It's June, which means summer wedding season is in full swing.
I don't know about you, but I've already been to one wedding this year, and have two more planned (plus one more we've been invited to but can't attend as I won't be able to fly that late in my pregnancy). Those are just the weddings I've been invited to so far. I'm sure others may pop up.
Figuring out what I'm going to wear to a wedding is usually a fun thing for me. Often, I use the excuse to go shopping for a new dress.
However, for the remaining weddings we're attending this year, there's something else I'll have to contend with: my belly. For someone who's never carried a child to term before, that's a little daunting.
Here are a few tips on how you can navigate wedding season, even if your baby bump is the variable in your dress shopping experience.
For our next wedding in August, I decided to go out looking for a special dress now when I had time. I emailed the online custom-dress shop Dress Mavens to see if they made, or were willing to make me, a maternity dress. They didn't, but they offered me three suggestions on dress types that would be best for my blooming belly. They walked me through how to do my measurements, and gave me recommendations on how to expand certain measurements for growth over the next few months (ahem, breasts and waist).
I couldn't have asked for more. Not only will I have a one-of-a-kind dress at this wedding, but since it's not really a maternity dress, I also will be able to take it in and wear it after the baby comes. Talk about getting wear out of a dress.
If you feel more comfortable buying a maternity dress for a wedding, look for stuff on sale. This is actually what I've done for any maternity clothes I've bought so far. For the first wedding we were invited to this year, I wasn't sure how much of a bump I'd have at 14 weeks. I decided to take a look at some sale items at an online maternity store just to see. I bought two dresses.
When they arrived, the one I thought I was going to wear was still a little too big for how tiny I am. I knew it would look great when I had a more defined bump, but as I was at 14 weeks, I was just swimming in the material. The second dress though, was just perfect. It fit me nicely, and even showed off my little tiny bump.
The key thing here is that neither of these dresses were "formal wear." Instead, they were just nice dresses that I could wear elsewhere, like to work or to the theatre. In fact, the pink dress I ended up wearing to that wedding a few weeks back? I've already worn it to work.
Whatever you decide, it's most important you're comfortable in what you're wearing. If you're close with the bride, then ask her how fancy of a dress she wants you in. Weddings today tend to be a lot less formal than they were even 20 years ago. For example, you'd likely wear something different to a wedding on a beach compared to one in a church.
Shoes are important also. Sure, a 4" heel might look amazing with your new, but your back (and your changing centre of gravity) will not appreciate the fashion statement, especially if you're not a regular wearer of heels.
Have you been pregnant and had to attend a wedding? I'd love to hear what you wore, and what advice you have. You know, in case there are any last minute invitations before my due date.
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