# Strapless wedding dresses-- yea or nay? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 14, 2013, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strapless-wedding-dresses-yea-or-nay/671216 "2013-10-14T15:04:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strapless-wedding-dresses-yea-or-nay/671216/61 "2013-10-16T21:20:19Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > IMHO, they only look good on slim, small-busted women. I absolutely cringe whenever I see a picture of an obese woman wearing one. Yup yup. I have no idea if this is a general feature of all strapless dresses on big-chested women or if it’s women choosing the wrong size dress, but [this deal](http://www.weddingdressus.com/upfile/Wedding%20Dress/Plus%20Size%20Wedding%20Dresses/Strapless%20Handmade%20Embroidery%20Chapel%20Train%20Plus%20Size%20Wedding%20Dress-0.jpg), where the top of the cups aren’t flush with the breasts drives me nuts. It just looks bad to me. Are you going to be sticking tissues for the ceremony in that gap? It looks like you’re trying to shove a jiggly mass inside a stainless steel container. I want to throw things at the TV when I watch Say Yes to the Dress! You _can_ look sexy on your wedding day without a strapless dress. [This one is amazing!](http://www.cheaperbuy.ca/proimg/big/A0/B25/VintageInspiredEmpireWaistWeddingGownV-NeckElegantAndLuxuriousOrganzaOnLineLS64638-0.jpg) I love lace sleeves and/or shoulders. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strapless-wedding-dresses-yea-or-nay/671216/62 "2013-10-16T22:28:49Z")
That second dress is gorgeous. I think bare skin seen through lace is much sexier than just plain bare skin. ---
**Author:** ![Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glory)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strapless-wedding-dresses-yea-or-nay/671216/63 "2013-10-16T22:47:06Z")
I think a lot of strapless wedding dresses are unflattering. I got married when I was 40 and while I had a pretty cute figure, I didn’t want strapless. I wore this dress and it was absolutely lovely: [Home Page - DBI](http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_All-Over-Beaded-Lace-Trumpet-Gown-T9612) ---
**Author:** ![ladysorrowfree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@ladysorrowfree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladysorrowfree)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strapless-wedding-dresses-yea-or-nay/671216/64 "2013-10-17T04:16:22Z")
When I was married I had a good friend who was a seamstress. She specialized in - guess what - custom-made wedding dresses. And that was her gift to me. If you can’t find a suitable gown, that’s definitely one way to go. Considering the high price of wedding gowns in general, I don’t think it costs much more to have one made to your specifications. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strapless-wedding-dresses-yea-or-nay/671216/65 "2013-10-17T13:02:39Z")
> [@purplehaze2007](#): > > When I was married I had a good friend who was a seamstress. She specialized in - guess what - custom-made wedding dresses. And that was her gift to me. > > If you can’t find a suitable gown, that’s definitely one way to go. Considering the high price of wedding gowns in general, I don’t think it costs much more to have one made to your specifications. Can we have a picture? ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strapless-wedding-dresses-yea-or-nay/671216/66 "2013-10-17T14:37:15Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > Laura Ingalls Wilder writes in **These Happy Golden Years** that she wore a black dress when she got married. Only because she was in a hurry (Almanzo’s family was coming and would push them into a big wedding) and didn’t have time to make another dress. Her mother was uneasy about the black dress: “You know they say, ‘Married in black, you’ll wish yourself back.’” (I just finished reading this book out loud to my kid.) ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strapless-wedding-dresses-yea-or-nay/671216/67 "2013-10-21T23:07:46Z")
I thought of this thread when I saw pictures of [Kelly Clarkson’s wedding dress](http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/kelly-clarkson-marries-brandon-blackstock-article-1.1491849). She got married yesterday in a beautiful dress. I was trying to figure out what I liked so much about it – it’s the long lace sleeves. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strapless-wedding-dresses-yea-or-nay/671216/68 "2013-10-21T23:21:44Z")
I like them alright…the strapless mermaid or strapless ballgown are pretty much the go to gowns these days. Personally, I disagree that only very slim, small boobed women can wear them. I think they look good if the fat’s distributed reasonably proportionally as well. Corseting can do wonders. I got married this year and even though I didn’t put a lot of effort into planning my wedding (outsourced that!) I used to cruise wedding websites to look at gowns and it was always so funny to see people ooh-ing and ah-ing over the brides who did something different, like add sleeves, or go with a vintage look. And yet, the vast majority of people bought the same silhouette. From what I can gather, the dresses that are different, i.e. sleeves or vintage design, are quite a bit more expensive than the more popular designs. I noticed quite a few brides who did something different ended up having to go the China reproduction route. ETA: the Doper who wore her grandma’s vintage wedding dress looked amazing! I always forget her username. I hope she pops in here…I remember when she posted her initial pictures I was like “girl, go with the new modern one” but then she posted a pic of her all styled up in her vintage gown with the veil and I was like “ooooh, now I see why all those other Dopers voted for the vintage gown.” ---
