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Regular Contributor
Posts: 161
Registered: ‎06-14-2010

Re: Please, Please, Please help me...

On 6/30/2014 August37 said:

Okay, I think I was a complete idiot for asking for help here. Thanks again, for ALL the positive posts. I asked for help. I've alerted her of my issues. Sorry if I'm so sensitive, but I only asked for help for weight, not criticism. As I said before, I already feel bad. I just need a little advice, I can zip the dress with help, I just know it will be busy, the day of the wedding, and wanted to lose a few pounds, so I wouldn't have to ask anyone to assist me. Thanks you all.


You said "won't zip" not "won't zip without help" - these are two very different things.

Regular Contributor
Posts: 161
Registered: ‎06-14-2010

Re: Please, Please, Please help me...

On 6/30/2014 WombatsMa said:

This happened to me for my sister's wedding 22 years ago. Back then, the dresses were special ordered and due to the time frame of planning the wedding and a hiccup with the dresses themselves, they did not arrive until 10 days before the wedding. Back then I wore a size 10 (oh for those days!) and my dress was mis-cut and arrived a s.m.a.l.l. size 8 at best.

Because the dresses were velvet, they could not be let out, only taken in. The other two girls were fine and had to have theirs taken in here and there.

For 10 days (and I would NEVER want to do it longer) I drank water, water, water, ate salads with no dressing and gobbled grapefruit like you wouldn't believe. Each day for lunch I had a balanced, albeit small meal with some lean protein. No salt, no dairy, very little carbs and only then whole grain or what came from some vegetables and fruit.

Come the day of the wedding, that dress fit me like a glove, and I will say, that being that velvet is very heavy and pulls down if you don't fill it out, I looked fantastic vs the girls who had to have their dresses taken in. The wedding day WAS hard, as it was quite unseasonably warm, and honestly, I was a little wobbly at times. But I gotta tell you, I look at those pictures and I looked great. I never told her - I knew she would have lost her s**t, and I knew it could be done.

As other posters have mentioned, try the undergarment route, see how close the fit is. You WILL drop some water weight if you are truly determined and resolute, but you must be realistic. I dropped 12 lbs in those 10 days, but it was all back a week after the wedding. That was fine by me, but you have to be real about what you expect and can do. If you don't believe in your heart that it will work, you MUST find an alternate dress that the bride is comfortable with. This is her day and the pictures of her wedding party are forever.

This is an extremely dangerous thing to do. OP, please don't do this.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 11,153
Registered: ‎05-22-2012

Re: Please, Please, Please help me...

On 6/30/2014 PinkieBelle said:
On 6/30/2014 August37 said:

Okay, I think I was a complete idiot for asking for help here. Thanks again, for ALL the positive posts. I asked for help. I've alerted her of my issues. Sorry if I'm so sensitive, but I only asked for help for weight, not criticism. As I said before, I already feel bad. I just need a little advice, I can zip the dress with help, I just know it will be busy, the day of the wedding, and wanted to lose a few pounds, so I wouldn't have to ask anyone to assist me. Thanks you all.


You said "won't zip" not "won't zip without help" - these are two very different things.

That's a really good point! In the wedding I was in recently, NONE of us could zip the dresses without help because there was a lot of ruching at the top and the were really hard to get up without getting stuck, even with the soap trick. I could barely zip mine up when it was empty, much less with me inside it. We all had to help each other with the zippers and had to push the dresses back from our rib cages to get them to zip. Every one of us was worried that the zippers would break and we'd be pinned up the back. They were all ordered without being tried on, so none of us knew until we all had the dresses in hand. The bridesmaid's dress did have a zipper break, but her dress was different and had two zippers (no idea why!), so it worked out.

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 3,874
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Please, Please, Please help me...

If you can zip the dress with help, it sounds like the problem may not be that big. How about going on a really drastic weight-loss diet for the next two weeks -- just lean meat and non-starchy vegetables and fruits, maybe -- and see how much progress you can make. And also see a seamstress to see if she can let out the dress a bit in the problem area.

While you're working on this, 'fess up to the bride and discuss what you're trying to do and possible other options. Since you're to be the maid of honor, it's possible you could find a similar dress in the same color and your size. It's not unusual for the MoH to wear a dress that is different from the bridesmaids.

