Wedding Blog
Can we be real here? Like, really real? This post has to do with weight, and size, and wedding pressure to look completely perfect at all times.
When I bought my wedding gown, I was in the middle of a super workout frenzy. In my adult life, my weight has fluctuated a lot. On dress buying day, I weighed 155 lbs. I was doing pilates three times a week, running 3 times a week, doing the Shred and other cardio often, as well. My tummy was flat! I could run two miles without stopping (for someone who couldn’t even run half a mile in high school, this was an AWESOME accomplishment)! I felt amazing.
The day I went in for my first dress fitting, over five months later, I had gained ten pounds. As my day to day schedule got more hectic, I didn’t have as much time for exercising. As our wedding budget got bigger, I didn’t have as much money for private pilates and yoga classes. All of these little changes added up. And when I tried on my dress, it showed. The dress fit, but was tight in the thigh area, which happens to be my “problem area”. I have a 28 inch waist and 42 inch hips. It’s ridiculous! But, it’s just the way I am built, and no amount of cardio or weights or dieting will change that ratio. In fact, when I am on a workout kick, my waist gets smaller, yet my thighs get larger and more muscular! 
Like I said, my dress was tight in the thighs. Tight enough, apparently, for the alterations person to tell me to stop eating for two weeks. To advise me to start the “walking diet” and walk away the fat on my thighs.
I would love to be telling you that this didn’t affect me. That I let the rude comments roll off my back. But it did affect me. I immediately hated what I saw in her mirror. I started berating myself for not spending the last eight months dieting, like “a good bride should”. I couldn’t believe I was going to be getting married looking like this. I was mad at myself. I was discouraged. I felt worthless.
In reality, I should have been mad at the seamstress!
Instead of doing the right thing and leaving her studio immediately, I let this woman make comments on my shape for the next 20 minutes while she pinned and cut and scrutinized. I smiled and nodded and promised to work on my weight…
I held myself together throughout the meeting and waited until I was safely in the car with Mr. S to get upset. I didn’t cry; I just felt sick to my stomach. My thoughts were erratic… Hhere we are, a month from my one and only wedding day and I didn’t starve myself for the past year to look perfect, and now I have to face the consequences by walking down the aisle in front of everyone with enormous thighs!!! OH NO!!!
It wasn’t until two days later that I realized how ridiculous I was being. I had let a silly comment from my seamstress take over my brain for a full 48 hours, and I had no reason to let this go on.
There is SO MUCH pressure for brides to look “perfect” on their wedding day. From the dress consultants who will ask, “How much weight are you planning on losing before the wedding?” to the magazines that advertise step by step “bridal diets”, the pressure to change your body for your wedding day is extreme.
And for two whole days, I got caught up in this mindset. I contemplated not eating, doing a fast, a cleanse, anything that would help me drop some weight. It is a crazy thing when someone makes you feel like you have lost control of your own body.
Here is the real deal, though. I already eat pretty healthy foods (okay, maybe my cupcake trials were catching up to me, but on a normal day to day basis, I eat well). I can’t really cut out any food without cutting out essential nutrients. I exercise pretty regularly, but I had let some of it go in the past few months. I vowed to not worry about it, work out when I can, but not be extreme about it, and buy a really good pair of Spanx to smooth out any lumps and bumps! I also vowed not to let any comments from someone who doesn’t even know anything about me other than my measurements affect my mindset.
Will I lose ten pounds in the next ten days? No. Will I look perfect for the wedding? Depends on your idea of perfect. Will Mr. Sprinkle tell me I look perfect? Yes, he always does. Will I believe him? I hope so! Luckily, my seamstress will be nowhere near our wedding, and I will be surrounded by people who love me exactly the way I am right now; not twenty pounds thinner, or two inches taller, or in a more expensive dress, or with whiter teeth, or tanner skin…
Have you felt the pressure to look perfect on your wedding day? How are you dealing with it?
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I love this post. Thank you, Miss Sprinkle. I’m sure you’ll look stunning on your wedding day, and I’m so so sorry that seamstress was so rude! It’s great to be reminded that the people who are coming to the wedding are people who love me and that my guy thinks I’m beautiful no matter what. I still have time and would like to lose weight for my wedding, but I’m doing it for me and to be healthy and such and not to “impress” anyone or in fear of not looking perfect. Thanks!
