The Truth About Wedding Gown Sizes

by Lisa Beth Miller

Ok…so you have finally found your dream wedding gown. Your sales consultant at the bridal boutique is all ready to measure you and order the fabulous frock you have selected. You are expertly measured and ready to order.

Everything seems to be going smoothly until she whips out the designer’s size chart and informs you which size should be ordered. Many brides are shocked to learn that the wedding gown size recommended is a bit larger than the size they would normally purchase when shopping at the mall. This humbling experience is very commonplace. As your official wedding diva, I am going to give you the real scoop on this scenario.

Bridal designers are not using the same “vanity” size charts as your favorite department store and mall shop designers! Wedding gown designers are traditionalists in the world of sizing. They do NOT update their size charts every few months in order to make customers feel more slender.

Your bridal consultant most likely recorded your height and your bust, waist, and hip measurements. In most cases, your wedding gown will need to be ordered in the size that accommodates your largest measurement.

So, for example, if you are slightly pear-shaped, your hip measurement will place you in a larger size than your bust and waist measurements would. You should order that larger size, knowing that you will need to have a seamstress alter the bust and waist areas. This technique will allow you to have the most customized, appropriate fit.

Although you may be bothered by ordering your gown in a larger size than you normally wear, do not size down! If you lose weight, a seamstress can easily alter the dress to be a smaller size. No bride needs the stress of her dress being too tight just because she decided to order a smaller size.

You also need to realize that alterations to make a garment larger are much more expensive than adjustments to make it smaller.

My final wedding diva tip on sizing: if you have to order your dream wedding gown in a size that does not excite you, just cut the size tag out of the dress. Nobody will know and you will still look fabulous!