Mar. 24: Wedding Dresses

I missed blogging yesterday because I had a crazy day. Today was equally crazy but I wanted to share a couple of observations.

I spent the past two days shopping with my dear friend for wedding dresses. My friend is an absolutely beautiful girl. She is confident and fabulous. We went to a lot of different stores and realized how much wedding dress shopping could mess with your mind.

First of all, wedding dress sizes are two-three sizes larger than regular dresses. So if you wear a 10, you are going to be wearing a 14 or a 16 in wedding dresses, depending on the style and the designer. Ouch.

Second, it really seemed like the majority of the dresses were an 8, which in reality is a 2 or a 4. So if you saw a style you liked, you had to try it on in the 8 and leave the back gaping open while you tried to judge whether or not it would look good if it actually fit you. Wow. That'll poke a hole in the old self-esteem boat!

My friend, confident, beautiful person that she is, was unbothered by either of the above facts. We went to one salon with wonderful service and private rooms. The teeny tiny little salesperson was so careful with her feelings!!!! There was a dress on a mannequin that my friend wanted to try on, and the salesperson tried to talk her out of it because it was 4 sizes to small. Finally we persuaded her that no one would fall on the floor in a weeping puddle when it wouldn't lace up, and the dress was brought in. The dress might be "the one" !!!

Apparently everyone orders their dresses 1-2 sizes too small and signs a waiver that if they don't fit into the dress it isn't the fault of the shop. What unbelievable pressure is involved in being a bride! My friend and I discussed on the ride home things like realistic size targets, and whether or not she actually felt like she should lose weight.

I'm not a bride and really don't intend to be, but to those of you out there that are, please be kind to yourselves. Understand these tiny sample sizes don't fit the average woman. Don't set yourself up for stress and anxiety by picking unrealistic goals for yourself. Be strong and healthy enough to enjoy your day through good nutrition and exercise! Don't fall prey to the society-induced anxiety that seems to accompany a wedding. Please love yourselves - all brides are beautiful!