Help me prep for wedding dress shopping and depressing sizes!

So exciting!! I only went to one wedding dress shop and so don’t know if they are all the same but the place I went to, all the dresses were in the size they had in store (only one of each dress). If a dress was too big, they had pins to hold it in. If too small, I think they just don’t do it up but I’m a size 10 and none were too small! It’s not like normal dress shopping as you don’t (usually) buy the one you try on - they order one in your size! So you don’t look at size - I bought mine (ex display) and I don’t even know what size it is! I had to choose then and there because it was ex display but usually there is no pressure to decide on the day.
Wear normal underwear - a lot of dresses have inbuilt bras/you’ll need to get special undies but for trying on, I don’t think you need anything special. And, in terms of who to take with you,
I’d say the honest 3 of the 5!Good luck - and enjoy it! X

Agree with the above - I have absolutely no idea what size my wedding dress is. I never looked and it was never discussed. I expect most of the sizes in the shop will be a little big on you as they don't tend to have samples that are tiny as very few people are small these days and they need to be accessible.
I suggest taking fewer people is better - choosing your dress should not be a democracy and too many opinions will just confuse you. I chose my parents (yes, dad too - he has a good eye) because I didn't want a bunch of giddy girls to get all excited and flatter me, I wanted someone to tell me that the bit of back fat (or whatever) I can't see is poking out so whatever the shop assistant says, it is NOT flattering!

I also only went to one shop and sizing was not really discussed. She asked me what size I normally wear (12) then brought out the samples and got me to try them on. She didn’t mention any sizes but I noticed the label on one and it was a size 18! That one fitted me quite well but I didn’t like the style. The one I ended up choosing was too small and didn’t even do up at the back so I can’t wait to see it actually in my size!
Don’t get hung up on the sizing as the dress will be made to measure and no one is a standard size 12!
We had such a lovely time at the dress shop. I took my mum, sister and my two daughters and it was a special day.

Also i just wore normal underwear but I did wear a strapless bra. I don’t think I will need one in the actual dress but you can hardly go topless when trying on 😂
I had a very specific idea of what I wanted so we only went to one shop that did tea length dresses and I came away having ordered the one I had seen online. There was no pressure to buy then. We put a deposit down and then we wait for the call to have a fitting! Exciting

Definitely don’t get hung up on the sizes, they can be strange. An experienced fitter knows how to pin it so you can see how it looks on you regardless of whether it’s too big or too small. I had a fantastic experience with the shop I ended up buying mine from as the fitter was really able to pin the dresses (which were too small) so I could really appreciate how they look on me. I had a terrible experience with another shop where the girl either didn’t know or didn’t care, and so the dresses (also too small)

Oops - posted too soon! The other shop the too small dress weren’t pinned properly and so I couldn’t judge how they looked on me, and it left a sour taste from a customer service pov, no chance I was going to buy from that shop. Their loss.


Wear white/skin coloured underwear. Bring one or two people whose opinions you trust and you know will be honest with you. Try on a range of things, not just the ones you think you like - you might be surprised. In my experience the sample sizes were generally small and wedding dresses seem to get labelled bigger than normal clothes (who knows why - but I suspect it’s because many charge extra for size 16+ so if you can make a 12/14 a 16 then you get to charge more people more. Sigh). But as mentioned, don’t get hung up on the numbers, just try on the dress and concentrate on how it makes you feel.Also think about how you’ll move/pee in them as well!

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Oooh this is so interesting! I hadn't realised that's how it worked at all! Thank you, this is all so helpful to know in advance

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That's great to know! I think I'd prefer to never know the size and just have it fit me!

Aww I'm actually erring on taking my Dad only now! He's by far my favourite person to go dress shopping with because he's really good at knowing what looks right on my shape and has picked out most of my favourite clothes, sales assistants are constantly surprised by him! Maybe I'll invite the bridesmaids to a fitting after as a fun day out once I've picked the dress... I'm completely with you, I don't want anyone to say what I want to hear and then get a shock when I look at the photos!

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Oh wow, that's so interesting to hear - thank you for sharing! It's reassuring to know I'll likely pick the dress when it doesn't actually fit, before hearing this I think I could have been swayed into picking whichever happened to be closest to my size!

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Very exciting! Good call on the strapless bra - I wasn't sure if you wound up topless or not haha

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That's really good to know that the fitter makes a huge difference - hopefully my boutique is on it (they've one some awards so fingers crossed).

Such a good point about peeing haha! I'm after something fairly floaty anyway as we're having a beach wedding so I'll be clambering down some stairs to get on the sand and possibly paddling in the sea a bit!