Good for you girl! nothing wrong with wanting to exercise, but when you’re already eating well and someone’s giving you crap like that, just try your best to let it go. As far as the thigh thing is concerned - I have found one of my dresses to be a bit tight in this area too so i’ll be on the market for some spanx this week as well! I’d rather do this in preparation for the next 2 weddings I’ll be attending this month than crash diet.
Aw, Sprinkle, she was totally out of line! And you said it yourself - the whole purpose is to marry the man you love, and he is going to marry you no matter what. I’m glad you were able to put the nastiness out of your head and focus on what’s real.
Wonderful post, Miss Sprinkle. You’ll be beautiful on your wedding day!!
oh the irony! i’m sitting here reading this and getting frustrated on your behalf, and also thinking that i need to make sure i am healthy for the wedding….and while i’m doing all this reading and thinking, i am ravenously scarfing down a big piece of chocolate cake! don’t judge, it was my first day back in school. a girl needs cake at times like this.
but seriously, good post!
You will look beautiful. Nothing beats that bridal glow!
One thing that made me kind of upset was when I signed up for my gym and they gave me a questionairre. The asked, “Why are you interested in working out?”
The options were all about 1) wedding 2) diet 3) building up muscles.
I was like, “Where is the option for looking and feeling my best?” I was really mad, so I wrote in my reason… When I handed it in, the person said, “Oh, well it looks like you are engaged, so I’ll just check wedding”.
Grr…. Sure it was partially for the wedding, but it was all for looking and feeling my best for me and my partner!
I love this post!! Thanks for sharing- You will be so beautiful that day!!
@ Mrs DG: they actually have “wedding” as one of the main reasons (and the first one at that!) on their questionairre? I mean, I know a lot of people lose weight for their wedding and all, but are there really THAT many people who join a gym SOLELY for the wedding and don’t stay or want to work out and look healthy otherwise? Wow.
Great post Sprinkle. I feel you. I picked up my dress this weekend and was reminded of the fact that I need to lose some more weight. Me being a much bigger girl than you, I get these types of comments all the time. I dreaded even having to attempt to find a dress. Luckily someone pointed me to a great shop where they treat you wonderfully. But in the past I have gotten my fair share of weight comments from seamstresses. It’s hard not to take it personally and get down on yourself. Good for you for having the right attitude. I’m sure your dress will look amazing on you!
I am reading more and more posts relating to weight issues and these seamstress/dress shop people asking brides how much weight they will be losing? Are you kidding me? How incredibly freaking rude! I was lucky enough to have had a wonderful sales person where I bought my dress who never uttered anything close to these words. And I actually ordered my dress a size bigger, just to be on the safe side. Your wedding day is an important day, but it is just one day and I do not see the point in the extreme dieting and all the other appearance altering things ladies go through for one day. Your FH loves you no matter what, so I say be as you are. Comfortable and loved.
First of all BIG HUGS for having to deal with such a RUDE, CRUEL person. Yes, I am definitely feeling the pressure totally from myself. I hate my arms, and belly, and I am desperate to get rid of the flab in the next 9 months! Just not desperate enough to really do anything about it yet (or consistently), so mostly I wallow in fear and despair. Hopefully things will change, but like you said the Mr. will love and tell me I am beautiful whether I lose or gain ten pounds (oh please God NO)!
Best wishes, great post- very important subject.
Excellent post, thank you…it’s so easy to get caught up in the workout frenzy. I need to remember to separate “looking my best” and “going crazy with diets”
You know, this is a really great post. I hate that people just ASSUME that women are not already happy with their bodies when they try on dresses… or just in general. When I got my dress they also asked me “How much weight are you planning to lose?”
I was appalled!! I am 5′8″ and 132lbs. What the heck do they think I should look like?? I had the same reaction, breifly, as you. Then I told them that since they were making me order a size too big, I’d just pack on some pounds… they were NOT amused.
But when I find my mind starting to wander to “Should I be dieting/exercising more?” or when I look in the mirror and think “My arms are too big” or “My stomach is too flabby!” I remember that my fiance, who I love more than anything else in the world, proposed to ME. THIS body. He loves how I look, and tells me so on a more-than-daily basis.
He is the only person who I want to look at me and think “sexy,” He already does, so why would I change?? I don’t think he would want to be holding and kissing a bag of stressed-out, gaunt-looking bones on his wedding day.
