HELP: I hate my dress. 2 Brides. October Wedding.
We decided to do the first look photos/tradition, and so we decided not to shop together (both of these things were BAD ideas and I already have regrets). I knew she was going to wear a black dress, and I wanted white (this also, in retrospect, is probably not a great idea, but it sounded like a good idea at the time).
I need a new dress that ACTUALLY will work WITH my partner's dress and I need urgent advice from someone who is nice but isn't going to bullshit me.
My partner left a tab open and I happened to see it on her computer when she walked away one day and she's not on reddit, so...here's her Azazie dress - black with champagne. She's a size 6 (in wedding dress), which is basically the same as most of the models on wedding sites - thin, narrow shoulders and hips. Yes I feel guilty about peeking, no I can't un-peek, and yes it's relevant to the post so...there you go.
Imgur link to my pictures here. Pic 1 is real life me (please please be kind). Pic 2 is real life me standing next to the black/champagne dress that the shop had on hand, which seemed close enough to my partner's dress. Pic 3 and 4 is real life me again (behind).
I'm....a LOT more curvy (and apparently getting WAY more self-conscious about that as wedding day gets closer). A lot of things just flat out don't look great on me, despite absolutely trying to destroy my body with workouts. She loves my body and I believe her but...I've spent 8 months getting basically nowhere and I've never been so self-conscious in my life as I am now. I'm also hitting perimenopause and...honestly? My fiancee is HOT.
That said, I just had to pick something by end of July and I kind of felt pressured by a friend to get something bought before it was too late. It was my third store. I have a bad habit of being criminally, horribly indecisive. I trusted my friend - who is an interior designer with great outfit taste on herself - that this was "the one" and...it looked fine on me, I guess? I haven't had a moment of YES I LOVE THIS like every single bride seems to. No crying, no cheesy smile...nothing just...feels right. But I don't wear wedding dresses regularly?!?! I live in leggings and baggy t-shirts and running shoes. I had to order SOMETHING or I would have nothing by wedding day.
Wedding date is end of October.
I spent so much money on this dress...and I hate it now that I've worn it a second time at the fitting. I genuinely hate it and I don't want to go to my own wedding and I feel like we're going to look ridiculous next to each other (are we even going to the same event?). I feel like our beautiful first look moment is just going to be me pretending to be really happy while internally dying and feeling like I don't want to be at my own wedding. In fact, if I could take it all back and elope right now so that no one would look at me, that seems better, actually (obviously I can't do that - invites are sent and vendors are booked). We're going to look so silly and mismatched and unfortunate together. My partner absolutely LOVES her dress and is 1000000% excited (but everything always looks amazing on her...).
I would ask a friend for advice, but I'm sure all of my nice, polite, very kind friends would just say "OH YOU LOOK GREAT!!! DONT WORRY!!! WILL WORK OUT!!!" and...I need real advice.
Posted Aug 21, 2026, 2:22 AM UTC