View quoted message Yes it’s so important, for me anyway haha! The one I loved online had a sort of mermaid/fishtail shape, and when I tried it on store I sat down in it (ok) but then thought, hang on, this thing won’t go up over my thighs, how am I going to pee?! I don’t plan to have a she wee on hand on my wedding day, so that dress was straight out, and I have ended up going with something more floaty too! 😅
Sounds like a gorgeous set up for a wedding, you should have great fun trying on dresses ☺️ And actually, bearing the venue in mind is a good piece of advice too - this was one my fitter got me to think about, as venue will have an impact too. So when I described our venue to her (very old and historic, uneven floors and narrow passages) her first response was “ok, so let’s be honest, massive princess dresses are probably out”. That was fine as it wasn’t the look I wanted, but if she hadn’t said it I wouldn’t have thought to take the logistics of the venue into account!

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That's the exact reason I'm erring against mermaid dresses haha! Sounds like you had a great fitter getting you thinking about all the logistics

I'm very aware I'm a bit clumsy as is, so I don't want something that's going to make me feel like I'm going to topple over before I even take a step forward! I feel like something floaty will be helpful in hiding the fact that when you walk across sand it's not exactly the most graceful thing as well!

1) Don't get hung up on dress sizes (I have no idea what sizes I tried on in the shop as I didn't ask) but do ring up beforehand with your standard dress size and budget to check that they have a reasonable number of dresses for you to try on. I found a couple of shops that didn't have any dresses within my range - by asking the question beforehand, I saved wasted journeys.

2) Wear something comfortable that's easy to get in & out of, especially if you're going to more than one shop. Wear nude coloured briefs if you can (white, black and colours will show through some dresses) but I wouldn't worry about your bra - I had to take mine off to try on most of the dresses as they had built-in cups and if I tried them on with my bra still on, it gave me the most enormous Barbie-like bust!!! And if you already know the heel height you are planning on wearing to your wedding (you don't need to know the actual shoe), it would help to wear shoes with the same heel - you are going to stand and move very differently in flats and in a 6 inch heel, so it can help to wear shoes that are a similar height.

3) I would just take one or two people with you - more than that can be confusing. Pick people who will be honest, constructively critical (i.e. giving specifics of why they do/don't think a dress works for you, so 'I don't think that neckline is flattering on you' rather than 'it looks horrible') and - this is the toughest one - able to put your wishes above their own (so if you want a big princess dress, they don't keep trying to push you into a sleek fitted sheath dress because that is what they like)

4) I'd suggest thinking about it and coming back, even if you really love a dress. You can always take a note of the model number so you can ring up and order it without having to come back in once you've decided. The only exception would be if you are trying on sale gowns, where you buy the exact dress you try on - you don't want to risk someone else buying it while you are thinking it over!

5) Don't forget to ask about the extra costs - alterations, steaming etc. And don't forget to factor in any extras you want to your budget. Veils, hairpieces, shoes etc all add to the final cost, so make sure the basic dress cost isn't too close to your overall 'clothing budget'.

Hi - fellow Madi bride here 🥰


I don’t know if it helps but I have bought an A-line Madi Lane gown for my wedding. I tend to buy high street size 10 (very occasionally an 8). My dress shop had stock of all the dresses in size 12 and would pin them smaller to see what they would look like fitted. I didnt know this size until later on. ML dresses are all made to order and I was recommended to order either a size 8 or 10. I decided to order the 10 and have it slightly taken in if needed rather than worry about desperately losing weight if the 8 was too tight. It arrived earlier this month and although it will need a little alteration the size 10 fits really well! So in summary, ML may not make you feel bad at all
Best of luck in your hunt!

Not that many wedding dress shops tell you the size they try on you, i only had it in one place that did tell me. However, i think it depended on the dress for me as my chest is quite big compared to the rest of my body. Most wedding dress sizes in the shop are around 12-16 maybe bigger as will fit more people so they will put clips on so you can see what it looks like.

You'll most likely need alterations no matter what dress you pick so don't get hung up on the size. I tried on dresses ranging from an 8-14 (i'm a high street 8) and like you have an hourglass shape so ended up in a bigger size than I usually wear to fit over my hips/bum and will need alterations to make the top smaller.

I highly suggest just taking 1/2 people. I only took my maid of honour and it was the best experience, she truly had my best intentions at heart and it meant I didn't have to contend with a huge amount of opinions. Nude seamless underwear is best and as other posters have mentioned, most dresses have a bra built in so you may not need one at all.

It might be helpful to go in with an idea of what you think you like but also try dresses that are the complete opposite so you know you are making the right choice, your consultant should be able to help you with this and will pull dresses for you to try.

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Ahh this is amazing to hear! Thank you!! The boutique have ordered in the specific Madi style I'm most obsessed with (though I have quite the list I'd be tempted by!) in a size 10 so I'm feeling much calmer about this now

Just wanted to say a bit thank you to everyone! You've all been so helpful and have made me feel so much more prepared and calm. I've decided to just go with one person - my dad (he's very good at dress shopping!) and then maybe take the bridesmaids along to one of the fittings down the line.

I've booked in for 5th Feb so excited!!