Dress shopping

Thank you it's actually 4 dresses counting the Vintage size 5 dress... hehehe

Wow! 3 dresses! Your story is very inspirational. Thank you for sharing!

Hello, Shannon

Your dream dress is gorgeous, but what you actually will buy might be different and even better than this one. You need to try it first and you will see.

I didn't know that David Bridal was in bankruptcy !

Dress shopping is exiting and can be stressful, I was size 22 when I started dress shopping last year.

I cried so much during the dress fitting and when I saw the pictures of me in the wedding dress. Omg I'm so fat. I was so insecure that I showed the pictures to my fiance and his face changed, his eyes got watery, his voice was full of emotionsand he said :

"You are so gorgeous! This dress really flatters your body and you are able to pull off wearing a white dress."

It gave me a boost of confidence!

Since last year, I bought 3 dresses on the internet . Now none of them fits because I am a size 18, I changed my diet and drink 10 glass of water a day and exercise 15 minutes 3 times a day.

To be exactly the way I want to be I need to lose 90 pounds. Alex never met me before my weight gain so he loves me for who I am.

I just need to feel comfortable with myself. I know that we need to order our dress 6 months in advance but there is also amazing dresses off the rack that can fit perfectly for half the cost.

I already spent $$$ on my 3 dresses. I sold 1 of them making a last minute bride happy who was planning getting married in her jeans !

I also found a size 5 dress from 1930's I will be using the material to make something awesome with it.

You could totally pull off that dress!! Like Lisa said it has features that could prove very flattering. But let's just say you try on a dress like that and you're not crazy about it on your body....that's okay too!! I feel like more often than not brides have a specific vision of what they want and can wind up going in a different direction entirely! I'm really foxed on having a chamoagne coloured, tulle skirt empire or A-line dress but embrace the fact that something else may look better on me!
I too struggle with anxiety, depression and low self esteem so I very much get the steuggle. But I was sincere in my words and I know that those in your life, especially your fiancée, feel the same way even if you yourself don't feel it so much.
So have sooo much fun tomorrow.

It won't look terrible! This Allure gown has a drop waist , which is great at giving you a tiny waist AND showing your curves! You should totally try this one on!!!!

Gee whiz! I am so honoured by how amazing and supportive you all are! Lindsey, thank you so much for your comment! I've never had much self-esteem, so it's always been hard to enjoy my body, or my looks. I'm hoping that it wont be too bad. My anxiety and depression really fight against me a lot of the time! I have a dream dress which I've attached below. The hardest part is I've only ever seen skinny girls in it, so I'm afraid it'll look terrible on me

My Dream dress

Shannon, you're a beautiful girl and will look stunning in whatever dress you pick regardless of what the label says. Don't put so much pressure on yourself to lose X amount of pounds before your wedding date. It's great to make healthy changes and lose weight for your general health and self esteem but don't let that goal hinder you or make the process of buying a wedding dress upsetting. Buy what fits you now, if you have to have it taken in because you lose weight that's great. But if you dont: that's fine too.
I've been overweight most of my life and recently have been skirting that thin line between healthy and a bit chubby. (In the past few years I've gone from 14/16 to a 10/12 and a 38DDD/ E to a 36C.) I'm trying dresses on for the first time NEXT Saturday and I'm anxious about it too. But I'm trying to remind myself at the end of the day it doesn't matter if it's a size 10 or size 20. No one is going to know but me and I'm the only one who can make a big deal out of it, or simply roll with it.
You'll never get a more loving and adoring crowd then on your wedding day. People will think you look gorgeous and be happy for you no matter what. So embrace it!

Have a great time and like everyone said, don't worry about the number!!!!

I didn't even look at what size it was or think about how it was fitting. I worried about size once I decided I was getting the dress. I also wouldn't worry about losing weight, I am a 22 and I would also like to lose 50lbs before the wedding. I ordered a 22 (Maggie Sottero is pretty true to size) and they told me they could alter it down to a size 16. That will never happen but it is good to have the confidence to order earlier especially since I needed an extra 5 inches on the bottom so it will take longer to come in.

I was shocked by my size but with every dress I tried on in different styles the sizes were different ... I wouldnt worry about the size to be honest its just a number.. its ul;timately how you feel in the the dress ... you want to be happy and comfy and say this is my dress .. that is all that matters not the number !

Every designer is different. But the general rule is bridal sizes are 2 sizes higher than your street size. But some designers, and styles (like ball gowns) have more room and are only 1 size difference. For example, I'm a street size 10 so I fit into a Bridal size 14. I have fit in some 12s though. You will be fine. Don't let your anxiety ruin the moment, have fun with it! Clearly these bridal designers need to switch their sizing . Like having the numbers go backwards, or just make them true to size. We'd feel so much better about ourselves!!!

I think the number one advice is to ignore the size on the tag. I legitimately couldn't tell you what size the dress I ordered was. Just order the size you need and don't worry about the number. They always have to order by your biggest measurement (likely bust) because it's easier to take the rest in. I'm bigger than you (size 16-18) and I dreaded dress shopping, but in the end I loved it because everything was big (or my size) and got clipped in... that never happens! And try not to stress about the weight loss. Order the dress in the size you are (at the time you buy the dress), ordering a size or 2 down adds so much unnecessary stress! You can always take the dress in, but they are hard to let out. You're beautiful as you are and your FH obviously thinks so! Be who you are and embrace it!! If you lose some weight, awesome! If you don't, rock it!

Hey Shannon! That's amazing! This will be so much fun! Enjoy! You can take a look at this discussion for tips to go on your first dress shopping appointment:

5 essentials to go dress shopping

Do you have an idea of what type of dress you'd like to try on? Mermaid or A Line?

Hi Shannon! That's great that you're trying on dresses for the first time! Try not to worry too much and just have fun! I also went to a David's Bridal for my first appt and they weren't great but they helped me narrow down the styles. Try on all different styles, even if you think you might not like it because you never know how it will look on. Who's going with you? The sizes are WAY different so don't worry about it. It's a custom dress so it's going to be you sized and perfect! My dress was like 4 sizes bigger than what I normally wear but it didn't bother me because it looked great on me! If you're planning on losing some weight, I'd recommend getting a dress with a corset back because they're more easily adjustable than a zipper if your weight fluctuates. Keep us posted on how it goes!

It depends on designer but rule of thumb is two sizes ie size 14 street would be 16 wedding... I'm a size 16 and I bought a size 16 Casablanca dress, it's a bit too small but I can lose 15 pounds and it will fit... I was worried that nothing would fit me when trying on dresses but I didn't need to... I went to four different stores including a second hand store they all had a very good selection of dresses that I could try on.