Wedding dress sizes

DEFINITELY get your measurements and go from there. My wedding dress is 2 sizes bigger than I am and I could lose weight and it will still fit nicely. My bridesmaid's dress is 4 sizes bigger than she normally is. The other bridesmaid, it's the same size as she is on the High Street.

Or, another option, is to go and try the dresses on that you like in a shop and then you'll know what size to get if you buy the same dress online.

Hope that helps!

x

I am a size 10 high street. In Mori Lee, Stella York and Essence I needed a 12 in both corset and button back styles. Maggie Sotterro came up a bit bigger as did Sophia Tolli where a ten fit. I am trying on fitted styles so if you are looking at ballgowns may not need to go up a size. I would definately recommend you try on before you buy even if going second hand as my dress has ended up being nothing like I imagined and if you dont go to some boutiques and try on some different styles you may miss out on something amazing

I'm a size 10 high street & my Mori Lee drress was a size 10. I found that I was an 8 to 10 when trying dresses on.

I'm usually a 14-16 in clothing and when I first tried my dress on it was a 10-12, I was chuffed that it fit haha.

Ordered mine in a 14 and it's fine but I know I couldn't get into 14 jeans or anything so sizes can vary hugely, if you can try it on before you buy i'd advise that or go by measurements rather than clothing size.

Personally, i have found that with second hand dresses they tend to be the high street size advertised so a size 10 will fit a size 10 as they have already been altered to that size?

usually if they state 10,12,14 their corseted back so can be adjusted.

do you get what i mean lol?

hope i've helped if you understood hahaha :-)

My Alfred Angelo dress is 2 sizes bigger than the high street size I wear (but I am a larger lady). I found some sizing charts online for some designers, so have a look as that may give you an idea on sizing.

Im a high street size 16 and my wedding dress will be a size 22!!! Nearly fainted lol

I'm about the same. I wear a highstreet size 16 and my dress was ordered in a size 20 - I was gutted (especially as though I'd lost weight!) ? Now that it's arrived though, I'm still wearing a size 16 and have only lost about 1/2 stone and the dress is way too big absolutely everywhere.

I'm a size 12 and my wedding dress is an 18! So the sizes can be way out, def recommend checking the individual designer measurements!

I was a size 12 and bought my ella bridal off the rack as a size 16. Fitted perfectly!! Until I got fat

I bought my dress off the rack and it needed no alterations at all. I was a 10 and the dress was a 14. It was a Maureen myring kesterton.

It really varies so much that I'd say if you spot a second hand dress you like, ask the seller for the measurements rather than the size on the label

I'm a 14/16 normally and my dress is 18-20 and zipped back, I don't know the designer as it's from an outlet. But it's too big round me boobs but is ok round my belly!

When i first looked I was told usually you go two sizes up with a button or zip back and one size up with a lace back. But I assume that's not a definite rule!

Do bear in mind, OP, that quite a few wedding dress designers size their dresses in the American way, so you need to add 4 to the number on the label to get the UK size. Maggie Sottero were doing this when I bought mine 3 years ago.

If the dress has a laced-up corset back then the sizing can be a lot more flexible than if it's zipped.

Helenia, this is the wrong way round. American sizes are smaller than uk. So a uk size 8 is an American size 4.

That's exactly what I said. You add 4 to the label (which is in US sizing) to get the UK size.

I'm a size 8 usually but my Alfred Angelo dress is a size 6 because it is a corset top. I think it really depends on the style of the dress! xxx

Mine's a fitted Sottero Midgeley, I wear a high street 10-12 on top (depending on boob room!) and 12 on bottom, the dress they've ordered for me is a 12. I *think* the shop said they order in UK sizes, rather than US, but my memory is clouded by the feeling of overwhelming excitement at finding the "one".

I was really incredibly lucky that the sample I tried on was a 12 and fitted perfectly (in fact when they measured me they said it might as well have been tailored for me!) but obviously that's not always the case, and I did try on lots of other styles that weren't quite right for me size-wise because every brand is different. So yes, I'd echo what everyone else has said and suggest ideally going and trying on some of the styles you like in the shop, and then making sure you take your measurements before ordering online.

I am a size 6 to 8, and my Stella York dress has been ordered in an 8, but they said they will need to take the side seems in a little bit.

I'm afraid this is a difficult one to answer. Each designer had its own size charts and measurements vary considerably between labels.

In the 6 designers I have in the shop there is a 5 inch difference in the bust measurements across the designs. Some have a 6 inch bust to waist ratio, some have an 8 inch variance. American size labels can sometimes be 1 dress size smaller than their UK counterparts rather than 2, a Justin Alexander 16 is a UK 18 for example. Some dresses come in "w" sizes, which are much more realistic than an ordinary size (a 22w would probably fit a 24 woman).

I think your only course of action is to email the person selling the dress your interested in and ask them what the actual measurements are but even then it can be very inaccurate to measure a dress when it's laying flat on a surface. It is also possible to be small busted but broad across the back and trying to tighten a corseted dress to make the bust fit will only result in a gaping front and back boobs!

If you buy a dress that has been altered (and 99.9% of them will have been) don't forget to ask the bride how tall she is and what height the heels were that she wore. If the side seams and bust have been altered make sure any applique and beading were removed and then replaced once the structure had been altered otherwise you may find if it needs letting out again you have a bare patch on the side of the dress.

Last but not least if you are going to go into a bridal shop purely to find out your measurements then be honest with them. There's a lot of time and effort goes into appointments and a good bridal shop will probably have a waiting list at the moment. Don't waste anybodies time just trying on dresses for the sake of it when all you want to do is find out your dress size.

I'm a high street size 12 and sometimes my boobs need a size 14. I've ordered a Maggie Sottero in a size UK 10, so there sizes must be more generous compared to other designer sizes.

I cant offer my experiences but Ive really enjoyed reading everyones stories.

Its strange how they can vary so much from designer to designer.

Good luck finding your dress ravencalw84 xxx

Hey OP if your looking to get it fitted to you - I think and someone correct me f I'm wrong ' it's easier to take in than out. So maybe it's worth going slightly bigger and then getting it adjusted . X

I'm a high street 12 (if you ignore my thighs!) and fitted in size 12 in Pronovias (these needed pinning generally so were a little bigger), Jenny Packham, Ritva Westenius, Annasul Y and Allure.

Then I tried on the dress I bought... and had to order it in a size 16 :-( It's by David Fielden who apparently is well known for sizing up. Even though I was warned I still found it a little depressing!

Don't be tempted to breathe in when they measure you or you measure yourself! (I know cos I did and got told off!) - it's easier to order big and get it taken in than put pressure on yourself to get thinner so that's probably why it says 10/12/14.

One of the key issues is that women should stop deciding what size clothing they are based on what size clothes they tend to buy in New Look, Next, H&M, Zara.... wherever.

When looking for a wedding dress, you have to look at your actual measurements in inches, and sadly it's often a shocking truth. Every single one of my bridesmaids was at least a size bigger than they professed to be. One was 2 and half sizes bigger.

Compare your inches to a standardised chart (personally, I looked at the measurements they attempted to bring in a while back for British standardisation... and failed), and I also used the M&S website, as I found that the M&S measurements were quite 'middle of the road' when it came to sizing. I checked about 5 high street chain's measurements, and decided to always use the M&S website for future comparisons. (Note, very good plan to stick with one set of sizing if you're planning on losing weight, and want to monitor progress).

It's not a nice feeling to suddenly realise that you're fatter than you thought you were. But so is everyone else you know, so hurrahhhh!!!!! It'll make wedding dress shopping easier in the long run if you are honest about what those inches really mean.