Good luck. Here's hoping you can find a workable solution.

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 3,874
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Please, Please, Please help me...

On 6/30/2014 PinkieBelle said:
On 6/30/2014 WombatsMa said:

This happened to me for my sister's wedding 22 years ago. Back then, the dresses were special ordered and due to the time frame of planning the wedding and a hiccup with the dresses themselves, they did not arrive until 10 days before the wedding. Back then I wore a size 10 (oh for those days!) and my dress was mis-cut and arrived a s.m.a.l.l. size 8 at best.

Because the dresses were velvet, they could not be let out, only taken in. The other two girls were fine and had to have theirs taken in here and there.

For 10 days (and I would NEVER want to do it longer) I drank water, water, water, ate salads with no dressing and gobbled grapefruit like you wouldn't believe. Each day for lunch I had a balanced, albeit small meal with some lean protein. No salt, no dairy, very little carbs and only then whole grain or what came from some vegetables and fruit.

Come the day of the wedding, that dress fit me like a glove, and I will say, that being that velvet is very heavy and pulls down if you don't fill it out, I looked fantastic vs the girls who had to have their dresses taken in. The wedding day WAS hard, as it was quite unseasonably warm, and honestly, I was a little wobbly at times. But I gotta tell you, I look at those pictures and I looked great. I never told her - I knew she would have lost her s**t, and I knew it could be done.

As other posters have mentioned, try the undergarment route, see how close the fit is. You WILL drop some water weight if you are truly determined and resolute, but you must be realistic. I dropped 12 lbs in those 10 days, but it was all back a week after the wedding. That was fine by me, but you have to be real about what you expect and can do. If you don't believe in your heart that it will work, you MUST find an alternate dress that the bride is comfortable with. This is her day and the pictures of her wedding party are forever.

This is an extremely dangerous thing to do. OP, please don't do this.

Unless OP is diabetic or has other health problems, a very low-calorie diet for a couple of weeks is unlikely to cause her serious harm.

Frequent Contributor
Posts: 77
Registered: ‎06-25-2013

Re: Please, Please, Please help me...

I just heard about the general motors diet. Says you can lose 17 pounds in a week. It doesn't look that difficult. You should google it . I think I may try it. Also, I started preparing vegetables in a wok. All I do is spray it lightly with olive oil and cut up an assortment of vegetables and throw in a few slivered almonds and it is great. It really helps me get a lot of servings of vegetables each day. Also, you can sprinkle a little bit of powdered ranch dressing mix on them to give flavor and no calories. oh....you do have to drink water...that would be the most difficult part for me .

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,833
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Please, Please, Please help me...

Glad you changed it to zip with help. But be very careful of a major weight loss program right now. I'd still go for a little ease in the dress if you can find someone to do it. A severe weight loss could make you weak and generally unwell. You don't want that when you're going to be in a wedding.

Super Contributor
Posts: 359
Registered: ‎09-07-2010

Re: Please, Please, Please help me...

Did the bride ask you, way before now, if you'd tried on your dress that you say you've had for THREE MONTHS? If so, what did you tell her? Why did you get the dress so far in advance? Is it wrinkled? Usually these dresses are pressed and packaged so as to be ready for the big event but if you've had it for three months, it may need some touching up to look presentable.

Have you talked to the other members of the wedding party about their dresses? If not, you should as your job as maid-of-honor is to assist the bride and she undoubtedly has a lot on her mind.

Have you purchased your shoes yet along with anything else you might need for that day?

I do agree there is a big difference in something that won't zip and something that can be with help but it sounds like this dress is just too small and zipping it with help may risk breaking the zipper in addition to being extremely uncomfortable. Is it tight around the armholes if it has any? I am very curious now about this dress so would love a picture or a description such as style, size, color, etc.

Valued Contributor
Posts: 1,295
Registered: ‎09-11-2011

Re: Please, Please, Please help me...

You could just go buy another dress
Honored Contributor
Posts: 31,563
Registered: ‎05-10-2010

Re: Please, Please, Please help me...

On 6/30/2014 ChynnaBlue said:
On 6/30/2014 hckynut said:

Ain't buying this one so got zip to say.

Having been in several weddings, including one just three weeks ago, I totally buy it.


It doesn't ring true to me either.