Transgender friendly bridal shops

I think it would really depend on your local area. No matter what policies might be in place for big chains like David’s (if there even are any), the enforcement of said policies would still depend on the local employees. If you feel comfortable letting us know what area you live in, someone who lives in the same area may be able to help you; otherwise, I’d find a more local bridal group to ask around in.

If neither of those options work, I would be sure to bring a friend or family member with you and be sure to request complete privacy—tell the consultants that your friend will help you with the dress if you need it.

If all else fails, some online retailers like anomalie may be worth a shot. They custom-make your dress based off measurements you send them.

Hey darlin, an option if you don't live somewhere you think the employees would be accepting is to wear undergarments you feel would be acceptable on the day of your wedding, but also in the room with them. For example, you could wear a low backed longline corset with the bra built in.
Or really any bra. I think we all know that women have different sized chests, clearly. We all come in different shapes and sizes. I can't imagine them paying so much attention to your chest under whatever bra or undergarment you wear that they'd have an opinion.
You could even wear a bra with a small amount of padding if you felt too uncomfortable going in without. Alterations will do the rest.
I hope your experience is wonderful because you deserve your special moment when trying on dresses.

It depends largely on the area you're from. I would ask other people in the community what their experiences at shops have been. You could also call around to your local bridal salons and just have a conversation about it. If they seem less than tolerant, move on to the next. If it would make you more comfortable, you could use the try on at home feature that Azazie offers, they have some beautiful gowns!

As PPs have said, a lot of depends on where you live. Chain stores tend to have non-discrimination policies, but also tend to enforce those more loosely or strictly depending on the area and current employees. A smaller shop may work best. There is also the online option. I've heard places like Azazie let you try on gowns at home and send back what doesn't work, or if you know your measurements and what style looks best on you there is always the customized option. If you decide you are willing to share your area some of us may have a suggestion or two. I know of a shop that would be thrilled to work with you in my area.

View Quoted Comment Thank you so much, this is my greatest dream come true, to try on wedding gowns, SO EXCITING, my concern is for bridal employees, i don't want anyone to be uncomfortable because I'm undressing in front of them, I'm a female born into the wrong body, I'm planning on wearing a body shaper with a padded built in bra to approximate what my breast size be, I'm getting 300cc implants.

I totally get the concern on this topic. My ex was F to M, I made a lot of his appointments. I would recommend calling the establishment ahead of time to ask if they are comfortable with the situation (so YOU don't feel put on the spot) and wear bike shorts the day you try on dresses. I wore bike shorts because I'm not comfortable standing in my underwear in front of people lol.

I think it depends on where you live, like others have said. You could call ahead and ask if they have any consultants that would be comfortable working with a transgender bride. Also, of course bring someone with you that you’re comfortable with. My consultant asked me if I wanted her to help me put the dresses on, or if I wanted to do it myself. So maybe if you’re not comfortable or are concerned about it being awkward for someone else, maybe ask if that’s an option?

If you can't find a shop to go in you could always try Azazie online. You can try on dresses at home for $15 per dress.

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All of the times I went dress shopping the the attendant never came into the room with me. I would slip the dress on and zip it up as much as I could and then they'd finish zipping me in, and reverse for taking dresses off (start unzipping me but I'd hold it up until I got into the room). So they never saw me undressing or in my underwear. I don't know if it's different in different places but I went to 4 different shops and in none of them did the attendant come in.

I was the MOH for my best friend a few years ago who was in a similar situation at the time. She'd been taking hormones for a few years but had not yet had any kind of surgery. She brought me with her to every appointment to make sure there was always someone safe around. I don't know what part of the world you're in but in Minneapolis we felt completely comfortable and respected everywhere we went. The people working in bridal salons see all kinds of women and non-binary dress wearers everyday.

My last piece of advise would be that other people's comfort doesn't really matter here. You should feel comfortable and safe. You are the customer, this is their job.

When I was trying on dresses, no one was in the room with me. As a PP said, I got into the dress and asked for assistance once I could no longer do it my self, I was 100% covered each time. No one saw me in my undies at any point at any of my appointments.
At David’s the consultant didn’t help me at all, my mom assisted me.
So if you don’t want to say anything, I think you have options: be sure you’re fully covered before asking for help OR having someone come along who is able and willing to help you 😊

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Congratulations to you!!! This makes me so happy to read, when I see the excitement someone has about planning their wedding!!

I just wanted to relate my experience with David's Bridal. A lot of people here will tell you they are terrible, or that they had a bad experience with rude consultants. My experience was just the opposite. In fact, I had brought my BMs with me, including my sister. When we arrived, the consultant asked me what I was more comfortable with--either one of my ladies helping me getting in and out of the gowns, or him helping me. I wasn't worried so much about a guy helping me, especially since it was pretty easy to tell he was gay, but I really liked that his first concern was my comfort. If I was not comfortable having a total stranger helping me dress/undress, they were fine with me taking my sister into the fitting room. So, that's what we did.

If you have a trusted friend or relative, it's probably a good idea to take them with you for this reason.

I am so glad that I found this thread. I am a crossdresser from the UK and am looking for a wedding dress to be able to feature in a future photo shoot. I contacted a company called Wed2B and explained my situation and they were absolutely fine with me coming in to try on dresses at a quieter trading time. They were absolutely amazing and treated me just as they would any other girl coming in for a dress fitting. I wore sensible underware so as to not shock them too much with big pants, tights and a strapless bra with my breastforms. They have stores all over the UK and Europe and would recommend them to any t-girls, crossdressers, trans girls or real girls.