Are Amazon Maternity Dresses A Rip Off?
When it came time for Amanda to do her maternity sessions, we both knew that we wanted it to be pretty awesome, yet also somewhat affordable. As with most things, when it comes to finding that balance of “affordable” and “awesome”, the go to place is Amazon. Sure there are other options like trying to go to a thrift store or using Facebook marketplace, but in terms of hassle and speed, you simply can’t beat Amazon. Plus, you’re pregnant. Do you really want to be trudging all over the city looking for outfits when you can sit on the couch with your favorite beverage and snacks while leisurely perusing Amazon? Sounds like a winner to me!
After spending a couple hours searching, we settled on two maternity dresses from Amazon. We had some questions such as, “Does this Amazon Maternity Dress fit true to size?” and “Are Amazon maternity dresses any good?” I think these are questions pretty much everyone has when buying clothes on line. However, what we found in this case, was that the material is stretchy and can obviously accommodate a somewhat decent range in size as long as you’re close.
Here are some helpful reminders and things to consider when shopping for clothes online.
Amazon Maternity Dress Shopping TIP #1
Check the Ratings - It should be obvious, but look at the ratings first. In our case we knew we wanted to select a maternity dress that had a lot of reviews. For the two we ultimately chose, there were over 2,000 reviews on each and both had 4 out of 5 star ratings which was good. Also, make sure and read through the BAD reviews so people can see what they don’t like. That’s probably the most important thing.
Amazon Maternity Dress Shopping TIP #2
Check the Photos - In nearly all cases, there should be user uploaded photos in the review section. Make sure and look at a good number of those that match your body type so you have a good idea of how it will actually look on you!
Amazon Maternity Dress Shopping TIP #3
Check and double check the shipping times! - Some of the clothing vendors on Amazon ship out from other countries. Some of the other dresses we had considered had 2-4 week shipping times. This is probably ok if you’re not in a hurry. But, if your photo shoot time is coming up quickly, then you’ll want to ensure you receive your maternity dress in plenty of time. For us, we had a hard deadline because we were going to Panama City Beach, FL for our maternity shoot and this was all a last minute decision!
The Amazon Maternity Dresses We Purchased
So what dresses did we choose to take to Florida for Amanda’s maternity shoot? We ended up choosing a lavender one from JustVH and a red one from Saslax. These are linked below for reference. Note that the prices do tend to fluctuate within a range of a few dollars over time. But for us, at basically $50/each it gave us the opportunity to have 2 distinct looks.
BONUS - Note that each dress comes in a variety of colors, so you should be able to get whatever look you want!
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The Amazon Maternity Dress Photo Shoot Experience
July 4th
I had a wedding to photograph on July 3rd, but on Sunday July 4th, we headed out to Panama City Beach at 7:00 AM for some July 4th festivities and fun in the sun. We got in around 2PM and spent most of the day relaxing that night we hit up the beach for what I’ll just call a fireworks frenzy. Everyone was shooting off fire works all around us and it was crazy - and a little dangerous.
July 5th
We started our day with a delicious breakfast at The Donut Hole. If you’ve never been, it’s our favorite place to eat breakfast when we go to the beach. Clouds were rolling in and we took a few hours to relax on the beach and enjoy breakthrough sun when we could.
After lunch we started getting ready. The clouds in the sky made me hopeful for a colorful sunset. The other good thing about cloudy days is, it just makes the photos more dramatic and moody, which I absolutely love.
We left the beach house around 6PM and drove to this secret spot I had scouted about 3 years prior for a photo shoot that never happened. The first dress we photographed in was the lavender JustVH dress. Tell me what you think. Did we get some good shots with that one?
By this point in the evening, it was 7:45 PM and we really wanted to get some shots on the beach. Unfortunately, the week before strong storms had rolled through and there was seaweed everywhere along the coast. It was not pretty at all, and it would be impossible to clean up in photoshop. So, we found this elevated portion of the beach to do a few photos so the seaweed and debris was not visible. We are actually a good 10’ above the beach in these, and there’s a big cliff about30’ behind her.
It was now a little after 8:00 PM and we had wanted to try some long exposure shots with sparklers. However, we were unable to get them to light up!! The wind was really blowing and it just was not happening. So we had to forego those shots and move on to shooting the red dress from Saslax because sunlight was fading rapidly. If you like the lavender shots from this session and know you want to buy this style - here’s the link for the lavender dress.
She did a whirlwind change into the red dress. The light was really going quick and towards the end, I literally could not even see her in the camera’s viewfinder. That didn’t stop us from getting some cool shots though! Two of my favorites are below.
What do you think about the red dress shots? I wish we had more time of course to do more, but it was basically dark. So, we immediately began planning to do another shoot back in Huntsville. Stay tuned for the follow up session write up! If you like the red dress, you can buy it at the link here.
Was the Amazon maternity dress worth the price?
YES! A resounding yes! For us, the Amazon maternity dresses were definitely worth the cost! As a photographer, I could not be more happy with the way the dresses photographed. Plus they really made Amanda look even more beautiful,. I believe that if you follow my tips above, you will have no problem finding a nice maternity dress at a reasonable price that you can have your photos made in.
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Equipment Used on this shoot
For this session, I used my trusty Nikon Z6 and 24-70 F2.8S lens. We had to move fast because it was hot and there were ants everywhere by the tree, and well, ants freak me out. So it was a get in and get out quick session in the swamp. I also used 2 Manfrotto Nanostands with Godox TT600 lashes and Magspheres.
Important Notes About Product Links and Information on this blog entry.
We bought these dresses and did this shoot prior to me becoming an Amazon Associate and part of the Amazon Affiliate program.
As an Amazon associate, I may earn income from items purchased on this page.
Links on this page are affiliate links from my sponsors and companies I work with.
Some post content may be generated with the help of AI programs such as ChatGPT.
Kyle Root is a published and award winning photographer based out of Decatur Alabama. Working in the area since 1999 has helped him become one of the most recognized photographers and videographers in North Alabama. His work has been featured both locally and on the national stage. Honesty, Integrity, Quality Products, Amazing Customer Service, and just being a nice guy have helped propel him to the spotlight in the North Alabama area as a photographer. If you're looking for professional photography, you're in the right spot.
