Weddingbee Blog

…You alter yourself to fit Vera!”

I may not have worn a Vera Wang, but I ended up using the no alterations approach (other than the bustle hooks done by a family friend). You see, I was determined to get toned before the wedding. When my dress first came in, it was about 3 sizes smaller than I had ordered. So after some tears and convincing the sales associate that I had in fact not gained 100 pounds (an awful experience for another day), it was sent back, and luckily it was enough time to get the correct size ordered. Then when I went to pick up the new one, it was still smaller than the size I had ordered. But, this time it at least zipped up. That being said…it didn’t look pretty. There were buttons up the back and we couldn’t button any.

That same exact morning, I had my first appointment with my trainer. It was June 1st, almost exactly four months until the wedding. I had a decision to make…when to alter? I wanted to use the dress as my motivation to get toned, so I didn’t want to have it taken out, hoping that I’d eventually have to take it back in. I decided to hold off on alterations.

How did the toning go?

Well…

It went pretty well. My trainer was very motivating and I could see results along the way, but I was afraid to see if they were enough to fit in the dress properly. I waited until about 4 or 5 weeks before the wedding. It still didn’t fit. Again, it zipped, but I couldn’t button the back.

I called a couple seamstresses, but I pretty much got laughed at for waiting too long. Like, haha you silly bride, what were you thinking? They were booked solid. So I figured I’d have to follow the Vera approach and really work on specific areas to get into the dress.

I got more motivated. I upped my workouts from two classes per week to three. I was doing great. Again, I was scared to try on the dress. The weekend before the wedding, Sister Starfish and Starfish Mom made me try it on. It was close. I was three buttons away from the dress fitting perfectly.

That last week pre-wedding was bridal boot camp. I drank about 3 cups of green tea every day, as Sister Starfish swears this helps with weight loss. Starfish Mom took my diet into her own hands and made me pre-made meals for the last week and stocked up my fridge (Thanks Mom!). They were super high in protein and had barely any carbs. I had a lot of omelets and chicken.

The last week was super stressful. Knowing I may not fit into my dress wasn’t a good feeling. Starfish Mom recently told me she didn’t get any sleep that week. The day of the wedding was even more stressful. The photographer and videographer wanted to come in for the getting ready shot, but I wouldn’t let anyone in until we knew the buttons would actually button up. Me, Starfish Mom, and Sister Starfish kept our fingers crossed, and…

Every button buttoned up! It was a miracle! Starfish Mom let out a sigh of relief. She had been stressing all week.

I realize how ridiculous this was and realized this as soon as I called seamstresses at the 4 or 5 week mark. I don’t recommend this approach to anyone. Lesson learned—call a seamstress far in advance! And do periodic checks to make sure your dress fits so you aren’t scrambling and stressed the week before your wedding.

Did you have any stress related to your wedding dress?

Photo by the incredible David Bibeault of DB Photography