Calling all past and present Brides!(or anyone really)

mclick1

Okay, I have two questions really:

I'm preparing for my wedding in October! I found my dream dress, but unfortunately it is only made in up to a size 18. Not a problem, really, since it is fantastic motivation to stick to my plan, but I want to make sure it is really possible before dropping 900 dollars on a dress. So my first question is: I am currently a heavier size 24(24's are tight,but 26's are too big,) is it really possible to (healthily) be a size 18 for my wedding. It is a corset back, so there is a little wiggle room.

Second question: What did you love or find particularly effective in workouts or foods leading up to your big day(or, in general, for anyone reading who is not a bride.)

JenMc14

It's hard to say what size you'll be in. There's no magic x pounds = x size formula. Your weight loss, especially in the beginning, won't necessarily be proportional, either. I swear my first 8 pounds all came from my face. And at my smallest, 40+ pounds lost, 117 pounds, I still felt like I could lose 5-10 in the middle, although I was a bit bony in other places. I also feel like wedding attire is mis sized and mis proportioned requiring alterations quite a bit.

As for what to do, move more, eat less, swap out junk and see what happens.

kailibertsch

I've heard dropping a dress size requires a weight loss of 8-10 pounds. I'm sure other variables such as your height, genetics, where you lose weight first all account into it though. Just be careful with ordering a dress too small. I had intentions of losing weight before my wedding too and didn't lose a pound. It's easier to take a dress in than to let one out.

MelRC117

I would get measured by the shop selling it to see what dress size you would be for that brand. Dress sizes (specifically bridal) is definitely not equal to jean size. I think I was a size 16 jean and was a size 20 in bridal.

The shop also can tell you what would be possible about buying the size 18 dress and what alterations are possible. Granted, alterations are expensive. But if you really love the dress, I would talk to them about all possibilities.

EmmieBaby

first: congrats on the engagement! I'm getting married in August so I am whipping my butt into a shape (other then round)

as for losing inches to fit in a smaller dress its hard to say, I've lost 10lbs and I'm still the same size.

is there a way to have it altered to fit you?

when I got my dress they told me I could special order it to fit me if they didn't have my size (thankfully I managed to snag the last size 15) and the only alterations is loosening the top since I have more boobs then the dress will allow.

mommymissy82

6 years ago I found my dress but it was a size 8.... I wanted to buy off the rack but the lady...yes the salesperson, convinced me I needed to order as there was no way I could go from the 18 I should have been to the 8 I wanted to be in. In 9 months, that size 18 dress was refitted, ripped apart, sewn back up, stitched, you name it...at the end of the whole thing she told me it was now a size 8... It is possible just a matter of how bad you want it. Good luck and congrats

dotty_elmo

Firstly congratulations and of course it's absolutely possible for you on be a size 18 - you're only 3 sizes off (assuming it's British sizes) which isn't that much in the grand scheme of things! Think positive

I also find that classes are great for exercise - I've recently taken up Zumba which burns off alot of calories but I'm having far too much fun to notice the hour tick by! I also try and do a few gym sessions but when you're on your own it is harder to push yourself!

With regards to food I slowly reduced the amount of junk I ate and found that eventually I didn't need a whole big bar of chocolate and that the smaller size one done me fine! I also tried out different soups as they are generally low fat and are filling it does take a while to work out what suits you best but once you find it the weight just falls off

Hope this helps and good luck!

La5Vega5Girl

I got married a long time ago, but I will say that when I found a wedding dress that I loved and it didn't fit me (it was too small) I just found another dress. there was no way I was going to try to get into a dress. that is too stressful. I found one in a bigger size and ended up loving it just as much (or more)

katherine_startrek_fan

That's a super risky plan! Wedding dresses often run small (I had to go up two sizes for mine) and the bigger the sizes are, the longer it takes to drop. You also don't have a choice where you lose from. For instance, I am back to my 8th grade weight (and a size smaller), but I can't fit into my high school prom dress that laces up the back because I am still too big at the small of my back for the hook.

Obviously everyone is different, but it would probably take somewhere between 70-100 pounds to drop those sizes simply because each size drop requires losing so many inches.

I'm not saying that it is impossible, but that it's not worth the risk to make the decision at this time. In my opinion, your best bet would be to find out how far in advance of your big day you will need to choose a dress and to check in again around that time.

