horrified over bridal gown size charts :(

jammiezene

I can't help feeling a little terrified this evening about trying on bridal gowns. I had a really nice nsv this morning (officillay reached my half way point) but after taking some measurements and looking at sizing charts...I was crushed. I don't want to step into a bridal shop. I'm 5'6 weigh 161.8 and according to some of the dresses I was looking at I would still be considered a plus size bride I'm so crushed and I feel just like when I first started MFP. I don't want to seem whiny or pouty but I have a huge problem with being body conscious and it just didn't help.

zyxst

I want to say 'don't worry about it' but it's the most important dress you'll wear and have every right to worry. I will tell you that most wedding dresses made for trying on are sized for the runway. You'll be beautiful in any gown/dress.

fatbride2012

i was also horrified to go wedding dress shopping but i went and i found a dress that looked so good on me and really made me look smaller it wasnt what i would have pictured but it fits me to a t ... dont be worried im 5 1 and 180 lbs .. hope this helps goodluck

RunChristyRun

This should be such a happy experience for you! I'm sure you will look great in the dress of your dreams. When is the big day?

Qarol

Bridal sizes are not like your regular shop sizes. And for this day, who cares about the number on the tag. Buy bigger and have it altered to fit perfectly.

LovesGG

Yeah, don't wedding dresses run a couple sizes small anyways?

Kara52217

Bridal gown sizes are ridiculous They should run big so you don't feel as though your as big as a truck. But no the run small and make you feel like a truck! :-(

I was in a size 20 dress on my wedding day and I while I fit into a size 10/12 now I bet I would still be in a 14/16 wedding dress

AyanaSan

Bridal gown sizing is wayyyyy off, I used to have G cup breasts and had to order a size 18 gown just for the boobs and they took the rest in accordingly. I was a size 14 at the time. I found this:

Bridal sizing goes back to a scale established during World War II that used data intended for making uniforms, Moore [Senior vice president of merchandising and product development at retailer David's Bridal] explains. The scale also was used for ready-to-wear clothes, but over time, sportswear adapted its sizes to reflect changing body shapes, while bridal, for the most part, didn’t.

…The order is based on the woman’s largest measurement: bust, hips or waist. If her hips and waist are an 8 but her bust a 10, she gets the 10; if her bust and waist are 12 but her hips 14, she gets the 14. (Samantha Critchell, Associated Press).

Ignore the size, and just enjoy the experience of buying a fab dress for your special day. :happy:

kcbishop0304

Don't worry about the size! Find a dress that, regardless of the size on the tag, fits your body. looks amazing, and makes you feel great. And hold your head up high knowing how hard you've worked and how far you've come!! Congrats on your upcoming wedding!

lkm111

Size 10 or 12 women are considered plus size models! Don't beat yourself up, be proud of your accomplishment! You are going to look better than if you had not lost anything. Size does not matter, it is how you feel that matters. Congratulations on your weight loss! :flowerforyou:

MamaLeague

I just went dress shopping the other week! I said yes to the dress, and heck no to my jiggly arms, lol!

I was VERY worried about how I would react to trying on dresses that didn't fit properly. The salon I went into didn't have anyone to help, so it was my itty bitty mom squeezing her pudgy daughter into dresses that didn't fit.

I went into it knowing that they would have to clip them. Wedding dresses are worse than jeans. In the end, I was so excited by how my dress looked that I didn't care that I had clips holding it up. That's my dress, and I'll be damned if I won't rock the $*** out of it.

Feel free to add me! I'm in the same position, 5'0 and 170. When is your day?

ThePhoenixRose

I worked in a bridal shop for years, and yes, the sizes are seriously messed up. When you decide on one, they'll order one much larger than what you need, as they have to base it off of your largest measurement. Don't bother telling them you're losing or will lose weight, as EVERY bride says that, then they usually don't and get angry when the dress doesn't fit. I'm not saying you're not going to, i'm just saying that's what happens a lot.

You can do this. Don't let the sizes get you down. focus on what you're there for, to find the dress of your dreams. If they don't fir you, they can clip and hold them so you get an idea of what they'll look like. The most important thing is to enjoy yourself. The numbers don't mean anything.

