Bridesmaid dress- styles to avoid?

cozylittlecave

Hi ladies! I'm going to be in a wedding this Christmas, and it's one of those 'everyone picks an individual dress' things. I'll have to pick & order the dress before I even deliver, and I hope to still be breastfeeding come December.

I've always been a 34B, my boobs still haven't gotten much bigger, and my mom's never got huge while breastfeeding either. The baby will not be with me at the wedding (she's staying home with DH & I'll have pumped).

Any recommendations for styles to look for/avoid at all costs?? I know there's bound to be considerations I don't realize yet... 

meltoine

That's a tough one. I was a 34B before DS came too (also didn't really get bigger during pregnancy) - now I'm a 36D.

Are you planning to pump during the wedding? Will you be trying on the different styles before deciding or are you ordering online or from a catalogue? If you are planning to pump and you will be trying them on, just test out the accessibility factor when you try them on. 

cozylittlecave

meltoine:

That's a tough one. I was a 34B before DS came too (also didn't really get bigger during pregnancy) - now I'm a 36D.

Are you planning to pump during the wedding? Will you be trying on the different styles before deciding or are you ordering online or from a catalogue? If you are planning to pump and you will be trying them on, just test out the accessibility factor when you try them on. 

I assume I'll have to pump during the wedding to keep up supply/from getting engorged? I definitely won't be trying anything on- I have to order right around when I'm due lol! I could probably go see the dresses in person if necessary.

bunnymama625

I went from 34B to 36B while preg-- not a huge change-- then the baby came-

now I'm easily 36D, prob more-- I haven't measured.

try to avoid anything with flat material over your boobs-- if you leak or even if you use pads, they'll show!

lilcrablegs

One thing you may need to account for is your rib cage area getting larger - mine did.   My friend chose the same dress I had already worn in a wedding in a different color, so I just ordered the same size.  I had to get fabric inserted from the bottom to make it fit in that area.  

The day of the wedding was really busy with pics, etc., so my DH just brought the baby in for a few minutes so I could nurse.  The dress was a spaghetti strap, kind of low cut dress and it was easy to do.   

meltoine

cozylittlecave:

meltoine:

That's a tough one. I was a 34B before DS came too (also didn't really get bigger during pregnancy) - now I'm a 36D.

Are you planning to pump during the wedding? Will you be trying on the different styles before deciding or are you ordering online or from a catalogue? If you are planning to pump and you will be trying them on, just test out the accessibility factor when you try them on. 

I assume I'll have to pump during the wedding to keep up supply/from getting engorged? I definitely won't be trying anything on- I have to order right around when I'm due lol! I could probably go see the dresses in person if necessary.

Depending how long the wedding is, you should probably pump, yes. In that case, easiest would probably be a strapless or spaghetti strap- you can just unzip a little and fold the top of the dress down. Or you could go for a deep-V and try to pull it to the side. 

JDoe11111

I agree strongly with previous poster who said avoid tight material over the bust, in case of leaking or if you have to wear pads. I'd try to get something not shiny and probably rusched for the same reasons - the more camoflauge in that area the better. Also, my nipples are still embarassingly huge and erect most of the time, I'm pretty sensitive about it especially when people will be taking photos! So again, camoflauge = good!

Also I'd avoid anything that would require a special bra or strapless - I'm finding them EXTREMELY painful still at 6 months, and whenever I try to wear a "nice" bra I get clogged ducts, so I'm really still dependent on my few soft nursing bras & tanks. This might be one of the hardest things to find in a bridesmaids dress, but maybe since it's a winter wedding the cuts will be more covering anyways.

 

nicobean1

I was thinking if you could find something with cups already sewn in, that would potentially solve the bra/nursing pads issue. And be more comfortable for you. At 4-5 months pp (I think my math is right), I would still go from a C to a D when my breasts were full. So figure that wherever your cup size is now, you'll need at least a cup size larger to allow for the milk.

Maybe a halter? I'm thinking of something with decent support for the boobies. OR get something that's 2 pieces? GL!

crysmike

Maybe if you get a wrap style, it might be more forgiving in terms of tying it tighter or looser - and would be easy to open and pump.

cozylittlecave

Thanks so much ladies- yall have been very helpful!! As excited as I am about picking out a dress, I'm not looking forward to having to account for what I'll look like 4 months pp! Luckily, there are a lot of dresses with ruching over the bust, so I'm more worried about support & fit. I also hope I don't end up looking awkwardly out of place in comparison to what the others pick lol!

I might be back in the coming days/weeks asking advice on a specific gown once I pick one...