Post # 1

Member
5 posts
Newbee
Hello bees! I’m having a serious problem here. I lost 30 pounds so the waist of my dress would fit better, but now the bust is too big. I’m getting married in 4 weeks and we don’t have the money to get it altered… I am absolutely freaking out! I don’t know what I’m going to do! The corset I’m wearing underneath barely fits my boobs so stuffing is out (at least from what I’ve tried) and pinning it makes the beading look weird… Anyone have any advice/tips/tricks they can give me? Thanks everyone!
Post # 2

Member
1282 posts
Bumble bee
didness208: can you post a picture of you in the dress? that may help people to offer suggestions. ..
Post # 3

Member
5 posts
Newbee
This is the only picture I have… as you can see i pulled the dress up so that it would stay up and it’s sitting too high and looks goofy lol.
Post # 4

Member
1282 posts
Bumble bee
didness208: Hmmm. That is hard if you can’t afford to get it altered. Do you know someone who is good at sewing? Off the top of my head, maybe you can have soft cups sewn into the dress so that it fills in the space between the dress and the corset . . .
What type of closure is on the back of the dress? buttons? zipper?
Post # 5

Member
1465 posts
Bumble bee
didness208: Do you have any leeway in your budget to explore a new dress? Dessy.com has some quick delivery dresses. Or some department stores might have something that would work.
Congratulations on losing the weight! I recently lost around 30 lbs as well, so I know the work that you would have put in.
I’m sorry I don’t have better advice with not being able to do alterations and the timeline.
Post # 6

Member
1282 posts
Bumble bee
didness208: can you make an appointment with a seamstress to look at your dress and give you an estimate of how much work/$$ it would take to alter it? Maybe it might not be as expensive as you think?
Or, is there anything from your wedding budget that you could cut/compromise on to allow for the alterations cost? I know that being 4 weeks out, you may have already paid the majority of your big cost items, so I don’t know how realistic that is …
Post # 7

Member
5 posts
Newbee
I will look into the soft cups. I have talked to a few places about altering it and I’ve gotten estimates between $150 and $300 (which in my oppinion is outrageous) It corsets in the back but there isn’t any more room to make it tighter…
Post # 8

Member
25 posts
Newbee
didness208: I also think a consultation with a seamstress is a must. Maybe you could post asking bees in your area for suggestions on an affordable seamstress? ask friends and family, too. maybe they know someone who can help and will not charge you a fortune.
My seamstress is a sweet lady who works out of her home since the bridal boutique she was employed by closed a few years ago. I feel like many of these lovely women have big hearts and want to help. remember too that any quote you are given is always negotiable!
Another thought: could you explore having padded cups sewn in which could maybe take up some of the extra room? Cups shouldn’t cost more than 10-15$ and may cut down on how much altering would be needed.
another option could be looking for a different dress on a preowned dress site that is already closer to your current measurements. You could then sell your dress to offset the costs of a new one? Not an ideal option, just a suggestion.
Post # 9

Member
7246 posts
Busy Beekeeper
Normally I wouldn’t say this, but you’re almost sure to recieve some cash gifts; I’d get the alterations done, pay with a credit card, and pay the card out of your gifts. The dress really needs to be altered, professionally, and it’s really unlikely you’ll be able to find a replacement that fits perfectly and is cheaper than getting alterations.
Post # 10

Member
5 posts
Newbee
Getting another dress is out of the question. My dad bought me this dress, and he passed away a few months ago. I’ve had to compensate personally for everything he was going to pay for, Things like dress alterations fell by the wayside (which is one reason I busted my hump to lose weight) When I first got it it was too tight and since we’ve had to cover like $2000 in unexpected expenses, I opted to lose weight rather than get it let out… I don’t have a credit card and neither does my fiance (we would get into waaaaaayyy too much trouble with one lol) I’ll try the sew in cups. thank you
Post # 11

Member
25 posts
Newbee
didness208: the dress is beautiful and obviously has a lot of meaning. best wishes