Communion Dresses??? Help!

[Lady_V]

DD's school calendar was mailed to me the other day and on it was the date for her First Communion. I knew this day would come eventually, and I was actually excited thinking about buying her dress...

And then I looked at the prices of them

Every site I went to had said the same thing... you should have your dress BY January for a March-May date. Anything that is on sale now is bound to be marked up just in time too...

She can't wear an ordinary white dress, it has to be more 'upscale'. I watched last years Procession and some of the gowns were straight out of pageants or something. (A far cry from the 'extravagant' dress I had... pleated breast with a flowered waist ) I had spoken to quiet a few of the Mom's of last years class, and they told me they had their DD's dresses made. One even drove to Cape Cod for this.

I don't know where I can get a nice dress for her that we can comfortably afford. I know my ex-inlaws would buy it if I asked them to, but this is something I wanted to do.

I thought about Sears, but they usually don't have the dresses out until March. That's cutting it close, even for me. What if I can't find something in her size? It would be too late to try to order one then.

DD is 8, but last Christmas, her 'formal gown' was a size 10. She is already up to my chin, not like that's a great feat, I am only 5'2 She is already 'developed' (another cry for another day) and her growth spurts are very unpredictable.

Most of the dresses I can get on clearance now are mostly size 10 and under. I am not as worried about the length since there is no 'set' length, just 4" below her knees and a tea-length would easily be below that on her, even if she grew a few more inches.

I think my biggest concern is... anything I can get now, before the prices go up, the dress is not returnable.

Do I chance it and get a 10 and hope it will fit her (especially around the chest) in May? Do I try to find a 12 at full-price?

Where did you all get your dresses? What is an acceptable price to pay for one?

**I nearly fell off my chair when I went to one sight and a dress was $795!!!

[Ceashels]

Any consignment shops around?

[joyofsix]

ebay? FWIW, anyone who spent $795 on a kids communion dress is INSANE. I am sure G-d isn't looking at the price tag.
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-BOUTIQUE-WHI...QQcmdZViewItem

[Lady_V]

I asked at the 'second time around' stores, they laughed at me saying that people are quicker to sell their wedding gowns. Communion dresses are a rare find around here.

I had forgotten about Ebay because we don't have a CC or paypal.

I still need to figure out what size to get her

[watchingpennies]

I am in Canada...but got a beautiful Communion dress at Sears for about $45 which allowed me to buy the "extras"...gloves etc.. Don't know if they sell them in the US Sears stores though.

[LuvMyHubby]

Wow, now I totally understand that first communion is something extra special but 700 dollars extra special? Holy moses.

Do you know a seamstress in the area that may make one for you for a reasonable price? A pattern that isn't too complicated and some pretty lace could work rather nicely and cost you several hundred less.

Also, Deb Stores occassionally have very modest and very pretty dresses. I can't remeber how old your DD is but judging from some of the sizes I have seen they would fit a 6 year far better than some of the 16 year olds I see wedged into them.

Good Luck finding a dress and have a wonderful memorable day with DD when the time comes and then starch the heck out of that sucker and frame it.

[sueh]

I bought my daughters dress on Ebay and I paid $25 for it. Everyone commented on it. It was brand new with the tags still on it. I now have in my closet and my dd2 will wear it next year.

[happimommi]

I would also have to say Ebay. Since this isn't the season for it, you should be able to get one at a reasonable price. I would say get a 12, at least. Maybe even a 14, you can always have it taken in. I would also have to agree that $700+ for a dress for a child is ridiculous.

[cheriede]

I have purchased 2 christening gowns and 1 communion dress from http://www.onesmallchild.com/ . I have been very happy with all on my purchases and I will probably purchase another dress from them in the future. That's if dd#3 can't wear one of the other 2 dresses. Like you mentioned, I would highly suggest getting the dress by mid-March. I waited too long and DD#2 didn't get her first pick. Of course, I was definitely ok with it because her second pick was cheaper than the first. Anyways, here is the dress that she ended up with. http://www.onesmallchild.com/product...20Victoria.htm . I was hesitatant to get a dress to early because I was also unsure about the size. I was even unsure about ordering the dress online because I wasn't sure how their sizing would match up with my child. I took her measurements and purchased the size according to the chart. It was perfect.

Good luck in your search!

[Hoosier Momma]

My mother made Kelly's two years ago...it was very beautiful and it was something classic we can pass on to our second dd in a few years. Some of the ones I saw at Kelly's FHC were very over the top (they looked more like wedding dresses except less modest). I can't imagine how much was spent on them.

My advice is if you don't sew is to find a pattern you and your dd like, buy the material, and find someone to sew it for you (if you don't know anyone, put an ad on Craig's list or something).

Another suggestion is that I have seen some pretty dresses on Sears or Penney's websites that were reasonable.

[cab54]

Wow, $795!! I'm starting to be glad I had boys in Cath. schools! (I was kind of sad I didn't get to do the dress thing). I got most of their clothes at consignment shops for Communion. Except for one of them needed a jacket (blazer) and it was getting crunch time, so I bought a new one at a place called Value City (my backup cheap store at the time) for I think $25. My oldest was stick thin, and my younger one was a husky, which sometimes made handing down difficult.

I had no girls, but my sister made her daughter's dress. Her daughter is a non-froo-froo little girl (was-she's 17 now) and didn't want a super-fussy dress. It was pretty and feminine, but simple. I think she bought the veil. Knowing my sis, it was as good a value as she could get. She puts me to shame in the frugal dept.

I think you could find a local person to make a dress much cheaper than the woman who went to Cape Cod. Or I like the Sears idea.

[Jerseygirl]

Consider the local bridal shops too, think junior bridesmaid, flower girl, white, lacey, you just might stumble across something, can't hurt to call. JC Penney had some nice ones online last year. I am not a fan of online shopping, but E bay might be your best bet, also, it's a stretch, but put out a plea on freecycle, someone just may have something in the closet.

[Dancing Lotus]

Burlington coat factory

[momof2joys]

My grandma made all of us girls first communion dresses (that's 13 total) and my mom has mine and my sisters, but of course ours are not that fancy and stuff, but it was pretty for the time!! My cousin that just had her first communion, she received many comments on her dress and it was a simple A-line dress and had a ribbon go just under her chest!!
I would check all options first. Second hand stores, e-bay, Penneys, Sears, etc. You might even be able to find a special occassion store, that sells dresses for Christmas and Easter. Try to see if anyone has a white Easter dress!! That could be your best bet.

I would also get a size 12 or 14, like someone said before you can always get it taken in.
Good luck and let us know what you decide!!

[geckoace]

try davids bridal i think their prices are quite reasonable and i echo the sentiment to get it too big and then have it taken in closer to time, girls develop out of nowhere

http://www.davidsbridal.com/specialo..._communion.jsp