Buying clothes to small

Mykatet

Just getting started and I have a question about clothing. I'm might be getting married in about one year and I want to look amazing in a wedding dress. It is not my first marriage so the dress isn't going to be crazy expensive or anything. I am trying to decide when I should buy a dress. I am hoping to drop several sizes by then. Do you think I should buy a dress too small to help motivate me? I can't decide. On one hand, it will be a costly dress so I don't want to waste money. It will probably be off the rack because I can't afford too much alteration. On the other hand seeing a dress I have to fit into hanging in my closet might help. If I don't buy it now I kinda feel like basically I am saying I won't be smaller by that time. I found a dress I like already. I just can't decide what to do. The wedding is not my primary reason for wanting to lose weight but it is one of the motivators. Brides to be, what have you done about your wedding dress if you've planned to lose a lot of weight before the big day?

Cahgetsfit

Can I say something in a way that I hope is not seen as "being mean"?

I just kind of wonder about this "thing" of losing weight to get married. Many times, many people I have known (virtually and IRL) decide to lose weight to get married, then hey presto, the ring is on, and bam - back to being fat again.

So - why? Just for the photos to look good?

I personally think the weight should be lost for health reasons, not just to look good for ONE day.

Plus, the dude that is the husband-to-be wants to marry the bride for the person she is (fat included if she was fat when he proposed...) so... why?

amenok

As much as you like that dress, it isn't worth committing a year from the wedding date especially if you plan to lose weight. Can you imagine how upsetting it'll be as you're not losing the weight that you predicted you were going to by then? That is a recipe to fail not only the dress, but the diet too

My suggestion is to don't buy yet, and make it a goal to lose the weight while you can now. Then when 6 months comes in, treat yourself with whatever weight you lost and get a dress. If you lose anything after 6 months, at the very least you can alter it or perhaps you have a realistic idea about how much your body may lose by then if you insist to buy a smaller size. It's a lot easier to alter a dress if you're forced to a smaller size, then having to extend it.

albertaro

Don't buy a dress that is too small. You don't know what body shape you will have after you lose weight and the style you pick now might not look the best after the weight is gone in a year. A year is a long time. Keep on you weight loss plan and look for a dress closer to your wedding day.

hikinggal11

I would hold off on the dress for most of the reasons above plus, once you lose weight there may be new parts of your body that you want to emphasise or camouflage. Once I lost weight my boobs got much smaller than I ever imagined and I do not wear the style of tops that I use to. Congratulations and good luck.

Mykatet

Cahgetsfit wrote: »

Can I say something in a way that I hope is not seen as "being mean"?

I just kind of wonder about this "thing" of losing weight to get married. Many times, many people I have known (virtually and IRL) decide to lose weight to get married, then hey presto, the ring is on, and bam - back to being fat again.

So - why? Just for the photos to look good?

I personally think the weight should be lost for health reasons, not just to look good for ONE day.

Plus, the dude that is the husband-to-be wants to marry the bride for the person she is (fat included if she was fat when he proposed...) so... why?

I can only speak for myself, I don't know what others motivations are. I did say in my post that the wedding wasn't the primary reason for wanting to lose weight. My partner and I have been together for 14 years so they love me at any size. Of course I want to look good in photos. The wedding is just one more reason and motivation for lose weight and get healthier. My hope, desire and plan is not to gain the weight back at any time.

kdbulger

I gained weight leading up to my wedding because wedding planning is busy and stressful at the best of times. Buy a dress in your current size at the time of purchase, with enough time to receive and alter the dress but not too far out from the date. Many dresses can be altered down a few sizes if need be; ask about your potential dress before you say yes to the dress. If you're optimistic about your chances of losing weight, don't buy a dress that can't be altered down considerable.

makkimakki2018

I see where you're going with this. Instead of buying the dress now how about opt for a cheaper solution. Buy regular clothing thats one or two sizes smaller? This way you have goals that are closer and arent so far away to keep you motivated. It may make you happy if you buy the dress now, but what if you don't look the way you imagined when you get to your destination? Don't you think it would be better to get it once you hit your goal?

VeryKatie

I would not buy a dress too small because you don't know where and how your body will change if you lose weight. Plus you don't want to be in a situation where you lose less (or way more) than you thought you would and have to buy a different one because it can't be altered enough. I personally would just wait to buy the dress. There is no need to buy one a year in advance.

