made just for me. Maybe at the heart of it I'm nervous about paying so much for one item of clothing (even though the designer has knocked practically 50% off to bring the outfit inside my budget). It'll be the priciest thing I ever bought.
But it'll be worth it, right?
Plus living in Greece means I can wear it a good few times to weddings etc and no one here will realise I'm wearing my own wedding dress to a wedding, ha ha! Hmmm but maybe the bride will be like "hey that foreign girl is stealing my thunder!"
