Wedding Dress Sizing....

Blodwen

Congratulations on your weight loss, you are an inspiration! :j

I can completely see where you're coming from, it's horrible to have worked so hard only to have a dress make you feel like a failure. Everyone else has said it too and it's true, these dresses ARE small. When I was a bridesmaid for my SIL a few years ago I was a size 16 and when the dressmaker measured me (next to slim SIL and her sister) she announced that she'd have to make the dress as a 20 to fit me and it'd cost extra as plus size - I was mortified!

Can't offer much advice (sorry) except to say that your mum is right, you will find your dress. Can empathise with the length though - I'm 5'11 and have no idea where I'm going to get my dress from!

lindaatno9

GEEGEE8 wrote: »

I would think most brides will feel very upset that they have to go 1 or 2 sizes above their normal size, the label size does matter! lol.

BINGO! They should reinvent the dress label.

Dinah93

61lbs loss is a fantastic achievement - think what size the dress would be if you hadn't have that determination!

All dress shop sizes are different, and it depends on your shape. In Next/M&S who have generous cuts I'm a 6, in younger shops like topshop and Zara I'm a 10, yet my wedding dress is a 12 - and when it arrived it was too tight! My BMI is 20.2, low end of normal, but a 'size 12' dress was tight - honestly, these sizes are all made up. The important thing is that you look in the mirror and are happy with what you see (and that your body isnt under undue pressure from carrying around excess weight).

csh_2

gillm66 wrote: »

On a more positive note, I did visit a local jewellers today who confirmed they will be able to melt down my darling dad's gold wedding ring and make it into a new one for me. I cannot tell you how pleased I am about that....it will mean more to me than any ring that money could buy....

It's going to be a very emotional day as it is with my dad not being there to give me away (I lost him 15 years ago just a week before I gave birth to my wonderful son)....so wonderful son is going to give me away on the day so how lucky am I and the ring will help me feel that dad is still with me on my special day....

Ooooo, now theres an idea! I have a ring of my Dads that will never again be worn 'as is'.

Who is the jeweller?

gillm66

CSH it was not a chain of jewellers but a small independent local one but I rang round a few places and most said it was something they could do so worth ringing around. They will need to have a look first to make sure there is enough gold to melt down (if not they can add to it but obviously you pay for the extra gold). It's only going to cost me £65 which I was really pleased with it (would only have been £40 had I not needed to have a piece specially shaped to sit around my engagement ring)....but like I said earlier, there is no amount of money you could give me to go and buy another ring....this one will be more precious than anything money could buy.

Thanks to everyone for all the good wishes re the weight loss - I really appreciate that as it has been a hard journey at times....another 2lbs off this week so 10lbs to go now. As for my confidence levels, well am still very apprehensive about making a booking to go into a bridal shop but I'm going to have to bite the bullet and just do it.....I keep searching for local shops and get the numbers on screen but that's about as far as I've got so far!!

csh_2

Sorry, should have said, I am in West Lothian too! There was a place in Falkirk years ago that did that type of thing but think he retired.

gillm66

Oooher a local!! Will need to swap wedding details, venues etc!!!

It's down in the Almondvale Centre in Livingston....called Bedazzled (actually just Googling them maybe they are a chain!!) - must admit wasn't overly keen on a lot of the jewellery in there and it's not the most glamorous of shops, but the workshop people are really good - great customer service and workshop is on site so nothing needs sending away for weeks on end. I've used them before having a ring made smaller and was really pleased - that ring was quite old but they also cleaned it all up for me free of charge and it looked like new again. They spent ages with me showing me different options of what they could do to make sure I got exactly what I wanted - didn't feel rushed or pressured at all.

Ooher am I going to get into trouble now for "promoting" a shop/service!!! LOL!!!

csh_2

I know it, or at least I've seen it from the outside and know what you mean!
We have booked The Caves in Edinburgh for next April.
I'm actually off to a wedding today at The Vu in Bathgate which should be good!

Wheres your venue?

gandy

i've given up with the sizes on clothes to be honest cause i'm different in pretty much every shop i go into.

about 7 years ago i'd started weight watchers to shift much needed weight for an op to get my tonsils out so i know how hard it is to lose weight. i was really successful (at my most i'd lost 7st, although i've stuck 2 of it back on which is why i'm back to ww again to try and shift it before the wedding)

even when i was at my lowest weight I dispaired about clothes sizes until i'd figured out that i could either let them get me down or just choose the clothes that flatter me and realise that ALL shops have different measurements for their sizes (i agree primark are horrible for this, i have on occasion taken two different sizes of the same shirt into the changing rooms only to have the larger size actually fit me worse than the smaller one :eek: or there being no difference at all.)

the wedding dress difference again i know is horrible but consider that when you find the one that makes you look and feel like a princess cut the size label out and just concentrate on how it makes you look and feel.

the wedding industry is a mad and often bizarre circus that charges you extra just cause there's the word wedding in there somewhere and in truth makes up it's own rules for everything....i'm just keeping my eye on the fact my dress is pretty and makes me feel amazing and sod the size! :rotfl:

sarah_elton

Maggie Sottero is the way to go - I'm a size 10, but they are a US company so the sizing on the label is US sizing (it doesn't say that though). I got to wear a size 8 wedding dress, and they had to take it in loads during alterations as I'd lost weight from ordering. You're right, it shouldn't matter, but it does feel good.

On the other hand, I can guarantee your hubby will never, ever look at the label on your wedding dress. :rotfl: