Bride to be - losing weight, what to do about my dress?

ReadyToBeMeAt160
ReadyToBeMeAt160 Posts: 149 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Soooo - I'm getting married next May and am excited to get my dress but am also on a weight loss journey.

So far I've lost about 30lbs

I've also been up and down my whole life. While I'm determined to keep it under wraps this time, logically its possible that next May I may be back up :-P

Right now, no idea what to do. do i buy a dress that's too big for me now just in case? I imagine its much easier to bring it in than to let it out

any input is appreciated!

thanks

PS losing weight for my own health, and was before the proposal even, not for the wedding. not that it matters...but i think that makes the weight loss a little more likely to stick?

Replies

  • mousepaws22
    mousepaws22 Posts: 380 Member
    Don't buy a dress in a smaller size- it's easier to take it in than let it out. Good luck!
  • BernadetteChurch
    BernadetteChurch Posts: 2,210 Member
    I suggest that you find out the latest you can buy/order your dress in order to have it ready in time for the big day. Continue your weight loss until that time and once you've had your fittings, then maintain, maintain, maintain!
  • LoosingMyLast15
    LoosingMyLast15 Posts: 1,457 Member
    depending upon the style/detail of the dress it may not be so easy taking it in either. you're better off buying a dress that is size appropriate now and staying focused and on track. sometimes seamstresses can add material to the sides (discretely) if you need it. it sounds crazy but make sure you let the shop know exactly what you are going through in terms of weightloss. they'll know exactly what to do. :)

    granted i've been married now 15 years but i remember the year leading up to my wedding as if it was yesterday (a girl never forgets these things). the closer it got to the big day the more i exercised not because i was trying to loose more weight (i had already lost 30+ pounds) but it helped relieve stress and it was one of the few hours in the day that i spent NOT thinking about everything that needed to be done for the wedding. funny we spent 2 years planning our wedding (took our time didn't want to be stressed over anything) yet a few months before my nerves kicked in and well exercise just seemed to help calm me. :)

    congratulations on your upcoming wedding!
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
    Don't buy it so far in advance. I bought my dress off the sale rack for $35 two weeks before the wedding. It wasn't a wedding dress per se, it was a simple white long dress with short sleeves, worked just fine for a one time event. (We were building a house, didn't want to spend much on the dress).
  • laurenmanderson1
    laurenmanderson1 Posts: 113 Member
    Always go for the bigger size and get it taken in closer to the date!! It is much easier to cut the material off than have more material appear :tongue:
  • beattie1
    beattie1 Posts: 1,012 Member
    Don't buy it so far in advance. I bought my dress off the sale rack for $35 two weeks before the wedding. It wasn't a wedding dress per se, it was a simple white long dress with short sleeves, worked just fine for a one time event. (We were building a house, didn't want to spend much on the dress).

    This is the best advice ever!! Have a great day, but your entire life's quota of happiness doesn't depend on one dress and one day wearing it!! :-)
  • A_Fit_Mom
    A_Fit_Mom Posts: 602 Member
    If you have a year till your wedding..wait to buy a dress. You can wait till the fall and then it won't be so big. Also..maybe look into a dress with a Corset type in the back. It will be easier to tighten if need be.
  • mdraper60
    mdraper60 Posts: 101 Member
    I suggest that you find out the latest you can buy/order your dress in order to have it ready in time for the big day. Continue your weight loss until that time and once you've had your fittings, then maintain, maintain, maintain!

    I agree with this!
  • ReadyToBeMeAt160
    ReadyToBeMeAt160 Posts: 149 Member
    If you have a year till your wedding..wait to buy a dress. You can wait till the fall and then it won't be so big. Also..maybe look into a dress with a Corset type in the back. It will be easier to tighten if need be.

    i think this is a GREAT idea. i won't wait until later bc i'll stress til then and i probably won't get it from a traditional shop that'll have a bunch of different sizes of the same dress so this may be the best fit (no pun intended) for me!

