Wedding Dresses with Pockets

Wedding Dresses with Pockets

It’s the ultimate cliché:

the woman goes out to dinner with a lightweight clutch purse while her beau staggers behind, his jacket pockets bulging with all of his beloved’s worldly possessions. If this sounds like you, take note–you don’t have to do it on your wedding day!

First of all, you might end up getting separated from your newlywed spouse in the crowd of eagerly congratulating relatives just when you really need to touch up your lipstick.

Second of all, why would you want to start your married life by burdening your delightful husband just because his formal wear has all the pockets? It’s time to get your own pockets. (Before you begin, take heed: if you’re not an experienced seamstress yourself, take your dress to an alterations shop. Your wedding gown isn’t time to start a DIY fashion project without prior experience!)

The best part about wedding dresses with pockets is their convenience, of course; no one wants to tote a heavy purse around a wedding venue. But the second-best part is that pockets actually give you an extra fashion element to decorate. Wedding dresses are one of the very few categories of garments where the “more is more” approach is generally applauded. (Try layering peacock feathers all the way down your favorite pair of office slacks–it just doesn’t work. But your wedding day is an excuse to be as flamboyant as you like and come away heaped with praise.)

One word of caution:

If your ideal wedding dress is a sleek, minimalist sheath, there’s really no way to integrate pockets without drawing attention to them and breaking up the line of the dress. But if your ideal dress has a full skirt and any amount of lace, embroidery, ruching, or other stylistic embellishments, you’ve got the pocket go-ahead.

 

What type of pocket do you want?

First, decide what you’ll want close to your body on your wedding day. For some brides, their wedding day emergency kit is limited to a tube of lipstick, a few aspirins, and a couple of safety pins. For others, replacement rhinestones and a tube of glue are essential, and even a roll of duct tape and a few granola bars aren’t out of the question. There’s no right or wrong answer; just make sure your gown’s pockets are up to the task of holding everything you want to put in them.

If you want to carry a decent amount of wedding day essentials, or larger items like mirrored powder compacts, look for a gown with a full skirt (circle skirts and poufy tulle skirts are best because of the sheer amount of material). The pockets can fall between the skirt’s folds and be easily hidden even when they’re full of items. Look for gowns with as much skirt material as possible, because even if you don’t fall in love with a gown that already has pockets, your alterations shop will have an easier time adding some.

If you only need to carry a few small things, you can hide your pockets under decorative elements. Consider a large, snap-on bow for the back of your dress, just below the waistline. If you add a small pocket in the back of the bow, it will be hidden until you unsnap it to access your items. You can also conceal pockets within puffed sleeves, although the items you store there will need to be very lightweight (like medical pills or a stash of tissues).

Attach small pockets under the hem of heavy skirts, under swags of material looping around skirts, and even under overhanging lacy trim. Just be careful to keep pockets away from your waistline, where they can add unintentional bulk. Placing them under your waistline instead, where your silhouette bells out again, can actually accentuate your figure.

Need to store a lot of stuff?

Let’s say you need a copy of your vows, an asthma inhaler, breath mints, a makeup kit, your grandmother’s handkerchief (for luck), and a baggie of dog treats (in case your “ring bearer” doesn’t come when he’s called). It’s time for a wedding dress with a bustle! Bustles are the perfect excuse to add pockets because they’re actually supposed to stick out from the dress. Ask your alterations shop about adding a large pocket in the center of your bustle (heavily padded, of course, so the shapes of your possessions don’t show). You’ll enjoy an elegant, Victorian silhouette as well as the security of knowing that all of your needed items are nearby.

Once you realize how convenient it is to carry all of your essential items without worrying about a purse slipping off your shoulders, you’ll probably start to wonder why you haven’t added pockets to most of your evening wear. Careful, pockets are addictive! You might just find yourself developing a close relationship with your nearest alterations shop–or perhaps investing in a sewing machine of your own.

 

Buy Wedding Dresses with Pockets

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1. “Judith” Wedding Dress with pockets

SHOP NOW: Rebecca Ingram

 

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2. Voluminous Embellish Waist Dress

SHOP NOW: Viktor & Rolf Mariage

 

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3. Oleg Cassini Appliqued Tulle-Over-Lace A-Line Dress

SHOP NOW: David’s Bridal, $1,158, now $454.99