Bridesmaid will be 8 months pregnant - dress ideas needed!

SarahLou

HELP!

I have recently found out that my head bridesmaid will be 8 months pregnant at the time of our wedding. Having only recently (well, 9 months ago) given birth to my first baby, I'm concerned that she just won't want to do it and may drop out at the last minute. I know I wouldn't have wanted to be bridesmaid when I was 8 months pregnant - I can remember how difficult things like walking and standing were!! :rotfl:

I'm happy for her to still be bridesmaid if she wishes (at this moment in time she's less than 3 months gone and so has yet to get the joys of trying to function with a bump!) BUT we're working on a tight budget so I need some tips and advise in advance in case she really does decide she still wants to do it, nearer the time. We're getting married in November but I get stressed if things aren't sorted out earlier rather than leaving things to the last minute!

I'm having three bridesmaids (assuming my friend sticks with it!) and had planned on having her and my adult neice in the same dress and my younger neice in a different dress as she'll only be 9 at the time. With our tight budget, I'd planned on hiring them and have picked out the style I wanted for the two adults which (with insurance) works out at just £70 each (nice one!) but of course I won't be able to hire a maternity dress, will I? Or will I? Has anyone ever managed to hire one?? What do I do!?

Aesthetically, I want (or would like) the adults to match so it would look odd with my friend on one dress (maternity one for example), then my adult neice in the hire one and then my younger neice in a different dress again.

Any ideas? Don't want to spend more than £100 each on the bridesmaid dresses really. Heck, only spent £250 on my dress which in comparison to most people I know is nothing! Many of my friends seem to think that spending £2000 on their wedding dresses is "normal"!!:eek:

hectoriess3000

have you spoke to the hire shop to see if they can offer you a maternity dress, the other option might be to find dresses that fit around the bust and then flair out thus enabling both of them to wear the same dress or maybe get skirts and tops they can look like dresses.

one last thing, you won't be able to arrange the outfit until nearer the time as some people gain only a little weight when pregnant and others gain lots.

Good luck with the wedding

paddingtondoo

How big a size does the dress you are hiring go up to?

If its a fitted style I think you might struggle but if you ask the shop they may be able to alter a large one to fit. Anything with a waist might be a problem as I completely lost mine :rotfl:and my feet!

Having had 2 children I would agree about the size thing as I was huge the first time round but nowhere near as big the second although I put on roughly the same amount of weight.

floss2

How about having the little one & the other adult in the same dress, then the chief BM in a slightly different style, as may befit a chief BM? Then it could be a more flattering style for her shape, rather than one which may make her feel that she looks fat. I was thinking a sort of empire-line, drapey style, which probably wouldn't suit a smaller BM......think Pride & Prejudice-y type of frocks, with a bosom you can park a tea-tray on

SarahLou

Thanks for the replies

Good ideas mentioned by all! I'll ask the hire shop what sizes they go up to and start there. Still might save me having to buy a special maternity dress for her.

Any ideas whether you can actually get matching child and adult bridesmaid dresses? As thats another good idea about having my two neices matching and my friend in her (obviously differently shaped!) dress? Every single hire shop I've phoned all say that they only do adult dress hire so wouldn't be able to cater for my youngest neice?

johnswife

My local dress maker was telling me that she had to suddenly alter a bridesmaid dress to fit someone who was 7/8 months pregnant. She was quite chuffed that she managed to put some extra panels in and from the photos they all matched and she disguised the bump really well. Obviously not practical with a hired dress, but if you had hers made or bought and altered you could do it.
good luck.

paddingtondoo

I've ordered my matching adult and child dresses from here:
http://www.jewlzbridal.co.uk/

They have a great range of styles and colours and if you live near enough are well worth a visit as they are extremely friendly and helpful. They also sell some styles on ebay but not in all the colours.

Special orders take 16 weeks and I'm expecting mine in the 1st week in July

floss2

SarahLou wrote: »

Any ideas whether you can actually get matching child and adult bridesmaid dresses? As thats another good idea about having my two neices matching and my friend in her (obviously differently shaped!) dress? Every single hire shop I've phoned all say that they only do adult dress hire so wouldn't be able to cater for my youngest neice?

Take a look at Debenhams, M & S, BHS or Next, for a few high street shops, although most are on-line too. I know you said you wanted to hire, but it may be as cheap to buy, expecially if you can get them in a sale

katieeloise

My Sister was 9 months 4 days pregnant on my wedding day as Bridesmaid ! - She had never been a bridesmaid before and really wanted to do it - so I changed my colour scheme to suit her - went for black watch tartan, in an empire line. My Mum did make the dresses but it could easily have been changed had she actually had the baby before ! I just got my head round it by thinking at least I would look smaller by her standing next to me ! But having the darker material was very different but I had lots of nice comments about it !

Good luck

SarahLou

Thanks to everyone for their replies, lots of good suggestions and ideas there!

Have added Jewlz Brides website to my ever-expanding "Favourites - Wedding Stuff!" folder!

floss2

Another tip....As you'll probably be wearing white / ivory / cream, why not go for a darker colour for your BMs, as Katieelouise suggested, as it would make the chief BM appear to be smaller than she may look in a paler frock? Sort of the same theory as a black BMW / Mondeo / Vectra always looks sleeker than a white one?!