Wedding Dress Shopping for A Regular Sized Woman

DDrexler2

Hi Ladies,

I am getting ready to start wedding dress shopping and unfortunately I am dreading it more than excited for it.  I am not your size 2 sample size girl, I am a size 12 in normal clothes and usually a 14 or 16 in bridesmaid dresses.  My sister is much smaller than me (probably a 6 in regular clothes and 8-10 in wedding sizes) and I know that when we went wedding dress shopping for her about 2 years ago at MB Bride she could barely fit in most of the dresses.  Being that she is way smaller than me, this really makes me worry - the last thing i want to do is not be able to fit into the sample dresses and leave the store feeling bad about myself and upset.

So my question to you ladies is - do you know any bridal stores that carry normal size dresses to try on and ones that aren't all completely tiny?  I have found several Maggie Sottero dresses that I like and want to try on, however I feel like getting them on is a big part of liking them.

I live in downtown Pittsburgh and am willing to go anywhere around the city.
Please help, I really want to enjoy this experience!

Thanks!

emilyb213

For what it's worth, my sister recently bought her wedding dress at MB Bride, and she's a size 14 in street clothes. She never mentioned having an issue with not being able to try anything on at MB Bride due to a lack of samples in her size.

I tried on dresses at Bridal Beginnings in Mt. Lebanon and found that most of them were the standard size 10 that most salons carry. I also tried on dresses at Babette's in Bridgeville, and most of them were huge on me and had to be clipped in. I know a couple of the tags I looked at were size 14, so it seems like they have a wider range of sizes. I don't believe they carry Maggie Sottero, but it might be worth a trip just to get into some dresses and see what silhouettes you like.

cnh31

I actually specifically went to MB Bride because they had a large selection of larger sized dresses. I found the most amazing dress there! The sizing of those is crazy. I measured about a size or 2 larger than I wear in my hips, which is pretty normal but another 3 sizes bigger than that in my waist and another size bigger than that in my bust!! So I ordered at least 5 sizes bigger! The number did make me feel bad for a second but it's just a number! I really enjoyed my experience there and like I said there was a really nice selection of larger dresses. Semi related, I am really being put thru the ringer with bridesmaid dresses. I have 7 in my party ranging from a size 4 to a size 18. No one seems to have huge selections of plus size bridesmaid dresses. My one girl, who wears a size six fit into the size 10 sample perfectly. They told her she needs a size 16 according to her measurements! Luckily she fits into the sample and can see what she needs. So I am afraid for my bigger girls that they are going to order dresses way to big and then they are not going to look right because they will need taken in too much! We are currently on the lookout for any dress in a larger size by the same designer so we can get a better idea. Wedding stresses: Anyway, sorry to hijack your post. Best of luck wherever you go and don't get frustrated! No matter what in the end they will make that dress fit your body perfectly and you will look amazing! Wedding dresses are so flattering on everyone when they fit well!

jam+1231

i am a size 16-18 in street clothes, i ended up ordering a size 18 dress. i also was interested in maggie sottero, so i went to their website and looked for an authorized retailer and one of them was Michael's Bridal Galleria in the North Hills. Thats where i went and they have gowns of many sizes to try on, and multiple maggie gowns. i ended up with RD 1114 from her desitinations collection, and i LOVE it. also, Yolanda is the owner/seamstress and I have had great experiences with her from going to try on multiple gowns up until yesterday at my first fitting. she is great and makes me feel comfortable and always explains what she is doing and why, etc.

so that might be a lot more information than you were looking for but i wanted to give a great recommendation for Michael's bridal!

jessm2224

I also wear anywhere between a 10 and 12 and found my dress at David's bridal in Robinson. I went online and called ahead first to see if they had it. To my surprise I fit great into the 12. I just took my mom out there for her dress and noticed they put up two size 16's on display. Give them a call

KSerafin17

I would suggest Michael's Bridal Galleria off Perry Hwy in the North Hills too! I am a petite bride, but Michael's did have a very large selection and most of the dresses were size 12 or larger so I think you will be okay. I also second that Yolanda is fantastic. She treats every dress you put on as THE dress and pins and tucks and shows you options with each one. Good Luck!!!!

manjermj

Another recommendation for Michael's Bridal in North Hills! That's where I found my dress. I'm very tall (nearly 6') and a size 8. I found that most of their dresses were sizes 12 with corset backs so they would fit bigger sizes as well. I ended up with a Maggie Sottero and ordered a size 10. 

mcdonaa2

David's bridal is great for trying on sizes (and if you're like me, accidently find your dress!). Alfred Angelo carries most of their dresses in larger sizes too... i think like a 2, 14, and then a 22 (Something like that!).