Apryl546

Don't be crushed.
Because of my boobs, I will forever have to wear larges in most things. When my waist and hips can easily fit a medium perfectly!

heatherk0908

I was a size 10 wedding dress when I was 19 and I weighed around 120 at 5'4". Now at 160 I'd probably be a size 18 or something even though my regular dress size is much smaller. Don't worry about the size.

jammiezene

Yes, they do run small I guess the hardest thing was seeing the dresses I really liked were only available up to a size '12' and that for some styles my 34 inch waist put me in a size 20w....so that the dresses I was leaning towards would not really be available to me.

issyfit

I think they always put you in a larger dress than you need so they can alter it--alterations sometimes cost almost as much as the dress --from a recent mother on the bride (3 times in the last 6 years).

slhtree

oh girl, don't let it get you down! I am getting married in 10 days,and I have worked so hard to feel good and look good! I could not believe it when I was given a size 18 ....I am roughly the same size and height as you are,wearing a 12 jean. I almost burst into tears when the size was measured! But the girl was kind and explained that is how it runs....does it make sense? NO! Does it hurt ? a little! LOL....but your wedding day is for you :0) you will be beautiful!

Janeta58

A 34 " waist and the dress size is 20W ??? That's crazy. "...as a result of various cultural pressures, most notably vanity sizing, North American clothing sizes have drifted substantially away from this standard over time, and now have very little connection to it. Instead, they now follow the more loosely defined standards known as US catalog sizes." From Wiki ... for one comment.

I am a seamstress and I have been frustrated by dress sizes for years. I have also altered both wedding gowns and bridesmaid gowns and find the sizing frustrating. It's the fit that counts, not the size on the label. Each gown fits so differently.

Find a dress that you love and don't worry about the size on the label! There are some gorgeous gowns out there ... you might have to shop around and try outlets where discontinued gowns are sold at a fraction of the original cost.

Good Luck!

meeulk

22 lbs is freakin' awesome, and you definitely want to get a dress that will fit your biggest measurement so you can have all of the other parts of the dress altered. Once you try on the right dress... the size won't be a big deal. It's just a number! I had to get a dress that was biggest in the waist because I'm apple shaped (or shaped like a boy) and had to have it shortened and taken in in the chest. sad. But, when I tried it on (even in the store)... I knew it was the dress and it was amazing and made me look slim! yay!

good luck! Wedding dress shopping was exhausting (for me) :yawn: and we had to take a lunch break and come back. That helped a lot... because I was frustrated and didn't really like the dresses I had tried and didn't really know what I wanted... I knew I didn't want strapless! But, we went to lunch, came back and I found a dress and it was strapless and lovely! so keep an open mind! :happy:

sarahdee2007

When I went to get a bridesmaid dress in the fall, I was in a size 9 jeans and I bought a size 12 dress. It looked good on and their sizes are always screwy! I love corset dresses! I had one for my wedding, and you can be sucked and squeezed in all the right places! Very flattering! I bet your fiancé thinks you are beautiful in any size!

ctraill

This is exactly the situation I'm in! I'm hoping to lose 30 pounds before stepping foot into a bridal shop. However, a lot of designers to make up to size 16 from what I'm told and this in their normal lines, not their couture ones. I know that I won't be able to fit into the sample sizes but I am hopeful that I'll be able to get someone to hold the back to get a sense of what they look like and order the larger sizes. But I know exactly how you feel, I'm terrified of being a plus sized bride even after all my weight loss.

jenna715

bridal sizes are small. I am a 12 in bridal and normally an 8. Dont let it bother you, as long as you look good size doesn't matter. Do 30 day shred or something to get toned arms/shoulders and you'll be fine.

1shauna1

I didn't even read all the responses because I want to say, don't let those charts get to you! Obviously you've been researching & know they are ridiculously small. It's all about how the dress makes you look & feel, not about the size. I've been a bridesmaid 6 times & I think every time I had to order a plus size dress even if I wasn't at the time, which sucks and they cost more. But it's going to be an amazing day for you, so ignore the size and find a great dress!

MyTime4Health

I have spent years working in the bridal industry and I'm going to tell you what I tell all of my brides. Nobody sees the size of your dress while you are walking down the isle. What they will see is a beautiful bride. Focus on that! Bridal and any speciality sized clothing does run 1 to 2 sizes smaller thatn street size clothing.

Good luck, I am sure you will find the dress of your dreams!!

JessieArt

Have them bring you dresses until you find one that fits. Don't look at the size. When you get one you like, ask them to cut out the tag. Who cares what size it is? What matters is how you feel in that gorgeous dress. Please don't let that crazy size ruin your wonderful day.

You are absolutely gorgeous. You will look great in whatever gown you pick. Find one that is confortable and makes you feel like a princess.