Example, I lost 30 lbs but my pant size never changed since I don't store fat around my hips.

pinuplove

Unless your dress is going to be special order (which I'm assuming not, given your comment about it being nothing crazy), why not wait until much closer to your wedding (allowing enough time for alterations, of course. I don't see the point of having a dress hanging around in your closet for months anyway.

Cassandraw3

I would hold off on the dress. See what your progress is after 6 months. Like others have said, you don't know how your body will change with the weight loss. Also, you will not be able to try on a dress that is too small. A dress that looks good on the rack may not look good on you. On the flip side, a dress that may not wow you on the rack, may look great on you.

Cat3141

I would hold off. Buying a dress (or any clothing) too small is just an easy way to make yourself miserable.

I bought a dress I wanted to get married in. It fit when I bought it--looked good even. Then, despite reasonable efforts, by the time we got married, the dress didn't fit. I still have it in a box somewhere. Last time I stumbled upon it, I cried. I really should just give it away or something. Point being, don't set yourself up for heartbreak, frustration, etc..

RaeBeeBaby

Some great advice here! I also suggest not buying the dress quite yet.

Spend time looking at dresses and make a vision board with ideas. When you get closer to the wedding there will still be time to find a lovely dress.
Work on yourself and your weight loss for the next few months and see how it goes.
Buy an outfit or two for the honeymoon - maybe in a smaller size if that is motivating.

My friend recently got engaged and was married within 6 weeks. Her wedding was lovely and her dress was gorgeous. She bought it off the rack at a bridal shop and said there were many pretty options.

Congrats and good luck! :flowerforyou:

TavistockToad

If you're buying off the rack, don't buy it now if you have no idea what size or shape you'll be.

colorfulcoquette

albertaro wrote: »

Don't buy a dress that is too small. You don't know what body shape you will have after you lose weight and the style you pick now might not look the best after the weight is gone in a year. A year is a long time. Keep on you weight loss plan and look for a dress closer to your wedding day.

I had a dress that I loved which fit me like a dream and made me feel absolutely gorgeous before I gained weight. Being able to wear it again was a huge goal of mine with losing weight. The thing was, my weight didn't come off in the same way. My shape was different than it had been. When I could put the dress on again it didn't fit me the same way at all. Too big in some areas, tight in others - I had to accept there wasn't going to be a time when it fit right again.

Jackie9003

I wouldn't buy just yet either, I have a big holiday next month and when I booked it in January I bought 3 dresses in a smaller size as incentive, 1 of them fits perfectly, 1 fits adequately and the other doesn't fit at all. And I've still got 6 weeks left to go. You can't guarantee you'll lose in the right places for the dress to be a nice fit unfortunately but if you want an incentive perhaps buy something for the evening do in the sales.
Congratulations, hope you have a great day.

Becoming_A_Butterfly

If you have a year before the wedding, just wait. I waited until about 2 months before my wedding, then shopped for my dress, to give myself enough time to find a dress online (not many options in this small town) and the opportunity to either exchange sizes or have alterations made before the wedding. Then I wasn't guessing at what was going to look good or what was going to fit.

kami3006

I've seen this backfire so many times over the years on here. Not enough/not any weight is lost and the bride has the added stress of trying to crash diet while planning the wedding as well. Nope. Wait until it's much closer.

Congrats on your engagement and I do hope you reach your goals!

amusedmonkey

There is more to it than just weight. What if you change your mind about liking the dress a year from now but are stuck with it? What if you do lose weight but it's not the right dress for your future shape?

Even if it's about weight, weight management is a learning process. You can have goals, but you should also expect setbacks. Not reaching a certain weight by a certain time is not a failure. Life is unpredictable and we may take longer than we expected to tackle certain habits and learn about ourselves. You're not telling yourself you won't be smaller, you're telling yourself that learning to manage your weight properly is more important to you than getting to a certain weight no matter what it takes.

If smaller clothes motivate you, buy something you like that isn't as big of an investment and strive to get into it. Even if you don't like it or it doesn't suit your future shape, you'll just not wear it or donate it. It doesn't need to be a big financial commitment like a wedding dress.

777Gemma888

Buy a wedding dress at your current size if you absolutely have to. Alterations are easy when it's being taken in. If it's to be taken out, it's not going to be the dress you chose.


Choose something like a swimsuit or lingerie or dinner/cocktail dress as your motivation piece.