Getting Married...

T0RIEELIZABETH

So I went wedding dress shopping the other day and got one for the size I am now. I've been wanting to lose weight for the wedding (like any typical bride), and after seeing the pictures of my bare arms I have all the motivation I need. My only concern is the fact that the more weight I lose, the more my alterations are going to cost, and I would hate for the dress to be altered beyond recognition. I'm wondering if I should just chill out and wait, if I can just tone up my arms and lose a little, or just go gung ho and not worry about it? Any recent brides out there that have any advice???

Edit-- The wedding is the first weekend in June

psuLemon

Depends what is more important to you, do you want to weigh less and pay for alterations or be happy with your body now and not pay for alterations.

seskovich

You could just aim for a goal and try to hit it and wait until that last possible minute and only make one alteration to your dress so you don't have to keep redoing it.

poedunk65

Lose the weight.

Kerri_is_so_very

When is the wedding? A good dress shop will be able to advise you how "alterable" a dress is (for example...may be altered up to 1 size or 2 sizes smaller and then it's just going to look silly). My other advice is for example if you are a 20W now, maybe order a straight 18 instead of an 18W...depending on where you carry your weight (this might work if you are a pear, but maybe not so much if you are an apple shape). Also, find out when is the absolute latest you could order and take delivery and still have time for alterations.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Well I can tell you that my dress looked terrible in my pictures because I lost about 20 lbs between ordering it and the wedding. It was too much too big for the alterations to look right, and it's sagging terribly in the back.

What I *wouldn't* do is order the dress too small in hopes you can fit into it later. We see lots of threads where people are panicking because it's 3 weeks until their wedding and their dress is too small, because they meant to lose weight but didn't. If you want to lose weight for your wedding either wait to order your dress until you're the size you want, or go ahead and order it in the size you are now and then plan for alterations. And stop losing after your final fitting.

Good luck with your decision and congratulations!

OspreyVista

For myself personally, I am waiting a bit to buy a wedding dress so that the alterations won't be too much. I also have 1 year 4 and a half months until the day I get married, so I have plenty of time to get where I want to be. If you have time, I'd say look around now if you want, but hold out on buying it until you get closer to where you want to be.

Izzwoz

Depends what is more important to you, do you want to weigh less and pay for alterations or be happy with your body now and not pay for alterations.

Agree! Personally I would wait with getting the dress until you are at the weight/shape you want to be. I just altered a corset I made as practice for my dress for the fourth time due to the change in waist, and I am getting bored with it! ;-)

VictoriaWorksOut

Loose the weight and pay for alterations. Do you want to look at your wedding pictures and regret seeing yourself not at your best?

I have alterations scheduled for beginning of April, and wedding in in end of May. My dress fits, but is little snug. By April it might be a perfect in waist, but since it is strapless I am sure I will need some alterations for perfect fit.

Carolannb1986

So I went wedding dress shopping the other day and got one for the size I am now. I've been wanting to lose weight for the wedding (like any typical bride), and after seeing the pictures of my bare arms I have all the motivation I need. My only concern is the fact that the more weight I lose, the more my alterations are going to cost, and I would hate for the dress to be altered beyond recognition. I'm wondering if I should just chill out and wait, if I can just tone up my arms and lose a little, or just go gung ho and not worry about it? Any recent brides out there that have any advice???

My wedding is in june!! so i know where you are coming from but ive yet to find the dress, cutting it thinly now i know!
I would say dow hat makes you happy hun, it is your wedding day, it is you who will be fondly looking at those photographs, it is you who will be hanging them on the wall, and showing to the grand kids.
If your happy as you are but are a little in secure about your arms (btw is the tops I hate them to they look so big in photo's!!) then why not have a shrug around you xx good luck and all the best

elainecroft

If you haven't you may want to look into an independent seamstress - I had one who did a fabulous job and didn't charge nearly as much as the store would have.

Even more importantly perhaps, she was able to look at my dress (no charge) and say "here's the max that I can take in/let out without it looking differently", which will depend on the dress cut and style.

JennsPups

I had my dress altered a lot, several sizes. I also had straps added, a corset added and the bust line tightened. You couldn't tell at all, so if you have a lot of alterations, make sure it's with a really good seamstress.

NoMoreFlubbering

I ordered mine too small, lost more weight than I expected, and still had to get it taken in by more than 2 sizes. I was told by 2 seamstresses that they couldn't alter it and I would have to buy a new one. Then I found a seamstress "from the old country" who had been doing it her whole life, and she said "Yeah no problem!". Not even $200 later, my dress fit perfectly. If you look around for a really highly recommended seamstress, you can lose a lot of weight and not have to get a new dress. Depends on who is where you live though

Mathguy1

Seeing as you have the motivation to exercise and eat healthier, I wouldn't let the fear of a little additional cost of dress alterations deter you. Sounds like you are looking for excuses to validate your desire to not change your lifestyle.

I doubt you'll find many people here that will support your decision to wait.

I recommend finding out how long any alterations would take them to make. Then pad that by a few days and subtract that time from your wedding date and mark that date on your calendar. Then, as that day approaches, inform them that your dress will need alterations (assuming you've lost weight by that date).

You will be happier at your wedding showcasing the weight you lost vs wearing your current dress unaltered and saying to yourself "I should of put in the effort to change my lifestyle back in January."