Thanks for the post, I hope it can put some perspective for the girls out there stressing themselves out over body image. You all have men who LOVE your body the way it is now =D
A few words that my friend linked me to on another blog, on the subject of feeling pressure toward “perfection” in our body image: http://www.joethepeacock.com/2009/08/hey-ladies-let-me-fill-you-in-on-secret.php
SUCH a great post. I gained about 10 pounds right before my wedding (well, over a few months before my wedding) and I let it get to me a few times. Sure, I look at the photos, and wish I could have been a few pounds thinner, but who cares!?! The look on my face (and my groom’s face!) is all that matters. The day was perfect, despite what the scale said!
I’m so sorry that your seamstress was so rude. That’s terrible. They should be making brides feel better about themselves, not the opposite. This wedding is about the love you and Mr. S share, not about what magazines, tv shows, etc tell us we need to look like. I became so tired and stressed before our wedding that I was eating malt balls by the tub Seriously. Don’t let it get to you. You’re going to make a beautiful Bride
I’m so glad you posted this. There is so much misinformation about there about this topic. We need more voices of reason like yours!
GREAT post, Miss Sprinkle. Thanks for taking the leap and sharing all of that with the hive…that took a lot of self-confidence and courage. I think that it’s not JUST in the bridal industry, but it does tend to be cattier to brides, and it’s awful that strangers can wreck your sense of self-worth.
We’re here for you, and we know that you’ll be beautiful on your big day…no matter what some silly seamstress seems to think!
Thanks for this post, Miss Sprinkle! A few weeks ago I was at a seminar where they had doughnuts on the table, and I reached over to eat one when a fellow grad student fake-slapped my wrist, then tsked tsked and said “What about the wedding?!”. I was like - uh, a) wow that is none of your business, b) I’m getting married in May of 2010! I think one doughnut will be fine. But for the next few days I fell in the trap like you did! Thanks for reminding me how to pull myself out of it!
for whatever its worth, this post actually made me feel calmer and less stressed about wedding day appearance. you’re 100% right.
Holla! Excellent post! I can’t believe how rude some people can be. If you feel confident, you look good. It’s not about size or proportion!
That was a FABULOUS post and I’m so glad you wrote it. Thanks for sharing that, I know it’s hard - but it was something I definitely needed to be reminded of!
I love this post. I was just recently thinking about the pressure for me to lose weight, and you got me thinking more positivley! Thank you!
Thanks for this post Miss Sprinkle! I think so many people feel the same way and have the same doubts — I know I did! It’s so refreshing to hear about it in such a real way here on Weddingbee. I’ve always struggled with my weight, so I worked out a ton and tried to not eat any “bad food” before the wedding so I could lose weight before the wedding. A week before the wedding I thought I was going to crazy if I didn’t have a sandwich. With real, crusty bread. And real full fat cheese. So I did, and I didn’t give a damn if that meant I wouldn’t be a bridal magazine’s version of “wedding perfect.” My wedding was perfect to me, anyway.
First of all, I am so sorry that you had this experience. What is worse is that you quite possibly have a better diet and exercise regimen than the person insulting you. Having just had a bad experience regarding the same thing but on the finding the dress side, it is disheartening to know the comments could continue through the end. Believe you will look good, Mr. S-along with everyone else who loves you- will think you look good, and those are the people who matter, not the rude seamstress.
AMEN!! I’m so tired of comments from people about a wedding diet. Yes I’m eating an oreo, and yes I’m still planning on wearing a white dress in a few months. Leave me alone!!
What a great post. It always makes me sad when brides have all this pressure to lose weight before their wedding. We should be taking care of our bodies and exercising/eating well in order to be healthy and happy–not too look a certain way in a photograph. I know I lost weight leading up to the wedding, but was motivated by totally different reasons.
This is one of the best posts on bee. and I cannot wait to see your obviously beautiful wedding pics (diet or no diet) <—I’m hoping no
thanks for sharing that Miss Sprinkle! I had actually been thinking that you sound like you have a really healthy diet, it’s an inspiration for me to eat more local fruits and veggies. you’re going to look great on your day and after since you won’t gain all the weight back plus more from a crash diet!
