Dress(es?) needed for expanding bump and it's presence at 9 weddings/hens/christenings this summer!

[dairymoo]

As the title suggests, I have got nine 'social engagements' this summer which will need me to look fairly groomed. I am also 14 weeks pregnant and will be between 18 - 31 weeks for all of the above. To be honest, I'm exhausted just thinking about it!

I know that I will probably not get away with one dress for all of them, and wouldn't want to anyway as a few of them will have the same guests.

I'd love some suggestions for dresses that could be accessorised in a few ways so that I really don't have to buy 9 outfits.

I am 5'6", blond and fair, slim (so far!!) with pretty good legs, although I suffered from swelling in my last pregnancy.

Not great in heels when not pregnant so probably a liability with bump.

TIA for any help.

congrats on your pregnancy! I was pregnant last summer (had dc3 in end of Sept) and relied on empire line maxi dresses a lot, esp as they look so good with flat metallic strappy glads....lots on asos here Also a good look in case you get the dreaded swells again?

lots of people speak highly about the tummy- flattering qualities of a VWA drape but I think would need heels to look good ...

I have been having exactly the same dilemma and may have resolved it.

Had terrible water-retention last time round so have gone the maxi dress route. Am terribly pleased with this for a multitude of reasons. I spent ages trawling the shops and looking at normal maxi's and they just didn't cut it - this one gives me a bit of boob support and accomodates the bump without looking too maternity-ish. Also, I'm going to be 34 weeks at the last wedding and I think a normal dress just isn't going to cut it for the bump. Am going to accessorize with some lovely peacock-feather evening and gladiators. Also, thought the price of this one was quite nice. Isabella Oliver have some maxi dresses, but they're a bit too fancy for me.

Gos, I sound like a Seraphine saleswoman - I'm not, it's just that this dilemma has consumed the last month and I'd like to save someone else the bother!

I'm normally a 10, but found the 2 quite generous and went for the 1.

Good luck!

I have found Nathalie on here to be lovely and I think some of the dresses are nice

Asos- do a good range of maternity wear

Also jojomamanbebe Are generally nice quality.

peacock-feather earrings even.

The most fantastic smart pregnancy dress I had was the ruffle wrap dress from Isabella Oliver. I wouldn't normally go for ruffles (but flouncy) but really looked lovely when pregnant. Was good for early, mid and late pregnancy as it was wrap-able. Hangs brilliantly. And I wore it 8 months pg for a hot summer wedding (was a bit hot...but not desperately uncomfortable.

Its on the expensive side (100 pounds?) brand new, but I bought mine on Ebay for 30 pounds. And sold it the following year for 40 pounds..hee hee!!! If I did it again, I might've been tempted to buy new as you're usually guaranteed to make a fair proportion back on anything Isabella Oliver on Ebay.

Isabella Oliver is superb.

wrap dress in sale

Thanks all for your suggestions. I do think that a/some maxi's are the way forward, as like you say, I cover potentially swollen ankles and get to wear comfy glads! Win win!

redllamayellowllama I did look at that dress last night as I too liked the shape/boob support properties of it. And the price is bargainous! What is the farbic like? It looks like it might be a tiny bit see-through?

LTEC I remember you had an American Vintage maxi, right? How did you do the whole bra thing? I'm not that well endowed that I need massive support, but well, let's say they are not as perky as they once were!! Love the idea of bandeau as my shoulders/collarbones usually stay pretty slim, but don't want to look like I have saggy boobs either...

And how do you accessorise a solid colour maxi so that it looks a little different each time? Am thinking alternating between silver and gold glads prob won't do the trick?!

dairymoo I have the same dress as redllama from seraphine and it is lovely, fabric doesn't seem see through to me.

Seraphine also have a 'three way' dress which I think looks really versatile (you can change how the straps look - hard to explain but it looks good from the website)

I've just bought two Isabella Oliver dresses for work and a mega interview (when I'll be 35 weeks) -- and they are totally superb and gorgeous. Both are knee-length cocktail-style. Not cheap, but generally one stumps up for wedding outfits anyway.

Buy two in different colours that match stuff you already have in your wardrobe, and think about different shoes and accessories for each occasion.

And buy maternity Spanx underwear to iron out all the bumps -- jersey, which is what most maternity dresses seem to be made of, is somewhat unforgiving.

Oh and if you usually have problems with upper arms when you gain weight, you might want to think about buying dresses with sleeves my arms are just gross.

See-through fabric was my concern, which was why I went along to try. Not see-through at all, did lots of inspecting under bright lights.

blimey dairy, now there's a memory!!

it's half price here

I had the purple and charcoal

ways that i wore it:

with red espadrille wedges, straw clutch, denim jacket

with a stripey boyfriend cardi and flip flops

with quite OTT feather earrings and metallic flats

with "statement' necklace and low wedges

am not a wrap person but it would have deffo worked - saw someone wearing like this once, looked v. elegant.

re: bra, just wore a strapless. Gave the dress something extra to hang to, too - no slippage

wore it right up until the end!!

Haha, LTEC I remember because I wanted one last summer too!! But NAP had sold out... But half price, it'd be rude not to!

They only have a medium left, what is AV sizing like? I'm normally an 8/10 but def 10 at the moment...

I'm a 10-12 but it's such a free-flow style that it's only the top that matters, so M fine (I have M)

I also sold my purple M to a flat-chested size 8 and she says it's fine!

HTH

Thanks beanlet - didn't even realise that maternity Spanx was available. Upper arms usually no probs and I think that I'd rather have them on show than fat elephantitis ankles so not sure about shorter dresses. I do like some of the Isabella Oliver stuff though.

Good to know about the Seraphine dress to. I already have two maxi's that are mat-friendly so two more will def see me through the wedding season.

Having looked at ASOS maternity stuff I want to be pregnant again.

This dress is fab, and super cheap in the sale.