This review is a bit overdue from last year, but the story begins when I went dress shopping at Fantastic Finds in 2018. I live out of state, but I was visiting family and since I was newly engaged, my mom suggested we try on wedding dresses. Neither of us really imagined I would find something on my first trip, but we fell in love and ended up ordering a 2-piece dress with a beaded belt that day. We knew the logistics of buying a dress when I wasn't local could be a bit tricky, but I knew I would be back around the holidays and my wedding was the following May, so we figured it was a reasonable timeline.
One issue at my fitting was that I apparently measured between sizes on the skirt. I had the option of getting a size 4, and moving the clasp over 1/2" to make the waist just a tad bigger, or a size 6, which would have required a bit more alterations-wise to make it a little smaller. We all agreed a size 4 made the most sense as it was an easier fix. If only that were the case!
When I went to my fitting in December 2018, I was SHOCKED when I saw my skirt. Even just on the hanger, I could tell right away it was way too small...like, disturbingly small. It was no surprise to me when I couldn't zip it up. Initially I blamed myself...maybe I had gained a little bit of holiday weight? However, this was so out of the realm of even being in the ballpark of something that would ever fit me, and I knew something wasn't right. Either way, I got to work and lost nearly 10 pounds very quickly (a little scary when you're 125lbs and 5'6" to begin with), but it didn't help -- the dress was still too small.
After plenty of back and forth with FF, it came out that they recorded my measurements as 32" bust, 24" waist, 37" hips. Which would make total sense if I looked like Jessica Rabbit. But alas, that is not the case. When I eventually went for alterations, I measured 32" bust, 27" waist, and 34" hips. So it's pretty easy to see how as a result of human error, my waist and hip measurements were flip-flopped. I'm 27/34, but it must have gotten recorded as 24/37.
While we were trying to figure this out, FF placed the entire blame on me, saying I "insisted" on ordering a skirt that was too small. Whyyyyy in the world would anyone EVER do that??? Especially when the gown cost nearly $3k!!! I looked up the sizing guide for the brand of my dress, and I should have ordered a size 8, maybe even a 10, which were never even given to me as options. How could I have "insisted" on ordering a size that was too small when the options I was given by the consultant were 4 and 6, which were BOTH too small in the first place?? If my measurements were recorded correctly, and I was told I was between a size 8 and a size 10, and I then said "No thanks, I think I'll go with a size 4," then that would be my fault. But it's not on me for choosing one of two sizes offered by the professional helping me out. (To clarify: I did order a size significantly *bigger* than I needed for the top...I think it was a size 14? Because I loved the neckline of the sample and wanted mine to look exactly the same. And I had to sign off that I understood that wasn't the size they measured me for.)
At the time, I will admit I didn't really pay attention to my measurements, but I trusted the FF staff to do it correctly. I should have seen the red flags when I heard 24" waist, knowing I wear 27/28 in jeans, but with all the excitement and adrenaline of finding a wedding dress, I obviously missed that, which was a costly mistake. I also would typically wear a size 4 in a regular dress, so that number made sense to me, but I didn't realize then that bridal sizing runs a little different.
In the end, I spent nearly half as much on the alterations as I did on the dress, and it was tricky to find someone up to the task of sizing a wedding gown up 2 full sizes. I was so over the expenses I acquired, and all of the drama and the blame game, that on the day of my wedding, I didn't even like my dress anymore. I'm still paying off the alterations to this day, a year later. Live and learn, I guess, although I'm not planning on having another wedding in this lifetime. read more