Alternatively, you could go to a seamstress with pictures of the dress and request one be created in your size. It might be slightly more expensive, but would take the pressure off.

Question Two:

In terms of food, routine is key. While I try to keep a good rotation going, I typically have a certain number of calories alocated for each meal, with the majority saved for dinner. My allocations are different on week days vs. weekends, due to different paces (sitting all day vs. actively out and about).

For workouts, I like high intensity, low cost options that I can do at my convenience. I love work out videos, particularly Biggest Loser, Lealie S walking videos, Jillian, and Tae Bo. I also enjoy running (check out C25K to get started), and love racing. I'm definitely not the fastest runner, but I choose fun themed races and enjoy setting new personal records.

Working out majorly improves my mood and energy levels throughout the day, as well as making me more toned and burning more calories. You'll see results much faster by including workouts, regardless of what types you choose.

Best of luck! Feel free to friend me, if you like! I'm down approximately 45 pounds in eight months, with another 37 to go over the course of this year.

seltzermint555

I'd say don't do this dress plan.

I don't mean to sound discouraging. But I weighed 307 and was stuffed into a size 22. I got all the way down to 230 before I could fit into an 18 comfortably. That is a loss of 77 lb. Everyone is different as far as weight loss and how they fit into certain sizes. But I think it's just too big of a gamble. I see others saying 8-10 lb is a size and yes, that is true sometimes but for me personally when I was in plus sizes it took a lot more than 10 lb to go down a full size, like from 22 to 20 or 20 to 18 it was a lot more.

You will probably lose weight before your wedding day. But don't put that kind of pressure on yourself!

seltzermint555

I already posted, but I wanted to add that sometimes your body shape changes a lot and in ways you can't anticipate. When I was in a size 18, I bought a size 14 denim dress that was absolutely the cutest thing to me, just way too tight around my belly and hips. I thought it would be the perfect "goal dress" but by the time it fit my belly/hip areas it was gigantic on my shoulders and arms and looked nuts, so low-cut that it showed my bra. It looked drastically different than expected.

Obviously a wedding dress, especially one with a corset back, is a different thing altogether. But I would really try to find a dress that fits you right now and then have it altered down closer to the date. You will probably have to get it altered quite a bit but in case something crazy happened that threw a kink in your weight loss (like an injury, stress, etc) you wouldn't have one more big stressor thrown into the pre-wedding mix! Good luck!

acmanna

Congratulations!
I think it is an attainable goal bc you have some time.
I suggest buying a food scale and start weighing/logging everything. Also exercising with some strength training will get you looking better in the dress
Make some good long lasting healthy habits so the journey doesn't stop after your wedding day.

Best wishes to you!

williams969

It's better to get a gown that fits now and get it tailored down when you get close to the date (within 4-6 weeks, no later, alterations take time).

Another thing to consider is bridal sizing is NOT vanity sized (generally). For example (and this was a decade ago), I wore a street size 6 or 8, but I fit perfectly into a size 12 gown. That size 18 gown is going to "fit" like an off the rack size 14. That's a drastic reduction.

And...a style that looks smashing on you now may not necessarily flatter you at a lower weight.

I speak from experience in bridal alterations (my family owned and I worked at a dry cleaners for many, many years doing such things)--brides who buy gowns 2-4+ sizes SMALLER are setting themselves up for regret and sadness. True story--the things that need to be done to a still too tight gown to make it fit are expensive and barely result in a good bridal day look.

We can easily make a gown one (*maybe* up to two sizes bigger, but results vary) size bigger (there's ease added to the seams). But it's a much better look and we can maintain the lines of the gown by easily taking it in 2-4 sizes.

marinabreeze

MelRC117 wrote: »

I would get measured by the shop selling it to see what dress size you would be for that brand. Dress sizes (specifically bridal) is definitely not equal to jean size. I think I was a size 16 jean and was a size 20 in bridal.

The shop also can tell you what would be possible about buying the size 18 dress and what alterations are possible. Granted, alterations are expensive. But if you really love the dress, I would talk to them about all possibilities.

^This.

Bridal sizes tend to run smaller than mainstream clothing sizes. When I got married I was a size 22-24 in street clothes but my dress was a 28 - and that was with a corset back so there was some give.

