Wedding Dress Help?

[Monica35 5]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone has gotten married before stablizing weight? Im less than 5 months post op, and my fiancee and I moved our Wedding Date up because of my fathers new health issues (I cannot imagine having it with him gone). The dress is the only actual obstacle we have, i dont dare order one (would i randomly guess a size thats crazy for how expensive they are) in the 4 months since surgery I have gone down several sizes, but have a strict no scale except at dr to keep from obsessing over numbers so havent documented weekly amts lost. does anyone know what the closest time to wedding date i could buy i? bridal shops tell me it should have been ordered months ago

[Heather I 500]

Well, wedding dresses are notoriously unforgiving sizing-wise, and every bridal shop will tell you that you need 6-12 months' lead time for a dress.

However, my experience has been they are ridiculously overestimating the time it takes to get the dress in. Where are you size-wise now, still plus-size department?

Really, a lot depends on the type of dress you want. David's Bridal can get dresses in within a month, from what I have seen. So if you are okay with something from there, I think you can wait more last-minute.

If you want a Pnina Tornai (sp?) fitted, bejeweled, corset-style custom dress from Kleinfeld's (like Say Yes to the Dress,) THAT would take a good

[erp 2,016]

Congratulations on your wedding! Without knowing how soon your wedding is, it's hard to answer. So while it's not ideal, I would recommend buying a dress off the rack one size down no more than 1-2 months before the wedding. I would also look at Rent the Runway or similar since this isn't a dress that will ever fit you again, why bother buying it?

[Heather I 500]

Sorry, cut off with the site crashing.

I'd recommend going and trying on a dress now to see what style you actually want. I ended up with a halter chiffon A-line dress that would have been very easy to alter, but that's just coincidence.

The people at the dress shops will be able to tell you if your choice is difficult to alter. Again, they will give you worst-case scenario scare tactics, LOL, but take it with a grain of salt. It is true, if it's very fitted with tons of beading, it will be tough to alter though.

[Monica35 5]

Thanks, We are planned now for February unless theres my dad gets way worse too fast (we are booked for Feb at the reception hall where they promised they would be willing to honor the deposit for a sooner date if needed and available). Im pretty open on dress design (it just has to be appropriate for the church ceremony and be in my budget which is waaayyyy below pnina Tornai price range prob more in the davids bridal-maggie sottero range?) and fit (dont need anything falling out or ripping seams lol), Im a little about 5'10" so it would be nice if it was long enough. I think wedding sizes are different from reg clothes, but im running between a 14-16 at the moment depending on brand etc.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

I would start shopping now and explain your situation. A good seamstress/alteration service and understanding sales person can help you plan a strategy. Prayer works, too!

[Heather I 500]

I'm 5'8" and bought my dress from David's off the rack, no alterations needed!

5'10", I think you'll be okay with length for many dresses. I'd guess you'll be a 16-18 at David's currently, so please don't be discouraged if you go to try them on.

Oh, FWIW, you need to make an appointment to try on dresses, especially if it's a weekend. I didn't know that and got the stinkeye from the staff -- ended up going to a different David's Bridal after getting attitude I didn't need.

We eloped, so I literally had 2 weeks to pull everything together and get a dress quickly. It can be done! LOL.

Also, congratulations on the wedding, and I'm sorry you are having to push up the timeline due to your father's illness. I hope he is able to join you for your day, and my deepest sympathies you have this going on.

Best of luck to you and your family.

[Heather I 500]

Sort of off topic, but now that I think of it, I shopped around Labor Day-ish, and we have our 5th anniversary tomorrow. IDK if it still applies, but I got my dress at a great sale price, too. I think this time of year is their annual sale? Might be worth a shot to buy now 1-2 sizes down if it's a good deal!

[Monica35 5]

thank you. I'm happy to know it can be done quickly [emoji4] I havent heard of anyone doing so. Makes it seem less crazy lol.

[James Marusek 5,244]

My wife is a seamstress and this is an interesting problem because normally when she alters wedding dresses she has to deal with the opposite effect. Many young brides gain several pounds after they order their wedding dress and so by the time of the wedding, the dresses no longer fit and wedding dresses are very unforgiving. It is very difficult to impossible to make them larger. [My wife says it is probably best to get a corset style dress where it can be pulled in, in the back.]

I had RNY gastric bypass surgery 3 years ago. I lost weight very quickly and then it slowed down. I slide into the maintenance phase at 7 months and my weight loss essential stopped at this point. Since you are nearing your 5th month, I suspect that your weight loss will begin to slow down soon. So this may not be a major problem in planning your wedding dress.

[Monica35 5]

thanks [emoji4]. i hear that there are plateaus along the way, so i definitely wouldnt complain if one fit into my wedding plans [emoji4].

[erp 2,016]

David's has $99.00 and up sales fairly often and Alfred Angelo does sales a few times a year., which can help major alterations be more affordable. Wedding dresses as well as designer clothes are not vanity sized. In general expect a wedding dress to be 1-2 sizes larger than your current street size. For example, my street size is a 4 or 6, my wedding dress was an 8. If indeed your wedding is in February, it is way too soon to try and guess what size you will be by then at 10 months out.