Dresses

My best advice is not really relevant to the shopping but to afterwards - find a great seamstress!

I am 5'0 and although small, really pear shaped so finding a dress to fit was not exactly a dream. I ended up buying a dress that I really liked but was actually 3 sizes too big off the rack. Honestly looking back on that, I was nuts.

What I did have in my pocket was an incredible seamstress with over 20 years experience (anyone in the Ottawa area let me know and I will pass on her details). She used to actually make the custom dresses for one of the major stores here. She managed to rebuild the top half of my dress to fit - down three sizes and the bottom half only needed to be altered down a size at the bum. Honestly the woman is a wizard and I am so thankful for her. If you have a local facebook group for brides ask for seamstress suggestions there - it's generally great advice!

If you find a reliable seamstress it can be clutch when you need to take a dress in - especially during a weight loss journey (just keep in mind it's usually easier to take a dress in than let it out - I had a friend who was losing weight so she bought 2 sizes smaller and plateaued, so she was stuck with a dress her seamstress scrambled to let out).

Have a blast shopping, try on everything (seriously you may be surprised by what suits you) and know that you are beautiful with a man that loves your gorgeous curves!

I’m a plus size bride and thought that dress shopping was going to be an absolute nightmare. I was surprised how size inclusive most bridal salons are! I went to several, one of them carrying sizes up to a 32! You super don’t have to worry about not having options!!! I actually bought my dress at David’s bridal, it’s everything I wanted and so much more (it has pockets)!! Don’t stress, try to relax and enjoy the experience as much as you can!
Just remember that formal wear fits ridiculous. Do not focus on the size, it’s not important, every dress will fit differently and that’s okay. I tried a dress in every silhouette out there to see how I felt in them, some of them were really terrible, I won’t lie, but at the end of it all, I found my dream dress, and you will too!

I think every bride, no matter her size, worries about not liking anything or not finding anything to try on. I think there is a dress out there for everyone and that you need to keep an open mind for style and fit and try everything on.

Call ahead to your stores and make sure they carry enough dresses in plus sizes to make it worth the trip.

I am pretty sure you and I go to the same bridal stores... So I'll give you my take:

David's Bridal - pretty good, but hit or miss on having sizes in 18, 20, 22... (they are mostly off the rack so they carry many sizes of each style)
Bridal Gallery - AWFUL for plus sizes... That's how I felt, so I'm just putting that out there. We went up stairs to a private change room, and it felt all "VIP"... but then she showed me the 3 racks of size 16/18/ and 20+ gowns... and half of them I swear looked the exact same...
Lisa's Bridal - where I bought my dress... LOVED the experience. I told you before, my dress is Stella York. Stella York and Essence of Australia are both by Essence Designs - their motto is "Everybody. Every Body."... so they had many dresses in the 18-26 size range. And they were gorgeous.

OVERALL! Because I was in your boat... I wanted to lose weight, and in the first 4 months of being engaged I lost 9 lbs.... and I was disappointed... but I went, I tried, I cried, I bought. Because you need to just remember that your fiance thinks your beautiful now. (Plus bridal dress = corset = DAYUM!)

Since buying the dress in May I've lost another 15 lbs.... I think having the dress actually coming was better motivation than going to try them on.

Enjoy your time! Don't worry about what size the dress is... focus on the details you love, and remember, your dress will fit you perfectly... the samples are not your dress.

Sorry- sent before I finished

the best advice I can give is being open to different styles! If you feel even a little hesitant, get it off, do not keep it on hoping to change your mind. If there is something you like about a dress (the way the bodice feels, the waist, the shape) let the sales lady know right away. She’ll then focus on what makes you feel good and pull similar styles.

also: dresses can be altered; it’s sometimes difficult to put on a dress and ‘invision’ What it would look like on. Keep an open mind and honest opinion.

I loved my dress when I tried it on (ignoring that it was 6 sizes too small). But that doesn’t mean that I didn’t have apprehensions waiting for it to arrive. But once I put that thing on in my size I felt so much better!!

I am a plus size girl. The idea of trying on dresses made me have a panic attack. No one carries sample sizes that I could even GET in. It was a bit of a struggle, but finding a great store with great staff makes the world of a difference. Trust you’re gut!

This is how I feel although I won't be going until roughly the one year mark - October. I know that my FH loves me as I am and that will be a big thing that will help get me through it all.

That and to have honest people with me. I do have the final say - but I don't want to pick a dress that I love just to look at pictures after the fact and nit-pick how bad it looks on me and how a different dress would have flattered me better. Fashion changes - but how it looks on you doesn't.

I felt the same going in. I’m 5’10 and a curvy girl so I already knew that I wasn’t going to fit in a lot, but the process was actually a lot easier than I thought.
Be open to all styles, once you try a few on you will find a style you feel sexy, confident and beautiful in.
My advice would however try to stay away from the small boutiques. Although their dresses are gorgeous they will only have a handful of dresses to try on in a few styles.