3rd Trimester Bridesmaid Dress Alterations??

akozy · February 2014

Hi! I'm going to be in a wedding when I'm 7 mo. pregnant. This is the bridesmaid dress the bride picked out: https://shop.nordstrom.com/s/betsey-johnson-ivory-polka-dot-mesh-fit-flare-dress/3712892

If I order it 3 sizes too big, do you think it's possible to alter this dress to fit a pregnant body and not look ridiculous? Has anyone had to do anything like this on this sort of a dress? Not sure if there is any way for a tailor to alter the waistline so that it is more accommodating to a bump. I've never been pregnant before and have no idea how big I'll be or where I'll carry my weight.

Thanks for any input!!

boymomstrong · February 2014

Does the bride know your pregnant? Does she have another dress option for you? I would talk to her and aee what your options are, and of course you could always back out and just be a guest...

Good luck...

erind0213 · February 2014

Personally I think you might be better talking the bride into another option for you. Something that already has an empire type waist.... or talk to the tailor that might be altering the dress and get their feedback.

soylatte · February 2014

I had a very pregnant bridesmaid. The shop recommended NOT ordering a bigger dress, but to have a similar dress made for her. They said they would basically have to take the dress apart and re-fit for the mom to be. And depending on how the dress is cut, you don't want to find out too late that it's impossible... My vote - choose a different option. The shop ended up being right in our case. :-)

mcgeeva · February 2014

Speaking from personal experience being in a wedding 6 months pregnant and second as a fashion design major.. There is no way of making this work. One you would have to move the waist seam below your bust to have room for a belly- because this is already above the knee, then your looking at having a short short dress. You need one either a different style that is empire waist or a dress from a dress shop where you order the dress and order extra fabric to have a new front made for the dress like I just had to do.

alphalyrae · February 2014

You should really have a heart to heart with the bride. This dress style is not going to flatter or fit properly on a pregnant woman. This dress is meant to flatter the waist which is normally the smallest portion of a woman's body. The only issue here is that that portion of your body is not going to be small during pregnancy. I'm 7 months pregnant now and all ready 3 sizes larger than I normally wear. I've gained next to nothing due to throwing up/being slightly overweight to start with. All of my midsection and boobs are larger, and my rib cage has expanded.

Your safest bet is to find a similar style with an empire waist.

InLovewSB · February 2014

Looking at the dress style, I just can't imagine being able to have a comfortable tummy and an accommodating hemline with that dress. It's polyester so it's not going to stretch. Also, if she wants you in those high, strappy heels, your ankles may very well be cantaloupes after all day.

Mimaloo · February 2014

I am in a wedding that is 28 days before my due date. The dress was ordered and it is tremendous. However, I met with the seamstress who pinned it up in all the right places and it's actually going to be just fine.

The bride knew I was pregnant when she picked the dresses so she kept that in mind when selecting fabric and style so that did help.

ETA: I can't see any way that that dress is going to be able to be altered. You need to speak to the bride asap.

Xath · February 2014

Talk to the bride. The dress she currently has selected is not alterable for a pregnant body. If it were an actual bridesmaid's dress, you might be able to have the shop talk to the manufacturer to order fabric yardage to have a custom dress made. Since it's a major retail cocktail dress, that's extremely unlikely.

I knew one of my bridesmaids was pregnant when we looked at dresses, and it ended up being 2 by the time of the wedding. We looked at dresses that were available in a maternity option, or had coordinating dresses in a maternity option. Even with a non-maternity empire dress, there's no guarantee that it will fit over a 3rd tri stomach. Many modern empire waists are still fitted through the upper torso to avoid the "pregnant look" so you wouldn't have the ease necessary to actually fit over your body.

If the bride is set on this dress, ask about you possibly wearing a different dress. BUT be careful if you're trying to match the colors exactly. Even if you can find a fabric that matches well visually, it may photograph differently. Different textiles reflect light differently (and thus the color could be really off in photos).

We used Jasmine bridal because they had a large assortment of maternity options, and their fabrics/dyes are consistent across multiple dresses so you could have people in different styles but have color consistency throughout. They have a few non-maternity styles in a similar visual to what your bride selected. You'd then be able to get a coordinating maternity dress.

I don't know how far along you are, but if you're not far yet, I'd suggest waiting as long as possible to actually order the dress. You don't know what your body is going to do, and if you guess you could end up spending 2-3x the cost of the dress in alterations. It may be more cost effective for you to pay for the "rush" order on a dress later on (if you know they'll still have it in stock) then to order something super big and have to have it taken in. (Ordering small is even more problematic).