**Author:** ![apollonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2bfe46/32.png) [@apollonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/apollonia)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strapless-wedding-dresses-yea-or-nay/671216/69 "2013-10-21T23:23:33Z")
Not necessarily. Sleeves are coming back, and vintage-style is a monstrous trend right now, so they are pretty available from most designers, at a variety of price points. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strapless-wedding-dresses-yea-or-nay/671216/70 "2013-10-22T14:08:56Z")
Nay on strapless. Big, big nay. They look good on precisely like two people. And you’re always futzing with it, even in the vanishingly fewer cases when it’s fitted properly. And their impractical (of course, what about a wedding dress really is practical?). Do not want. A few of my tiny friends have gotten married in strapless dresses; the dress was pretty, they looked nice, but they did all of the above and could’ve been so much more dynamite in another choice. Mine was tank-style, sorta, with wide straps. ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strapless-wedding-dresses-yea-or-nay/671216/71 "2013-10-22T14:31:12Z")
I personally think strapless wedding dresses look awful and they make my skin crawl. Just my opinion. If you take a shoulders-up photo you look naked. My husband likes them and thinks they’re beautiful. When I was looking for a wedding dress I said No Way In Hell was I wearing strapless, but I tried some on just for shits 'n giggles. Put it this way: I weigh 105 lbs and they gave ME fat rolls. Upper chest (near the underarm) _fat rolls_. I’m not exaggerating. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strapless-wedding-dresses-yea-or-nay/671216/72 "2013-10-23T02:37:35Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > I personally think strapless wedding dresses look awful and they make my skin crawl. Just my opinion. If you take a shoulders-up photo you look naked. [Reminds me of this pic!](http://everythingfunny.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/anothergoodreasonto-not-have-your-bridesmaids-wear-strapless-dresses.jpg) Poor bridesmaids. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strapless-wedding-dresses-yea-or-nay/671216/73 "2013-10-23T03:02:48Z")
> [@kushiel](#): > > [Reminds me of this pic!](http://everythingfunny.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/anothergoodreasonto-not-have-your-bridesmaids-wear-strapless-dresses.jpg) Poor bridesmaids. Oh dear! That looks so wrong! ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strapless-wedding-dresses-yea-or-nay/671216/74 "2013-10-23T03:09:10Z")
That looks so right! ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strapless-wedding-dresses-yea-or-nay/671216/75 "2013-10-23T07:59:41Z")
I decided to get my dress made because all I could find around here were poofy, strapless concoctions that made me look short and fat. I wanted something that I felt comfortable in, and that I could walk around in without too much trouble. I was really happy with what the seamstress came up with. I showed her a photo of a dress I liked and she made one very similar to it, with a few adjustments. Here’s a [photo](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10100198083221460&l=a286cac02a) of me wearing the dress. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strapless-wedding-dresses-yea-or-nay/671216/76 "2013-10-23T08:24:16Z")
I’m assuming we are talking about a strapless wedding dress for the groom, right? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strapless-wedding-dresses-yea-or-nay/671216/77 "2013-10-23T18:17:25Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > I decided to get my dress made because all I could find around here were poofy, strapless concoctions that made me look short and fat. I wanted something that I felt comfortable in, and that I could walk around in without too much trouble. I was really happy with what the seamstress came up with. I showed her a photo of a dress I liked and she made one very similar to it, with a few adjustments. Here’s a [photo](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10100198083221460&l=a286cac02a) of me wearing the dress. That is a beautiful dress (and you’re not so bad yourself, either, wink wink). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strapless-wedding-dresses-yea-or-nay/671216/78 "2013-10-23T23:50:28Z")
Yes. You and the dress look wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strapless-wedding-dresses-yea-or-nay/671216/79 "2013-10-24T02:32:52Z")
My dress was [strapless](https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/216300_503398983006_6757_n.jpg) and I thought I looked good. Course we’re heathens and got married in a garden rather than a church, so maybe I don’t count. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strapless-wedding-dresses-yea-or-nay/671216/80 "2013-10-24T04:24:42Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > I decided to get my dress made because all I could find around here were poofy, strapless concoctions that made me look short and fat. I wanted something that I felt comfortable in, and that I could walk around in without too much trouble. I was really happy with what the seamstress came up with. I showed her a photo of a dress I liked and she made one very similar to it, with a few adjustments. Here’s a [photo](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10100198083221460&l=a286cac02a) of me wearing the dress. Gorgeous! 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strapless-wedding-dresses-yea-or-nay/671216.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strapless-wedding-dresses-yea-or-nay/671216.md?page=5)