Wedding Dress Shopping = Mixed Emotions

I was going to ask the same thing!

Hey! How did the dress shopping trip go? Did you find what you were looking for?

I totally get it! Trying to stay on top of a healthy lifestyle is work. When I went dress shopping, I had my current body in mind. If I lose weight or become more fit, then great! But at the same time I still wanted to be realistic with my dress and my goals! Also, trust your consultant: She's seen everything and can show you stuff you probably never considered!

I live a couple of provinces West of my hometown, so dress shopping was definitely going to be a challenge. I had a heart-to-heart with my mom and agreed that it would be too expensive for her to fly out for a weekend. Instead, I told her I'd send pictures of the top contenders to keep her in the loop.

I also only brought 1 friend with me. It really helped me keep my expectations and stress levels at an all-time low haha! I didn't feel like I had wasted my friend's time when I didn't buy the dress that day, which was one of my main fears had my mom flown in. Ultimately, I went back to the 2nd store and tried my dress again...alone! I bought the dress that day, and it felt perfect!

While dress shopping, I saw this one particular Bride and her large crew (there was 4-5 girls with her!!!!). The crew was a) not very supportive of the Bride's choices and kept bashing her choices and b) they kept arguing about dresses while she was in the changing room. The poor Bride looked exhausted from being the moderator and the main focus of so many negative comments.

I brought my mom and sister (who is my MOH) with me and when we left the first appointment I felt like I needed 1 more opinion so I asked my aunt to come as well. We went to 1 more appointment that day and then another the following weekend, when I ordered my dress. I don't regret having just 3 with me, some of my bridesmaids asked why they weren't invited but I wanted it to be an intimate thing for just my mom and my sister, and my aunt who is my godmother. I have a friend that did the same and only went with her mom, she found her dress and then after booked a supplementary appointment with all of us (her maids) to show us her dress after she had ordered it. It was a fun experience and we went for a cute brunch as well. If you think you might get overwhelmed with a large entourage maybe you could do something like that! What I will say is that for my first time shopping I made 2 appointments in 1 day and I regret it. I got too overwhelmed and didn't take the first place seriously because I knew I had another appointment to get to. I would stick with 1 store on your first try, then once you get a feel for it if you want to book a few in the same day after, do it!

I'm not overweight but I've still gained quite a bit of weight since I met my (now) fiancé and I wanted to be back to where I was all those years ago. The dress I ordered ended up fitting me dead on, it didn't need clips or anything and even though it was strapless and the bust needed to be altered, it didn't fall down and felt really comfortable. Now I just need to lose a few before my first fitting. Knowing it fit very well when I tried it on keeps me mindful of what I eat forsure, because I know I can't gain any weight.

YAAHH!!!! dress shopping soon! its so exciting and fun. and yes it can be overwhelming.

I personally went to a couple of stores with 1 or 2 friends before I had my official day scheduled to "say yes" (I wanted my aunt there and she lives 5 hours from me so logistically had to plan ahead). the reason I went to a few stores before is I really had NO idea what I wanted in a dress. so I wanted to try on all the styles/fits/material. so that way when I went with my aunt, I would have some idea/narrowed down (but I still ended up trying lots of different ones at that appointment and narrowed it down to 2 dresses there were the complete opposite of each other).

depending on who you bring you may get a ton of opinions or you may not. people I brought with me, I thought would be very vocal about dresses. and they ended up waiting to see how I felt. and even then weren't super vocal. you want people there with you that will be super supportive, but will not be afraid to be honest in a nice way if something doesn't work.

check with the bridal store in terms of number of people. a lot of them do limit how many come with you. on my "say yes" day. I had 5 people and my cousins baby. the shop I was at was ok with that. and they were a nice mix (my aunt who is like a mom to me, my 2 cousins (her daughters), a bridesmaid and a family friend that is like a mom to me as well). and my bridesmaid took photos and was sending to my other bridesmaids.

I don't regret who I took in one bit. but I also would have been happy if it was just my aunt and I.

I would only book 1 shop. unless it is a small shop and doesn't have a huge selection. it can be overwhelming for more than 1 shop.

the best piece of advice I can say. before you come out of the change room. take a deep breath. to relax yourself. look at yourself in the mirror before you look at your family members (if possible at the salon). and if you end up liking the dress. before you say yes. make sure that you can sit down and get up on your own. and that no boning or anything is sticking into you.

sorry for the novel! enjoy the moment! and if you don't find the one that day. it is perfectly ok! don't pressure yourself

Hey Breanne!

