I can’t bring myself to go wedding dress shopping

[mommathatwearspink]

I get married in 4 months. It is a very intimate wedding (only 6 of us) and will be held abroad at my dream destination. It’s something I’ve dreamt of for years. Everything is planned but I still haven’t found a dress... I’ve not even looked.

The honest reason is because I literally cannot being myself to try any on because of my current size. I’ve never been slim but over the past couple of years and two children later, I’m now classed as plus size. I vowed to lose weight in the run up (we booked 12 months in advance) but so far haven’t lost anything. I will be trying really hard over the next 4 months but can’t help think it’s too late as I have booked to look at dresses early Feb.

If you are going to a wedding dress shop they will make you look amazing in the dresses whatever your size. I lost some weight before my wedding and had a nightmare in Monsoon etc trying on dresses because they still all looked crap. I had set my heart on a high st dress as well. Then I went to a proper wedding shop where they fit the dresses on you with all sorts of pins and pegs and extra panels and I loved the first one I tried on. I tried on a few more but got the first one. I never thought I could look good in a wedding dress and I looked amazing. I was prob about a 14 then (now more), but I have a weird shape and quite a large chest. The ladies in the shop were great and know how to help you choose.

Well unless you are happy to wear something you already have, you're going to have to get a move on! 🙂

Just eat sensibly/try and exercise between now & when you have booked to look at dresses.
There's a dress for everyone, what style do you have in mind?

4 months is plenty of time to make changes. Look at your portion sizes, get some PT sessions or join a gym or boot club style classes. It can be done.

Good luck!

Thank you for your kind words
Originally I thought about a high street dress but I definitely think I will go to a shop now... probably Wed2B.
I’m not sure what I’m looking for to be honest. I can’t imagine myself looking nice in anything to be honest.
How much can dresses be taken in?

And how late can I leave it to buy a dress...?

I think you should go this weekend. See how lovely you can look without losing weight- if you do it’s a bonus, but these shops will help you look gorgeous whatever your dress size. Then you can relax a bit and look forward to the day

We got married less than 4 months after deciding to do it, it’s plenty of time! But I didn’t want a proper wedding gown and ended up in a bridesmaid style job from Debo’s. Felt a million dollars, it was light, comfy, beautiful, floaty and embellished and about £40 in the sale

Their occasion wear is mostly only online so I ordered a load and tried them on at home then picked one and got the straps slightly altered at a local place.

If you want an official wedding dress you need to get a move on as they order them in, usually from abroad, but don’t rule out the other options.

Is there a style you like? Colour, length, straps etc?

I made my own veil, so easy, exactly what I wanted and cost less than a tenner.

Dresses can usually be taken in by about two dress sizes before it becomes too difficult to maintain the shape. That does depend on what kind of dress you get though. But my dressmaker for my wedding was pretty confident on taking a dress in from a 12 to an 8 for example.

The right underwear and the right dress make a big difference too. I was 12 weeks post partum on my wedding day and felt amazing in my dress, because it fit me perfectly, thanks to the aforementioned dress maker.

When trying on dresses dont get too worked up about sizes by the way. I was a size 14 on my wedding day but the dress was a size 18. Wedding dress sizing is a law unto itself.

What about Debenhams? They do a personal wedding shopper service. I went along with my bridesmaids and they gave me a selection of dresses to try on. I hated the idea of going to a bridal boutique or somewhere where I wouldn't feel comfortable. I did get mine from Debenhams and we also booked for a bridesmaid appointment too. There was no pressure at all and it was quite a nice experience. Congratulations by the way. One piece of advice I will give is that regardless of your size you need to enjoy your day and enjoy the run up to the wedding. On the day your guests will be over the moon for you and see you smiling and happy which is what matters most plus I'm sure your husband to be loves you exactly how you are

Sorry I missed you saying you were going to wed2be. Should have rtft!

Not the point, but the James Duncan diet works fast (as a 1 week plan to kickstart weight loss you can easily lose a stone in a week).
But wedding dresses tend to flatter and I’m sure you’ll look amazing.

If you're going to a wedding dress shop I would call first to check their delivery timescales. A lot are shipped from abroad and can take months before you see the actual dress and then need extra time for alterations.

What sort of dress will you be looking for? Will you need a full on wedding dress if destination and small wedding?

If you are going abroad you need something you can pack easilt and wont crease to hell, Accessorise do a great range of simple non crease gowns. You have four months, so from tomorrow( eat your favourite things today) porrage and banana for breakfast, 6 days a 5 days a week, soup and 1 slice of wholemeal for lunch 5 days a week, half a cup (not mug) of carbs with veg protein for dinner every day and 2 crackers and a small slice of cheese every night. 3 stone will be gone in no time but you have to do weight bearing exercise or you will have droopy skin. It is only for 4 months and keep a reverse calendar so are counting down the days. Good luck and enjoy the wedding

Remember your husband to be is marrying you not an airbrushed Kardasian. I bet he absolutely adores your curves. A good dress shop will help you to look amazing, working with your body shape and not against it. By all means change your eating habits - you will feel more energized, toned and your skin will glow but aim for a change for life rather than anything drastic. I swear by intermittent fasting - you don’t feel deprived because you have lots of feast days when nothing is off limits but the results on blood sugars and lipids are amazing. It’s a life time commitment but surprisingly easy to do once you get used to it. I lost 3 stone over the last 6 months and for the first time in years I’m at a healthy bmi. Also running free and is great for mind and body - I recommend the NHS couch to 5k podcast. Good luck and congratulations- I hope you have a wonderful wedding day!

I really would give them a call op to check how long the dresses take to order in. I went to quite a few shops and they all said that the dresses take 6-9 months to order in because they are made to order from scratch. In actual fact my dress took 10 months to order in and then a few weeks of alterations.
I think you should go ASAP as they may still be able to order one for you. Unless you want to buy a sample off the rack.