Good luck and I wish you well in your nutrition and fitness goals.

Jirinka2

I am getting married in June too and waiting to order my dress till March so if it needs alterations at later date it won't be too drastic.

For me it's important to feel beautiful in my wedding dress which I know at my current weight I wouldn't.

Fit_Is_Fabulous

When I purchased my dress, the consultant told me that a dress can be altered 4-6 sizes and maintain its integrity. As long as you have someone who knows what they're doing I wouldn't worry about the dress looking wrong.

I can't give to advice on price, however. You have to weigh pros and cons. Is it more important for you to look "better" on your wedding day or to save money? I know for me, personally, I would rather look good. Those pictures will be hanging in your home for a lifetime, shelling out the extra $200 for alterations wouldn't even be a question. But, if the budget is already tight, then deciding to put a hold on weightloss might be the best choice.

However, you did say that you want to tone your arms. I'm not sure how much you weigh right now, but you can tone your arms all you want, but if you have excess fat covering the muscle you will not be able to see the toning. It's hard to say for sure without knowing your weight, but I would say it's unlikely like you can have the toned arms without changing weight. If you were only 5-10 pounds from your goal, that would maybe be a different story.

Izzwoz

A good seamstress should also be able to advise on how much a dress can be altered without changing it "beyond recognition". If it is THE dress and you are keen on getting it before someone snaps it up, maybe consider talking it through with an expert, considering a realistic weight/inch loss til June?

T0RIEELIZABETH

THanks everyone. I have to get it altered with davids bridal so I will talk to them when the dress comes in and see what they can do , how much they can alter, etc.

grassette

So many brides end up being pregnant by their wedding day, that they usually come in bigger than the one you tried on, so adjustments are built right into the pricing.

weird_me2

Since it's from David's bridal, you might also have the option to do a "size exchange" for free. I know they do it for their other special occasion dresses. The rule is that it can't leave the shop, I believe. I was informed of this option when I had to order a bridesmaids dress only 2 weeks after giving birth (and that as actually a month past the "deadline".) They have to have enough time for the exchange, though, so you would still need to do it a while before your wedding.

Mimisam45

What will make you feel amazing on your wedding day???

Shrelana

Well I can tell you that my dress looked terrible in my pictures because I lost about 20 lbs between ordering it and the wedding. It was too much too big for the alterations to look right, and it's sagging terribly in the back.

Mine was held on by pins and I had to be sewn into it...thank goodness I had a veil to cover the back! This was because I'd lost something like 5 inches between the time I took it in to be altered and my wedding day...

BamBam125

When is the wedding? A good dress shop will be able to advise you how "alterable" a dress is [...] Also, find out when is the absolute latest you could order and take delivery and still have time for alterations.

This.

Plus, some dresses are more easier to alter than others. My wedding was a very simple affair and my dress was not expensive (my dress was less $300, ordered online for a small family wedding). My aunt, a seamstress, actually made a last minute alteration on the day of! The cap sleaves were loose and she was able to "whip stitch" them in for a tighter fit after I was wearing the dress. You couldn't even notice the last minute stitches. Plus I had a veil that covered the back.

Now, that might not work for all alterations or for fancier dresses, but you can always pin a dress smaller or stuff your bra to fill it out if the dress is a tad loose on the big day (even after alterations). It might not be perfect, but everyone is going to gush over what a beautiful bride you are no matter what you wear or how much it needed altered.

As for me, everyone was convinced my dress was vintage (it was reproduction) and were amazed by my hair (My hair is long enough to reach my waist. The hairdresser had a grand ol' time braiding it and twisting it up onto my head. I pulled out 42 bobby pins getting it down that night. But my record was in the 60s for prom some years before. It's amazing how many pins they can hide in a one's hair.) They also gushed over the ceremony, which I had scripted every word of, so that was really encouraging for me.

T0RIEELIZABETH

This was super helpful. I will have a couple of seamstresses there, and it seems that as long as I dont lose much between my final fitting and the wedding I should be okay. I'm only set to lose about a pound a week, so thats just over 20 weeks, about 20 lbs which is close to two sizes...
It also has a corset back, which I guess was a good choice

This.

Plus, some dresses are more easier to alter than others. My wedding was a very simple affair and my dress was not expensive (my dress was less $300, ordered online for a small family wedding). My aunt, a seamstress, actually made a last minute alteration on the day of! The cap sleaves were loose and she was able to "whip stitch" them in for a tighter fit after I was wearing the dress. You couldn't even notice the last minute stitches. Plus I had a veil that covered the back.

Now, that might not work for all alterations or for fancier dresses, but you can always pin a dress smaller or stuff your bra to fill it out if the dress is a tad loose on the big day (even after alterations). It might not be perfect, but everyone is going to gush over what a beautiful bride you are no matter what you wear or how much it needed altered.

As for me, everyone was convinced my dress was vintage (it was reproduction) and were amazed by my hair (My hair is long enough to reach my waist. The hairdresser had a grand ol' time braiding it and twisting it up onto my head. I pulled out 42 bobby pins getting it down that night. But my record was in the 60s for prom some years before. It's amazing how many pins they can hide in a one's hair.) They also gushed over the ceremony, which I had scripted every word of, so that was really encouraging for me.