I walked out in TEARS!

[mandalaybay3071]

Please help! I had the worst experience of my life (well, that's a bit draamatic) but so far, my worst experience with the wedding planning. I am in love with a Casablanca short dress so I went to a boutique to see it in person. I loved it! I had not planned on trying a dress on b/c I'm trying to lose weight before our wedding in July. Right now, I'm a size 14/16 and hope to be a 10/12 when we get married. So, here is what happened....I went into the dressing room with the dress I had been admiring for months. It was a size 12 so I thought it might be tight but at least I would get an idea. UM, hell no! It wouldn't go over my a$$ or my boobs! I was absolutely horrified and humiliated. Then the sales girl who BTW is a size 0 tells me that wedding gowns run small and that's it's more like a size 8 even though it says 12. I asked her to leave the dressing room and I changed clothes, grabbed my friend who had no idea what had just occurred in the dressing room and walked out in tears. To make things worse, the sales girl chased me out of the boutique and had the nerve to ask me if I was upset b/c the dress didn't fit. UM, no you stupid B, I was so excited that I'm too fat to put on the freaking dress of my dreams, over joyed really! So, now what? What was supposed to be fun and exciting is now a nightmare and I don't want to even think about trying on dresses. I'm continuing to work out and I've decided that I won't go back until February to do this again. Has anyone ever experienced this? What is a "plus size" girl to do

[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. Depending on the fit and how the zippers are you will find a size 12 dress that will go on to your body even tho the back might be all exposed. The front will look okay and give you a decent idea. I'm sure this is something that the sales person sees all the time. Not every woman is a perfect size 8 or whatever the "ideal" body type is. Try David's Bridal since they have samples in every size.

[beachbride08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mandalaybay3071 Please help! I had the worst experience of my life (well, that's a bit draamatic) but so far, my worst experience with the wedding planning. I am in love with a Casablanca short dress so I went to a boutique to see it in person. I loved it! I had not planned on trying a dress on b/c I'm trying to lose weight before our wedding in July. Right now, I'm a size 14/16 and hope to be a 10/12 when we get married. So, here is what happened....I went into the dressing room with the dress I had been admiring for months. It was a size 12 so I thought it might be tight but at least I would get an idea. UM, hell no! It wouldn't go over my a$$ or my boobs! I was absolutely horrified and humiliated. Then the sales girl who BTW is a size 0 tells me that wedding gowns run small and that's it's more like a size 8 even though it says 12. I asked her to leave the dressing room and I changed clothes, grabbed my friend who had no idea what had just occurred in the dressing room and walked out in tears. To make things worse, the sales girl chased me out of the boutique and had the nerve to ask me if I was upset b/c the dress didn't fit. UM, no you stupid B, I was so excited that I'm too fat to put on the freaking dress of my dreams, over joyed really! So, now what? What was supposed to be fun and exciting is now a nightmare and I don't want to even think about trying on dresses. I'm continuing to work out and I've decided that I won't go back until February to do this again. Has anyone ever experienced this? What is a "plus size" girl to do

I had a very similar experience as you at the first store I went dress shopping at. All the dresses were a size 4! I couldn't even get them on and was very frustrated. I am a 14/16 and had hoped to be at least a size 12 by my wedding (mind you I started planning my wedding 18 months in advance so I had plenty of time). The second store I went to was House of Brides. That was a MUCH better experience. They had dresses in all sizes so I could get them on. THere were still some that were too small, but I could get them on to get the idea of how it would look. Others were in my size and I had no issues. I ordered the dress in my current size and am glad that I did because even though I lost some weight I didn't have the big weight loss I hoped for so I would have been really screwed if I ordered a size that I hoped I would be. The boutiquey type stores usually have sizes on the small side as the previous poster mentioned try a larger store like David's where they have more of a selection.

[Angel]

I can imagine how frustrated you were. But don't beat yourself up about it.

But I think you have set a great goal for yourself by holding off until Feb.

Continue to work out and do what you have been doing, and when you do start back up on the dress hunt you will be where you want to be.

Everything will work out fine.

[RedDiamond]

I'll be the first to say that I think it's silly that most of the sample dresses are the smaller sizes. If the average woman in the US is a size 12, brides are getting married older (not 16 or 1, and the dresses run two sizes smaller - why don't they order sample sizes in 14s or 16?! That has really irritated me the entire time.

 

I'd call back to the shop, asked to speak to a manager and let them know about your experience. Then, find a shop with a really fantastic reputation in your area and call to see if they have that dress or can get a sample that would be about your size. Sometimes if you ask nicely they will order samples in other sizes.

[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!!!

[syl1115]

I had the same issue. My wedding was in September and I started trying on dresses in February. It was a horrible experience. I had gained weight when my mother was sick and I hated myself in every dress that I tried on. I was a size twelve but had to try on dresses that were a 16! OMG, I stopped shopping for a dress. When I lost 10 lbs, I went back out and found my dream dress, size 8, to try on. I got it over my butt, but could not zip it. I was so worried I would not lose anymore weight so I ordered it in a size 14. When the dress arrived, 4 months later, it was to big!

 

My point is, don't go shopping for a dress to soon. You don't mention when your wedding is, but I would allow 6 months before your wedding to start shopping for a dress. And like the others mentioned, try some of the larger bridal shops. They will have more of a size selection. Don't be upset and don't look at the size on the tag. Look at yourself in the mirror and marvel at how beautiful you will be on your wedding day.

[BillysBride]

Wedding gowns DO indeed run small for a lot of designers. You aren't alone, this has happened to almost every bride I know. PLEASE don't take it as more serious than it needs to be. I know you are upset, and disappointed..I understand, I honestly do. But don't be TOO upset or disappointed. It's the nature of the bridal business, and you aren't some horrible cow. You're a normal woman, who just so happens not to be a single digit size. Keep hunting, MOST designers make their gowns in women's sizes..the full range. So don't give up or think that you're too "fat" to find a dress, that's simply not true. My gown is a 14, I love it, and it's not even close to being the largest size they offer.

[BillysBride]

Wedding gowns DO indeed run small for a lot of designers. You aren't alone, this has happened to almost every bride I know. PLEASE don't take it as more serious than it needs to be. I know you are upset, and disappointed..I understand, I honestly do. But don't be TOO upset or disappointed. It's the nature of the bridal business, and you aren't some horrible cow. You're a normal woman, who just so happens not to be a single digit size. Keep hunting, MOST designers make their gowns in women's sizes..the full range. So don't give up or think that you're too "fat" to find a dress, that's simply not true. My gown is a 14, I love it, and it's not even close to being the largest size they offer.

[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."