Thanks so much for this post. I was feeling the EXACT same way (down to the ‘I’m not being a good bride by losing weight’ thought). But after some loving input from my honey I realized that it really doesn’t matter if I weigh 5 pounds less and I need to focus on feeling good about myself! Cause when you feel beautiful (at any weight), it shows.
thanks for the inspiration! our wedding isnt until june and my fiance is already sick of my “we have a wedding dress” diet. i need to let go a bit… cant wait to see your pictures!
I think you will be stunning in your dress. And frankly, gaining weight in your hips and thighs is much healthier than gaining it your belly (my body’s place of choice.) Could I be doing more to get down to my adult thinnest (135 two years ago). Yep. Have I been? Nope. I could stand to firm up, but I’m not displeased with my body at 155-160, I have a dress that I FEEL great in, whether or not there is some belly joining the party.
Here’s hoping you don’t recommend that seamstress to anyone else. Also, and while I wouldn’t call you or me fat, this was an uplifting read and could be helpful for some brides earlier in the process: http://offbeatbride.com/2009/08/a-fat-bride-survival-guide
The walking diet???? That’s completely out of line. I hope you didn’t hesitate to share with us, because your attitude and honesty at arriving at that conclusion is just what we need to hear.
You are gorgeous and I’m so sorry you had to deal with such a rude person. I’m feeling the same pressure. I really want to work out/exercise/etc. but I have so many projects/wedding related stuff I need to take care of I don’t feel like I have enough time for everything.
Thanks for your candor, and this excellent post… the seamstress needs to be reminded of what’s important… perhaps a review on Yelp or similar??? YIKES
That lady was rude and it was totally none of her business. What’s important is that you feel great about yourself, body and mind. Heck if you’re already eating healthy and doing a bit of exercise you don’t need to lose weight. You’re beautiful the way you are!
not to be rude, but i was thinking that you can’t get any more healthier than your present diet! i mean, really! but i’m glad you stuck to your guns and decided to move forward. i never really understood the feverish need to be in the best shape for one day [unless people are making it the carrot for a lifestyle change]. i love your attitude and perspective. thank you for sharing this with us!
Love this post! I too am getting married in 10 days, and I started an exercise regimen to lose weight for the wedding, but you know what? I haven’t lost a pound. But, I don’t huff & puff up the hill anymore and I have some nice muscles developing in my arms and core, and I feel better, and that is way more important to me. Way to go in being yourself and loving yourself!
Boo to her! She was way out of line. Thank you for writing this post - I don’t think we discuss these kind of issues enough on wedding blogs. This is why I’m dreading dress shopping!
Great post. It’s so true- it’s really easy to listen to that crap, and take it to heart, when it has more to say about how small the other person is, than how big you could possibly be! I’m definitely not as fit as I’d like to be, and I could stand to lose some weight. But I know that this isn’t the time for me to be focusing on that. Focusing on getting my butt to work out at least a little, more than a few times a week? Sure. But right before this major life event, surely we all have more important things to worry about than somebody else’s perception of our thighs, or breasts, or anything else. A bride is by definition beautiful. It’s the joy that makes us that way- not starving ourselves.
@mskalinin: What a great perspective!
And Miss Sprinkle, you’re right… the Mr. will think you look GORGEOUS. Because you are!!! Thank you for such an affirming post.
When I tried my dress on, it zipped up just fine. I felt good. Then the guy said “Gee, most brides lose weight before their weddings.” WTF? It fit! Like it was supposed to! I can only imagine what he would have said if it was slightly tight.
BTW - 28″ waist, 42″ hips = awesomely hour-glass!
Thank you for this post! My weight/size would be the one thing that I worry about when going to try on wedding dresses. But I know that my FI loves me for me, and I shouldn’t have to lose 20 pounds to look good on the wedding day.
Oh my gosh THANK YOU for this post. I too had crazy erratic thoughts when I had to face the reality that no, I would not be losing 30 pounds for my wedding. I really really struggle with accepting my body and being happy with my health. I totally get into these short-term freak-outs and have to calm myself back down. My advice is, before your wedding, during, and after, to remember what is really important to you in your life. Everyone’s priorities will be different, but I bet the most important things to most people include their spouse, their family, their friends, their faith, their work. Is 5 pounds really on that list? No! Work on being healthy and truly happy — life is too short to beat yourself up over your weight.
And you are GORGEOUS! by the way.
