Calling all short brides....

[rosetta]

I'm only 5 feet tall and weigh 126 pounds (i know, i know, i have to lose weight!)

there doesn't seem to be a wedding dress out there that doesn't make me look like i'm playing dress up.

any little brides out there who can advise on what styles to choose?

i would like to wear something that covers my arms too.

thanks in advance!

ps if you have a magic pill that will get rid of 20 pounds instantly, i'd like that too...

 

[mrowmrowsmom]

What styles have you been trying on? Generally, I'd advise you to stay away from full skirts or any dress with too much "stuff" (ruffles, huge appliques, etc.)

For what it's worth, your weight is totally within the normal range. I do understand what its like to be bigger than you want to be, but I'm sure you're being harder on yourself than anyone else would be.

 

[MagsyMay]

Short one here... 5' 1.5" (on a good day!). I wore a dress with massive ruffles/rosettes on the bottom and thought it looked fine on someone my height, and have had plenty of short friends (I have an odd amount of these, we are all 5'2" or under for the most part!) wear dresses of all shapes and sizes and they all looked gorgeous.

I don't think there's a style that short girls should stay away from in general, and think fitting your body type and your own personal style is what's most important. If you are putting on dresses that make you feel like you're playing dress up, perhaps you are someone who likes more streamlined, sleek styles in general??

I also think seeing yourself in a big wedding dress is shocking at first for anyone, not just short girls! Although it is a bit harder for shorter girls to envision the final product when there is about 2 feet of excess fabric on those sample dresses, but try try try!

 

[lovemybling]

YOUR TALL.... hehehe I am 4'9".

remember when you are trying on dresses that they will be making the dress for YOU. So it will be in the right proprtions. I know you may have a certain style in mind but if you go to a good wedding store trust ur consultant and maybe try on something she suggests. You may fall in love with something you never expected. That is what happened with my sister. She is 5 foot and wore a dropwaisted, a-line dress. (Wanted a lace sheeth)

I wore a long sleeved illusion neck line dress (1997). what that means is it had a the look of a strap less dress with lace over lay and long sleeves of lace with a high colar. I will try to scan in picture for you to see later. It was a ball gown with a 3 foot train. I didn't wear an underskirt because I didn't want it big and poofy because of my size. Just the crinalin it came with was enough.

PS I think your weight is FINE

Good luck

 

[Autumnovember]

I'm 4'11 and I've been avoiding any excessively poofy dresses at all costs but only because it looks bad on ME personally. I also don't think that a mermaid style dress would look good on me but I haven't tried. I've tried on fitted A-line dresses and they seem to look best on me and actually make me look taller.

Also, just wanted to tell you that 126 is within your normal weight range. If you're looking to lose weight, try WW. I lost 40 lbs on it and I'm now 115 lbs and it works great. Always worth a shot!

 

[4ever]

Choose dresses which are all the same colour and material so it creates one long shape, vertical seams and details and straps of some sort will also all make you look taller and slimmer. Avoid anything that cuts you up into seperate shapes, beading on the boddice and not the skirt, lines of detail across the waist, belts, horizontal seams- they all visually cut your shape up into sections instead of creating one long shape.

 

[rosetta]

Thanks so much ladies.

I'm off shopping a week on Friday, will try to keep an open mind.

I'm the heaviest I've ever been, and my diet is crap and I do no exercise. Somethings gotta change there before I turn into a complete couch potato.

 

[yssie]

Push your wedding up to - say, oh, three months from now. That unwanted weight will melt right off, I promise


My only advice is to beware of huge heels if you have a short torso like me. I'm 5'4" and wanted to wear 4" heels - this is *not* my norm, so not only could I not walk without wobbling, I rather looked like I was on stilts.

 

[mayerling]

I really don't subscribe to the view that short brides should only wear straight-lined dresses and avoid full skirts, etc. I'm 5'3'' and am wearing an A-line dress with a long train and everyone I've shown it to (and that's a lot of people) have loved it on me.

 

[vsc]

I second both Mayerling's opinion and 4ever's helpful hints. I am 5'2" and am wearing an A-line dress. I originally thought I'd get a sheath or mermaid, but I"m a little bit pear shaped and those shapes only accentuated that feature. A-line can be slimming and flattering. The key is to have some vertical features to it. For example, my dress has a chiffon overlay that has a vertical slit in the front on the side, right under a vertically-oriented section of beaded embroidery. (the picture does not do it justice) http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_Chiffon-A-line-Gown-with-Side-Draped-Bodice-V9409 I found the chiffon tends to make little vertical folds and not look like one solid block of fabric.

