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

[ihaveanexamintwodays]

14 hours ago, of_the_lioness said:

@ihaveanexamintwodays, your fantasy Duggar dress pics are so spot on!! Who else ya got?

@SassyPants I didn't post a dress for Jill yet, but I think you're referring to the pic I posted for Joy? That dress I thought was semi soft & feminine, which Joy seems to be *trying* more of as an adult, but also super clean and natural, which I why I like it for her. Also loved the flower crown and wish Joy had actually worn one lol. 

 

Jill: lacy, feminine, I do like the idea of her in slightly-asymmetrical detailing

Spoiler

maybe with a bit more of a floral-y pattern to the lace to match her springtime rustic chic theme, but this general cut/style

Jinger: I (as I've said...) think hers was absolutely perfect for her, fit her creative "vision" for her wedding very well. But before I saw her wedding I might've picked something like this:

Spoiler

vintage lace with an intricate pattern, soft natural skirt, trendy bodice/skirt combo 

and for future Jana, she's got such a great eye for detail yet a lot of practicality that I like this: 

Spoiler

detailed, structured but not super fitted, small train.

 

Edited September 22, 2017 by ihaveanexamintwodays

[SapphireSlytherin]

1 hour ago, WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo? said:

a couple who put together a cross.  

I...

I've....

I.... Oh. Hm.

[cascarones]

Ooooh, I'm back. I just got reminded that I'll need a second dress of the qipao/ cheongsam style for our rehearsal dinner/ tea ceremony. Still a bit unclear what we're doing, I need to talk to his Mum about what she'd like. 

Since red is very important in Chinese culture, I'll probably rock some red and gold shoes under the dress. So if anyone still wants to hunt up dresses or fun shoes !

Spoiler

 

[potato]

@MarbleRainbow I'd love to see the doc, too!  It might be useful within the next few years 

[MarbleRainbow]

4 hours ago, WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo? said:

I love that I get to add "pudding ceremony" to my vast (sarcasm) wedding knowledge, thanks to @MarbleRainbow!

We totally made it up, but would love for it to catch on with others.  My sister was in a foreign exchange student buddy program at her university at the time and I tried to get her to tell her friends that this was an American custom and they should totally do the same back home. 

[L1o2u3]

@MarbleRainbow I would love to see that document, too!  

[Seculardaisy]

On 9/21/2017 at 4:48 AM, Iokaste said:

I think it's interesting that so many seem to find Kendra's dress youthfull and contemporary. To me it aged her and for some reason made me think of Rachel Lynde (Avonlea fans out there?). Kendra is cute but "wide", not fat or anything, just wide features, and that dress made her look like a steamer sailing down the aisle. 
It's probably a regional thing (once again) but here sleek dresses are the current wedding trend and even the younger brides don't wear poofy ballgowns.  

I'm actually with you on this opinion. Princess poof dresses are something that I really do not like. And I didn't think this dress suited her body type. (Not a knock on her body type AT ALL but other dresses would've suited her figure better.)

I liked Jessa's dress a lot but it wasn't quite as full and frilly in comparison to Kendra's.

I like a more classic, sleek dress.

If I were to rank these dresses though it would be:

1) Jessa (bc she deserve some applause for going with an option other than white in a fundie wedding ceremony.)

2) jinger, classic and lovely but a little too "extra" for my taste and I hated her bouquet.

3) Joy... ehh it's not my thing but I didn't loathe it. 

4) Kendra, I don't like poofy princess bridal dresses:

4) Jill, had potential but the fit was off.

5) Amy, the dress was not working in the boob area. I have big boobs too, sometimes they just dont look good squeezed into things.

6) Anna, err sorry girl, I'm sure this is largely to do with your lack of budget and the fact that you have all evolved fashion and hair wise. I can't forget the crunchy curls.