Thank you for this. When I ordered my dress, the salesperson suggested I shouldn’t go more than two sizes smaller than my current measurements. I told her that if I look and feel this great in the sample that won’t zip up, losing 10 pounds isn’t going to make me feel any better. Instead of stressing out over my weight, I’ve maintained and look great in my dress… I can’t wait to wear it for real!
Thank you for this! I would have cried or kicked that woman!
PS - I have the same measurements almost EXACTLY!
So incredibly rude! Can you imagine why in the world she’d think it was ok to comment about your weight? Hello, tacky! I am imagining a 28 inch waist (I haven’t seen mine in over a year!) and those curvy hips and thinking VA VA VOOM! I’m sure your figure is heavenly. Rude rude woman.
For fear of actually sounding tacky myself…please forgive me…but i’ve heard there are certain wraps you can get that shrink you a couple of inches all over…you can get it done a few days before the wedding and your dress probably will fit just fine. Water weight and all but…just a thought…that I was thinking for myself 
Thank you for this post! I’m sure you’ll look amazing on your wedding day! I’ve told my friends the whole time I’d rather buy some Spanx than freak out about looking perfect for the wedding.
I think I put the pressure on myself. As a formerly very skinny person, I had been struggling with my weight since my late 20’s, and with so much to do before the wedding I went off of my exercise routine completely. (I was already about 10-15 pounds overweight when I was working out.) So I subsequently gained 20 pounds before the wedding & was heavier than I wanted to be. But hey, everyone still thought I looked beautiful (including me and most importantly, my husband). Great post, & screw that seamstress–where are people’s filter these days? I am so sick of not speaking up myself.
I was so afraid of comments like this that I’ve opted to have my wedding dress made by someone who appreciates working with curvy women. We’re going to have several fittings over the next two months so that if I happen to lose weight, great. If not, great. Thanks for the great post!
Good for you, Miss Sprinkle! If you and your FH think you look gorgeous on your wedding day, isn’t that all that really matters?
Very good post, Miss Sprinkle! I had a very bad experience at the seamstress as well. He insulted my dress, and I spent days feeling bad about myself, questioning myself, etc. Don’t let it get you down. The wedding industry can be very tough on brides. Hang in there! I hope you feel beautiful and radiant on your wedding day.
I’m so happy that you wrote this. I’ve had some similar issues with the woman who owns the dress shop where I bought mine. She also does all of the alterations. When I bought my dress off the rack, it fit me like a glove - albeit, a slightly snug glove. When I went in for my first fitting, I had gained, oh, maybe three or four pounds, and the dress would no longer zip. She spent the entire fitting talking to me about how I need to stay away from icecream (and I’m like you - I eat pretty well on a day-today basis), and the whole time, it was in a very condescending, belittling tone. I kind of laughed it off at first, but after a few days, it really got to me. I’ve decided to rejoice in the fact that I haven’t tried to lose any weight for our wedding - sure, I’m heavier than my normal weight, but my FI and I have been able to spend the last eleven months never hesitating to go out for a celebratory dinner or drinks.
I’m sure you will look absolutely beautiful on your wedding day, and good for you for seeing past what that insensitive woman said!
I also had a similar experience and I am so glad you posted about the pressure to be so thin on wedding day. Every bride feels it! Your going to look stunning and your day is going to be so awesome. Please please do not let the seamstress get you down! I read the post on what you eat and I really admire your diet, you are so disciplined!!
Just look like you and love it. Ignore the seamstress and enjoy yourself.
I am sure that you will look beautiful. I read what you eat and you can’t cut anything out! I eat pretty similarly and I struggle to keep the weight off as well.
I have a favor to ask. I am in love with your venue and I have always wanted to get married there. I am not engaged, yet, but I was wondering how much the venue cost. I have searched the internet up and down and I can’t seem to find a price. My email is jackson.emerson@gmail.com if you feel comfortable emailing me the cost of the venue.
Thanks!!
Word!
It really sucks that you felt fine about your body until the seamstress made you feel otherwise. Ick. All that stuff about needing to lose weight before your wedding is a bunch of crap.
This is not wedding related, but I still remember being in a ballet production when I was eleven years old and having my teacher tell me I had to go on a diet in order to not grow out of the costume. She even told me what foods to eat. Talk about bad memories!
First of all I know what you mean! I have a 29 inch waist and about 41 inch hips…pear shape all the way. And I too exercise, run 3 miles a day and eat right and lose my barely B Cup breasts and gain more thighs and butt!
