confused about dress size

Wedding and bridesmaids dresses are sized differently than jeans and regular dresses...I know its a shocker at first, but its completely normal and happens to everyone!

That is completely normal. Wedding gown sizes are not the same as street clothes. Do not let the dress size bother you at all.

I am roughly the same size as you and needed a size 14 originally (it can depend on dress cut, too) and then went up to a 16 to accommodate pregnancy. Actually how those dresses are sized is more the "true" sizing model and not the current "Gap" model that's designed to make everybody's size smaller You are fine!

That's how dresses work. They're on average 2 sizes larger than your street clothes size

Wedding dress sizes are totally different. I wear anything from a 0 to a 2 depending on the dress! I tried on a size 4 in the store and it fit perfectly. They took my measurements and said I should order an 8. I was confused by that (and so was my consultant) so i ordered a 6. I just had my second fitting this past Saturday and they had to take it in on the hips and back because it was way to big.

Do not pay any attention to the size of the dress... after alterations it really means NOTHING!

Yea do not freak out lol I had to go up two dress sizes for my wedding dress. I freaked at first too lol

Ummm...that doesn't sound right to me either. I wore a size 18 dress that I had to get taken in a little and I'm much bigger than you.

Now I feel weird. I'm usually a 2-4 in street clothes and had to get a 0 in my wedding dress .............................................

Seriously everyone thank you. I'm currently in Taiwan so it's really hard to go get checked out but I really want to. Im trying lose 20lbs before my wedding next year so I want to lose 10 before I actually try dresses on. I've just never seen myself as a size 16 so im going to have to just chill out. I was trying to pay a picture so people can gauge my size but can't figure out how to. Again though thank you!! Super helpf!

I think different designers have different sizes of dresses (like some run large, others small). I'm a size 4, but I had to get a size 6 dress. They are having to take it in a lot, but mostly just my torso area.

Melissa is right, each designer has different sizing.

i'm 5'8", 140lbs and street size is 8, my dress (Galina by Davids Bridal) is size 8

but i tried on a few different designers and went from size 4 to size 12.

Melissa is correct that all designers are different.

I am a size 6 and my dress is a size 10, (a ball gown, not even fitted). Dont worry about the number on the tag or anything.

As the other girls have said, the dress sizing is completely different. I'm about 10 lbs under you, and I was told to order a size 10..lo and behold, it is too small. I should have ordered a 12.

I was told that they order the dress to your largest dimension and the it gets taken in from there. I wouldn't worry about it as long as the dress looks good that's all that matters, it will get tailored to you after the fact

Different designers have different measurements. I have a Maggie dress, my chest was 0 (don't laugh), my waist was a size 6 and my hips would have put me in an 8. Because the dress was a corset, we went with a 6. You are supposed to go by your largest measurement because you can always take the dress in, but you can only let it out so much. I tried on an 8 in a Maggie but different style but it was still too big so i am comfortable that a 6 will fit. I am typically a 6 in street clothes. So again, different designers have different measurements, just be sure to measure accurately in the right locations.

I wear a 4 in pants or a 2 in a Calvin Klein dress (all my work dresses are CK) - One wedding dress I tried on was a size 8 and it barely zipped, a size 6 by another maker I was swimming in, another size 6 fit in the bodice but my boobs would need to be a triple F for that to fit.

Yes bridal runs differently - if you are measuring yourself (which isn't recommended, have someone else do it for you) be in just a bra and underwear. Measure the fullest part of your bust & hips, then the narrowest part of your waist (where you bend when you lean side to side)

Don't be discouraged, just cut the size tag out of your dress

We have just about the same measurements, and every bridesmaid dress and now my WEDDING DRESS I've ever bought has been between a 14-16... I about bawled the first time, then I cut the tag out..lol. they definitely run different size wise, just ignore it.

@Shelby you're not the only one! I was a size 10-12 in jeans when I ordered my dress and a size 4 is what they had me order and it fits perfectly.

For the most part higher end designers tend to run smaller, but David's bridal and others try to stay closer to typical street sizes. I actually wasn't surprise by the larger size, size 14 for me. I sew a lot of my own clothing and my pattern size is usually a 10 or 12; I wear a size 4 in most street clothes; my wedding dress is a size 14.