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June 23, 2005



I don't have a wedding dress, but I am a reasonably fit thirtysomething and don't like the sound of this.

Lifelong fitness is a wonderful goal, and it's wrong to judge one's success in this endeavor by whether or not she can fit into an old dress.

As you point out, your body takes on a different shape over the years, and that doesn't necessarily mean you're not fit and healthy.

At what point did "fit" become defined as looking like a twentysomething until you're eighty?

Sorry to vent, but hey--you asked! :)


I was 6 month pregnant when I got married (we were already engaged, but changed the date). If I didn't fit into that dress I'd have to study home liposuction techniques.

I like the concept, but I know that I can jog for about 2 miles before collapsing. I'm a size 16, and fighting to stay there. I firmly believe it's more about the numbers from your blood work than the numbers on the scale.


Excellent points, Becky and Stacie!


I'm not any heavier than when I got married, but everything has kind of shifted around. With the right "foundation" (i.e. a tight bustier) I got into the dress about 2 years ago. After that last try-on, I gave it to my size 8 friend whose mom altered it beautifully, and I will never be able to wear it again. And that's OK. Why would I want to wear it again?

I feel better about myself and I look better now in my 30s than I did in my 20s, and that is more important than squeezing into a poofy white dress and running around the city looking ridiculous.


I can fit into mine; in fact, it's a size too big. There were a lot of years when I couldn't, but when I got sick I lost 125 pounds. The dress wasn't that tightly fitted in the first place, so the differences in my shape don't matter so much, except it doesn't look as good as it did when my waist was slim. The dress itself is old and turning gray and sort of nasty, and I don't know why anyone would want to wear it. (My daughter didn't when she got married, and that was the reason I've been saving it all these years.) I told my kids they can bury me in the wedding dress and then we'll be rid of it.


You could always change the rules and say wear the shoes you were married in. They might be a little out of date, but they will almost certainly still fit.


Keith - Heaven forfend that those killer shoes ever get near my feet again!

Goofy Girl

I was so sick from nerves the week of my wedding that my wedding dress was loose in places. But it's a moot issue, since I rented my wedding gown. I think this was a good decision, as I've never had another event to wear it to. Well, until now, I guess...

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