Nine Months And Beyond 2012: Pregnant bridesmaid

So all being well I am going to be a bridesmaid at my sister's wedding about 10 weeks after the baby is born.

When I finally reached the 12week goal and was able to tell everyone about the pregnancy I was really worried about telling her as it means I won't be able to go on the hen do, I'll have a new born at the wedding and the timing of the bridesmaid dress shopping needed to be determined by me not her. All in all, not ideal. Thankfully she was really happy for me. After all we've each only got one sister so I want her to have the best day ever and she is looking forward to being an Auntie for the first time.

So now I am 21 weeks gone and starting to look a bit pregnant it seemed about time to sort out the bridesmaid dresses. As the baby will only be 10 weeks old at the wedding (if he/she isn't late) then I am not exactly going to be looking like Cheryl Cole so the dress needed to be forgiving on the figure but still beautiful and summery to fit the occasion.

We started with an appointment at a bridal shop to try proper bridesmaid dresses. Wow that was a horrendous experience! All the dresses were a size 12 (I'm a 14 when I don't have a passenger on board) so holding various dresses that only just covers me up was pretty rubbish while the other two bridesmaids looked brilliant in their size 8/10 and 12 shapes.

I would therefore like to thank the wonderful store that is Debenhams and more specifically Coast who saved the day. They have some absolutely beautiful maxi-dresses so if you are looking for elegant dresses that make everyone look amazing, have enough structure to hold you in and are forgiving at the same time head there! I had to go for a size 16 to be safe, mainly to ensure that my ever expanding chest would be well catered for size didn't really matter. The dresses are beautiful so give them a try!