To most brides, the wedding of their dreams cannot happen without the perfect dress. But what happens when the dress of your dream is too tight just before your wedding? Is it possible to save the day without purchasing a new bridal gown? 

Fortunately if you follow these 10 simple instructions you will safeguard against buying a wedding gown that is not going to fit. So, how do you do it?

What’s the secret to fixing a tight wedding dress? To find out the answer to this question and more, all you need to do is keep on reading. Everything you need to know is right below. 

wedding dress fitting

1. Prevent Buying a Tight Wedding Dress

It is not uncommon for a bride to diet before their big day. In fact, it’s often at the top of many brides’ wedding preparation lists. But the expectation to lose weight is frequently the cause of a tight wedding dress.

This is because brides usually do not lose as much weight as they planned or mismeasure their future proportions. When you find the dress of your dreams, order the size you currently are. If you lose a significant amount of weight before your big day, it can be easily altered before the wedding. 

When in doubt, remember it’s always easier to alter a bigger dress size to a smaller one, but not the other way around.

2. What if You’re Between Sizes?

Choosing between two bridal dress sizes is a challenge that can be easily solved. If you are between sizes we strongly recommend that you order the bigger size.  Sometimes purchasing the smaller option is the way to go, but it is not when it comes to your wedding dress. If your size is between two commercial sizes, choose the bigger one; especially if your wedding is soon. 

Buying a tighter dress close to your wedding will not give you enough time to lose any extra weight. Purchasing the larger size will give you enough time to alter it, and if you don’t it’s ok. Your dress will fit well enough to make it work without any professional touch-ups. 

3. Don’t Try a Last-Minute Diet

A quick diet may feel like the best solution when your wedding dress is too tight, but this method rarely works. Instead, it just adds more stress to an already stressful time. This increase in stress hormones will cause you to gain more weight and push you farther from your goal. 

If you do plan to diet your way to a certain size, give yourself ample time to reach your goal weight. You should also hold off on wedding gown shopping until you reach your desired weight. This method will ensure that you buy a dress that is not too tight. 

diet before wedding

4. Try on Your Dress A Few Times Before the Wedding

If you bought your dress early into wedding planning, make sure you try it on before your big day. Some weddings take weeks, months, even years to plan. During the wedding and planning time your weight may fluctuate. Make sure you try your dress several times before your dream day. 

Trying on your dress at least two weeks before your wedding day will give you an idea of the overall fit. If you end up not liking it, you’ll have enough time to professionally fix the issue. 

5. How to Fix a Tight Wedding Dress

If you’ve already bought your dress and it does not fit, you still have a few options. The best solution to this issue is getting your wedding gown professionally altered by a seamstress. A highly skilled seamstress can expand the dress by adding extra fabric to the sides from the extra fabric of the hemline. 

When given enough time, it will appear as if the dress was never altered. 

altering wedding dress

6. What if You Have Time?

If you have months before your wedding day, you can try to lose weight before making any alterations. Just remember that crash diets do not work. They will cause inconsistent yoyo-like weight fluctuations. 

Instead, do your research, talk to your doctor, and find the best diet for you and your body type. This method will give you the results you want and will give you a better chance of fitting into your dress. 

In addition to finding an effective diet, try incorporating more exercise into your life. You can do this by hiring a trainer, doing at-home workouts, dancing, cycling, swimming, or simply walking. Whatever you do, make sure you’re having fun, there’s no need to resist this part of the day.

7. Further Self-Care

If you do not have time to work out every day or you want to take your self-care one step further, there are a few more practices you can try. Next to working out and eating properly, getting a full night’s rest is essential to losing weight. Good sleep helps battle stress hormones and gives your body time to regulate appetite impulses. 

8. Meditation

Meditation can be a very effective stress-relief technique. It is an exercise for your mind. It settles both your body and spirit in a calming path that leads to a happier and stress free wedding. Practice calmness. Meditation not only relieves stress but it also teaches the importance of mindfulness. A calm mind is helpful during both wedding planning and life in general. One of the best places to find a meditation guru tis on YouTube and the one of the best Yoga instructors is Yoga With Adrienne

9. Last Minute Things to Remember

If your dress is still too snug after you tried everything, don’t stress about it. The day will still be perfect regardless of how the dress fits and you will still look beautiful. Nothing will ruin the lovely moment you’re soon to share with the love of your life. 

Who knows, one day you may find yourself laughing about your tight wedding dress at a dinner party with your best friends. 

10. Getting the Perfect Fit

When you’re ready to find the show-stopping dress wedding gown, consider our services at Madame Bridal. We have a wide variety of wedding dresses in an even wider variety of sizes, colors and styles. 

To browse our wedding gown options and find the right fit, visit our website or come see us in our Boynton Beach boutique. We hope to see you soon!