Weddingbee Blog

THINGS. ARE. HAPPENING.

I don’t know how it happened, but the Panther wedding is now 11 weeks away and, uh, I’m not ready. I have so much more to do! Last weekend, I finally squeezed in my first dress fitting. It was…uneventful. In fact, it was scary how easy it was. It makes me nervous when things are too easy.

Because I got a custom hem and because I’m a “perfect size six” in the bust and waist (I’m quite a bit bigger in the hips, but since my dress is a ball gown, it doesn’t matter! Muahaha!), my dress really doesn’t need any actual fitting. But there were still two things I was pretty worried about: my boobs.

See, when I tried on the sample gown at the shop (which was a size eight), it was pretty loose and, consequently, there was plenty of room for me to wear my push-uppiest push-up bra. The boobs were happy about that. See?:

Sometimes I feel like maybe I should have ordered the size eight, but the woman in the store said that the dress has to be tight in order to stay up. This makes sense, but unfortunately, when I tried on my size six dress at the bridal shop back in December, I found that there wouldn’t be room for a really push-uppy push-up bra anymore. It didn’t help that I had also gained 10 pounds (seriously) since the last time I tried on the dress. Look how squished I got! I couldn’t even breathe!

Please ignore the goofy face I’m making and the weird thing I’m doing with my hands.

Anyway, the woman said I should just go bra-less. I disagreed, but gave it a shot.

Sad boobs! I know it’s not like they’re drooping by my knees or anything, but I had no cleavage whatsoever, and that was a major bummer after how perky the gals had looked in the sample dress.

So, I vowed to find something in between my push-uppiest push-up bra and no bra at all. Lots of people suggested I have cups put in my dress, but I just couldn’t wrap my brain around not wearing a separate bra. I just couldn’t do it! Call me crazy, but that’s just how I felt.

After much deliberation, I purchased one of these suckers in white:

Power Figure Shaping Slip by Victoria’s Secret

Do not be fooled by how sexy this thing looks on the model. It is a TORTURE DEVICE. It’s all right once it’s on, but MAN. Getting it on requires some serious dexterity and effort. I actually pulled a muscle in my shoulder! I think I temporarily had to remove my arms from their sockets. Whew.

I never got around to trying the torture device on with my dress at home, so my fitting was the first attempt. And luckily, it worked!

Thanks for taking iPhone pics, bridesmaid Jess!

I know it still looks pretty squished up in there, but it’s really not so bad. My diet and workout plan have REALLY been on hold lately, but I still plan to lose some weight (or at the very least, tighten up) before the wedding, so I should gain a bit of extra space. I’m still around eight pounds heavier than I was when I ordered the dress. Eight pounds can really make a difference when you’re only 5’4″ with a small-ish frame. Sigh.

But anyway, I wasn’t just at the fitting to try on my torture device. When I stepped out of the dressing room, the alterations lady said, “That dress fits like a glove! Why are you here?”

For a bustle, of course! Duhhh, alterations lady. She immediately showed me my options.

Traditional bustle:

(Yes, I realize that my dress looks too tight from the back, too. I’m working on it! Geez!)

Another angle of the traditional bustle, Hipstamatic-style:

Or French bustle:

I thought the traditional bustle was the obvious choice, and bridesmaid Jess and the alterations lady agreed (I really wish I could tell you the alterations lady’s name, but she never told it to me! This fitting went QUICK). The woman at the counter told me I could come back for my dress at the end of May, gave me an invoice for $35, and that was it. $35 for wedding gown alterations?! I’m pretty sure that’s not what was on the “suggested budget” list, but I’m not complaining.

So, uh, that’s it for my fittings? Yeah, I don’t get another one-I just get to come in, make sure the bustle is right and move on with my life. Like I said-scary-easy.

Anyone else surprised by how easy your alterations were? Anyone else gain 10 pounds after ordering your dress? Anyone want to tell me how to stop eating an entire bag of sea salt and vinegar Pop Chips every day? They’re SO DELICIOUS.