I would always order a dress that fits you now vs one too small! It's good to have a goal in mind but life happens and you might not get there by the big day. As others have mentioned, it is always easier to take a dress in than to let it out!

I kept my dress entourage very small, mostly because everyone is far away from me but also because it would be a lot of opinions and I'm very indecisive. It sounds like 4 is good to have, any more might start getting into conflicting opinions.

Some bridal salons may even prefer less since it can get crowded! I've seen brides at salons with 8+ people with them and it was hectic! It was annoying to me and my mom since I could barely hear my consultant with the ongoing convos in the big party.

Dress shopping is hard! And shows like 'Say Yes to the Dress' give us ladies a rather unrealistic expectation about it!

To your first question - Always order what fits you now. A dress can generally be taken in 4 sizes without losing structural integrity, but can only be let out a very little bit. If you lose the weight, you can have it altered. If not, you have a beautiful gown that will fit you as you are now.

To your second - I went shopping with an entourage of 4, and shopping by myself other days. When you have an entourage, there -will- be lots of conflicting opinions. Some will love one dress and others will hate the same dress. If you are taking a big entourage, you need to have a strong internal voice and listen to it.

That being said - for what it's worth - I have spoken with a friend who worked in a bridal salon and they -hate- big entourages. They take up too much room (which makes it difficult for other brides in the salon), slow down the process, confuse the bride.

Yes, and no. I don't think that I'm where I want to be weight and size wise but I'm comfortable in my body and my FH loves me so I don't let it get to me. When it came to ordering the dress I ordered it according to my current size but the main reason is because the biggest part of my body is my bust size and that is always the last place where I lose weight anyway

I had a total of 5 people plus me at my dress shopping (Mom, Dad, Sister(MOH), Baba, and FMIL) and I wouldn't change it. I couldn't do it without my parents or sister, and then it was a good experience to bring my FMIL into as well as have my only living grandparent be there as me and my sister are her only grandchildren and this will be the first wedding out of us. Any more (like bridesmaids) would have been too much for me though. At the end of the day if they didn't like my dress I wouldn't care - so what's the point in bringing them?

I only made one and found the dress at that place (The Perfect Gown) - they specialized for plus size so I could basically try on all the dresses which made me also feel good about my body. I would only book this one and then if you don't find the dress make another for the next weekend? Then again it all depends on how fast the appointments book up at the places you would be going. Of course, there's no harm in booking another store seeing as how you can always cancel that appointment if you do find the one at the first store

Hey Breanne! First off... Just breeeeathe! It's going to be fine!

I got engaged last December, and I joined Weight Watcher's in January, as I was the heaviest I'd been in my life. I pushed back my wedding dress shopping all the way to May just to give myself time to lose some weight... Honestly, I lost 9 lbs by the time the appointment came, which was about 11 lbs shy of where I'd "wanted to be"... But I still had an amazing time, and said yes to the dress!

A good consultant will put you in dresses that will flatter you in the moment. There are gorgeous dresses at every size, and you should focus on the feeling of getting married, and your FH seeing you... not what a bride "should" look like... It took a lot for me to let that go.

I tried on a sample 18, which pretty much fit... but I ordered a 16... because I knew I was going to stick to my program 100%... and when my dress came in 3 months early, luckily it fit!! But I would not suggest ordering a dress that's too small... Dresses can be taken in up to 4 full dress sizes!! It will feel much better to have to take in a dress than it being too snug!

For my appointment day, I made 2. The best/biggest bridal stores I knew of, and they are side by side. I knew the designer I was leaning towards was at one salon, so I made it the 2nd appointment of the day. I brought my Mom, FMIL, and 3 bridesmaids. I think the group was big enough... much bigger and there just wouldn't have been enough room for them to all sit.

Double check with your salon that there isn't a limit on entourage size. I know mine technically had a 4 person limit, and I broke it.

Overall, just enjoy it! Wedding dresses are designed to be higher quality/ flattering... You're gonna put on your first corset and swear you dropped 10 lbs since walking in the fitting room! Just stay true to you, and you'll have a great time!

Good luck! Can't wait to see pictures!!!