Styling The Bump: Trying to do Wedding Glamour While I’m Looking Like a Whale

Ahh, it’s a tale as old as time. Or maybe it’s only as old as my current state of panic when I realised yesterday it was two days before our dear friend’s wedding, and I still don’t have a thing to wear!!!!

Sure, I could wear the last dress I wore to all the fancy weddings we attended when I was preggers in previous years. (Do my friends just WAIT till I’m preggers to tie the knot? If so, just a warning: guys…I’m only planning one more pregnancy after this one,k. So, the rest of you, you better wrap it up already.I’m just saying.) 😉 Wait, where was I? AH, yes, my staple wedding guest dress: I mean, It was a lovely dress. But things are, how shall I say? A bit snug in that dress now. Probably some laundry malfunction, I’m sure – which was possibly aided by all the middle of the night milk ‘n cheese sarmies I get hubby to bring me. (Anyone else who gets ripped from sleep due to pregnancy hunger?)

Anyhoo, with medical science still working on how to sculpt a svelte figure overnight, I’m pretty ok to embrace the realities of the here and now: This is my figure, and lest I’m willing to celebrate my friend’s holy union wrapped in a sheet(glammed up with some pearls, of course) I needed to find something comfy to wear. Also just for the record, I actually don’t regard preggos as whales, contrary to what my title might suggest. In fact I find preggos absolutely gorgeous! Their hair, their rounded shape, their fullness and ampleness. Also just that glow. Don’t believe me? Ask one the of the 100’s of random preggo’s I stop in malls and in the streets just to tell how incredibly gorgeous they are, and how well they’re pulling it off!(#truestory)

But in all honesty, I’m feeling a little bit like a whale. But that’s another story. Point is, last night I finally had the chance to go shopping. The maternity wear online, whilst seemingly promising, didn’t quite guarantee the fit.

However, I thought I’d share with you, in case you’re also in the market. Have a look-see here:

Cute, but note quite what I was after.

Also the current maternity selections I’ve seen in the Preggy specific stores, were not quite the same as previous years; The emphasis was more on day to day wear, but nothing with a bit of glitz. So I took to normal wear, and hoped and prayed I wouldn’t come home empty handed. I mean there’s only so much that I can suck THIS gut in, yo!

What you must know though is that I am not a shopper. Like really. I don’t have the patience for it. I normally have a very specific look in mind, and if at a glance I don’t seem to see that your store has what Im looking for, I’m moving on. Hubby, as can be expected, is the same. So we were on a mission last night. Factor in the fact that we had the kids with us, so you know we’re all business up in that mall. Get in and get out.

First stop YDE. I know right, not where you think a preggo would go to first, right? But You’d be surprised at how much you can still make non-maternity clothes work for your shape. DON’T fall into that trap of thinking you MUST only buy maternity wear. I say, buy whats comfy and practical.

I did a quick survey of all their racks, and came out with three options. The first one had me at hello…and then sealed the deal after I eventually managed to zip her up. But I still went ahead and tried the other two.
I thought I’d share it here for anyone who’d be keen to see how non maternity wear can also work on your preggy bump.
Oh, by the way, I also had my two beasties with me, who were as loud as they get and made sure the people in the adjacent fitting rooms knew that they were there with lots of banging and “hellos”. They also made sure that all within earshot got a good dose of my disciplining tactics. Or my ability to repeat myself a bajillion times without losing power. Also, for good measure, they would sporadically unlock and open my door to ensure all passers-by could get a good view of my growing belly showcase in my underwear. Ahh, just another day in parent- mall life. But to their credit they provided excellent critique on my outfits. Or maybe it was just they were buttering me up for some goodies later. Whatever – when your kid throws a compliment, take it!

This green number had all heart eyes because, well, just look at that GREEN! And it was a wrap dress – great for preggos growing bellies. But it was just too short for me. And if it was still over the knee, that would have kept it classy for a wedding, would have definitely been a winner. But alas, mid thought was not where it was at for me this time.

Then there was this one. Plane, understated, yet all sparkly. Also it was black. I am a sucker for black. Call me boring, but whatever, I’m so in love with black. Although navy and I totes have a sideline thing going on. : ) But it was not wow. Lovely but not wow.

(My face up there: The face you make, when you’re kids are going crazy that even they realise how cray-cray they’re getting.)
What do ya think?

Anyway, I am happy to report that I did find something, and that the whole shopping experience was a total of about 30 mins. A win in both mine and hubby’s books. I won’t share that one here – still trying to put the whole look together. But if you catch me on Instagram, I’ll hopefully remember/get a chance to post a snap of my outfit there tomorrow on the special day.

Can’t WAIT for tomorrow! It’s going to be such a beautiful for those two. I just LOVE weddings, don’t you?! Here’s to hubby and squeezing each other’s hands all through the vows, exchanging knowing smiles , and getting all misty eyed by the ridiculous levels of love in the air.

Now, a question to all the mommas out there, where are all the glamourous preggy wear places? I’d love to expand my choices. And just in general, where are your favourite places to shop for your bellies?