Even if you drop a lot of weight in the next nine months, because you can't dictate where the weight will drop from, it still may not be enough to fit into the dress or even make it able to be altered without major changes to the dress (no longer making it your "dream dress"). You might want to at least make the effort to find another dress that is in your current size. It's a lot easier to alter down a size than alter up.

As far as food plans - I can't say because I chose not to diet for my wedding. I was already dealing with enough (I was working on my dissertation defense at the same time) and so I didn't want to add a new diet and exercise plan to my plate. Right now, I work on eating within my calories - with only intermittent exercise due to injury - and have lost 20 lbs so far (it may be more at this point, but I need to weigh in). Good luck to you.

Lounmoun

It is hard to say what size you will wear as you lose weight. It is possible you could lose enough inches to fit that one exact dress but also possible that you won't lose inches where you need to. Instead of settling on one dress I would find a couple of dress options and wait awhile to see how your weight loss is going after a few months or find something that fits now that could be altered as you get smaller.

I was 5 months pregnant when I got married so I wasn't dieting to fit into a dress. I got my dress about a month before my wedding date, hoped It would still fit and only spent $200 on it. There were a lot of dresses that were super pretty that weren't going to fit me. I was happy enough with the one I got though and it fit. Really what I wore that day was really a miniscule blip in my life though.
Looking back after 15 years, a wedding dress is just a dress. There are a lot of beautiful dresses in all sizes. The dress doesn't make you more loved or more special. There are so many things that are more important than your dress size on your wedding day.

samthepanda

Even if you drop a lot of weight in the next nine months, because you can't dictate where the weight will drop from, it still may not be enough to fit into the dress or even make it able to be altered without major changes to the dress (no longer making it your "dream dress"). You might want to at least make the effort to find another dress that is in your current size. It's a lot easier to alter down a size than alter up.


This! I lost some weight for my wedding (a very long time ago!)- nothing off my bust until the last week when stress shed 7lbs straight off the girls so the dress hung off them! I also had a horrendous experience as a bridesmaid when the bride bought me a dress while I was pregnant in my pre pregnancy size. It was sized small, I struggled to lose, and the girls stayed big - dress would not do up, and there was no larger size. She hated me!

mclick1

Thanks everyone! I should have mentioned that I am a size 24 in wedding dresses. I do know that they are very different size wise. I will keep looking, and I am also going to ask if they can make the dress in a size 22 as a special order. Who knows!

williams969

mclick1 wrote: »

Thanks everyone! I should have mentioned that I am a size 24 in wedding dresses. I do know that they are very different size wise. I will keep looking, and I am also going to ask if they can make the dress in a size 22 as a special order. Who knows!

I've seen many, many dressmakers that will make size 20+ as customs. Will cost more (duh, custom, they upcharge for the short, sub-size 4 ladies, too $$ ), but if it's "THE DRESS", it may very well be worth the peace of mind to get it in a size that'll work for you, not against you

Princess4Run

Buying a wedding dress 2-3 sizes smaller is very risky. But from personal experience it's the best motivator. I got measured for a size 12 dress but ordered a 10, 6 months before a wedding. I had to sign a waver with the bridal store but I was determined to lose weight. In that time I lost 15 lbs, toned up and the size 10 had to be altered to 8 for the wedding. I did interval training workouts such as bootcamp classes and Jillian Michael's DVDs, along with running and strength training. I did workouts 5 days a week and it was a great way for destressing from wedding planning.

For eating, I amped up protein, cut down on white carbs/sugar. Ate lots of salads with grilled chicken, tilapia filets, lean steak, Greek yogurt, nuts, lots of sweet potatoes and roasted veggies, some brown rice, some fruit. Drank only water. I had black coffee before my workouts for an energy boost. I supplemented with protein shakes when my protein was low for the day. I'm not advocating this because like I said it's risky but definitely doable.

GingerbreadCandy

Aren't wedding dresses mostly tailor-made? If it's the case with yours, I am not sure I would risk buying it now… Especially if it's fitted with a bustier or something. You may end up losing in ways you didn't expect and find the dress doesn't fit as well as you thought it would.

Other than that… October is a long way to go! You have more than enough time to lose those pounds.

mclick1

Thanks everyone! I'm looking in to custom tailors who can make the dress a few sizes larger just in case.