But more than anything be open and honest with the bride. Good luck with everything!

Smirp · February 2014

I am in a wedding 2 weeks before my due date. We ended up finding a seller on etsy who makes dresses, maternity and not, she has experience with making dresses for pregnant people, in weddings. I am 29 weeks now and just sent my current measurements. She will make the dress according to how much I should grow.

I figured this was my best bet. My dress will be a bit different from the other bm, but im the MOH so, the bride is cool with it. Plus. Heh, I am PREGNANT! I would not fit in the dress no matter the size. And trying to would have taken attention from her on her big day, everyone would have seen pregnant boobs, and probably my bum and crotch at some point, had we not chosen something meant for a very pregnant woman.

Plus, the dress Im getting through etsy will cost less than the one your bride chose, so.. You wouldn'tbe paying a premium.

mcgeeva · February 2014

Smirp said:

I am in a wedding 2 weeks before my due date. We ended up finding a seller on etsy who makes dresses, maternity and not, she has experience with making dresses for pregnant people, in weddings. I am 29 weeks now and just sent my current measurements. She will make the dress according to how much I should grow.

I figured this was my best bet. My dress will be a bit different from the other bm, but im the MOH so, the bride is cool with it. Plus. Heh, I am PREGNANT! I would not fit in the dress no matter the size. And trying to would have taken attention from her on her big day, everyone would have seen pregnant boobs, and probably my bum and crotch at some point, had we not chosen something meant for a very pregnant woman.

Plus, the dress Im getting through etsy will cost less than the one your bride chose, so.. You wouldn'tbe paying a premium.

This is a great Idea. I however was the MOH and was not given the option to get a different dress. The 180 dollar dress they picked cost me 500 at the end of the day once I ordered extra fabric and reconstructing the front.

Mimaloo · February 2014

mcgeeva said:

Smirp said:

I am in a wedding 2 weeks before my due date. We ended up finding a seller on etsy who makes dresses, maternity and not, she has experience with making dresses for pregnant people, in weddings. I am 29 weeks now and just sent my current measurements. She will make the dress according to how much I should grow.

I figured this was my best bet. My dress will be a bit different from the other bm, but im the MOH so, the bride is cool with it. Plus. Heh, I am PREGNANT! I would not fit in the dress no matter the size. And trying to would have taken attention from her on her big day, everyone would have seen pregnant boobs, and probably my bum and crotch at some point, had we not chosen something meant for a very pregnant woman.

Plus, the dress Im getting through etsy will cost less than the one your bride chose, so.. You wouldn'tbe paying a premium.
This is a great Idea. I however was the MOH and was not given the option to get a different dress. The 180 dollar dress they picked cost me 500 at the end of the day once I ordered extra fabric and reconstructing the front.

Yup this is me right now. The dress was $245. Came to $380 because they charge extra for larger sizes and extra fabric. Alterations cap out at $115. Sucks.

mcgeeva · February 2014

Mimaloo Ugh I feel your pain. And this time you can honestly say you will NEVER wear that dress again

ufsandra85 · February 2014

i was just a bridesmaid at 33 weeks pregnant. i had to pick out a different dress with a high waist and i ordered it 4 sizes bigger because they didnt have maternity sizes. it was ok but not wonderful

Smirp · March 2014

Wow. That's insane! I would probably bow out of the wedding if it was going to be like that. I'm glad the bride for the wedding I am in is all about doing what makes sense.
sorry you ladies had to do that..

mileswithmyles · March 2014

I am in a wedding in two weeks and I will be a little over 7 months pregnant. The bride wanted us to order our dresses when I was about 10 weeks, so I was honest with her and we were able to find a new dress that was similar to the dress the other girls were wearing.

I would see if she could find you something similar that is empire waist and that is long. I ordered my dress 4 size bigger than my normal size since it wasn't a maternity dress. I just got it altered and it is going to look great! We also decided to shorten it to make it knee length, but ordering a longer dress makes sure that you have enough material to cover your belly.

iqwedding3 · March 2014

I'm in a wedding at 8 months. Luckily the dress the bride chose is full length and already too long for me, so I exchanged mine for a much (+6) larger size. They're basically going to shorten the waist to empire and since it's A line and huge, that should fit over the belly. I'm not sure what you could do with that dress without completely rebuilding it, which would be tons more expensive. I'd go looking for a maternity dress.

3rd Trimester Bridesmaid Dress Alterations??

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