Good Luck! 

DDrexler2

Thank you so much everyone, you have already started to make me feel better! I will definitely check out Michael's Bridal and the other suggestions too!  Does Michael's Bridal, Bridal Beginnings, or Babette's have BM dresses there too? Are their prices also comparable/reasonable? I am hoping to stay under the $1500 mark.

I also highly recommend Alfred Angelos for BM dress shopping for girls of different sizes, I know that's where we got ours for my sister's wedding and almost all of them had 3 different sizes to try on and I zipped right into most of them and felt sooo much better about myself there than MB Bride. (We tried on BM dresses there and they were all like 4s and 6s, so I could barely even get in them and left there almost crying because I felt so bad about myself.) So I don't think I want to go back to MB Bride, although the staff there was great with my sister and she got her dress there and was very happy with it! I would go to Alfred Angelos, but I looked online and they have not changed their collections really at all since I went two years ago with my sister, so that was slightly disappointing.

Thank you all so much again!

KSerafin17

Michael's Bridal Galleria has BM dresses and MOB dresses. Also, Yolanda (the owner/seemstress) is all about keeping her prices as low as possible and even drops certain designers if they are above her price range. I tried on 25 dresses when I was there and not a single one was above $1200. The dress I bought was actually only $500 and it is beautiful!!!!

manjermj

I think most of the bridesmaid dresses at Michaels Bridal were between 8 and 12's...at least for the Bill Levkoff satin dresses. And yes, you should have no problem staying until $1500! My dress was a brand new Maggie Sottero ballgown with lots of detail- litterally got it in the week before I came to try on dresses and it was $1600. And that was like the most expensive dress they had there. Lots of sale options too to buy off the rack!

mrstwinmiller2b

I know that I called MB Bride to see if they had a Maggie that I was looking for and they were able to tell me that the sample was a 14, if that helps.  

Good luck!

jenlynne0624

alfred angelos sizes are from a 0-28w, and they have samples in all sizes. i know someone who works there and she told me that they just got in a bunch of new dresses and they have a sale going on right now

jjblue74

It sounds like you are the same size as me. I bought my dress at MB Bride. The dresses didn't all zip up but with the clips I got a really good impression of how they would look and feel. They were really helpful and didn't make me feel too big to try anything on.  I'm dealing with the alterations now and they are wonderful. I have had my final fitting and the dress is perfect! Also, I live in the Greensburg area so this is the most convenient store for me. I wish you luck. Don't ever let anyone make you feel uncomfortable in your own skin! Be happy with who you are and they can choose to accept it or not.  It will be there problem not yours.

HeathenSwan

I went to MB as well. I'm a 12. I ordered my dress in a 16. I think most of the samples I tried were between 6-14. The one I ended up ordering was a 6 (as was the #2) and it was an accurate representation of what it looked like when it came in.

I live on the Northside, so it was a bit of a haul. I can say the shopping experience was very good. I picked up on a Saturday (OMG all the PEOPLE!) and it was pleasant as well. I am having alterations done closer to home, but they were still really nice even with that knowledge.

hendersonar

David's Bridal is pretty good- I went there first just to get an idea of the style I liked.  I wear a 16 in street clothes and they had no problem finding stuff for me to try on.  I know from going to wedding shows that Koda Bridal does plus sized wedding gowns - not that you're plus sized at size 12, but in wedding dress world they'll have dresses that they don't have to clip you into! 

I ended up getting my dress in Cleveland at Brides by Demetrios.  If youre up for a roadtrip, that place is AMAZING.  Pricey, but SO worth it.  They treat you like a princess and they have SO many gorgeous dresses.