In total panic and despair..

[TheFantasticFixit]

Oh please help. I'm crying as I write this..

I'm getting married in 4 weeks. Made the fatal mistake 6 months ago of buying a vintage dress that I needed to slim 2 sizes into. I've only slimmed down 1. Now a 14 from a 16. Ordered a couple more dresses from Ghost but they had to be dyed to order so delayed receiving them/ trying on : until today, and both look absolutely horrific. I have arms that a butcher would rub their hands in glee at and after having a baby a year (or so) ago I still have a bit of a tummy. So the upshot of today was more Ready for the Abbotoir than Ready to Wear.

I'm a total and utter Bridal Failure. How on earth have I got myself into this nightmare? Any shop I call tells me it's too small a time frame to help. I desperately need something slightly informal with
LONG sleeves, perhaps a v neck and something going on that means I don't look 4 months pregnant.

Oh god. I fear I'm quite frankly fucked with a capital F.

I know you said you wanted sleeves but if you can't find anything with I think this would be very flattering

Coast Sia Dress

your House of Fraser dress is absolutely lovely OP

I am the same shape and size as you and would be confident that dress would be flattering.

Just wanted to say wow, there are some amazing off the peg dresses aren't there! You will look so beautiful. I love a good wedding me

I would look on shopbop too, if I was getting married again would be tempted to buy from there

I wore a ghost dress for my wedding! They're not very forgiving are they?!

You have four weeks, that's ages, it's also short enough to go totally no carb which will take off prob another half stone in that time (everyone's different, it could be more). This is what I did:

Stopped all carbs except low carb veg and berries - no sugar, no wheat, no grains, no pulses
Bought some all encompassing spanks

You'll look gorgeous! You've done so well already!

Even now, at 5'10" and 9.5 stone there's no WAY I could wear a ghost dress without full spanks-armour underneath it! The lumps and bumps would be horrendous! :)

Also, try a corset. You probably have somebody local who can make you one, if you live in Cheshire I know some VERY good dress makers etc who can help you out.

ALWAYSBuyTheUnderwearFIRSTTiggaxx

Love the House of Frazer dress OP, very elegant. Infact links to lots of other lovely dresses have been posted.

If you are worried about your arms maybe try and do some push-ups and other arm exercises between now and the wedding. I find my arms tone up very quickly if I do this daily.

Good luck dress shopping. Let us know what you choose.

There's nothing matronly about that phase eight dress OP. it is simply stunning and incredibly elegant. I think you have two options really. Option one go and buy new dress for the size and shape you are now then relax for the next few weeks. The second is to diet and exercise like crazy. This will be hard and you'll need to take a really critical look around week two to see if you're like to make it or do you need a back up. I guess it will depend on how much you want to wear the vintage dress. Me? I'd be in that phase eight dress fast as a ferret up a drainpipe

I would do 2 things:

1. Do a hardcore diet (no carbs and low fat. Basically, Dukan) and also do Shredding and strap a water bottle to you that you drink from often; and

2. About 20 days before the wedding, buy a back up dress that you can return if you get down to the weight needed to wear the vintage dress. Then you have enough time either before or after the wedding to return the back up dress.

Even if you don't fit into the vintage dress, your OP made me think you are really not going to be happy unless you tone up / trim down, anyway. And at least you will also know you gave it your best shot! BTW congratulations on your upcoming wedding and also for having the good sense to check where you are at weight wise a month beforehand, and not only a few days prior, when its too late to do anything!

Tk maxx do veils, mine was £100.

I took it off on the way o the reception and dumped it on the present table. I wouldn't buy an expensive one again!.

portal.ebay.co.uk/wedding?_trksid=p2051319.m593&_trkparms=%26clkid%3D6766441695641830697

eBay bridal boutique.

I'm sure you'll look gorgeous in whatever you end up wearing, but if you want to have a bash at getting in the vintage dress, I can highly recommend The Clean & Lean Diet.

My colleague stuck to it religiously for the 14 days and lost 10lb. I think she dropped at least a stone by the end of the month.

I am not very good at sticking to diets but even my very half arsed attempt at it got 7lb off in three weeks.

Definitely worth seeing if a private seamstress could do some alterations for you too. I bought my wedding dress as a size 12 sample when I was an 18-20, and with a combination of diet (over a year), seams let out and the addition of a lace up back managed to crack it on the day!

Best of luck and have a fabulous wedding day.

30 day shred will do wonders for your arms and tummy, and will actually be good for you, unlike the cabbage soup diet (or other crash diet) which may get you into the dress but is not medically ideal.

Have you considered making - or asking someone to make - a pair of 3/4 length sleeves in an appropriate fabric (nude/ivory chiffon for instance) to add into the dress (whichever dress you buy).

I know this sounds an impossible feat, but for a dressmaker or just someone who sews, it's actually pretty easy as long as the dress has appropriate arm-holes if you see what I mean.

Poor, poor you though. I MASSIVELY sympathise, since my arms look like muslin cloths full of cold porridge.

However do remember that this a wedding is a lovely day but not the defining feature of the rest of your life! Good luck

Was going to suggest coast...I can always find something I like there x

I dear, I do feel your pain! But all is not lost! Totally agree with bunnymother's advice:

Serious VLC/low-carb diet - so ring around this weekend and see if you can get started on either Lighter Life or the Cambridge Diet ASAP. It won't do you any harm for 3-4 weeks and you don't have to meal-plan or think about food at all because the meal packs are all provided. You WILL lose at least a stone if you stick to the plan religiously! even if it all goes back on again really quickly. If you can cope with a Shred-type exercise plan while you're starving at the same time then so much the better.

Get a lovely dress that fits you now which can be returned just before the wedding if the above doesn't work. And invest in 2 pairs of spanx - they really do clip 1-2 dress sizes off your bottom half!

Still looking!

Have heard good things about Light in the Box, v. Cheap- is this too lacy?

Also, don't know if you're anywhere near York, but have a look at Love Miss Daisy for a good selection of vintage wedding dresses.

Hello everyone - thought I would just update after all of your kind and supportive words.

Well - I found THE dress

It's Beulah, and absolutely beautiful and flattering. Have also lost 5lbs since my post (and intend to lose more!) through walking mainly, weightlifting my dd (!) and eating clean and lean. Thanks so much for all of your advice, it was absolutely invaluable and so needed.

The dress you have chosen is beautiful and thank you so much for updating me. I have been following your thread with baited breath and I loooove a happy ending. I hope you have a wonderful day and you will look fantastic and enjoy every minute of it!

Great news, which is the Beulah?

legalalien are you Bianca Jagger?