Jinder's Dresses: A Very Subjective Rundown/Review of all Duggar Wedding Gowns

[Mama Mia]

1 hour ago, SapphireSlytherin said:

I loved Meghan's dress. And, in person, it looked much better than it did/does in photos. Of course, I only saw the top of it in the carriage, but it looked perfect and beautiful on her.

That must have been so much fun! I love all the pomp and tradition

[SapphireSlytherin]

12 minutes ago, Mama Mia said:

That must have been so much fun! I love all the pomp and tradition

It was.   Truly a bucket list item for the ages! I'm still gobsmacked (but I'm not @Gobsmacked) that we were fortunate enough to go.

[VelociRapture]

Updating my list:

1. Lauren - I love the simple and clean look of her dress, as well as the fact that it was slightly form fitting (get it gurl!) I also loved her hair and veil. She wore this dress, not the other way around and that’s why I ranked her above Jinger - I feel like Jinger’s dress was so dramatic that it kind of overshadowed her a bit. 

2. Jinger - overall look was lovely. I dislike the train simply because I’d be annoyed wearing such a long train, but she looked pleased with it. Her hair was pretty great though. 

3. Kendra - it fit her really well and I think it’s an accurate reflection of her personality too. She seemed very comfortable and happy with her choice. 

4. Jessa - points for the color and the lower cut neckline. The dress suited her, but I think it was a tad too loose (understandable considering weddings can be stressful.)

5. Amy - It. Was. Strapless.  That fact alone gives me life. The color looked nice on her, the material worked well, and I like that she had a pop of color with the belt. It was a tad snug in the bodice, but that was probably necessary given that it was a strapless dress. 

6. Jill - I thought she looked lovely and genuinely happy. I think the modesty alterations made it seem a bit too heavy on top, but I also don’t think it was as bad as others do. I did like her veil a lot. 

7. Joy - she looked lovely and happy to be married to Austin, but she just didn’t seem happy or comfortable with the dress. And I don’t know why, but the neckline seemed odd to me. Bonus point for using Jill’s veil for part of the day - that was a really sweet and sentimental touch. 

8. Anna - she would have looked fine if it weren't for her jackass husband. Her dress had a more classic look and I think that look typically ages well. The dress was a bit big, which is understandable considering it was borrowed. I think she looked lovely, but her look was definitely reflective of the time period in the family’s history (low budget, crunchy hair, etc.) It’d be interesting to see what she’d choose today if she opted to divorce Josh and marry someone else (I refuse to entertain the notion of a vow renewal for them because it squicks me out.)

And to rank them against the Bateses:

1. Lauren

2. Jinger

3. Tori (I love the dress details, like the cut, and thought her hair and makeup were gorgeous. Screw you Nathan - her hair was fabulous!)

4. Kendra

5. Jessa 

6. Alyssa (fit well and she rocked some fantastic heels. Had some modesty alterations, but it wasn’t badly done and the dress seemed to fit well. Her veil was really beautiful. It was a decent balance between her personality and her parents’ stupid standards.)

7. Amy

8. Whitney (I wasn’t a fan of her hair or the bolero, but I give her bonus points for rocking the bolero over a strapless dress. It was a good alternative to a modesty fiasco.)

9. Jill

10. Joy

11. Anna

12. Erin*

13. Michael*

*I flip flopped these two a lot. I ultimately ranked Erin higher because her hair held up better. Both sisters’ dresses had pretty bad modesty alterations done, but they both looked genuinely happy in their photos. I do respect Michael for carefully considering her budget and not paying way more than she was comfortable with on her dress. 

[NakedKnees]

I mentioned this in another thread, but I'll bring it up here: I so rarely like T-shirt dresses, and I'm still not seeing what's so great about Lauren's. That said, it's certainly better than most modesty alterations and I agree with the "she wore the dress, not the other way around" sentiment. FWIW, I liked Meghan Markle's dress much more.

Out of all the "T-shirt" dresses we've seen so far, Jessa's is still by far my favorite, but Lauren's may be second. I'm looking forward to seeing more of it and seeing whether dresses (fundie and otherwise) trend in this minimalist/modest direction.

[nastyhobbitses]

Revised rankings (copying @VelociRapture) with Top 5 Best and Top 5 Worst: 

BEST

1. Jinger. Remains my number one with a bullet. I love the drama, the fit, the updo, the heels, the bouquet. YES.

2. Tie between Whitney Take 2 and Lauren. It took me a while to assess Lauren's dress simply because I'm pretty anti-T shirt dresses, but I've really grown to love it, especially now that I've seen the whole thing. It's simple, streamlined, and chic (though I'm still Team Needs Better Sleeves). Whitney's renewal dress was fan-goddamn-tastic and I hope that when she put her hair up, she told Nathan where he can shove it. 

