Wedding Dress Shopping

First of all, congratulations!!!

As a former bridal stylist I say it is actually better to look now, because if you wait, you will have to find a dress sample, and it is close to impossible to order a dress even if you can pay ridiculously high rush fees. Furthermore, the brides that I had that were mothers really struggled to try on dresses while taking care of a baby that was under a year old.

Taking care of your newborn is the time be be most gentle with yourself, and not worry about dress shopping or having the "snap back" body.

Note: Bridal dress sizes are like swimsuits, and most brides fit into a size 2-3 sizes larger than their street size.

These are the dress styles that are most accommodating to a body that has, or will change proportions:

A) Empire (straps, or one strap like a Greek, one shoulder dress)
B) A line

C) A-line ball gown (more poofy than the A-line)
D) Fit and flare. The Fit and flare hits at the hips instead of the knees (mermaid).

Once you find your dress, order it in the largest size that you can from either your current size, or one to two sizes larger than your current size. The reason for this is that with 98% of bridal gowns, you can taper in, but not taper out in size.

Consider a dress that will have a corset (A-lines or Fit and Flares) instead of a zipper. Corsets are more forgiving in terms of adjusting to your body.

Note: Dresses that are made of satin and taffeta work best with corsets because if you pull too hard on other materials, there is a good chance that the dress will tear because other fabrics are not as resilient or meant to be pulled on.


This last point is purely your call, in terms of dress selection: Intricate and/or lace detailing will be more expensive to alter. The reason for this is due to the delicate fabric, and also because during alterations, some of the lace detailing will have to be sewn by hand in places where the dress was cut, sewn, and adjusted.


During your appointment, talk to your stylist about alterations because you don't know where you are going to land in terms of proportions. You may (and this is a good idea) want to have some additional fabric sewn into the breast area if you are lactating to prevent breast milk stains from seeping through should they happen.

It is worth noting, and asking that some designers like Maggie Sottero have dresses that are "quick ship" meaning that if, and I mean IF you need a dress and something happened, the dress model is popular and the designer usually has multiple on hand can be sent to a client.