Plus size bridal in the Bay Area

Hello ladies! 

Sorry this is a bit long... I will probably eventually post full length review on the knot and yelp, but in the meantime, I thought maybe others might find it helpful if I shared a few of my experiences here.

I've actually lost a lot of weight so far this year and am expecting to lose more, but I've been just starting to bridge the gap between regular and plus sizes.  For others of you who wear plus sizes, I am sure you can relate to the experience of finding a gown you love and not being able to get into it- at all.

I narrowed down to one designer pretty fast (Maggie Sottero- her corsets do so much!) but was having trouble finding the styles I was looking for (I checked them out online) in a store to try on- let alone in my size.

I'd first of all like to say that my diligence paid off- after calling a dozen or so shops in the area that carried Maggie, I did eventually find a few that had samples in a size I could get into for the styles I wanted to try.  So don't be discouraged if you can't try on a dress at one store- I found that consultants were understanding about my need to find the dress SOMEWHERE in my size so I could actually see it on me.  I think that if people give you attitude about that, they don't deserve your business. 

The store I loved best was Trudy's Brides in Campbell.  They have a large selection of dresses at various price points, and a good number of larger sample sizes.  My consultant there was Shannon, and she was great- even though she was thin as a rail, I never felt self conscious about my extra baggage with her.  She was very understanding, got what I was liking and not liking very fast, and didn't pressure me to make a decision before I was ready or add on accessories I didn't want.

I also had a good experience at Bride's Corral in Livermore.  They had some mixed reviews online, but I found them to be very courteous and helpful, they had TWO dresses I was looking for in larger sample sizes, and they were also very understanding about me not wanting to buy immediately (I had to discuss with my father since he is helping to pay for the dress).  They also are pretty flexible with drop-ins, even if they don't have an appointment slot "available".  I called on my way there, told them which two dresses I wanted to see, and they had already pulled them for me by the time I arrived.

I had a less-pleasant experience at Papers & Petals in Burlingame.  I was initially excited because they had 6 styles I wanted to see... but then it turned out they were all size 8 or 10 except for one.  That was very disappointing to me.  I also was put off by the fact that I arrived at the shop before the person who I was supposed to have an appointment with.  Then she couldn't remember which dresses I wanted to see, despite the fact that another consultant had written the list down when I had called a couple days before.  Then the computer was in use, so she couldn't look them up and didn't remember what any of them looked like.  Finally, I asked her to steer me to the Maggie dresses and my MoH and I looked for them ourselves.  The consultant handed me off to some other girl, and shortly thereafter was fitting an older woman for a non-bridal gown.  The girl I got passed off to was nice enough, but I just couldn't figure out why she didn't schedule me the appointment with her in the first place if she knew she was going to have a fitting at the same time.

Afew shops that I talked with on the phone or email about dress styles:

- Janene's Bridal in Alameda.  The manager, Stephani, was very nice and offered to get a dress into the store on the "borrow" program because I couldn't find it anywhere.  She was great on the phone and also responded to emails.

- Gesinee's Bridal in Concord.   I almost went for an appointment there, but my car battery died that day so I canceled it.  I talked to Suzy on the phone and was going to have my appointment with her.  She was really nice, and from the online reviews I read, by far the best consultant at the shop.

- Joanna's Bridal & Tailoring in Danville.  I called looking for specific styles, which they did not have.  I believe I spoke to Joanna's husband.  I was put off by the fact that after telling me they didn't have what I wanted, he told me I should come in anyway and kept emphasizing that his wife could tailor some other dress to be like what I was looking for.  I felt like maybe they make more of their money from alterations than sales.



I hope some of this is helpful to other brides who may be dress shopping in this area soon!