Curvy girl wedding dress shopping - advice?

kerrieberrie88

Buying a wedding dress has been keeping me up at night. I'm plus size but still want to look beautiful for my man on the big day. I had a pretty upsetting experience at David's Bridal in November, and since then, have been putting off finding a dress. I'm getting married in June, so I really need to get on this. Any advice on what to do or where to look? Especially anywhere in SE Florida?

NYCMercedes

There's an Alfred Angelo's in Coral Gables. We've had excellent service and selection with one of my daughters, who is plus, and with another one who is not. Call them and ask if they have samples in your size. Peruse their website. They are a step up from David's, but not a whole flight up.

JoanE2012

Ask for store recomendations on your local board.  Find one that has a decent selection of plus size dresses.  Try on lots and keep an open mind.  I looked at one dress on the rack and hated it. I tried it on and it was actually nice!  I also thought I wanted rouching.  I found it looked awful on me..... I thought it would make me look slimmer when really all it did was add bulk.  Also, for me.....I tried on about 15 dresss.  I hated all but 3 or 4.  And I just loved one.  You will find the one you love.

Ven&Radio

I second the recommendation for asking on your local board.  I'm also plus size, and I got a great recommendation from someone in my area.

j-harvey

There's a sticky of shopping advice on the Plus Size (special topic board.) I don't have store suggestions, but I do suggest you (or a friend) call and ask if they have samples that will fit your street size. Their response can also tell you a lot about their attitude.

julespinkribbon

just would like to say that curves are sexy and you will rock that wedding dress!!!!!!!

LoveJanelle

Every girl wants to look perfect on her big day. I think A-line plus size wedding dress is great! A-line style skims curves rather than clinging to them, to create an elegant silhouette.

[Deleted User]

The best thing you can do is a little research.  Before you make an appointment anywhere, ask what the size of their typical sample dress is (and keep in mind that dresses usually run at least a couple sizes smaller than your street size).  And ask about the availability of plus-size samples.  I wore a street size 16/18 when I went to try on dresses, and I could get into most size 12 samples well enough to get an idea of how the dress would look on me in the appropriate size, even if I couldn't close them.  But I did have a heartbreaking expereince at one shop that had maybe 4 dresses in total that weren't sample size 6's. I did my research after that and only went to places I knew had dresses I could try.

Also, if you find a dress online that you love, some shops will be able to request a sample for you in any size the designer manufactures.  They may charge a small fee, but typically they apply that fee to the cost of the dress if you purchase one from them.  So if they don't carry a sample you can fit into and you think you know what you love already, ask about that.  Good luck!

kerrieberrie88

Made an appointment at Alfred Angelo for yesterday, and called ahead to see how many were in my size range. Tried on about 8 dresses and found THE ONE! I felt like a bride and it was flattering! Sooo thrilled!