Post # 1
Member
3050 posts
Sugar bee
I have a few possibly dumb questions about trying on wedding dress samples.
I’m sure it varies a bit by dress style/material, but is there a general rule of thumb for what size range can squeeze into a sample dress? Say, if the sample dress is a size 10, generally someone who wears up to a 12 or 14 can squeeze into it even if it’s just clipped to their bra?
Or will a bridal salon not even let you try the dress on if you’re more than a size larger than the sample?
Would anyone be willing to share the wedding dress size you had to order compared with the size of the sample?
I’m about to start calling bridal salons to see who has my dream dress and in what sample size, and I was wondering if there is a cut off point for sample dresses where it’s not even worth trying.
Post # 2
Member
10455 posts
Sugar Beekeeper
I’m plus size and went to five different stores. Every single one had a variety of sizes and a dress does not have to be your size for you to try it on. I was allowed to try on every dress I wanted to.
You can always call ahead if you want though.
Post # 3
Member
1257 posts
Bumble bee
I’m around a street size 14 and ordered an 18 in my dress. The place I ended up buying my dress from had an extensive plus size section so all of the samples there were like a 20 or larger- I was usually in a 22 or 24 and hardcore clipped in. I think most places will have more than one choice of sample size.
They put me in 10s at David’s Bridal and clipped them to my bra- but it was a lot harder to tell how the dresses would actually flatter me given how I was squeezed into them.
Post # 4
Member
3353 posts
Sugar bee
misslucy : salons are equipped to fit women of various sizes! they can clip you into dresses that are too big, and use clips/extenders for dresses that are too small. the only time i’ve ever had a problem was with one small NYC designer – I attempted to try on a sample that was a (bridal) size 8 (i’m a street size 6/8) and it was SUPER fitted. i literally just couldn’t even get it over my hips. oh well, didn’t buy that dress!
if you’re plus-sized, you might want to contact the salon first to see that they have plus-sized samples. many salons do!
FWIW, I was very close to sample size so I’m probably not much help, but since you asked: sample was a bridal 12, I ordered a bridal 10 (salon officially recommended a 12, since my hips were right in between a 10 and 12, but I chose to size down since my chest was an 8 and waist was a 10).
Post # 5
Member
644 posts
Busy bee
My very first stop was at a cocomelody contracted site and it was an AWFUL experiance. I am a size 16. My Maid/Matron of Honor had called to set up and appt and double checked to assure they had samples in my size and style I was wanting. We get there, long story short they DON’T and I am squeezing into size 10/11 dresses while the girls are being SUPER rude and talking in Manderin and then saying stuff like “wow this is hard to get on you” and then sighing and huffing a lot and acting like it is the hardest thing in the world to lace up the dress.
I left disappointed and decdied to drop into Davids Bridal since my Maid/Matron of Honor and her mom were in town (live 2 hours away) and I ended up having a totally lovely experiance with them. They had dresses in EVERY size, the consultant was amazing and friendly, she totally hit the nail on the head with picking out htings to fit my body. I ended up buying a dress from Davidal Bridal that day
Post # 6
Member
5474 posts
Bee Keeper
I had a relatively difficult time dress shopping as I’m only 5”1 and quite petite so all the samples drowned me. I love dresses that are quite light, unstructured and whimsical which it turned it were really difficult to clip smaller while still looking like the same dress. Lots of dresses would literally fall down around my waist and it was really difficult to imagine how a dress in my size would even look. I would call ahead and see if they have various samples, I’ve only been to 3 bridal stores but they all only had one sample of each dress.
Post # 7
Member
1579 posts
Bumble bee
Depends on the store and the dress. I had one dress where the sample fit perfectly like a glove and I’m a street size 4 and was like ???? seems a bit small for a sample. Most of the samples I tried on were around street size 8-10 though.
Post # 8
Member
2651 posts
Sugar bee
the store I bought my dress at most of the sample sizes were 10 to 14.
The dress I ended up with was a sample size 14 and fit perfectly.
Post # 9
Member
3050 posts
Sugar bee
Thanks, ladies. This is helpful info. I’ve been dieting and have lost about 25 pounds and gone down 2 sizes so far, so I’ve just dropped out of the plus size range and am in the upper range of misses sizes. I’m hoping to drop about 20-25 more pounds before the wedding, but we’ll see.
I’m dreading dress shopping with my changing body. It’s just strange space to be in, emotionally, and dieting can really take a toll on you. I’m frustrated and sick of dieting, but doing my best to stick with it. I have days when i look in the mirror and think “damn, I’m doing well” but sometimes I look in the mirror and my body is just apparnetly having a weird day and looks.. bloated and lumpy. And I think “Shouldn’t I be looking better by now? Why am I struggling and sacrificing so much?”
I’ve fallen in love with an obscure dress and I’m going to be in the same city as the designer’s main showroom in a few weeks, so I wanted to set an appointment to see what I could try on. I need to call them to find out their sample size.
Post # 10
Member
3050 posts
Sugar bee
I went dress shopping and wanted to follow up and tell everyone how it went.
As I mentioned before, I had fallen in love with an obscure dress and was going to be in the same city as the designer’s main showroom/boutique, so I made an appointment to browse. While most of the sample dresses were around 6-8 and wouldn’t remotely fit, I was able to wiggle/squeeze into a few that were size 12 (although they wouldn’t zip completely and half my ass was hanging out!) and one size 16 that fit quite well. The staff was very kind and sensitive, and insisted I try on some non-bridal (evening/cocktail) dresses that were in the 14-16 range so I wouldn’t leave the shop feeling depressed and with the memory of half my ass hanging out of a dress, and so I could get a better idea of what I liked.
The designer happened to be around that day and was very kind and helpful. She actually steered me away from the dress I had envisioned and steered me towards a much more fitted, heavily beaded, sheath dress.
I pointed to a sample dress and said something like “that is just exquisite.. I wish I could wear something like that.” And she looked at me and said “You can. Of course you can.”
Bees, I may have just done something crazy. I put down a deposit on a dress that I couldn’t remotely try on because the sample was too damned small. But I LOVED the dress and I do trust the designer’s insistance that it will look terrific on me. She also showed me some photos of clients closer to my size in their dresses, which helped me get an idea, too.
All in all, even though I couldn’t fit most of the dresses, it was a really positive experience. I managed to have some fun drinking cappucino while the nice staff tried to pull dresses that might fit me while we chatted about art deco design and the golden age of hollywood, and there was zero body shaming.
But I’m also glad it’s over and I don’t have to go through the undignified experience again of trying to squeeze my size 16 ass into a tiny sample dress while being paranoid that I’m going to rip a seam and cause thousands of tiny beads to go flying.
Post # 11
Member
10455 posts
Sugar Beekeeper
I’m glad to hear you had a good experience! I’m sure the dress you got will be gorgeous on you!