Dress shopping plus sized brides

My advice to you is if you have Instagram, go follow #plusizebride
I did it and it gave me way more confidence seeing other women my size rocking their dresses! It helps to normalize different bodies because brides come in all shapes and sizes!

I misspelt the #
It’s #plussizebride

DON'T SWEAT the number. As someone who lost a considerable amount of weight (from plus size to regular) I was excited to try on dresses in a regular size... Imagine my surprise when it wasn't regular but rather a plus size so I FREAKED out at first when I saw the size number of my wedding dress.

But then I remembered at the end of the day after the dress is altered, it's altered to fit you! It won't matter what the number is because it won't really be that number at the end of the day. I hope that reassures you a little.

Enjoy the process! The dress will be beautiful on you no matter what. So remember the day your dress is done, it's YOUR SIZE not a plus size, or a regular size, but customized just for you

View Quoted Comment Thank you, thats actually a really good way to think about it.

View Quoted Comment Thanks, I'll check this out

I’m not plus size but I’m not a size 8 either. I was worried about being judged or embarrassed to get down to my bra and pantries in front of a complete stranger! I went out and bought some nude boy sorts and a new strapless bra just to feel “fresh”. Upon arriving to the salon the consultant assigned to me was a tiny girl! I was already worried. Let me tell you she made me feel so good about myself and I felt really comfortable around her. She even had me take of my bra to try on a few dresses and she didn’t make it awkward. These consultants have seen all shapes and sizes. They will find dresses that are perfect for your body. They are the professional and have all these little tricks to make the dress look great even if it’s a size too big or small to try on. Just go in and try to relax and enjoy the process. I was pleasantly surprised how well it went and how good I felt. And then when my dress came in and it fit perfectly and it made the experience that much better. Good luck!!

I definitely had the same worries. When I went dress shopping I had a child about 6 months prior and I gained 50-60 lbs during my pregnancy and I was about 15-20lbs overweight when I became pregnant. I’m on a weight loss journey now and I’ve lost about 25lbs with about 40 left to go.


My consultant definitely put me at ease and was very accommodating but there was still a number of dresses I would have liked to try on but couldn’t because they weren’t readily available in my size.
You will find your dress. There may be some you can’t try on or they don’t have but don’t worry about those. Just like we had to go through a couple frogs to find a prince, it’ll be the same with dresses.
Don’t worry or stress yourself. It’ll work out exactly as it should and you will find your dress!!!
Also, check out Brides By Young they have a great selection. And cocomelody will ship dresses to you to try on, you can have an in house fashion show.

View Quoted Comment Thanks, I'll try to keep that in mind.

View Quoted Comment Thats really good keep it up. I find dieting harder now that I'm stuck at home a lot more since covid shut down jobs. I've always been up and down with my weight. I started focusing on losing weight last August and lost 80 lbs but the end of march I got a blood clot in my leg and pieces broke off and travelled to both lungs, so focusing on healing from that has had my weight loss at a stand still.

View Quoted Comment Omg. That’s so scary. How are you feeling now?


I started with intermittent fasting it has really helped me. When the gyms open back up I can start adding more cardio to my routine. But I’ve been doing Pilates from old YouTube videos as well.

View Quoted Comment I'm fine now, but I can't exercise on quite the same level, because the medication I have makes me really dizzy. I've always wanted to try the fasting, but I just generally count calories. And I have an elliptical at home but I get really bored with it sometimes lol.

My 1st wedding I was a size 26 in regular clothes...which was an even larger number when I tried on dresses, and I got so discouraged...I ended up taking my own measurements and ordered a plus size prom dress for my wedding dress. Guess what? I looked gorgeous. I totally rocked it. Regardless of where you buy your dress, YOU WILL TOO!!!!