Finally, I wanted to add that because of the extra fabric at the bottom, I was really hard to get an idea of what a dress would end up looking on me, and I had doubts up until my dress was altered to size. Most wedding dresses did feel like Halloween costumes to me (heavy, bulky and restrictive of your movements) - but that's just the way they are... again, once it's altered to fit and you can walk around without stepping on it, it feels a lot better.

Do you wear heels? I do a lot and will be wearing 4" heels (with a backup 3" pair in case I start to hurt). It helps

Good luck with your search, let us know how it goes!

 

[slg47]

I really don't subscribe to the view that short brides should only wear straight-lined dresses and avoid full skirts, etc. I'm 5'3'' and am wearing an A-line dress with a long train and everyone I've shown it to (and that's a lot of people) have loved it on me.

yes I would just try on stuff and see what looks good on YOU. I think you have to be open to different styles. Also I would not wear super high shoes if you are not used to them.

mayerling did you get your dress all figured out?

 

[mayerling]

I really don't subscribe to the view that short brides should only wear straight-lined dresses and avoid full skirts, etc. I'm 5'3'' and am wearing an A-line dress with a long train and everyone I've shown it to (and that's a lot of people) have loved it on me.

yes I would just try on stuff and see what looks good on YOU. I think you have to be open to different styles. Also I would not wear super high shoes if you are not used to them.

mayerling did you get your dress all figured out?

Yes. After all the saga, I just gave up and decided to leave it until I could see it in person. And in the end it was a misunderstanding caused by the person who gave me the waist measurement. The measurement she gave actually corresponded the length from top-of-thigh (which is where the bodice ends) to hem.

 

[Loveitroundbrilliant]

Hey Dear,
So I am 5 foot 1 and I had a lot of trouble with people telling me that i can NOT wear a ballgown (which was heart breaking because since i was a little girl that is all i wanted to do!). So I tried on the Kenneth Pool dress "Degas" and fell in love with it. It is a modified sweet heart strapless gown, dropped waist and box pleated ball gown. It looked stunning! The sales person told me though it would make my legs look short. I wanted to cry! So I brought a picture to a dress maker who is going to recreate that dress for me in my proportions. I would highly suggest getting a dress made (it was more than half the cost too!) just because than that way you know you will get the entire dress you want. I also had experiences where the sales person told me that they would just simple cut the dress to make the length right, which means i could loose some of the pattern on the dress.

Short people can wear whatever they want! Don't listen to magazines or consultants, every "body" is different! Who wants to be confined to a A-line dress, or a straight down dress? It is your day! Wear what makes you feel special! Isn't that the way it is supposed to be anyway?
p.s.
A short girls best friend is a pair of 4 inch heels Mine are ruby red peep toe and i think i am in love! Goodluck and I hope you find a dress you feel special in.

 

[kittybean]

I am 5'0" (if one is being generous), and honestly, I think us wee folk can wear any style of dress we want . The most important thing is that you feel beautiful and perfect in it when you put it on--whether it's a sheath or ballgown or mermaid-style dress.

In addition to being extra-short, I'm also pretty small-boned, so I found that dresses without too much detail were better for me. I loved some of the more intricate designs on the hanger, but once on me, they seemed overwhelming. My dress was a Watters "slim A-line" style in silk charmeuse. If you want to see a photo, check out page 5 of the wedding dress thread (it's one of the sticky threads at the top).

Ultimately, I think you'll know if a dress isn't flattering to you--after all, we are usually our own worst critics. Go with what makes you feel pretty, and I'm certain it'll look great on you.

 

[rosetta]

Well ladies, I went to Vera Wang.

I wear a size 8 there which I felt happy about until I realised US sizes run a lot bigger than UK sizes. I happened to pick the dress Ivanka Trump wore at her wedding, without having known it. That was fun, but they only had a size 12 left.

Anyhow, I felt like a round little hobbit in there, I had to stand on a box the dresses were so long.

Now I don't know whether to spend the big bucks on a designer gown when they all seem to look good on size 0 supermodels.

I'm having a real body image crisis here (new one for me) so if any curvy ladies out there, I would love to hear from you. How did you feel about how you looked in the dress compared to the model? What worked, what didn't? Please do share your pics too!

 

[sillyberry]

I'm 5'3", a size 10 Watters (which I think is more generously sized than a lot of other brands). Every dress I tried on was way, way too long.

