I walked out in TEARS!

[aimee!]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FoxyBride Wedding gown sizes are based on an older scale of sizes that have never been modernized. It's just a number, doesn't mean you are any bigger or smaller than what you are. A lot of stores have "vanity sizing" where a 6 is really an 8 but the smaller number makes women feel better. Wedding dress makers just have not changed from back in the day when a woman like Marilyn Monroe wore a 12. "Bridal sizing goes back to a scale established during World War II that used data intended for making uniforms, Moore [senior vice president of merchandising and product development at retailer David’s Bridal] explains. The scale also was used for ready-to-wear clothes, but over time, sportswear adapted its sizes to reflect changing body shapes, while bridal, for the most part, didn’t."

very interesting!


from my experience david's bridal had the most "true to size" dresses. the dresses i tried on there were 2 sizes smaller than any other designer.

don't stress-- you are not fat and you WILL find your perfect dress. so chin up & get back out there!

[adias.angel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bianca I'm about your size and most dresses didnt fit right or even went down my hips. There is no reason to be embarrassed about it. Just try the next one.

I totally agree that you shouldn't be embarrassed! Your FI loves you just the way you are and so do all the ladies on here. Beauty comes in all size and not just size 0.

I say give it another try with a dress in a bigger size. I think a positive dress shopping experience will help make this one not feel so bad. Carla

[DanielleNDerek]

dont worry about the number of the size. wedding dress sizes are a joke, not true to size at all. So dont let it bother you. But if you are planning to lose some weight i would start working out now and go back to look at dresses in a couple of months. I know when i start to lose weight i feel a lot more comfortable trying on clothes.

[sstotz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by latinalocany dont stress!! and dont think or look at the size # when looking at wedding dresses!! they are not true to size anyway!! you will look amazing in your dress!!! i am trying to eat right and go to the gym 4 times a week so my dress can fit me nice!! do what you have to do to make yourself feel good and i cant wait to see pics of you in your dress looking fabulous!!!

COMPLETELY AGREE!!! Pick a dress that looks like it'll fit.. stay away from the tag (dont check the size), given how it fits tell the person (or your friend..i hate having to talk to those skinny little B's), to get you 2 to 3 sizes up (or down!) from your current one.. play a guessing game with it. Don't worry, My dress is 2 sizes bigger than what I really am, but it fits perfectly and looks amazing.. go off of that, and I am sure you will be pleased next time.. DON'T STRESS ON THE SIZE PLEASE!! It's JUST a STUPID number!! Wear something that fits, and you'll feel more confident, and nobody will see the tag because its on the inside (or just rip it out!)..) Good luck on your next go around!! As you can see, MANY of us have dealt with your situation! Just try to have a positive mindset, and it will work out.

[neen]

aww, sweetie, I'm so sorry your first dress shopping experience wasn't a good one, but don't get down. don't make yourself crazy and wait until February - like the others ladies have suggested, just try a larger shop like Davids...even if its just for ideas of the shapes and styles you like - a better trip will erase the bad feelings about the first one!!!

[NJ_bride]

This is where a good bridal shop comes into play. When I went for my 1st attempt at dress shopping the lady in the store let me know that these are runway sizes (I was there for a trunk show) before I even tried on a dress she said don't get worried but most girls can't even get into some of these dresses. I normally wear a 4-6 dress. Well my dress is a 10. I'm not hung up on numbers I just want to look great! When my girls and Mom went to another store for their dresses the girls told them the same thing. Knowing it up front I felt fine with it and so did they.

 

It seems that you got an inexperienced sales girl who should learn how to work with brides not insult them. You will look great not matter what, don't worry about numbers!

[jajajaja]

As most girls have mentioned- it's a common problem. We have all been there. Trust me- my first dress experience was a complete nightmare too. I thought I would go in and have a great time trying on dress after dress and just be completely giddy like they are in the movies. Hell my bm's and I might even have a fun trying all the silly dresses and create a movie montage. HECK NO!! Even if you ignore the sizes, if you are a bigger than the "standard" bridal sizes you probably won't have a lot of dresses that really fit you anyways. The standard size that the shops carry is like 8-10. (which will fit street size 4-6).