Edited September 24, 2017 by Seculardaisy

[JermajestyDuggar]

If you want to see some pretty bridesmaid dresses, the single Bontrager wedding had some pretty ones. There were two dresses. One was a dusty pink and the other was a cranberry. I thought they looked really pretty together. This is a terrible picture but you get the idea:

[SassyPants]

19 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

If you want to see some pretty bridesmaid dresses, the single Bontrager wedding had some pretty ones. There were two dresses. One was a dusty pink and the other was a cranberry. I thought they looked really pretty together. This is a terrible picture but you get the idea:

Those look like the same BMDs from Jinger's wedding-

[Lurky]

14 minutes ago, SassyPants said:

Those look like the same BMDs from Jinger's wedding-

Nah, they fit better, have better waists, and no lace sleeves.  I know I'm in a minority, but I really didn't like Jinger's.  The length, the mishmash of colours that I don't think toned well together, the sleeves, the fact they can't be worn in any other context, which is a much bigger deal in USA weddings where FJ and agony aunt sites tell me the bridesmaids tend to have to buy themselves, rather than British-style, where the bride pays.

(But me = minimalist about weddings in general)

[singsingsing]

27 minutes ago, Lurky said:

Nah, they fit better, have better waists, and no lace sleeves.  I know I'm in a minority, but I really didn't like Jinger's.  The length, the mishmash of colours that I don't think toned well together, the sleeves, the fact they can't be worn in any other context, which is a much bigger deal in USA weddings where FJ and agony aunt sites tell me the bridesmaids tend to have to buy themselves, rather than British-style, where the bride pays.

I agree with you. Jinger's dresses looked fine, but they were really my second least favourites (least favourites were Jessa's). I thought even Jill's with the somewhat silly modesty panels sewn in were better, because at least they were coordinated. Jinger's looked mismatched, like she should have gone with different shades of the same colour, or just three or so complementary colours. 

My favourites were Joy's, because they were simple, elegant, and could be worn in many different contexts.

[SapphireSlytherin]

I think Jinger's bridesmaids' dresses were ruined by the color of the one Jill wore. 

[Jenn The Heathen]

I wish I could show you all the color nightmare that was my sister in law’s wedding, but it’s so uniquely horrible, anyone who was there would immediately recognize it and that’s a headache I don’t want to deal with.  It was the ugliest wedding I’ve ever been to.  All the bridesmaids (I was one) wore different colors that really didn’t coordinate.  It was so bad.

[JermajestyDuggar]

4 minutes ago, Jenn The Heathen said:

I wish I could show you all the color nightmare that was my sister in law’s wedding, but it’s so uniquely horrible, anyone who was there would immediately recognize it and that’s a headache I don’t want to deal with.  It was the ugliest wedding I’ve ever been to.  All the bridesmaids (I was one) wore different colors that really didn’t coordinate.  It was so bad.

I was at a wedding where the colors were mostly bright yellow and black with a touch of bright purple. I heard it referred to as the fabulous bumble bee color palette. 

[Jenn The Heathen]

1 minute ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

I was at a wedding where the colors were mostly bright yellow and black with a touch of bright purple. I heard it referred to as the fabulous bumble bee color palette. 

That sounds awful.  It might rival the wedding I was in.  It sounds like they’d definitely give each other a run for the money.

[JermajestyDuggar]

6 minutes ago, Jenn The Heathen said:

That sounds awful.  It might rival the wedding I was in.  It sounds like they’d definitely give each other a run for the money.

Have you ever seen Alyssa Bates's? Your eyeballs would bleed!

[Jenn The Heathen]

13 minutes ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

Have you ever seen Alyssa Bates's? Your eyeballs would bleed!

The neon pink and blue one? Oh yeah, that’s.... there are no words for that.

[Galbin]

5 hours ago, Lurky said:

Nah, they fit better, have better waists, and no lace sleeves.  I know I'm in a minority, but I really didn't like Jinger's.  The length, the mishmash of colours that I don't think toned well together, the sleeves, the fact they can't be worn in any other context, which is a much bigger deal in USA weddings where FJ and agony aunt sites tell me the bridesmaids tend to have to buy themselves, rather than British-style, where the bride pays.

