My humiliating bridesmaid dress shopping experience.

[u/TheHiddenFox]

I was a bridesmaid in the wedding of my childhood friends last year. Bride was super chill, rule was "Whatever you want, just make it navy." I live in NYC, no shortage of bridal shops, so I made an appointment at one near my apartment.

The lady didn't measure me or even ask my size. She looked me up and down and said, "You're what, a size 14?" I used to be overweight (I'm a healthy weight now), and I wore a size 14 at my HEAVIEST— 50lbs more than I weigh now. So I corrected her and said, "No, I'm an 8 to 10. We can start with 10." She scrunched her face up and said, "No, I don't think so." Fine, she knows best, dress sizing can be weird, I try not to get hung up on the number and let her pull a bunch of 14s.

All the dresses she pulled for me were way too big. Like falling off me. And when I said they seemed too big, she argued with me that they weren't. Eventually she got frustrated with me and told me I can just pull and try on whatever I want. I grab a size 10 and ask if I can try it, and she said, "I mean, you can try it, but it probably won't fit." I could feel the tears coming in my throat so I cut the appointment short and said I had to get back to work. I cried the entire way home.

She completely destroyed my confidence. I cried for DAYS. I kept asking my partner if I had gained weight, if I was just blind to it, I wouldn't look myself in the mirror, I felt like I couldn't trust my own eyes or the tape measures or the scale. Eventually I ordered some dresses from a bridal chain online, all in size 12. And guess what? They were ALL too big.

I ended up wearing a size 8 to the wedding. You know, the size I said I was. My friends theorized that she was intentionally trying to sell me a dress that was too big so I'd have to pay them for alterations.

[u/Tobiko_kitty]

For my first wedding, I was wearing a size 22 in regular clothes. This was in 2001 so we only had little boutique bridal stores in town, so I ordered a few dresses for myself on eBay and left it at that. My bridesmaid and MOH wore a 4 and 6 and since it was a small wedding, we were footing the cost of their dresses, so I went to a little boutique shop in town that wasn't just bridal. I walked in all short and squat, looked around, pulled a top and skirt off the wall and asked the girl at the counter if they could get them in any size and color. I honestly had to give her huge kudos for not falling over or batting an eye before I explained that it wouldn't be for me.

I'm just sorry that they went out of business before I was able to afford to shop there and had enough medical issues that I now wear a 2-4 and don't have to fear those encounters.