Trying on Dresses for 1st Time Today!!!

[AmberGretchen]

OMG, so excited! I know its totally too early considering when our wedding date is, but my mom and I will just happen to be in the area of a David''s today and I''ve heard about their selection in a bunch of sizes and I really just want to get a sense of what different styles look like on me, and how much the disguise or don''t disguise certain things. I wouldn''t buy from them anyway because I don''t think I''d be happy with the customer service - I will most likely order online but this is just so exciting!!!

 

[kanne]

oh amber, I hope you had the BEST TIME! I loved the whole process..it was so much fun.

Did you find any styles that you liked?

 

[ammayernyc]

That''s fantastic!
Bring a camera with you so you can take pictures of yourself. And take pictures of yourself even in the dresses that you don''t like.
I had a friend who did this and ended up buying a dress she thought was so-so in the store but then when she saw how fantastic she looked in the picture, she had to have it!

 

[AmberGretchen]

Thanks guys. The appointment isn''t actually for about another 4 hours, but I did ask my mom to bring the digital camera. I will try to post some pics if we find good stuff.

 

[MelissaSue]

yay! I hope you find something you love!

 

[flopkins]

have fun!!! i went to davids first too, to get an idea for what kind of lines i liked... yay! and, it''s never too early to start looking at dresses!!!

 

[qtiekiki]

David''s is definitely a good place to try on different styles and sizes to get an idea of how you look in them. I also ended up buying my dress from them. I actually had good customer service at mines. I love my dress.

 

[AmberGretchen]

OK, that was actually kind of traumatic

It turns out that I wear about 4 sizes larger in bridal dresses than in normal clothes, and they didn''t even have some of the dresses in a large enough size!! So now I feel kind of huge and obese. Except the biggest problem was that nothing zipped up over my boobs! The woman at David''s kept pointing this out to me and reassuring me that I would wear two sizes smaller if it wasn''t for that. Also, all the weight and they are so hot to wear! All around, not quite the romantic and joyous experience I was hoping for.

Has anyone else felt this way trying on dresses? Does it get any better?

I think I won''t go back until I''ve lost some weight. And possibly have a breast reduction too

Seriously though I kind of needed to vent, so thanks for reading.

 

[Blue824]

Awww, I know how much that sucks! While I havent done the bridal gown shopping yet, (I think I should have my e-ring first

) I had the same experience last year with a bridesmaid dress and I nearly died! They told me to order a HUGE size and I was so discouraged and upset by it. Apparently my hips are 6 sizes bigger than my bust. I had to take 6 inches off of my bust area in alterations!! But the fact is, its a pretty common occurance, and don''t get caught up on the size, because those seem to be totally arbitrary....each designer does their own thing. So get whatever size is going to flatter your body the most, and a good seamstress can do wonders! Good luck with your future dress hunting trips!

 

[dietvanillacoke]

DON''T! DON''T! DON''T Be discouraged. wedding dress sizes are ridiculous, trust me. i''ve got big boobs too so i couldn''t fit into anything. just remember that curves are good and womanly... i think curvy, womanly women look better in these big, romantic, elegant dresses than the skinny minnies! my bridesmaid who came with me shopping said to me "you want it to look like you''re wearing the dress, not that the dress is wearing you." so keep that in mind...

my first experience was at david''s too. just keep shopping and looking (yes, i got hot and sweaty too!!!) by the second or third trip i knew exactly what i wanted in a dress (and didn''t want in a dress!!) and things got a lot easier.

may i suggest going to smaller boutiques and trying on corset-back maggie sottero dresses? they do wonders for girls like us. at david''s i was squeezing into 14s, even having to go up to 16s in some dresses. that was depressing, considering i normally wear 8s and 10s. but i ordered my maggie sottero dress in a 12. because of the corset back you won''t even need any alterations and it gives you plenty of room for your "girls". plus it really hugs your curves and i don''t even think i''m going to need any undergarments for mine. oh, and to minimize the look of the girls, try a modified sweetheart neckline. take a look at the style called "Grace"... i loooooved that style on me. (i ended up with a more princess-like dress though.)

by the way, i paid less for my maggie than i would have paid for my "final choice" at david''s!! (my david''s pick was around $700, i ended up paying around $600 for the maggie.) find a small boutique that''s having a sale. or even try to purchase the dress they have in the store for people to try on. they offered me 20% off for the model dress, but for a brand new one i still got 15% off as part of the sale.

