Bride Dress and Weight Loss

Being also a writer at the Healthy Living and Diet Logs blogs, I figured out this could perhaps be of interest to some, as well as be more fit for this very blog than for the others.

The subject is, of course, what to do when it comes to your bride dress, and you want to lose a serious amount of weight for your wedding–and I do not mean only a few vanity pounds, but enough to make you go down two, three sizes or even more.

First, be aware that wedding dresses run in sizes larger than your average size in regular shops; that’s because what is taken into account is the smallest measurement, so if for instance you’re like me and have slightly broad shoulders or a naturally large bosom but your waist is perfectly alright, don’t be surprised to find yourself with a size 14 dress when in fact you’re an 8. It doesn’t mean anything, and nobody will see the size tag anyway as long as you don’t let them know.

Second, I would advise you to NOT wait longer than needed to order your dress. Most often, it is recommended that you do that no less than six months before the wedding: a dress can take between 6 and 10 weeks to arrive, and then you also have to account for potential (likely?) adjustments to be made. If you’re trying to lose weight, it’s great, but don’t shoot yourself in the foot thinking “if I wait some more, maybe I will lose one more size”. It’s not worth losing the dress of your dreams over that: when you find it, BUY IT, no matter its size.

And that’s where it comes down: adjustments. These will be your friends. Evidently, you’ll have to be prepared to shell out some more money, but it cannot be worse than having to find another dress at the last moment, or, the horror, ending up without any dress at all. For what it’s worth, make use of all those seamstress friend of a friend of a friend connections and others of the same kind, and/or make sure to find one you can trust long before it’s time to perform the needed adjustments. The better s/he’ll know you beforehand, the best s/he will be to get you what you want in due time. Anyway, it’s always better to have your dress having to be altered down that the other way round, isn’t it?
And last but not least: if you want to shed enough weight, start working on it in advance, too–not in those six months before the wedding. A crash diet will only leave you tired and perhaps even with unwanted symptoms, such as hair loss (isn’t that hideous in the pictures?), with the added certainty of gaining all the weight back plus some. Giving yourself one or two years before the actual ceremony will allow you to take on that endeavour with a lighter mind, and a slower but healthier weight loss rate.

Besides, in 12 or 18 months, you can indeed get closer to your goal–close enough for you to pick your dress without having to dread the performing of many alterations.