But I think the thing to remember is that YOUR dress won't be way too long. Spend money on a dress you love, one that makes you feel beautiful. That may be big bucks, or you may find a discount. Don't spend one minute worrying about what size the label says. It doesn't matter. Find a dress that fits you properly and accents your awesome features.

Most of the brides you see on PS, looking totally gorgeous and happy in their pictures, aren't size 0 supermodels. And (hopefully) you don't look through those real wedding photos and think "HIDEOUS!"

 

[slg47]

honestly, don't worry about the size. I am also curvy (trying to lose weight, but even if I do I'll still be curvy, it's just the way I am built!) and I think I found a dress that flatters me. Bridal sizes are really weird, my dress says size 10, but other 10s I tried on were way too big, and I definitely don't wear a 10 in other clothes (maybe jackets, because I have big shoulders, but not pants or anything else). Anyway, it doesn't matter what the size is, what matters is that YOU feel good in the dress and that it fits your size, whether that be a 4, 6, 14, or some other arbitrary number.

here's me in my dress, as you can see, I am no model!


ETA I think most people have to stand on the box, I am 5'5" and definitely needed to stand on the platform.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Coming from a tall thin girl...

I don't think the wedding dresses really look that great on the models. I mean they just hang on them and have no shape. Always thought a curvy figure was a better complement to the wedding dresses out there.

I think unless you are 5'6 and a size 8-10 (US) you are NOT going to feel good in the samples. You can look at my pictures of my older threads, both the sample, and my dress when it first came in were huge on me. I didn't feel very good about my body through the whole experience. I think any clothing that makes a women not feel like she is at least "average" is really hard to put on.

Honestly, I love my dress and always will. But if I knew what I know now, I would have gone with a company such as Pricilla of Boston/Melissa Sweet, Ramona Keveza, or a similar company that has made to measure options (they all don't advertise that so you need to ask). Than you can have a dress that was made for you, instead of trying to take some pre-cut pattern based on the "average woman" and fitting it to your body.

Oh for reference, here is my dress when it first came in (this was supposed to be my size!) and than the dress on my last fitting.

 

[Mashira]

I completely agree with what some of the other girls have said. Find a dress that fits you, and that you love. That's all that matters in the end. I was told that under no circumstances should I wear a mermaid. Well, guess what? I had my heart set on a mermaid, and I got it today! I'm 112 lbs and 5'3.5 (I always say 5'4 but since we are talking about height I'll be explicitly honest ) with an heavy on the bottom hourglass. My mom isn't in love with it, two friends think I should have gone ballgown, and my MOH (God bless her) loves it as much as I do. At the end of the day, all I really care is that I am in love with it.

 

[Grlsbestfrnd]

I'm 5'1 so I know how you feel. I haven't tried on wedding dresses because I'm not engaged (yet!) but I have worn a lot of formal gowns. I've found that I look best in a-line and even some mermaid style dresses. Try some of everything on and you'll figure out what works for you. Good luck!

 

[rosetta]

Thanks everyone!

The saga continues....

Today I tried on an empire line dress, and actually it looked ok.

Weight now 121 pounds (woo hoo!)

I'll try to post some pics for your opinions a bit later (only have my iPhone today)

I'm now 5 months from my wedding, and every shop is telling me I've left it too late (argh!)

I've tried on about 8 dresses now, it gets easier every time.

Onwards and upwards!

 

[rosetta]

Mashira, I think you're dress looks great on you!

I've got fewer people to give me an opinion: my parents live abroad and most of my friends live in a different city. Good!

 

[rosetta]

Well I bought my dress today.

Pronovias White One 411

It was way under budget. I also bought an embroidered belt to go with.

Very happy with it, I'll post a photo later as I'm on the iPhone now.

Got UK size 8 (US 4) but still have an inch to get off my hips by July so I can fit in it!

Phew I'm so glad that's over!

 

[slg47]

rosetta congratulations on finding your dress! i can't wait to see it

 

[rosetta]

Thank you slg47!

Once I've got my shoes, I'm going back to take photos in the sample size 10 (us 6) with a veil and a bolero (must cover up arms for religious reasons)

Then I'll post a photo of me in it

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Congrats on finding your dress!!! I am so excited for you. Can't wait to see what it looks like.

 

[rosetta]

thanks LTF!

to give you all some lolz, here i am barefoot and drowning in fabric....

stop sniggering in the back!

 

[Bleed Burnt Orange]

OoOOo...that looks pretty!!! It already looks great on you...when altered to be the right length...you'll be a knockout!

 

[slg47]

ooh rosetta I think it looks so pretty on you!

 

[LtlFirecracker]

That dress look fabulous on you!!