The Truth About Wedding Dress Sizes

You may have read, as I have, that wedding gowns run one to two sizes smaller than a typical dress. Armed with that “knowledge,” I set out to create a chart to help guide you with online or used gown purchases. I was in for a huge surprise. After gathering sizing information for popular clothing brands and the most often resold and eBayed wedding dress designers, I found this popular advice is wrong!

You cannot automatically assume you’ll wear a larger gown size. Just like “street” clothes, same-size wedding gowns come in different proportions and measurements. Some, like Alfred Angelo’s Modern Fit and Mary’s Bridal, have more ample waist room. Others, like David’s Bridal and Moonlight, are proportionally more “bustier.” And many brands now measure similar to non-bridal wear. Take a look at the infographic here, for comparisons of some popular brands to “normal” sizes,* where I charted two dozen designers popularly found on re-seller marketplaces and eBay.

The Size Charts

Some designers publish size charts on their websites, others do not. Of those that do (from the 24 I looked at), here are links to measurements for each size.

To find charts for other designers, type the designer’s name, along with the term “size chart” or “fit guide” into any major search engine.

* Typical street sizes were computed from a range of the most common misses measurements among 30 department and specialty store dress brands (including Ann Taylor, Loft, Adrianna Papell, Eliza J, Talbots, White House Black Market, Lilly Pulitzer, J Crew, Charlotte Russe, Sears, Arden B, and JC Penney).

Wedding gown brand sizes were from various sources of published size charts, each confirmed from the manufacturer’s website or two independent sources.