My Experience Wedding Dress Shopping As A Plus Sized Woman
Shopping for a wedding dress is one of those special moments women dream of from being a kid. It’s a rite of passage and a huge part of planning a wedding. And wedding dress shopping is meant to be such a magical experience. But whenever you look at typical adverts, bridal magazines, movies or TV shoes there’s little if any plus sized bride coverage. All of the women are slim, slender and would probably look stunning in almost any dress they tried on.
Me and Luke got engaged in January 2020, but the pandemic put quite a pause on us making any plans. After we’d booked the big things- the venue, food and entertainment- it was time to think about my dress. And I had such mixed feelings about the thought of wedding dress shopping as a plus sized woman.
Tips to make your wedding dress shopping go smoothly
- Find stores that specialise in plus size dresses. This way you should be able to actually try on most dresses and not have to imagine what they look like
- Phone the store beforehand. If you’re really not sure phone the store beforehand. You’ll get a good feel for how they are before booking
- Give yourself plenty of time (a year or more if possible). Dresses can take up to 6 months to be made and ordered and then you need final fittings and alterations.The longer you give yourself to find ‘the dress’ the less stressed you’ll feel to make a decision on the day
- Be selective about who you bring with you. You want to make sure you have people there who understand how you feel. And not well meaning friends/ relatives who may make comments about size or weight that aren’t what you need to hear. I only took my mum with me, it was a lovely mother daughter moment but I knew she’d be honest with me without any pressure
- Ignore the size on the dress- I was told that a wedding dress sizes run about 2 times smaller than standard clothing. And the dress I ended up ordering came out 2 sizes bigger than what I usually buy. So ignore the size on the dress, or the size you may have to order. It’s all about how it fits and how it makes you feel
- Have an open mind- everyone I spoke to said that they ended up with dresses nothing like they’d imagined. So I went in with an open mind to try on various styles and worked from there as to what felt and looked right. Sometimes you have to try dresses on that you don’t think will be right to be sure.
My experience wedding dress shopping as a plus sized woman
The first thing I did when I was thinking about looking for dresses was to search for plus size wedding boutiques in my surrounding area. I didn’t see the point in going into a traditional bridal store that would have limited dresses in my size. Because the main part of wedding dress shopping is to see (and feel) how a dress looks on. And if you can only squeeze into a limited amount of dresses you won’t get the best experience.
I was quite shocked at how many shops specialised in plus sized dresses, I hadn’t expected to have choice. After looking around at designs, customer photos, testimonials etc I picked out a store called Confetti and Curves in Bedfordshire for my first appointment. I had about a year and three months until the wedding so had no pressure to have to pick. And I fully hadn’t expected to find ‘the dress’ on my first try. But that’s exactly what happened.
At the store itself
From the first minute of arriving and talking to the staff I felt at ease. Seeing all the dresses hanging up knowing that one of these could be the one ended up filling me with joy, as opposed to the dread I’d expected to feel. Knowing that all of these dresses would fit/ nearly fit me made me feel like I had all the options. The lady we had helping us listened to every single like and dislike I had about the dresses and eventually pulled out one for me to try on that ended up being ‘the one’.
When thinking about wedding dress shopping as a larger lady I had thought I’d feel self conscious being in my underwear with a stranger helping me in and out of dresses. But I didn’t even think about it. It’s real testament to how comfortable and at ease a person can make you feel. I had such a positive experience looking for wedding dresses that it made me forget the insecurities and hangups I have about my body.
Choosing the dress
We had no hard sell, no rush for the finish line as I had time. But I knew the dress I’d picked was right so we took measurements and discussed what size to order.
You always hear about people wanting to lose weight for their wedding and putting quite strict goals on themselves. And yes I’d love to lose a good amount of weight, but realistically I don’t think it’s going to happen. I don’t want to put unnecessary pressure on myself to have to lose weight on top of everything else. So we opted to order the dress in the right size knowing that if I stayed the same all would be fine. But if I lost weight it could be adjusted. And by not going for a smaller size I didn’t have the pressure on myself that I had to lose weight.
Have you ever been wedding dress shopping before?
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21 responses to “My Experience Wedding Dress Shopping As A Plus Sized Woman”
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All About Me
Rhian Westbury
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It is lovely that stores are realising we are not all size 10’s. There is so much pressure and worry planning a wedding, putting more pressure on yourself to lose weight is just another worry. I ended up having my dress made by friends both times I got married. With my wedding to my husband my Mum was stressing the evening before as my friend still had it and not me
You’re so right, there’s so much pressure that no wonder some brides go a bit mad before their wedding x
It’s great to hear that you had a positive experience! Wedding dress shopping should make you feel happy and beautiful.
I’ve found that stores are finally starting to be more inclusive with sizes, which is comforting. I was so uncomfortable wedding dress shopping.
I’m so sorry to hear that you didn’t have a comfortable experience, but you’re right it’s good that places are becoming more inclusive x
I didn’t stress about my wedding dress at all but found the perfect one in a little boutique on my local high street.
It can be a stressful time to purchase, no matter what size you are but I can see how this could add extra stress. It sounds like you have found a great place to shop and it’s so funny because I felt the same way you did when I bought the first dress I tried on as well. Congratulations by the way!
I remember dress shopping being so stressful. Finding bridesmaids dresses was a challenge too!
Thankfully I don’t have that challenge as I’m not having bridesmaids haha x
There was a lot of planning and it is really time consuming especially when finding where to buy a wedding dress. Always remember, You are beautiful no matter what size you are. I’m sure you will be the most beautiful woman in your wedding day! Congratulations.
Thank you!
I love the points you have made here and sharing your experience for others to learn and benefit. It is so important not to feel rushed and to locate places that have plus size clothing as part of their main focus. It is so amazing that you made all the time to research and not be rushed and still were lucky enough to find your dream dress the first time round.
It’s good to hear you were comfortable from the start with the staff and found plenty of options. It can be great fun looking for a wedding dress.
I remember shopping for my wedding dress. I’m a plus size woman as well. I found the whole experience to be pleasant!
That’s great to hear that you also had a positive experience x
It must be hard for women who are plus sized to look for wedding dresses but so glad that you have had good experience, and these tips are so helpful for those who are wondering where to start
I’m still yet to meet Prince Charming, but I do find the prospect of shopping for a wedding dress a rather daunting one indeed!
first, congratulations & best wishes! I am so glad that you had a stress positive experience while picking your wedding dress. I can’t wait to see it.
It’s so nice that you had such a wonderful experience finding your dream wedding dress. It looks like by planning everything and researching the shops in the area you made the perfect choice. Yes, we are not all models so wedding dress shops should cater for everyone.
This was really helpful – whilst we are no further forward in wedding planning, being plus size and living locally to you you have put my mind at ease for when the time comes.
I can’t imagine how stressful wedding dress shopping is! I think these are great tips for any bride. I am glad you found a nice variety of dresses and had an overall beautiful experience!