Dress Shopping

RLVbaby · October 2015

Looking for others that have experienced this or are in the same situation. I'm a bridesmaid in my brothers wedding in early June. I am due at the end of April so depending on when baby arrives I could have a 4 week - 6 week old. I have been instructed to order my dress by the end of the month and I have no idea what size I am going to need. Has anyone else been in this situation? How many sizes up did you order and or how many sizes did you drop within 4-6 weeks after birth? I don't want to order my dress too large for alteration costs as the dress is already very expensive, and obviously I don't want to order too small.

stephweinstein · October 2015

It's better for it to be too large than to be too small. Four to six weeks after birth your uterus may not have completely shrunken back to normal pre pregnancy size. I don't know how your body rebounds but two months after my first child I was two sizes larger than my pre pregnancy size. Hope that helps.

sarahufl · October 2015

Can you ask your brother if you could wait to order it? Are they really special dresses or could you get away with something in the same color family but a different style closer to the day of?

I would be wary of ordering anything to wear 4-6 post-partum right now.

Sarcasm101 · October 2015

It depends on the style of the dress. But I would order 2 sizes larger. I would rather spend a few extra dollars on alterations than not being able to zip the dress. FWIW, I didn't drop the baby weight until I stopped breastfeeding.

RLVbaby · October 2015

Can you ask your brother if you could wait to order it? Are they really special dresses or could you get away with something in the same color family but a different style closer to the day of?

I would be wary of ordering anything to wear 4-6 post-partum right now.
I asked and the dress store needs that much time as that designer only ships twice a year and it would be too late to put an order in if I waited. I also looked into ordering at another store or online but then I'd be paying even more and the other ladies would lose a 20% discount. So my only option is to order

jmjarling · October 2015

Go for what you fit in now.... Just be smart during your pregnancy eat healthy and exercise you should snap back faster then you think!

boymomstrong · October 2015

I can tell you pre pregnancy i wore a size 10, i was in a wedding 5 weeks after my second son was born, my dress was a 14, fit everywhere but my bust, we can to sew in milk pads and go braless to make it fit... Also i wore spanks to help hide the lose tummy... But i also should add i hold 10-15lbs of baby weight while nursing, so by 5 weeks thats about where i was, and i gained 30 in my pregnancy...
Order up! And alter if you need to... Good luck

Jules08 · October 2015

Everyone is different, so no one's answers are really going to help you. BUT FWIW - I was below my pre pregnancy weight 8 days post partum and immediately was able to wear my pre pregnancy clothes.

Can you order it with a corset rather than a zip?

fourtsixand2 · October 2015

I say order 2 sizes larger, at least. It's much easier to take a dress in than let it out.

delujm0 · October 2015

Everyone is different, so you're not going to get a good answer here. I would personally order WAY too big and then get it altered. I was in my sister's wedding at 38 weeks and I ordered my dress SUPER big because I had no idea how I'd carry. I had to get it majorly altered, but it looked good that day and fit properly.

I went to my 6 week post-birth doctor appointment in a pair of pre-pregnancy jeans and only had 5lbs left to lose, which came off as soon as I started exercising again. I exclusively breastfeed and I worked out throughout my pregnancy - daily. Like I literally was at a pilates reformer lesson four days before giving birth. However, another women could have this EXACT set of circumstances and a completely different outcome. I know you don't want to deal with alterations, but unless your brother is cool with you buying a dress off the rack the week before the wedding, I'd suggest you budget alterations in and order several sizes up, just to be safe.

yogahh · October 2015

I agree with ordering larger. Even for my wedding, I ordered my dress one size bigger, knowing I was going to loose a dress size or two before the big day. MUCH easier to take in than to get out.

RMLandy · October 2015

I think it depends on the style of the dress. With my first at 4-6 weeks, my boobs were still huge and I had a little gut, but fit into all my pre-pregnancy clothes at that point and just had about 5 lbs to go. If the style will accommodate larger breasts and a little tummy, I'd personally get my regular size. If it's tight/form fitting, I'd go up 1-2 sizes.

Merciel · October 2015

+1 to everything that's already been said.

I'm also in a wedding as a bridesmaid only 6 weeks after my projected due date, but (thankfully!!) it's a very relaxed and informal wedding, so my current plan is to either wear something I already have in a prepregnancy size (if I can fit in it then) or grab something nice off the rack afterward. Unfortunately it doesn't sound like this will be an option if you're having to coordinate matchy dresses with the other bridesmaids.

Can you add a shawl or wrap to your ensemble? That might help disguise an imperfect fit, especially up top, and it's easy to set aside if you end up not needing it.

lisakathryn · October 2015

I am in the exact same predicament!! I'm due in April and standing up in a wedding in June. We just ordered our dresses from David's bridal and the consultant told me to go up 2 sizes because it's easier to size down than up. And once the baby comes and we're getting close to the wedding, try on the dress once a week to see how it fits. Our dresses are chiffon and loose over the tummy it'll just be the bust I'm worried about.

Buninthe0ven815 · October 2015

I would check with the salon. If your'e ordering from David's, they panic the brides by telling them they must order 6 months in advance - all of the dresses for my wedding in June were in within 6 weeks of us ordering them. Maybe they can hold off a little longer before placing that order to give you a better idea of what size you may be wearing.

yogahh · October 2015

lisakathryn said:
I am in the exact same predicament!! I'm due in April and standing up in a wedding in June. We just ordered our dresses from David's bridal and the consultant told me to go up 2 sizes because it's easier to size down than up. And once the baby comes and we're getting close to the wedding, try on the dress once a week to see how it fits. Our dresses are chiffon and loose over the tummy it'll just be the bust I'm worried about.

Just curious but why did you have to buy your dress from David's already? Normally their dresses come in 2-3 weeks after purchasing so you could have bought it closer to the wedding and still have time for fitting. Did they pressure you to buy this early?

sarahufl · October 2015

I have bought a number of dresses at Davids (unfortunately....) and they always come in early.

My only concern would be the color pallet. If they are black or grey, they are likely to carry them all year, but I do know they have some pretty seasonal lines that may or may not be in stock all year long.

Linsbins · October 2015

Dye lots can change also. That's why they scare everyone into ordering by a certain date. You wouldn't want your red to be slightly different than everyone else's red. I agree with pp who said get it wayyyy bigger. If just one part of you is more than two sizes bigger, you'd be SOL.

cjt121413 · October 2015

Agree with PPs. Order two sizes larger than you are now. It's easy to take a dress in and a nightmare to take a dress out.

yogahh · October 2015

Linsbins said:

Dye lots can change also. That's why they scare everyone into ordering by a certain date. You wouldn't want your red to be slightly different than everyone else's red. I agree with pp who said get it wayyyy bigger. If just one part of you is more than two sizes bigger, you'd be SOL.

Dye lots can vary garment by garment too in the same shipment (I do production for a large retailer- this is my life). That's why I hate that David's pressures people to buy so early. Off topic I know, but just wanted to voice that for anyone that is being pressured to buy a dress from them 6 months in advance!

ashleyrobertson0113 · October 2015

I've worked in the bridal industry before and generally a good seamstress can alter a dress up or down two sizes. So I would advise ordering it a size larger than what you think you'll need and having it altered as necessary.

mabapunta · November 2015

Thank you for posting this question! I'm in the same boat...due in May and am a bridesmaid in a (end of) July wedding. I already have a seamstress who did my wedding dress and a bridesmaid dress, so I intend on gettin her opinion, but my plan is prob 2 sizes too big. The boob part won't be an issue for me because I'm already small. I'm mostly worried abt belly and hips/butt.

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