3. Tori. Updo was the best execution of Late 90s Front Tendrils I've ever seen, dress was lovely (hell yeah sheath silhouette), though I am not a fan of the block heels and I think she should have stolen Jinger's bouquet. 

4. Kendra. It was floofy as hell, but it fit her personality to a T and she looked happy as can be. Hair was great, bouquet was very pretty (though I think that the greenery just didn't quite fit with the floofy princess vibe she was going for)...she was the prettiest darn child bride the world did see. 

5. Tie between Alyssa and Jessa. I love Alyssa's dress more than Jessa's (I like more streamlined, can you tell?), but Jessa wins on accessories and color scheme. 

WORST

1. Michael. Modesty Frankensteining gone horribly wrong. It has pretty elements and Michael is gorgeous, but the dress does absolutely nothing for her. The bodice screams "I HAVE MADE THIS WHORE DRESS ACCEPTABLE" and it was too long for her. However, she does get points for the cherry blossom bouquet and pink bridesmaid dresses (not the burlap ones). 

2. Anna. The worst part of her ensemble was that pustulent ass-cyst of a man she had to attach herself to during the ceremony, but this is Holy Matrimonial T-Shirt Dress at its worst. The satin dates it, the fit does nothing to highlight her features, and the ramen hair is awful, especially considering how stunning her hair is otherwise. This outfit did nothing to let Anna's beauty or personality shine. 

3. Jill. Yet more awkward modesty modifications, and I think that the very mid-2000s satin and crystal waist detail was very incongruous with the hippie country girl vibe I think she was going for. Love the mermaid hem on her, though. 

4. Tie between Erin and Joy. Erin had some pretty bad Modesty Frankensteining, but the dress did fit her reasonably well and fit her Fundie Disney Princess aesthetic nicely. Joy's dress is one of those dresses that's pretty on paper, but something was just...off. I'm not sure what. It fit, the details were good, but whether it was the kinda awkward sleeves, the fact that Joy clearly just wanted to put on something super simple and just get married in the woods with no one around, or what, it just wasn't quite right. 

5. Michelle Take Two. Oh lord. Not only do you have some WEIRD narcissistic mother-in-law dynamics (the whole events screams "my oldest son just got married and replaced me so now I have to renew my vows to bring the attention back where it belongs"), but I want to start an infinite bar tab for the Kleinfeld seamstress who had to work on that abomination of a dress. Jim Bob has terrible taste and no one should ask him for fashion advice ever. 

[DillyDally]

From Jill's (now deleted) blog post: 

 

Edited July 16, 2018 by DillyDally
Got too excited about the full back view and inserted the image twice, ha!

[VelociRapture]

5 hours ago, DillyDally said:

From Jill's (now deleted) blog post: 

 

The dress is gorgeous, but what in the actual fuck is even happening here? They’re standing in the middle of a crowd, on the hood of a car that looks like it’s out of a “the world has ended and it’s everyone for themselves” type movie. Like... what in the actual fuck?!

[DillyDally]

1 hour ago, VelociRapture said:

The dress is gorgeous, but what in the actual fuck is even happening here? They’re standing in the middle of a crowd, on the hood of a car that looks like it’s out of a “the world has ended and it’s everyone for themselves” type movie. Like... what in the actual fuck?!

Speculation time: I think this was the wedding prank - they had an old car wrapped up and they thought this was their getaway car. When they realised this one wouldn't take them anywhere, they probably stepped on the hood to look for the actual means of escape from those wild fundie hordes car amidst all their personally invited guests. Pics of the two different cars under the spoilers:

Spoiler

Spoiler

Pure speculation based on the pics I've seen 

[seashell1025]

^^ This is what I gathered from it as well.  

[Nikedagain?]

It definitely looks like it could have been a scene from TWD. (if people were still getting married/having weddings!)

I LOVE Whitney's take 2 dress!

[Ivycoveredtower]

seeing the back of Lauren's dress I like it a lot more now. I mean it was fine before but too plain for me from the front. the back really adds to it. from watching the few clips and video's I have to think that Kendra and Joy were in the wedding party but Anna and Jill were not. I don't think the wedding parties have been released but one thing I really hated was the fact that Anna and Jana were the ones who made the dresses. Not like those two don't have enough on their plates lets add more. work. reminds me of how when Tori's flower girl dresses came in and it was realized that they were see through Kelly was just like oh Micheal can do it we'll put her to work when she gets here. all like it was funny which it was not. 

