Losing Weight and Wedding Dress

Many brides have a goal to lose weight before the big day. Depending on when you’re in the process of losing weight, the whole experience can be a lot more confusing. What size should you get? How long should you wait before buying one? How do you handle alterations?

Here are some general questions to keep in mind:

How much pounds you are planning to lose?

If you are planning to lose 5 – 20 pounds, buy a dress that fits your current body; you will have plenty of time for it to get taken in.

If you are planning to lose 40 – 50+ pounds, it may be a good idea to wait a bit to buy your dress so that you can choose one that fits your new body shape. It is possible you may have more limited options since the timing will be a bit tight.

How much time do you have left until your wedding?

We highly recommend ordering your gown around 6-8 months before the wedding. In general, it takes 4-5 months to get the dress in and another 2-3 months for the alterations process. So you’ll need to start looking while you’re in the process of losing weight.

What kind of bridal gown would you like to have?

If you’re on a roll and think you might lose more weight, choose a dress style that’s easily altered (and less expensive to change). Strapless styles or ones with spaghetti straps are a lot simpler to take in than something with sleeves and silhouettes like ball gowns, which don’t hug your body, are a lot more adaptable than something that needs to fit every curve. It’s also pricier to alter a dress with lots of lace and beading. Those details actually hide a lot of the alterations, so the final product will look better, but it will cost more to do.

One of the most important things to know is that you shouldn’t wait until you hit your goal weight to go dress shopping. Allow yourself to fall in love with the dress that makes your feel special and beautiful just the way you are. Then, purchase your gown in your current size with plans to alter the gown later after you reach your goal. After all, an alterations specialist can take in the dress about two sizes down. Ordering now gives you the peace of mind that you won’t miss out on the dress if the designer discontinues it in the coming months (meaning, it’s no longer a part of the current season, and the designer has done away with that style). You also won’t have to worry about missing important ordering deadlines. If the wedding dress fits like a glove in your current size, securing that exact dress is perfectly fine. A good alterations specialist can work with you after you’ve reached your weight loss goal to make the dress fit perfectly again.

On the other hand, even if you knock off a few pounds, it’s unlikely that your hip size will change drastically in a short period of time. Your best bet is to order the dress according to the biggest part of your body. Every woman loses weight differently. For some gals, the weight instantly falls off the rear, and for others it starts in the arms or bust. But even if you think you know your body’s weight loss habitual, this is a risk that you probably don’t want to make as you’re preparing to make a big investment for a big day. Just go with ordering your dress in your current size, and let the professionals worry about the rest.

Some brides will gain weight as the wedding approaches due to stress even if they’ve worked so hard to shed pounds. For this reason, it’s best to get the size that fits you now, and consider trying to keep a stable weight at least 6 weeks before your wedding date. On the other hand, if you lose weight under stress, try not to lose more than 2 sizes so that your seamstress doesn’t change the shape of the gown if trimming it down becomes necessary. Whatever you do, don’t wait until right before the wedding to start the alterations.