That being said I respect your journey and acceptance that you may not loose 10lbs by your wedding but do not care! I have not gone diet crazy for my wedding because this is my “weight” it has not changed give or take 5 lbs since I was 13 years old and I accept it for what it is. Just do what makes you happy and know you will be GORGEOUS no matter what:)
A good seamstress can make a dress fit anyone perfectly and be discreet about any imperfections she comes upon!. Hold your head up high and marry Mr. Sprinkle with confidence. He loves you and so should you!
Great post!! So glad that someone finally addressed this topic! First of all, that seamstress is a total bitch. I’m sorry that she made you feel like that, even temporarily. I personally think that more brides should want to look like themselves on their wedding day, instead of starving and dieting into oblivion! You’re going to look gorgeous in your dress!
I admit, the wedding dress has encouraged me to think about my body more and getting in shape. Partly because I bought an off the rack gown that was a bit tighter than I wanted so I needed to lose a couple of pounds for it to be comfortable. But, I’m one year away and have recently started increasing my activity level and monitoring what I eat. At this point, it is not about the wedding because if I wanted to lose the pounds for just the wedding, I would wait until a month before and crash diet them away. I am trying to make a sustainable difference in my life because it is time to lose the bad eating habits I picked up in college and recapture my athletic self. Hopefully I will be able to make life changes that the wedding dress will benefit from. Like DG said, I want to look and feel my best. Luckily I have not had to deal with any seamstresses but my grandfather made a comment that he saw a old photo and thought I looked fat - not what I wanted to hear.
Sprinkle, thanks for your honesty! They make Spanx for a reason - half the United States needs them, not just you and I Believe your man when he tells you that you are the most beautiful woman he has ever seen, he means it. For a long time I used to laugh off this comment, until I realized I was hurting him as much as I was hurting myself.
You ARE beautiful, perfect, amazing, and a great blogger - no matter what any stupid seamstress says!
From a guy’s perspective, the concept of “perfect” is a bunch of ridiculous. Especially when it comes to things like weight and being ‘model gorgeous’. I think it is sick that someone would ask “how much weight are you going to lose before your wedding?”. If someone asked me that, I’d ask them how much THEY plan on losing before my wedding. I’m happy with where I am, thank you. And I am extremely happy with my bride-to-be, thank you. I only hope she doesn’t have to go through that…
At the end of the day, regardless if ‘perfection’ refers to looks, weight, the dress, the ceremony, the food, the decoration, the entertainment, whatever… you just have to ask yourself “Did we have a good time? Did our family and friends have a good time? Did we enjoy our company and create a memorable experience?” If the answer is yes, then the day (and everyone involved) was perfect.
Seriously, alls you’ll need is the bridal glow. The mister will think you look amazing, and everyone will tell you how awesome you look, not that you should have watched your weight. F that seamstress. I’m not losing any weight for my wedding, but I do want to tone some. The wedding is less than 2 months away, maybe I should start now…
Thanks for the post. I am an overweight bride myself and through my entire engagement, I told myself I was going to lose weight, and every time I tried, I would end up gaining. I am now a month out from the bug day, and really struggling with accepting “defeat,” a.k.a. that I will be overweight on my wedding day…nevermind that I have been overweight for 99% of my life, and that 1% when I wasn’t took WAY more work than I have time for right now…
I just keep beating myself up over the fact that if I had just tried to maintain these last 12 months rather than trying to lose weight, I would probably still be at the weight I was when I got engaged, and my dress would probably still fit!
“For a long time I used to laugh off this comment, until I realized I was hurting him as much as I was hurting myself.”
What an awesome perspective. I never thought of it this way, but I know when the mister tells me I am beautiful, I always disagree with him. Maybe I shouls start listening to him.
Thank you! I was talking to my MOH the other day about the same thing. I can spend my time planning a wedding or I can spend all my time working out — I can’t do both, and it’s made me feel bad about myself. I had this idea that 6 months prior to the wedding I was going to start a crazy diet/workout plan to look “perfect” for the wedding. Knowing myself, I cut it back to 3-4 months before the wedding because I was afraid I would burn out with 2 months left to go. Well, here I am, 17 days before the wedding and I haven’t worked out more than a handful of times since becoming engaged. And dieting? Ha, forget about it!
