Weddingbee Blog

I too was a plus size bride and shopping for my wedding dress was the WORST part of planning my wedding four years ago. I would like to think that designers and bridal boutiques have learned a few things about plus size brides…but it sounds like they have not changed.

Many wedding dress boutiques did not have anything over a size 14. I had one horrible saleslady actually shove a dress that was many sizes too small over my head, she got it over one boob and then told me to “envision” what the entire dress would look like on my body once it was ordered in the correct size. Are you kidding me?!?! The saleslady was clueless!!!! Ugh…I left that store in tears and waited two months before entering a dreaded dress shop again!

I did end up finding a dress that I fell in love with at a store that had every size imaginable with a kind and considerate sales staff. Keep looking, stay positive and don’t be afraid to stand up for what you want in a dress.

You may want to look at http://www.ariadress.com they ship sample dresses to your house for you to try on, which I know I feel better trying things on in the comfort of my own home.

Good Luck and if you ever want to commiserate via e-mail with another plus size bride feel free to e-mail me!

Hi,

I’m so sorry you aren’t enjoying this. I can kind of relate. I’m a “petite” bride- only 5′1″. But, I’n not a skinny short girl, I’m about a size 8p. I find lots of dresses that are “petite”, like 2P…please! I’m also a lot older than just about everyone else, I’m going to be 45 when I get married for the first time. So, I have multiple challenges in that I’m short and old. LOL. And my budget is about $800. I picked out one I love. It was $4000!!! Ya, right!

You will find a shop that will treat you the way you deserve, AND you will look GORGEOUS on your day! Have faith and go in with your head held high- and don’t let anyone treat you than any less of the bride you deserve to be.

Since I moved to CA while my family is still back on the East Coast, my first two trips to a dress store were on my own. No bridesmaids, no mom, nobody. Two kind of clueless salespeople. One kind of clueless bride. It didn’t go very well - nobody was offering any ideas, neither of the stores I went to had the kind of dress I was really interested in, I left feeling fat and ugly, the whole nine yards.

My mom made arrangements for us to go dress shopping together while I was home for Christmas this past year, since it was the only chance she was going to have to see me in a wedding dress before the actual wedding. We were going to go even if I’d already had a dress picked out, but after my two experiences I’d been putting off going looking again, especially after work picked up. So three days after Christmas, my mom, my sisters, my fiance (if I’m spending that much money on a dress he gets input), and I trooped off to a dress store.

I didn’t expect much. And instead I found the dress. And a helpful salesperson who gave me honest feedback. My mom got to see my wedding dress. I knew exactly which size to order because of how the sample fit. My fiance approves (highly). My sisters had some good input.

And then I dallied on ordering it for two months because I couldn’t decide where to order it. But it’s ordered now.

I don’t know if you’ve found your dress yet, and I recognize that you’ve got a few more challenges than I do when it comes to trying on dresses (I can still fit into a fair number of the sample size dresses), but even if you have, I’d still encourage you to try to go with your mom if you are out visiting (or she comes to visit) at all before the wedding. It definitely made me feel better about the whole thing. Best of luck!

Any chance your future Mom in law would go wtih you? It might be a nice bonding op.