I've lost a lot of weight (surgery), but I'm still a size 16 in my thighs. My advice to you is to focus on how the dress makes you feel, not what you think onlookers may be saying/thinking. Brides come in every shape and size. All brides should feel like the most beautiful creature in the world when they put on their wedding dress. All. You deserve to feel like a million bucks. Don't let anyone else in your head. Your partner is marrying you, not because of the number on the tag of your jeans. He wants to see you beaming with pride, glowing with joy when you walk down that aisle. If you want to worry about what someone else is thinking, focus on what your FH is going to be thinking when he sees you on your wedding day. Hint: he'll be beaming, too!

::hugs::

View Quoted Comment Girl, take it as slow as you need to. Did your doctor recommend anything to combat the side effects of the medication? I try to keep my caloric intake below 1600 a day.

When I went I had a similar feel. I’m between being able to fit in misses sizing and plus sizing, I can wear either but some misses stuff just isn’t comfortable on me so I knew this may be the case when I went wedding dress shopping. My consultant immediately told me not to even look at the size of the dress because it doesn’t matter and every dress with the exception of 1 made me feel really good about myself. The consultants are very well aware of people being worried about their weight and sizing, I think especially when it comes to us thicker girls, so they know how to make you feel comfortable. Best of luck!

My advice is to focus on the shape of the dresses first. Like I went in with a blank slate - should've tried on a little bit of everything to see what I like - and ended up finding that i looked good in a lot more than I thought I would. Definitely look up that hashtag on Instagram and know that you're not the only larger bride. But most of all know that dress shopping is a process, and it should be fun too because all of the dresses are gorgeous.

I just went dress shopping last month. As a plus size woman myself, I definitely had some anxiety, but that was partly because of the size (I'm an 18 on the bottom/20 - 22 on top), and partly because I just hate shopping. Add to that that you're about to spend a crap ton of money -- probably more than you've ever spent on one single item of clothing -- and BOOM -- anxious annie is born. BUT...let me tell ya, it was all for naught. There was one shop that I went to that had absolutely nothing I could even try on -- but the rest of the shops had plenty of options. Why that one shop didn't ask what size i wear when I made the appointment, I will never understand. Whatevs. Bridal consultants, in general, are very kind and knowledgeable, but if any ONE of the makes you feel uncomfortable for being who and what you are, DO NOT be afraid to walk right out the door. NO ONE should be shamed, in any way. We are not all a size two and bridal shops should know that as well and work accordingly.

All that being said...take a deep breath, let it out and go have fun!! Best of luck!!

View Quoted Comment Not really anything I can do to stop the dizziness except to not push myself too hard so I don't fall or anything and get hurt that way. I try to keep mine around 1500 but if I go over I try to compensate and take in a little less over the following few days to make up for it.

I went dress shopping for the first time 2 weeks ago. I’m around an 18 in regular dress sizes and am usually pretty self conscious. But I didn’t have a problem at the two stores we went to. I made sure the stores had plus size options before booking an appointment. The day of I felt beautiful and found one I love that I’m considering ordering. Some of the samples, didn’t zip all the way, but I was still able to get them on and see what they would look like.

View Quoted Comment Your keeping yourself healthy and sticking to your goals and that’s the best that you can do. I’m proud of you. Keep pushing through and let us know how the appointment goes. I’m sure it’ll be a great experience.

I had a great experience. I went to a plus size exclusive boutique and while I was nervous at first (I never wear white!), I honestly think it really put me at ease! I knew I could try on anything in the store and the consultants were fabulous. It was a little out of the way, but I knew I didn't want to go to multiple shops and I wanted to have access to all styles in that one trip. Although I think it is just becoming more commonplace that plus size samples are offered in more stores, so just call first to make sure. I'm a 22/24 in regular clothes and it really was a confidence boost to try on dresses that could be zipped up and even some that needed to be clipped because they were too big. I mean, no dress made me look like a size 4, but it was actually really cool to see that I looked great in a lot of dresses - that is all about being able to try on dresses designed for a plus sized person. I hope you have a great experience!