Why is it that we feel the need to look perfect on our wedding days? We’re going to be surrounded by the people who love us most, regardless of what we look like. If only we could be so forgiving of ourselves.
Good luck, not with getting in shape, but in feeling beautiful exactly as you are — as Mindy Weiss (wedding planner extraordinaire) says: Every bride is a beautiful bride.
Thanks for a great post! I have always found it so bizarre that everyone assumes you must start trying to lose weight immediately once you begin planning a wedding. My wedding is in just a few days and more than once in the past week, the first reaction from people (who barely know me, I might add) upon hearing that it’s coming up has been to look me up and down and say “oh, well, you look great!” Thanks, but I haven’t actually been doing anything differently, and I look just like I did two months ago. My weight has nothing to do with my wedding!
It’s so funny that I was just looking through pictures of myself in my dress judgmentally and disappointedly right before I read your post. Unfortunately, the only way I can get myself on the treadmill is by eating cake or something like that first. Great motivator but I won’t lose any weight with this creative method. And as much as I should lose some flab, I kind of in a way don’t want to because it’s a good feeling to be loved just the way I am, and I’m reveling in it. If my seamstress implies I need to lose weight, I hope I have the balls to just leave. Strangers have no right making such personal comments to people. And btw, your measurements are amazing, vavavavoom! Work it for the photographer, lady!
I feel the same way! I am normally a pretty confidant person but since getting engaged the pressure of always looking amazing is getting to me. For me it has been all the picture taking. I am not very photogenic so I find myself stressing over my skin, eyebrows, hair, makeup, etc All things I normally don’t really think about. I had my bridal portraits a few weeks ago and I hated them. It made me want a new dress, new makeup, new hair style, etc etc because I didn’t want to look terrible/embarrasing on my wedding day. I tried to explain this to my fiance but he can’t sympathize really. Its nice to know that I am not the only one who feels this way.
This is a really fabulous post Miss Sprinkle! That makes me angry that people would make comments about your wedding figure. I hate that everyone automatically assumes that every girl will just go on a diet and lose tons of weight before the wedding. The consultants at my bridal salon were like, “well generally you’ll lose at least 5 lbs before the big day, so we take that into consideration.” Hmmm well, probably not me!!!
Uck. I’m so so sorry! What a horrible woman. This post is brutally honest, I can completely relate - I’ve gone into panic mode surrounding big events where I think… I should have worked out every day! I should have eaten less (I already don’t eat a ton…) etcetera, all so that I can look how I think I should. I contemplate unhealthy and stupid diets, and then I feel ashamed.
A friend of mine passed away from anorexia, and I really ought to know better. I try to remind myself to be good, but every once and a while I fall into the same thought process you’ve gone through here. But you are gorgeous, and I’m sure you will feel gorgeous on your wedding day!
Thank you so much for sharing. <3
Your honesty is wonderful. Thanks for sharing this post… I think getting married puts so much stress on a bride it’s a miracle we don’t all gain 100lbs! I cannot believe that the seamstress would be so rude! Don’t worry– you WILL look perfect on your day! Don’t get down on yourself
Ugh, that seamstress was such a b*tch. Although, she’s probably just as much a victim of the wedding industry as we brides. *HUG* I’m sure you’ll look perfect, stunning, beautious — all the awesome words that will pop into Mr. Sprinkle’s mind when he sees you. =)
I’ve been reading your blog just now from the first entry. I’ve enjoyed every post, I love your writing, your honesty, your style, your love. I love this one especially. Mr. S is right, you are wonderful exactly how you are.
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Mrs. Sprinkle, Los Angeles
Age and Occupation: 26, Preschool Teacher
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Television Production/Writer
Engagement Date: December 24, 2008
Wedding Date: September 2009
Venue: The Marvimon House
About Me: I'm a Bay Area native trying to create a life for myself (and my fiance, and our three cats!) in the vast city of Los Angeles. I love vegan red velvet cupcakes, pilates ,and mid-century furniture. Mr. Sprinkle and I met when my band toured through his city (we bonded over cake and a mutual love of Morrissey) and we are getting married on the four year anniversary of our first date. When I am not teaching preschool (or blogging!) you can find me perfecting recipes, petting kittens, hiking in Griffith Park, and overusing exclamation points. We are planning a vegan, green-as-possible, DIY wedding, and I couldn't be more excited to share all of the details!
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