Weight loss and dress aterations

ekramona

I need to start dress shopping but I still have a lot of weight to lose. How much can a dress be taken in? Are there any features of a dress that make it hard to alter? what are your experiences?

Chloe0427

I had the same concern!  In order to get my gown in time for the wedding I had to purchase my gown last week. The gown I purchased zips, but is a little snug around my stomach. My plan is to lose about 15-20 lbs so I was a little concerned about purchasing it now and definetely did not want to purchase something that I couldn't fit into at all...just in case I did not lose the weight. The bridal salon said that gowns can generally be altered up to 4 inches. However I have seen other posts where brides purchased a size 10 gown and had it altered down to a 4 without a problem. I think it REALLY depends on the dress, so I would check with the person that will be altering your dress before purchasing. Best wishes! 

J&K10910

A lot depends on the dress.  A simple dress without a lot of embellishments or ruching can be altered much more easily than one with those things.  In general, the rule of thumb is down two sizes pretty easily.  My dress was fairly complicated--ruching, embellishments, lace on the back, rhinestoned straps...and I had it altered down two sizes.  It went down two sizes, but it didn't fit like like it was made for me like I had hoped. 

Whatever you do, do NOT order a dress that is too small in the hopes that you can lose weight to make it fit.  That rarely works out for people. 

A few things you can do to make it easier:  Go for something with a corset back.  They usually necessitate less perfect sizing and make losing or gaining weight easier on your alterations person.  Pick something without embellishments by the side seams of the bodice.  And ask a seamstress for advice.

jennylee813

Agree. The beading and ruching make it more difficult to alter. Any appliques have to come off and be replaced by hand, so it's time consuming and more expensive to have done. How easy a dress is to alter depends on the deisgner usually. And some designers are notorious for leaving very small seams - so don't buy too small!

Good luck!

jessica2244

this was a really helpful thread! i'm starting my dress shopping this thursday and was wondering the same thing. thanks ladies!

s_hazeleyes

Go with a corset back for sure! I had the same problem. While dress shopping I was losing weight. I HAD to order my dress 3 weeks ago so it can come in in Jan. for my March wedding. Since ordering my dress, I've lost 15lbs for a total loss of 25lbs. I have 25lbs more to go. My consultant told me it was ok to order 1 size smaller but that's it. If you chose to do so, don't order anything smaller than 1 size!