 

[flopkins]

awww ambergretchen-
don''t worry about it!!! wedding gowns sizes are f***ed up!!
and yes, a lot of the gowns are polyester (i think all davids gowns are) and are very very heavy and hot!!! If you want something much lighter and breathable look for silk or lace. But, of course, teh silks are much more expensive! I don''t think I''ve seen any silks for less than 1200-1500.

 

[innerkitten]

I hate to sound like I''m cheap but I don''t think I could spend $1500 on a dress. On jewelry yes, on a plane ticket yes on a caterer yes but not on a dress.

 

[qtiekiki]

I have to agree with innerkitten. Paying that much for a dress that I am only going to wear once (or twice in my case) is totally not worth it. I figure I will be all blushing and excited the whole day that wearing real silk isn''t really going to cool me off. But I had become such a bargain shopper for the wedding, so I am a little bias.

 

[flopkins]

innerkitten & qtiekiki- i think the most amazing part is that gowns below 1000 are considered "cheap"! and 1000-2000 range are ''average''!!!!!!! this floored me when I first started looking at gowns... I think the most expensive dress I ever bought (for prom, i think) was less than 100! I can''t believe that a wedding gown is so expensive, just cuz its a wedding gown- they''re just out to rip you off, i swear. Supposedly you can order BM dresses in ivory/white too, so that''s one way to get around it. I noticed last year when I was tyring on BM dresses that some have short trains too! I do understand paying more for silk though, and feel it''s more justified than spending the same amount on a polyester dress... but that''s just me... I think everyone has their wedding item they splurge on, so it depends on the bride. and thier budget! if only money grew on trees...

ag- the other thing that just occured to me, is that part of the reason you''re hot is bc usu at teh bridal salons (esp davids, i noticed i got really hot there too) youre taking dresses on and off, and they have these great lights to show off the dresses, and on your wedding day the lighting won''t be so hot, plus, you need to factor in the time of year you''re getting married, and what kind of weather it''ll be like. For me, for example, I''m getting married in April in SF, average temp is 60, so I don''t exaclty have to worry about being hot... probably more worried about being cold!!!

 

[AmberGretchen]

Thanks everyone - that definitely made me feel better to know I''m not the only one who had size shock and got overheated rather than it being one of those wonderful mom cries and I cry kind of moments.

I''ve thought about it a lot since yesterday and I talked to FI about it and I think I do want to try to lose some weight before the wedding but I''m going to do it in a healthy way. I''ve been pretty good about working out and I eat healthy stuff but sometimes I eat too much. Fortunately I have two years so I figure that gives me 9 months to a year to get to a size I''m happier with and then still order the dress and only have to maintain for a while. I guess as much as you prep yourself for such an experience you are never really ready (I knew going in I would wear bigger than my street size, I just didn''t know it would be four sizes bigger

Also re: the money thing, I think its so interesting how people have different priorities with money and I think weddings really throw that into sharp relief. I''m with innerkitten in the lower cost camp for the dress, but I can see myself splurging a bit on a photographer. When it comes down to it though, I want a home of our own more than I want a super-fancy wedding. As long as I get to marry my wonderful FI and celebrate that with my family and friends then my wedding will be what I wanted. Of course, it helps that I am anal and borderline OCD about researching big decisions and purchases so I think by the time we actually start booking stuff I will have enough information to write a book on SF Bay Area bargain weddings

 

[innerkitten]

Your both getting married in SF? What location?

 

[flopkins]

inner kitten- this thread has pics. i'm getting married in the presidio.

ambergretchen- sorry for sorta hijacking your thread!
good luck with all your wedding stuff and bargain hunting- you have so much time, it'll be so nice, i've realized the best way to save money is 1. to have useful friends who are photogs, Djs, florists, etc... and 2. to have the time to find good vendors if you don't already have personal contacts... or time to do things yourself... #2 is where i get very tired after a while...

anyhoo, this site has a newsletter you can sign up for, she has some good advice.. and bargain weddings is a good book too.

 

[codex57]

Hahaha, apparently, pretty much every girl gets size shock. My girl came back horrified too. She never really stressed about her weight until the wedding. Even then, she didn''t stress too much. THen she went to try on wedding dresses and found out that she was 2-4 sizes bigger than what she normally wears. She was absolutely horrified too. First time I ever heard her sound actually concerned about her weight.

You only wear that thing oen day. If you ever feel bad, just look at the sizes of your regular clothes to reassure yourself. Blame it on the dress manufacturers for messing with your mind.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Thanks for the vote of confidence Codex. And can I just say - good for reassuring your fi and continue to do so - I can''t tell you how much it means to me (and I''m sure to all the other gf''s and fi''s here) that our fi''s are supportive and love us no matter what size and think we are beautiful!