I debated writing about this, especially at the time of things spiraling, since I knew you shouldn’t express bad thoughts or opinions when you are emotional.
Now it has been 2 months after the wedding. I have already gotten back the wedding ph...otos (where my wedding dress photos are awkward and I am mostly in a reception outfit) and also not having been able to take engagement photos, even though I am in a better head space, I am still extremely upset.
All because of a wedding dress that was too small (ordered too small by Bel Fiore). What makes me more upset by this situation was that because, of course, why would I doubt the bridal store that made me wedding dress shopping experience amazing? It was that when I went to go in for alterations, Margarita would say, “Did you gain weight? Are you planning on losing weight?” Me, being insecure about the fact that I hadn’t been able to work out in 2 months after being in a bad car accident, surely thought it was me and my body at fault, when the dress didn’t fit when I first went to go pick it up. I was 5’3” and 114lb at the time. It took a month of working out while working 7 days a week, “intermittent fasting” but basically starving. I was sure that I was at least back to my base (when I first tried the wedding dresses). I don’t personally care about height/weight stats, but to put this into perspective on where I was at, I was now 5’3” and 104lb.
The dress still didn’t fit. Margarita would say again, “did you gain weight?”
When I expressed frustration to her and the staff, this is when I realized that my initial body measurements at the time of the initial dress shopping were chest/waist/hip (inches) 31, 25.5, 31.
The dress that was ordered was a size 2. The chest/waist/hip measurements were 31, 24, 31.
I don’t know about you but I haven’t been 24 inches around the waist since a child, nor is losing 1.5 inches about the waist an easy feat.
I will say that the staff at Bel Fiore Bridal tried to compensate me for a corset that I only needed as the dress didn’t fit. However in reality I needed a dress in my size, i.e a larger size than what was ordered. I was unable to take engagement photos, postponed because the dress wasn’t ready. I accepted the fact that I would have a corset on the day of the wedding, trying to tell myself it would be not noticeable. The fact is, the problem was actually in the shoulder straps, that would constantly fall off my shoulders since there was a widened gap at the back from the corset. No amount of tape could hold it up indefinitely. In the moments where it did, those photos would only depict how awkward my shoulders and posture had to be to keep me from flashing my guests in case my shoulder straps fell off.
When I last picked up my dress, the staff at Bel Fiore Bridal told me that because I had made alterations to the dress and agreed to pick it up initially, that the only thing that they could do was have their manager reach out to me. Although I agree with all that, given the circumstances in which the dress was ordered too small to begin with, I had hoped at least for a call from their manager. I have yet to get a call.
TLDR:
So, thank you Bel Fiore Bridal for a beautiful dress that didn’t fit, for all the feelings of insecurity I endured about my size and weight, the tears I cried for the wedding photos that I was unable to share, and for engagement photos that I was never able to take.