 

While it really does suck, the only thing you can do is adjust your attitude about it. Go in knowing that you probably won't be able to try on all the dresses (their fault- not yours) but you are going to try to find the dress that you envision plus compliments your body style perfectly.

 

For starters, it might be easier to start at a larger shop like David's bridal which carries multiple sizes. If you don't find the dress there, you can leave knowing which dress styles compliment your body. Pay attention to cuts- not details.

 

Try on a dress like your first Casblanca dress that you like. Does that cut fit you well?? If it does, then you should be able to wear your dream dress no problem. They will then just measure you and order the dress in the size that's perfect for your body. Ignore the size- it doesn't matter.

 

I never tried my dress on. I just tried dresses on that looked like it- then I ordered it without every seeing it. I loved it!

 

Good luck girl. I know you can have a positive dress shopping experience and find the dress of your dreams!

[cougs]

ahh first of all you're just barely a "plus size" girl. you're not obese and those sizes mean NOTHING. they want you to have to order up a few sizes so they can charge you extra for the bigger size, and then even more for alterations! i had a friend who was a real life 6, and needed a 14 wedding dress! ignore the size ... pretend that it's the way they size dresses in your destination country LOL. no one but you is ever going to know what size your dress is ... they'll only see how gorgeous you look in it!

 

also, i hate those skinny b*tch salesgirls too, but in her defense, she was probably about to explain to you that there was no need to be upset over the dress not fitting because of the way wedding dresses are sized. i don't know when your wedding is, but don't wait too long to go back shopping ... the worst thing that could happen is you find your dream dress and it finally fits in a size that pleases you, and then you can't get it in time for the wedding! that would be a nightmare!

[Ayita]

I'm going to concur with everybody. You should not freak out because of the size on the tag... I have no idea what my "real" size is today (I'm in the process of losing weight and never shopped for dresses before in the US) but I can tell you that depending on the designer, the dresses I tried on and that fit me went from 8 to 16 !!!! Yes !!! 8 sizes apart !! In the interval of 4 days only (I started on Friday night... and already went to 6 salons as I have to order my dress pretty quickly if I want it in time).

 

What did it teach me ? That the tag means nothing. 8 sizes apart depending on the designer means these sizes can't reflect anything close to reality.

 

So, I'll pick up the "size" of my dress depending on the "size" chart of the designer that I will chose.

 

Allso, follow the earlier advise of going to David's Bridals. My experience there was not the best commercially speaking (I waited for 45 minutes that they would bring the dresses, and had to ask another customer's family - I was by myself - to go get somebody to help me getting in a corset-lace dress as nobody would come after 10 min) but they have dresses at all sizes, and of all shapes. It will reconcile you with your image in a wedding gown. Also, their sizes are very reasonnable (I tried sizes 8 to 12 that all fit me - depending on the model it varies).

[mandalaybay3071]

I want to say THANK YOU to all you ladies who have responded to my nightmare shopping experience. I feel so much better knowing that other girls have had my same experience and also feel that bridal gown sizes are total BS! I'm going to continue working out and may just scope out other bridal salons in the area to see what their selection is like....do they offer multiple sizes in their gowns, etc. I really wish I had known about the runway samples....b/c it was actually a boutique that was having a casablanca trunk show and had I known that going in, well I wouldn't have felt so bad. It would have been nice if the lady had let me know in advance as well....I mean, I'm sure she could see by my shape that I might not fit into the sample size dress. My fiance tried to make me feel better but you know men don't really know what to do with a hysterical crying woman!! Poor love, he tried his best and told me that he loves me the way I am and he absolutely supports me working out so that I feel better about myself. I think he said he loved me the way I am 100 times! I will definately check out David's Bridal. If anyone lives in the Dallas area and knows of a great salon that has dresses in multiple sizes please let me know. I also like the suggestion of finding a style similar to the casablance one that I love and figuring out if that style looks good on me...that way I would know the dream dress would look great or if I should look at a different style of dress. great suggestion! My wedding isn't until July so I've got 8 months to go...I'm going to work out really hard for the next 2 months, hold my head up and know that I am beautiful inside and out!!! I can't thank you girls enough. The support I have recieved on this forum is amazing!!!

 

Mandy