BRIDE WARS TikTok is deep into a Paddington wedding dress fitting scandal, so we chatted to a Bridal Stylist about what’s going on…

A bridal drama is currently unfolding on Sydney TikTok as we speak, and 2.7 million of us are officially locked in. And let me tell you, it’s bad.

Okay, here’s what you need to know to catch yourself up to speed.

Last night, a Sydney bride went viral online after posting a tearful update just four weeks out from her wedding. In the video, she revealed that her long-awaited, whopping $15k gown from the Ivory Room Paddington had arrived far too large for her. And by too large, we mean 10cm room in the waist too large (i.e. a LOT). After a professional tailor told her the dress was now too big to alter without entirely ruining the design of the gown, she decided there was no option but to use TikTok as a last resort for a desperate call for help and guidance.

The kicker? The studio has reportedly told her it’s basically not their problem, claiming she must’ve lost weight since ordering the gown.

Naturally, this hasn’t gone down well online. TikTok commenters have flooded in with outrage, support, theories, and apparently death threats? But beneath the internet drama is a real question: how does this kind of gown-size disaster happen? And whose responsibility is it to fix it?

To find out, we spoke to a professional Bridal Stylist to help us unpack what’s really going on, and what brides should know to avoid ending up in the same situation.

Editor’s Note: Since publishing this article, the bride has removed all associated TikTok’s.

So what could’ve actually happened here? Is it possible the bride did just lose weight?

To be honest, this was my first suspicion before watching the saga unfold. Brides often do lose weight before their wedding day (and it can be quite significant), so it’s normal for the gowns to be a little roomy when they finally arrive.

It’s also important to remember the difference between ‘made to measure’ gowns and ‘made to order’ gowns. The latter (which is what this bride went with), is ordered to the client’s nearest size. This means that it’s normal for a few centimetres here-and-there to be taken in even if the bride hasn’t changed weight or shape.

However, after watching the remaining videos I’m pretty sure this is not what’s happened here. While it’s hard to confirm given we don’t have the OG measurements from 8 months ago when the dress was ordered, 10cm is a pretty insane difference for a waist measurement. I think it’s safe to say we can trust our TikTok bride when she claims she hasn’t had that significant of a weight change before the wedding (besides, it would be pretty noticeable).

Could the studio have ordered the wrong size?

Funnily enough, this was my second thought. In reality, Bridal Stylists are often back-to-back with appointments, and while it’s certainly not ideal, mistakes do happen from time-to-time. That’s why most studios leave a reasonably large buffer of time to fix any potential errors that might come up (i.e., four weeks before your wedding is WILD).

If the studio had genuinely ordered the wrong size, then yes, it’s obviously their responsibility to fix this by sourcing a replacement ASAP. The issue is, they’re often the only ones with access to the original measurements and order documentation. So unless the bride had copies or screenshots, it’s her word against theirs. Nevertheless, anyone would expect a reasonable business to do the right thing and acknowledge when they’re in the wrong.

So what’s the most likely explanation here?

As soon as the bride came online to show her measurements cross-checked with the sizing chart from the designer she’s purchased from, that’s when it clicked for me. My suspicion is that there’s been a production error or mislabelled gown.

The gown that she owns, a US size 16, hypothetically should fit her near perfectly based on the measurements and sizing chart she’s showing us. Which means the right size has been ordered for her. But for some reason, the sizing chart and the gown aren’t matching up. This happens every now and then – a dress might be tagged as a size 10, but might actually be cut closer to a 12 or 14 due to a factory fault or a pattern grading issue.

Of course, in this case it’s entirely the responsibility of the studio to immediately flag this with the designer, identify the production fault and work towards finding a resolution for the bride ASAP.

How can brides avoid problems like this from arising before their wedding day?

While these things do happen, there’s no need to panic. This bride has unfortunately been unlucky, but it’s certainly not a common occurrence. The best way to protect yourself is to keep a personal record of your measurements at the time of order, the sizing chart and any correspondence about the gown size (even a screenshot of the order summary can help).

Also, don’t ever take your dress to a tailor four weeks before your wedding. More buffer time is always better, and four weeks is almost never recommended. And finally, talk to your stylist about where you’re sitting on the sizing chart so you have an idea as to what alterations might be involved when you receive it 8-12 months later!

Any final thoughts on how the studio should have handled this?

Let’s be so real, an apology video between a store and customer is never a good look. Especially when you’re doubling down and playing the victim. I understand that receiving death threats is totally not on, but continuing to have this play out on social media is frankly unprofessional.

The Ivory Room should have been far more responsive, empathetic and transparent to start with. Even if she had lost a significant amount of weight and this wasn’t their responsibility, talking them through this process and offering guidance is just what a reasonable person should do really.