[scoutsadie]

@neurogirl - it's July and I hope you're blissfully happy (whether your wedding has happened or is still to come).

Re: Duggar and Bates dresses, love love love Whit's Take 2 dress. Yee haw. But while the embellishment on Lauren's hair was amazing, I'm not so fond of the bustling or gathering of fabric on her bum...at least in that post-apocalyptic photo of them standing on a car, it looks to me to be so low as to unfortunately suggest an...emission...of some kind. 

1 minute ago, scoutsadie said:

@neurogirl, ignore this box. I'm a goober.

 

Edited July 17, 2018 by scoutsadie
Riffles

[NakedKnees]

1 hour ago, scoutsadie said:

@neurogirl - it's July and I hope you're blissfully happy (whether your wedding has happened or is still to come).

Re: Duggar and Bates dresses, love love love Whit's Take 2 dress. Yee haw. But while the embellishment on Lauren's hair was amazing, I'm not so fond of the bustling or gathering of fabric on her bum...at least in that post-apocalyptic photo of them standing on a car, it looks to me to be so low as to unfortunately suggest an...emission...of some kind. 

 

I agree so strongly regarding the bustling! I know it's common to put it below the butt and I know it looks good from other angles (like the front), but it just draws sooo much attention to the wrong spot for me. Maybe I'm a perve, but if someone can explain to me why that bustle location is so popular, I'd appreciate it. 

I sort of like the WTF car hood photos, haha. Very unique.

Spoiler in case anyone is still working through the Twilight series:

Spoiler

Lauren's wedding dress reminds me so much of Bella Swan's in the Breaking Dawn movie. I wasn't a huge fan of that one either, but others seemed to be. I'm curious as to whether Lauren's back panel was similarly sheer.

 

[GutenbergGirl]

1 hour ago, scoutsadie said:

@neurogirl

I haven't a clue what I did up above, much less how to get rid of it. Sorry!

The way the train is bustled/attached makes it look like it got stuck in her crack.  Bless her heart...  I would find that so very embarrassing! 

1 hour ago, scoutsadie said:

But while the embellishment on Lauren's hair was amazing, I'm not so fond of the bustling or gathering of fabric on her bum...at least in that post-apocalyptic photo of them standing on a car, it looks to me to be so low as to unfortunately suggest an...emission...of some kind. 

[Mama Mia]

18 minutes ago, NakedKnees said:

I agree so strongly regarding the bustling! I know it's common to put it below the butt and I know it looks good from other angles (like the front), but it just draws sooo much attention to the wrong spot for me. Maybe I'm a perve, but if someone can explain to me why that bustle location is so popular, I'd appreciate it. 

I sort of like the WTF car hood photos, haha. Very unique.

Spoiler in case anyone is still working through the Twilight series:

  Reveal hidden contents

Lauren's wedding dress reminds me so much of Bella Swan's in the Breaking Dawn movie. I wasn't a huge fan of that one either, but others seemed to be. I'm curious as to whether Lauren's back panel was similarly sheer.

 

Funny. I saw the back detailing and bustling more as greatly hilighting her shape, and was impressed with how sexy of a dress she picked ! 

[Rachel333]

16 hours ago, VelociRapture said:

The dress is gorgeous, but what in the actual fuck is even happening here? They’re standing in the middle of a crowd, on the hood of a car that looks like it’s out of a “the world has ended and it’s everyone for themselves” type movie. Like... what in the actual fuck?!

This was the caption (now deleted, but I had quoted it in another thread):

Quote

The false getaway car. The couple was adamant about not having pranks during the ceremony, so the family and friends had to make up for it during the rest of the day!

 

[nastyhobbitses]

3 hours ago, scoutsadie said:

I'm not so fond of the bustling or gathering of fabric on her bum...at least in that post-apocalyptic photo of them standing on a car, it looks to me to be so low as to unfortunately suggest an...emission...of some kind. 

I think it's her train bustled in the worst possible place. I get that it was to get it out of the way so she could actually move around, but it does look like an extremely fancy fart. 

[scoutsadie]

4 hours ago, nastyhobbitses said:

I think it's her train bustled in the worst possible place. I get that it was to get it out of the way so she could actually move around, but it does look like an extremely fancy fart. 

Ha ha ha - that's a perfect description, and thanks for a much-needed laugh this morning! 

[SapphireSlytherin]

The bustle is low for comfort when seated. If it were bustled higher, she'd be sitting on a giant pile of fabric.

[HarleyQuinn]

I don't know why she wore such a long veil when the dress has that much back detail. I would've worn a shorter one or skipped it all together. 