(But me = minimalist about weddings in general)

Yeah, I hated Jinger's bridesmaids dresses. The necklines were not flattering; there were waaay too many colours; and they were almost mature looking.  I actually loved the colour and style of Jill's bridesmaids dresses though. It's a pity about the white lace at the bottom of the dresses, but they were still prettier than Jinger's.

[mizandry]

I like Jinger's BMD, but I can see why they wouldn't appeal to everyone -- I too wish the color palette were a little more coordinated, but paired with the bouquet (which I personally love), I find the slight mismatching a little more forgivable. Her bridal gown was gorgeous, especially with that hair styling, but knowing the backstory to why she opted for a dress with such a long train (Jeremy and his know it all biblical grandstanding) makes it hard for me not to cringe when I see the pictures of her in it... especially the ones with her "I'm exhausted gotta force it" smile. It's just another reminder that Jeremy really sees Jinger's comfort as optional and secondary to whatever stupid shit he wants to tell the world about himself. 

I also just want to weigh in on Jessa's BMDs - I agree they were kind of terrible, but I also think the way she went about picking dresses was informed by Jill's wedding planning and the things she noticed that may have bothered her.  In a recent Counting On TH, when Jessa was reviewing the Duggar wedding history, she seemed sort of bothered when she mentioned Jill having Jana alter all of those dresses... and they ordered very similar styles. I get the impression that her handling of the dresses was in part informed by Jill. I think she felt bad for Jana and wanted to be the Good Sister who didn't make her alter everything for her wedding, if that makes sense.
 

[nvmbr02]

I like Jinger's BMD's too, though I am not a huge fan of the colors chosen. I do like having BMD mismatched with either a few colors or a few different styles I think the color's were just too different. Jill's dress from Jinger's wedding didn't fit at all, the rest were a bit better but Ana's red and Jessa's fuchsia also seemed not quite right IMO. I liked the neckline though and the overall look. I also think they easily can be worn again. I would have the length shortened and perhaps the sleeves. I have a similar dress that I have found several occasions to wear.

I didn't care for Jessa's or Jill's BMD. Jill's were nice before the alterations but they didn't fit with the groomsmen's attire. I liked Joy's BMDs but they didn't really match with her dress. But they are very much usable again so that is a plus. I think Anna's look outdated now but the style was popular at the time (well, popular a few years before) but I didn't care for the fabric that was chosen. I like the dresses Kendra chose, they are probably my favorite with Jinger's being a close second. 

As for the wedding gowns my order is

1.  Jinger

2. Kendra (though not my style)

3. Jessa

4. Anna

5.  Joy (I liked the idea behind it, but there was just too much going on, IMO)

6. Amy

7. Jill (liked the dress pre alteration)

8. Michelle's renewal gown

[Million Children For Jesus]

On September 24, 2017 at 4:23 PM, Jenn The Heathen said:

The neon pink and blue one? Oh yeah, that’s.... there are no words for that.

The words that come to mind are... High school choir concert in the 80's 

[CorruptionInc.]

On 25/09/2017 at 1:45 PM, mizandry said:

It's just another reminder that Jeremy really sees Jinger's comfort as optional and secondary to whatever stupid shit he wants to tell the world about himself. 
 

Yep, despite all the books - the guy still subscribes to the same type of hateful behaviour.

[lexiloumarie]

On 9/25/2017 at 0:03 AM, nvmbr02 said:

 I do like having BMD mismatched with either a few colors or a few different styles I think the color's were just too different. Jill's dress from Jinger's wedding didn't fit at all, the rest were a bit better but Ana's red and Jessa's fuchsia also seemed not quite right IMO. 

I think if you take Jill, Jana, and Johanah out it looks cohesive. The reds and browns fit if you do. 

[neurogirl]

@MarbleRainbow Me eleventy!!! to the wedding planning document

For some reason I could see Jana wearing something like this: 

Spoiler

 

[FeministFunPolice]

14 hours ago, lexiloumarie said:

I think if you take Jill, Jana, and Johanah out it looks cohesive. The reds and browns fit if you do. 

Agreed. The dresses work if you take out anything that isn't a jewel tone.