    thanks guys - the MFP community is always so amazing and resourceful <3
  • dtobias87
    dtobias87 Posts: 11
    typically, you'd go 6-8 months prior to the wedding to look at dresses, and order your current size (or if in between and on a very successful journey, you could prob bump down but no more than one size) because as others have pointed out, it's much easier to take in (and often expected to alter this way). you usually have 1-3 fitting up to the wedding day, so there is plenty of time to make adjustments as necessary.

    you have six months to keep working hard and then start looking for your dress... and another 3-4 months to maintain or keep losing... but remember it is one dress, one day, and the marriage that comes after is the most important :)

    congratulations on your engagement and best of luck on your journey :)
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
    I got my dress 3 months before the wedding, and had it fitted probably 3 times leading up to the wedding, the last fitting being just a few days before. So I would wait a while, unless you're trying to get some sought after hard to find dress or something like that.

    Depending on how much weight you end up losing in a year you could totally change your mind on the style of the dress!
  • amwoidyla
    amwoidyla Posts: 257 Member
    Formal bridal consultant here!
    If you are ordering a wedding gown (not buying off the rack) please keep in mind that it takes an average of 6 months for the dress to arrive if it's not already in stock, longer if you're ordering extra length/fabric/etc or if it's a big deal designer. So don't wait too long to order. The bridal consultants should be able to give you an arrival date once your order is placed. Hopefully they're able to share as much information with their clients as we were!

    As far as alterations go most wedding gowns can be taken down 3 sizes without looking distorted. Heck! I've seen a size 26 prom dress get taken down to a size 12 and look stunning.

    Best of luck!
  • runlilyrun
    runlilyrun Posts: 140
    Also look at the style of the dress - the more vertical seams it has the easier it will be to take in without distorting the shape - a princess seamed dress with 8 seams is more adjustable than a 'normal' one with 2.
  • ReadyToBeMeAt160
    ReadyToBeMeAt160 Posts: 149 Member
    Also look at the style of the dress - the more vertical seams it has the easier it will be to take in without distorting the shape - a princess seamed dress with 8 seams is more adjustable than a 'normal' one with 2.

    thanks!
    makes total sense :)
  • bethlaf
    bethlaf Posts: 954 Member
    I am going to chime in here too, because , well I used to work in the bridal business, and not much has changed other than prices

    1. a year in advance is only needed for extreme couture gowns

    2. 6 months is plenty
    3. there is nothing wrong with off the rack, closer(within 45-60 days) to the date. and then having it altered at a separate shop(NOT THE DRESS SHOP)

    personally I would buy what fits you now, not what size you "hope or Wish" to be
    your total weight loss will change how the dress looks,

    budget wise , go shopping now , find your style and "voice" get on the mailing lists for all the shops

    BUT wallet word to the wise
    consider waiting until september when all the "summer" dresses from this year will go on sale...

    please don't let TV fool you 100-700 on a gown is MORE than enough!-
  • ReadyToBeMeAt160
    ReadyToBeMeAt160 Posts: 149 Member
    3. there is nothing wrong with off the rack, closer(within 45-60 days) to the date. and then having it altered at a separate shop(NOT THE DRESS SHOP)

    budget wise , go shopping now , find your style and "voice" get on the mailing lists for all the shops

    BUT wallet word to the wise
    consider waiting until september when all the "summer" dresses from this year will go on sale...

    please don't let TV fool you 100-700 on a gown is MORE than enough!-


    thanks! i've marked september in my outlook calendar ;)

    why not get it fitted where you buy it?
  • BeautifullyBroken87
    BeautifullyBroken87 Posts: 12 Member
    Wait as long as you can to order your dress and order it in the size you are at the time. I went to David's Bridal and they screwed me over pretty bad in multiple ways. One being, they ordered a dress a size too big and slapping a tag on the dress of the size i ordered. I received the dress 2 weeks after ordering it and they accused me of losing a dress size in 2 weeks which was very untrue. I had medical records to prove it. Then I lost weight before the wedding and they almost couldn't size it down enough. The alterations ended up costing more than the dress.

    Also, ask at the store if the dress will be difficult to size down if needed. Good luck! and Congratulations!
  • BeautifullyBroken87
    BeautifullyBroken87 Posts: 12 Member
    Do not get alterations from the store you buy it because they charge more and up the charging by charging you per alteration and it takes several, usually on purpose.

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