[Angelic83]

On 7/17/2018 at 4:28 PM, HarleyQuinn said:

I don't know why she wore such a long veil when the dress has that much back detail. I would've worn a shorter one or skipped it all together. 

 I agree. Her hair was so nice with the curles and jewelry. Why cover that up? If I was her I wanted to show it off. The one day it is all about her sort off 

[freethemall]

Seeing the back of the dress definitely makes me want to rank it higher now, and the fact that it's fitted. But she definitely hid the most interesting part of the dress with the veil and hair, she absolutely should have done an updo and made her sure to show off the back of the dress in every picture.

Also I don't see why Bella + Edward getting married is a spoiler, it was in all the trailers and there's a million pictures out there. It's one of those "if you didn't already watch it you're too late and no one will protect you from the spoilers at this point". With that said, her dress was made more interesting by the long sleeves with lace detail and updo:

If I was to do my rankings for Bates vs Duggars, Best vs Worst:

1. Tori

2. Jinger

3 - 5. Jessa, Kendra, Lauren. They're all kind of in the same rank to me, not sure how to put any one above another.

6. Jill

7. Alyssa

8. Joy

9. Erin

10. Whitney

11. Anna

12. Michael

Yes, I hate Michael's dress that much that it's the only one I put below Anna's. Erin & Whitney's at least fit well and Erin's hair looked great. I don't hate Jill's as much as others because I love lace.

I would put Whitney's renewal as #1 but I'm not counting renewal dresses. Whitney's renewal bridesmaids were basically Jessa's wedding dress.

It's hard to do rankings because some of these I love as dresses on their own, but I don't necessarily love how they were worn. I think Lauren's could easily be #1 if she had changed the hair and veil, or Jill's could be #1 if it fit properly, wore shoes and at least brushed her hair. I always felt Jessa should have had an updo as well and I hated the headband and generally never thought the sweet princess look matched her personality. Meanwhile I don't love Kendra's dress on its own but it fits her personality perfectly.

 

 

[Jinder Roles]

 

 

Hey folks! Since more wedding footage has emerged, I've decided to do my updated review and rankings. Here we go:

 

Lauren's Dress: The Elegant 'Milagro'

  Lauren surprised  us with a beautifully simple sheath gown. The silk/satin crepe dress featured a jewel embellished back and buttons going all the way down to the train. She paired it with a stunning lace-edged cathedral veil, and finished the look with a pearl hair clip and cascading curls. Lauren purchased her dress from The White Dress Boutique.  No idea of the designer but it's reminiscent of many a Pronovias or Rosa Clara gown. 

Considering the history of fundie wedding dress disasters - and Ms. Renee's impressive powers of overreach - this fitted number is a small miracle (or 'milagro', according to Lauren's parents). We should all praise Rufus  for the excellent tailoring job.  See what a difference buying an already modest dress makes? The only thing that I think was added was the embellished back (looks like the dress might have been originally low-back). 

 

Bonus Points: Lauren wins for best veil! 

                         Impeccable fit (and wearing something so fitted) 

                        Wearing heels! 

                        The pop of bling on the back

                        Having a dress that moved so well! 

                        Having overall good taste

                       

                        

Penalties:  Everything would have come together perfectly is she wore an updo. 

                  The embellished back is beautiful but it could blend a little better into the fabric (yes, I'm nitpicking) 

                  Putting "helpmeet" back into fundie vows. 

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

 

My Updated Rankings: 

1. Jinger (that train is to die for and the whole look was regal...and extra AF in the best way)

2. Lauren (almost perfect execution) 

3. Jessa (still nice  and unique but less sophisticated to me now) 

4. Kendra (the more I look at it, the less I like it) 

4. Amy (tied with Kendra cause that second dress was a flop...I  fully support the #nike dress) 

6. Joy (still meh) 

7. Jill  (so underwhelming and under-styled that I almost forgot to include it in this list) 

8. Anna (the martyr dress...and wife) 

9. Michelle (that "dress" is still an abomination #NeverForget #StopMichelleDuggar2k18) 

 

Thanks for being patient with me folks! I've enjoyed your input so far. Keep 'em coming! 

Edited July 19, 2018 by Jinder Roles

[BunnyBee]

@Jinder Roles

I need this kind of description for each Duggar and/or Bates dress in a master list with your heavy snark weaved throughout.

Also each dress needs to be named, please and thank you 

 

Edited July 19, 2018 by BunnyBee

[Letizia]

Is this Lauren’s dress pre-alterations? 

https://www.justinalexander.com/en/justin-alexander/collection/wedding-dresses/8936/

If so I am so annoyed  that she cut those sleeves off.