Weight-loss & wedding dress shopping
Wedding dress shopping is incredibly exciting, but if you’re on a weight loss journey, it can bring up some important considerations. Timing your dress shopping is crucial to reducing stress & getting the best fit. In this guide, we’ll discuss factors to consider when balancing weight loss with finding your dream dress.
When to start dress shopping
If you plan to lose weight before your wedding, consider waiting until closer to start shopping. Ideally, shopping around 3-6 months before the wedding allows you to:
Have a better idea of what styles you like & suit your body shape.
Avoid buying a dress too early and then losing significant weight, which could lead to costly alterations.
Alterations Considerations
While most wedding dresses can be altered to fit a smaller size, there are limits to how much a dress can be taken in without compromising its structure. Generally:
Dresses can be taken in around 1 dress size.
Losing a significant amount of weight (2-3+ dress sizes) can make alterations difficult, costly and sometimes impossible.
If you anticipate losing a large amount of weight, we recommend you opt to wait until close to your goal weight before making your final purchase. Wedding dresses usually can’t be returned/exchanged once purchased, so waiting until you’re ready will save you the stress of having to purchase another dress.
Choosing a dress with flexibility
If you’re planning to lose weight but don’t want to delay shopping, choosing a gown with a more forgiving fit can help:
Corset-back dresses can sometimes be pulled tighter for small amounts of weight loss & tend to need less alteration.
What if you lose weight after you’ve bought your dress?
If you’ve already bought your dress and then lose more weight than expected, don’t panic! Here’s what you can do:
Speak to a seamstress ASAP to discuss alteration options. Our recommended seamstresses may be able to adjust your dress easily, depending on the style and structure of the dress.
If you’re still losing weight, try to stabilise before your fittings start to avoid last-minute adjustments.
Our final tips
Shop as close as possible to your wedding date to get the best fit & the least stress.
Don’t buy a dress in a smaller size as motivation. Choose a size that fastens at the time of purchase, just in case don’t lose weight where needed. It is harder to let a dress out than to take it in!
Wedding dresses usually can’t be returned/exchanged once purchased so avoid buying one too early if you anticipate weightloss.
Drop us a message here if you have any further questions about this.